Silence in Cultures - 1689 Words

The use of silence varies from one culture to another. Western traditional cultures perception of and use of silence are different from eastern cultures of the world. Countries which adapted much of the Greek culture and learned from Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato high value socializing and believe talking as an important activity. Some countires that view the perception of silence in this way are the United States, Germany, and France. However, Eastern cultures such as Japan and India find silence very appealing. Silence is not only developed in Asian cultures, but it is also found in many Scandinavian cultures and American Indian cultures. The Japanese culture observed that silence can serve a variety of purposes. It can be seen as a†¦show more content†¦186). Men have typically communicated to exert control, preserve independence, and enhance status. They typically minimize feelings. Doing this enables men to use problem solving, data collection, and solution suggestions . They emphasize content rather than feelings. Wood states that men also, â€Å"expresses superiority and maintains control† (p. 188). Men redirect conversations fro their own benefit and interrupt as a controlling or challenging device. This allow the man to drive the conversation, asserting the control. Forceful and direct language is common among men. Wood also goes on to state that, â€Å"men tend to speak in abstact terms that are general and removed from personal experiences† (p. 188). This allows the men to keep their emotions out of the conversation. Lastly, the conversation of men is not very responsive. Sympathy, understanding, and self disclosure are rarely expressed because these responses are condescending and make one vulnerable. Understanding these communications allows one to understand more about one another. From the early beginnings, it was prevalent that girls, typically more passive with a more rational thought process normally grows into one who communicates with feelings and understanding. Boys growing up show aggressiveness that eventually evolved into a lack of expressionShow MoreRelatedWe Cry On The Inside : Image Theater And Rwanda s Culture Of Silence1688 Words   |  7 Pages It is often discussed that Rwandans have a â€Å"culture of silence† or an aptitude to withhold their personal struggles or opinions. There are phrases in Kinyarwanda that demonstrate this cultural trait such as â€Å"keep it all inside† and â€Å"we cry on the inside† (Blair Fletcher 4). In Blair and Fletcher’s article We Cry on the Inside: Image Theater and Rwanda’s Culture of Silence, a member of one of the theater activities stated â€Å"It’s not easy to explain your problems to another. It’s considered unacceptableRead MoreEast African Culture Reflects on Their Drama Using Aminata, Echoes of Silence and I Will Marry When I Want as Case Study12168 Words   |  49 Pages FACULTY OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES AN ASSIGNMENT ON: ELS 226 (MODERN AFRICAN DRAMA) SUBMITTED BY : GROUP 4 QUESTION: THE CULTURE OF THE PEOPLE DETERMINES ITS DRAMA. DISCUSS THE EAST AFRICAN EXPERIENCE AS EXEMPLIFY IN FRANCES LIMBULGA’S AMMATA, NGUGI WA THIONGO’ S I WILL MARRY WHEN I WANT AND JOHN RUGANDA’S ECHOES OF SILENCE. LECTURER-IN-CHARGE: DR OLANIYAN MRS LIST OF GROUP MEMBERS. OGUNFEIBO AYOKUNLE O 1002630 IBITOYE EBUNOLUWA ABIGAEL 1000154 ADEBIYIRead MoreCommunication And Silence In Maxine Hong Kingstons The Woman Warrior1609 Words   |  7 Pagesis it that you never open your lips at a committee meeting? You are a drone† (Cain 189). Though the world today certainly knows of Gandhi, his peers once saw him as a drone as a result of his silence. Cultures linked with silence can conflict with other, more vocal cultures: a prominent example is the silence of Asia in contrast with the openness of America. Maxine Hong Kingston delves into this clash in her 1976 memoir The Woman Warrior, throughout which a young, insecure girl develops a voice ofRead MorePersonal Values Of Collectivist Culture1594 Words   |  7 PagesCollectivist The sibling culture I experience weighs more on the collectivist culture. This is because my relationship with my siblings is primarily grouped based. We value group cooperation and harmony rather than a competitive spirit or individual desire. Evidence of this is depicted as we work together to complete the task of finishing our chores. We constantly split chores and alternate. We also work together to help each other out, both academically and emotionally. As a middle child, I haveRead MoreEssay about Asian American Identity1643 Words   |  7 PagesSilence as Beauty, Silence as Self: The Asian American Identity The label â€Å"American† encompasses many different cultures and races. However, American society is often guilty of assuming there is only one true, certainly white, â€Å"American† face, voice, and behavior. Associate Professor of Sociology, Minako Maykovich, states that â€Å"the criteria for physical characteristics are generally determined by the dominant group in society,† thus â€Å"racial difference is the greatest obstacle to the processRead MoreThe Important Aspects Of Effective Nursing923 Words   |  4 Pagesand sound, but also non-verbal. Non-verbal behaviors such as touch, facial expressions, eye contact and movement, posture and silence make up more than half of the art of communication (Giger, 2013). The population in the United States is comprised of various cultures with different views of the meaning of non-verbal communication. Understanding the views of various cultures can create a positive and healing environment for the patient, as well as increase patient and employee satisfaction (Starr Read MoreLiterary Analysis : Madison Eller 1474 Words   |  6 Pagesform a great rift between cultures, but if the two cultures understood each other, perhaps they would not be so prejudiced. The Chosen provides an inside look into the culture of the Jewish people in America. The persecution of the Jews brought millions of Jewish people to Ameri ca where they could live and worship God freely. The Chosen’s themes of reconciling Jewish tradition with the American culture, using eyesight and hearing to overcome bias, and recognizing silence as a path to the soul showRead MoreAdvance Review On Criminal Justice Essay1242 Words   |  5 Pagesorganizational culture truly exist in law enforcement in the United States? The answer is yes, it does exist however, when you have individual that live by the â€Å"Code of Silence†, or working under the assumption that they are above the law and lack of proper training these types of headlines will continue. How is the community to respect law enforcement when many don’t seem to respect their own organizational culture and still work under the code of silence? With a strong organizational culture in placeRead MoreSolar Storm by Linda Hogan: The Clash of Perception1109 Words   |  5 PagesThere is the western culture that sees the earth as nothing more than a never ending resource without realizing that by their activities, they are at risk of creating their own demise. Then there is the indigenous culture that personifies the land. They see the earth as an entity that they have made a bond with; a bond that now lay broken. The book also utilizes silence not only as a symbol for something much bigger but also as a way to craft identity through the views of culture on a forged path ofRead MoreSilence : Silence And Silence1135 Words   |  5 PagesNaomi hears no response and only silence accompanies her relentlessly. So she growing up in solitude and silence, Naomi loses the abi lity to communicate with others and the silence became part of her life. â€Å"The language of her grief is silence. She has learned it well, its idioms, its nuances, over the years, silence within her small body has grown large and powerful† (Kogawa 17). The silence grew within her, bringing difficulty to verbalize her suffering. Silence has become her way of expression