Essay Comparing the Culture of Cambodia and American Culture

Comparing the Culture of Cambodia and American Culture After reading the novel Children of the River, I have learned some customs that people in Cambodia practice in their country. In this essay, I shall describe some examples of their traditions and contrast them with the American culture as shown in the novel and Honduran culture of which I am most familiar. One good example of this contrast is when Sundara, the main character of the novel, explains to Jonathan (Pg 23) that in Cambodia, students at school show respect to their teachers. Students don’t ask questions to their teachers if they don’t understand a lesson. In their culture, asking such questions is a sign of disrespect. Sundara explains in the novel that people†¦show more content†¦Not using the husband’s last name in this manner would be offensive to the husband and his family. Still another example of Cambodian customs is when Soka tells Sundara (Pg. 80) about Naro’s mother feeling disappointed of lack of respect for the elderly in America. In Cambodia it is impolite and rude not to show respect to adults. They bow and show consideration to them. In my opinion, this practice is used in many countries too. In Honduras, if a person doesn’t show respect for the elderly, he or she would be considered rude to others. In addition, in page 84, Sundara tells Jonathan that in Cambodia a girl doesn’t go out with a boy alone. Cambodian girls are not allowed to go out without company. It is not part of their customs; it is not acceptable in her country. For Sundara it is difficult to explain to Jonathan that she must not be disobedient even though they are not doing anything wrong. She needs to follow her traditions. Another interesting Cambodian custom (Pg. 109) is when Sundara tells Jonathan that in Cambodia people believe that is bad to touch a little kid’s head. They believe that it might make them lose their intelligence or their soul. In my opinion, it is fascinating to learn different customs from diverse countries because that way we can avoid make other people feel uncomfortable. It is important to know how a simple touch can disturb an entire culture. Finally, forShow MoreRelatedSwot Analysis Of British American Tobacco Cambodia1468 Words   |  6 Pagesabilities, main potential, and resources. To transform these theories into real implementation, we have raised up an international company in Cambodia, namely British American Tobacco (Cambodia) Limited by coming up with analyzing, discussing, comparing, identifying main issues, and making recommendations. II. Organizational background British American Tobacco Cambodia (BATC) is a firm undertaken jointly by few parties with an investment of twenty-five million dollars which was established in June 1996Read MoreIs It Neglected Suicide? A Major Issue Regarding College Students? Essay1283 Words   |  6 Pagesthe world, Japan is ranked number seventeen, the United States is ranked number fifty and Cambodia is ranked number seventy-five out of a total of 170 countries. In the data collected by WHO, the reported statistics also show that the majority of suicidal behaviors or deaths associate with males in all the countries analyzed. According to Mark Stibich author of the article, â€Å"Top 10 Causes of Death for Americans Ages 15-24: U.S. Mortality Causes and Prevention Methods,† after accidents and homicideRead MoreShould Prostitution Be A Victimless Crime?1506 Words   |  7 Pagesdue to the fact the prostitutes would be required to be medically examined. Liberator supported his case by comparing the data fr om countries with legalized prostitution and those without and coming to the conclusion that HIV/AIDS in countries that lacked anti-prostitution laws was much less of a problem (169). Another claim supporting the legalization of prostitution was made by the American Civil Liberties Union in a policy statement faxed to ProCon.org in which they argued that prostitution lawsRead More Comparing Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness Essay1489 Words   |  6 PagesComparing Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness   Ã‚   In the opening scenes of the documentary film Hearts of Darkness-A Filmmakers Apocalypse, Eleanor Coppola describes her husband Franciss film, Apocalypse Now, as being loosely based on Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness. Indeed, loosely is the word; the period, setting, and circumstances of the film are totally different from those of the novella. Yet, a close analysis of character, plot, and theme in each respective work reveals thatRead MoreDiscourse Organization on Asian Fashion Blogs3473 Words   |  14 Pagesreasoning, while other languages (e.g. Oriental languages and Arabic) favor indirectness and inductive reasoning. At the same time, he attempts to link the differences in discourse organization between English and other languages to their respective cultures and thought patterns. He marked the birth of the notion now known as Contrastive Rhetoric. It assumes that different languages had their own specific and culturally bound conventions and patterns of writing. This may also tell if there are such characteristicsRead MoreFood Waste Essay1361 Words   |  6 Pagessocietal and agricultural developments in an era where land and other resources are becoming more limited. The increase in waste and category of foods which people throw away has transformed with time through the advancement and evolving of varying cultures. The French labeled â€Å"Garbage† specifically as food waste and later broadened the term in applying to refuse in general. The first hunter-gatherer societies picked and killed what they needed to survive, wasting nothing more than animal bones. Read MoreMost Significant Events in History- 1950-19902242 Words   |  9 Pagessignificantly changed the future of America. This course specifically focused on the American Experience since 1945. Topics such as the Cold War, McCarthyism, Civil Rights and the Vietnam War all put in to place a chain of events that have made our country what it is today. This paper will review a few of the social, economic and political events between 1950 through 1990 that had a powerful impact on the American people and their decade. 1950’s Cold War Ideology, McCarthyism and Eisenhower’s politicsRead MoreRats Essay4232 Words   |  17 Pages(5 in). Contents [hide] * 1 Species and description * 2 As pets * 3 As subjects of scientific research * 4 Laughter in rats * 5 As food * 6 In culture o 6.1 In Eastern cultures o 6.2 In Western cultures o 6.3 In religion o 6.4 In popular culture * 7 Taxonomy of Rattus o 7.1 Species of rats * 8 Further reading * 9 References and notes * 10 See also * 11 External links [edit] SpeciesRead More4ps-Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program3477 Words   |  14 Pagesand remains a big challenge to it. According to National Statistical Coordination Board Secretary General Jose Ramon G. Albert, the poverty incidence among population was estimated at 27.9 percent during the first semester of 2012, (NSCB 2012).   Comparing this with the 2006 and 2009 first semester figures estimated at 28.8 percent and 28.6 percent, respectively, poverty remained unchanged as the computed differences are not statistically significant. Latest official poverty thresholds show thatRead MoreCultural Analysis Thailand9709 Words   |  39 Pagesthe region will take place. Global Business Cultural Analysis: Thailand Formerly known as Siam, the Kingdom of Thailand is in the center of the Indochina peninsula. Thailand lies geographically between Burma, Laos to the north, Cambodia to the east and Malaysia to the south. Thailand is just over 198,000 square miles, making it comparable to the size of France. The population of this sovereign nation is approximately 67 million—75% being Thai nationals, 14% of Chinese descent