“Body Rituals Among the Nacirema, “ by Horace Miner, is an essay written about the Nacirema, or American people, from an outsider’s perspective. Miner gives an insight on the Nacireman people, which he describes in his essay as an unknown tribe, and the completing of the Nacireman’s magical beliefs and practices, which involve daily, involuntary body rituals that cause much pain and discomfort. Miner shows how an outsider’s perspective can affect the way a culture is seen. In his essay, Miner uses a tone that is formal and unbiased, which happens to be humorous at the same time. Miner’s thesis is clear, he is simply showing the reader of these practices. It is understandable that Miner is speaking of a strange culture with rituals that Miner’s introduction may seem a bit confusing and may not be clear to the reader at first but it makes the reader curious and want to continue on. As the reader catches, the essay seems to have a great sentence structure. The words and sentences flow freely throughout the essay, making it enjoyable. Everything fell into place where it should be. Seeing the daily brushing of the teeth or the shaving of the face as a ritual seems about right because essentially that’s what it is It seems as though Americans are pressured by society to feel pretty (both men and women, perhaps by the media, which results in these beautifying, daily rituals. The purpose of Miner’s article was to explain the realism of the Nacirema culture. It is evident that Miner is criticizing the American culture and is showing that they do daily “rituals” to improve their outer appearance as opposed to improving their inner being. Even if Nacirema isn’t apparent to you in the beginning, there are signs throughout the story that Miner is talking about the American culture. By demonstrating and introducing the daily body rituals of the Nacirema, whether they are painful or pleasurable, and describe American customs, Miner was able to show us the good, bad, and the ugly of the culture from an outside perspective. After reading Miner’s essay, the reader may have different opinions of the Nacireman culture and may even see them as “stuck-up” for having all of these unnecessary rituals that most other
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