issue 207

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.207"Rituals and ceremonies help define a culture. Without them, societies or groups of people have a diminished sense of who they are."

Is that the truth that without the ceremonies societies or groups of people would have a diminished sense of who they are as the author suggested? In response of the issue, I need to analyze the topic comprehensively and systematically. The issue has some merits at the first glance, which I agree with, that rituals and ceremonies help to define a culture in some extent. While, through further considering, I still could not totally agree with the whole conclusion, in the view that the author overlooks the decisive function of rituals and ceremonies, meanwhile lacking such activities is not sure to reduce the sense of a culture, and ignores some alternative forms which could also help to define a culture.

First and foremost, it can not be denied that rituals and ceremonies, which mostly have a long history, indeed help to give cohesion into a certain culture. Rituals, which invariably have a relationship with religions, mostly served as a formalization celebrated by the fellows of religions. Rituals make it possible for the fellows, who have the same firm belief, could get together in order to exchange the comprehension of their religion’s spirit, as well as share individual experiences which may related with that spirit, thus accelerating the sense of who they are, which standpoint they have, what’s most significantly is that not simple can it reinforce the love, awe, respect of that region, but also inherit to or attract new members when other people enjoying their rituals. Ceremonies, on the other hand, might not have a tight correlative with religions rather that it is more likely to be organized by some particular things, such as weddings, bumper harvests, a rainy season and so on, all of these can give an impetus to motivate remembering and defining a distinctive culture.


What’ more, although there are some merits from the above analysis, I still have to quest the preciseness of the whole issue. I strongly believe that some cultures seldom have rituals or ceremonies, even there are some are not considered a crucial formation to define the culture. For example, America, which is such a freedom nation and whose educational spirit is to encouraging cultivate individual characters, nearly have no rituals or ceremonies which is ruled must be celebrated by all the citizens, may you have a suspicion that at least Americans have wedding, while what’s wonderful is that take the cases happened through American history, people there have a wedding have distinctive styles, some in church which may more traditionally, some may in balloons, even some have wedding throughout the world.. Thus if the culture is advocating freedom and diversify, there will be no doubt there exist an unitive rituals or ceremonies.

Finally and perhaps the most importantly. The author fails to rule out some alternative forms which can help to define a culture despite of rituals and ceremonies. From instance, in England, brevity means a crucial spirit that Englishmen should have, and taking extreme sports figure their symbolic characteristic. In Africa-America, people there distinguish themselves from others by excellent speeches and their figures. In Brazil, soccer can be regarded as a culture as well. From the cases above, i can safely draw an conclusion that under the background of the current diversified world, culture, such a broad conception, can be defined in various different ways, rituals and ceremonies might be just one part of it, thus of course without rituals and ceremonies it is not doom that people’s sense of belonging will diminish, however in fact, it can be intensified by other forms.

From the analysis above, i can safely committed to an optimal conclusion that admittedly rituals and ceremonies can help define a culture in some degree, while without them people are not destined to lose the sense of who they are. as some others various forms can also help to maintain the culture. As a consequence we need to take every possibilities into account when judging this issue.