The Trickster

In various stories, specifically myths and folktales, there can sometimes be a character who is identified as the 'trickster'. The trickster is usually a clever-minded individual (or animal, whichever suits the condition) who plays tricks on others or causes havoc in the story. The trickster is seen as the one who messes everything up and is only good at causing problems for others or even themselves. In Trickster Tales, the Raven is the trickster. He kicks deq's into the ocean and even fools one who entraps him. He fools a whale into swallowing him (which wasn't very clever if you ask me) and continues to get what he wants throughout the story. This tale was different from others because in stories that involves a trickster, you would expect the trickster to learn their lesson by the end. The Raven, however, did not, and ends up being the winner at the end. This left me extremely unsatisfied and I feel like this is complete injustice. While already feeling this way, I also feel like this story relates to the real world. Sometimes the good guys don't always win. The Raven, in my opinion, is a prime example of that and I feel like the author intended for this message to appeal to their audience.

White Tigers

In this interesting story, there is a tale (told by a Chinese woman) about a young girl (herself) who is separated from her family and finds the home of an old woman and old man. She stays there to be trained and eventually become a woman warrior. My first impression of this story, to be honest, was "Oh, this is a different version of the Disney movie Mulan" but as I kept reading I found out I was wrong. Though they have their similarities, this myth stands out more than Mulan's story does. From encounters with rabbits, to hallucinations and the woman's true reality, "White Tigers" is definitely worth reading. My favorite part in the story is when the girl becomes stronger in physicality and is left abandoned in the woods so she could survive on her own. I feared for her, to be honest, but then stopped myself when I noticed that she was very well capable of taking care of herself. I believe in the empowerment of woman and that we, as special specimens of this world, deserve respect. This does not mean I am a feminist, although the equality of the sexes isn't such a bad thing, but I do not place my species in low standards either. Overall, it was a lovely story to read and I enjoyed it immensely.

Ethnocentrism

Some, or if not, ALL people (like myself), no matter who they are or where they come from, have a bit of ethnocentrism in them. How so? Simple; people have the idealization that their country is better than others or 'right' in terms of social structure. When someone asks a person where they come from or what is their ethnic background, the latter tends to answer with a hint of pride in their voice, no matter if they are mixed or solely from one place. From the customs an individual learns and adapts to, to the religion they believe in, if the person is proud, there is no diminishing it. The question for all of this would be: why does this happen and where does it derive from? My answer: Surroundings. An individual literally living in their culture and surrounded only by their culture will most likely develop ethnocentrism. Being separated from their culture, in some cases, can be detrimental to their pride, but that's not relevant here. If you go to Spain, you will see that the inhabitants of the beautiful country are proud of their home. If you go to NYC, you will see that New Yorkers are excessively proud of their home (cough, cough, ME). No matter what arguments are made about ethnocentrism and whether or not cultures possess, I believe it to be so.