issue63

Ocean~SprayUID: 2847693

TOPIC: ISSUE63 - "To truly understand your own culture-no matter how you define it-requires personal knowledge of at least one other culture, one that is distinctly different from your own."
WORDS: 540
TIME: more than an hour
DATE: 2010-7-25 19:22:48

Is it necessary to learn a distinctly different cultural from our own in order to understand our culture? In my point of view, comparison contributes to deeper and broader understanding of civilization and customs, as a result a personal knowledge of different culture is necessary. However, when doing so more aspects need to be taken into account about the approaches of understanding and the consequences.

To begin with, when merging in one cultural atmosphere for quite a long time, people are so accustomed to the habits, behaviors, customs, festivals that they tend to take everything as granted, and therefore ignore the pith and true value of their own culture. Only when they compare with another system of ideology and mores, recognize the differences and similarities, experience the
cultural shock on their own, can they realize the great influence of the original culture on them and thus understand the culture comprehensively and thoroughly. My aunt has studied abroad and now is living in America. She told me that students like her, even though living in the different background, now appreciate and comprehend Chinese culture better. She wrote to me, (and I paraphrase)- " The most unfamiliar scene and the sense of estrangement never detach me from my homeland--the more exotic beauty I see, the more appreciation I perceive for my own culture." The distance reminds her of the culture she grows up in instinctively, and they not only recognize what they neglect before, but also update their original attitudes towards Chinese culture.

On the other hand, proper approaches and time need to be selected before two distinct cultures to mingle with each other, otherwise the initial cultural influences inevitably can be exclusive and hostile. One tragic example is the constant conflict between Palestine and Israel. The cultural shock and religious disputes are not properly dealt with at first, as a result the armed conflicts evolves into nightmare for the civilians who suffer war and terrorism, and disasters for the native society and economy development. In this case, the deficiency in handling the cultural distinction leads to serious problems, and the possibility of understanding both cultures seems ironic. Therefore, anyone, ranges from political leaders to common people, who wants to introduce a new system of ideologies and custom have to consider the proper approaches to avoid unnecessary negative effects.

What’s more, there are a myriad of pragmatic ways to understand our own culture apart from acquisition of another cultural system. The methods adopted by historians are worth contemplation and attempts-to study the traditions and history the culture is rooted in. The history provides modern people with cultural roots and resources, which help to identify the value and position of modern transient and numerous contentions, and thus people gain a better understanding of the whole culture.

To sum up, in an effort to comprehend our own culture, the method to acquire knowledge of one other distinctly different culture is necessary and effective. However, if the process is not coped with wisely and properly, negative consequences including war and conflicts may appear as well. Furthermore, in addition to learning another culture in order to understand our own, there are more optional choices, such as analyzing the history and tradition of our own culture.

fchenyanUID: 2804020

TOPIC: ISSUE63 - "To truly understand your own culture-no matter how you define it-requires personal knowledge of at least one other culture, one that is distinctly different from your own."
WORDS: 540
TIME: more than an hour
DATE: 2010-7-25 19:22:48
Is it necessary to learn a distinctly different cultural（a culture distinctly different） from our own in order to understand our culture? In my point of view, comparison contributes to deeper and broader understanding of civilization and custom, as a result a personal knowledge of different culture is necessary. However, when doing so more aspects need to be taken into account about the approaches of understanding and the consequences.
To begin with, when merging in（after merge into or merged into） one cultural atmosphere for quite a long time, people are so accustomed to the habits, behaviors, customs, festivals that they tend to take everything as granted, and therefore ignore the pith and true value of their own culture. Only when they compare with another system of ideology and mores, recognize the differences and similarities, experience the cultural shock on their own, can they realize the great influence of the original culture on them and thus understand the culture comprehensively and thoroughly. My aunt has studied abroad and now is living in America. She told me that students like her, even though living in(or come from different backgrounds) the different background, now appreciate and comprehend Chinese culture better. She wrote to me, (and I paraphrase)- " The most unfamiliar scene and the sense of estrangement never detach me from my homeland--the more exotic beauty I see, the more appreciation I perceive for my own culture." The distance reminds her of the culture she grows up in(in 去掉) instinctively, and they not only recognize what they neglect before, but also update their original attitudes towards Chinese culture.
On the other hand, proper approaches and time need to be selected before two distinct cultures to mingle with each other, otherwise the initial cultural influences inevitably can be exclusive and hostile. （感觉这个和题目已经有点距离了，不对，你应该是跑题了）One tragic example is the constant conflict between Palestine and Israel. The cultural shock and religious disputes are not properly dealt with at first, as a result the armed conflicts evolves into nightmare for the civilians who suffer war and terrorism, and disasters for the native society and economy development. In this case, the deficiency in handling the cultural distinction leads to serious problems, and the possibility of understanding both cultures seems ironic. Therefore, anyone, ranges from political leaders to common people, who wants to introduce a new system of ideologies and custom have to consider the proper approaches to avoid unnecessary negative effects.
What’s more, there are a myriad of pragmatic ways to understand our own culture apart from acquisition of another cultural system. The methods adopted by historians are worth contemplation and attempts-to study the traditions and history the culture is rooted in. The history provides modern people with cultural roots and resources, which help to identify the value and position of modern transient and numerous contentions, and thus people gain a better understanding of the whole culture.（这段还可以）
To sum up, in an effort to comprehend our own culture, the method to acquire knowledge of one other distinctly different culture is necessary and effective. However, if the process is not coped with wisely and properly, negative consequences including war and conflicts may appear as well. Furthermore, in addition to learning another culture in order to understand our own, there are more optional choices, such as analyzing the history and tradition of our own culture.
我还是觉得你应该把对题目的理解放在首位，而且你现在的句子已经很少有问题了，时间不多了，加油啊。