Egypt

EGYPT


The majority of people have various ways of viewing cultures. Because
of close-mindedness and lack of cultural education, people have a difficult
time interacting with different societies. I feel that people shouldn't
stereotype because this might lead to misjudgment. For example, I have
personally experienced this type of stereotyping of my Egyptian culture.
Although people view Egypt as a plain desert with camel riders, my
experience from living there shows Egypt to be a developing civilized country
with a great history .
People think about Egypt in this manner because of the media. The
news primarily exposes the uncivilized parts of the country. For instance, the
well known news broad-casting channel CNN showed the circumcising of a
young girl on the television screen. This is a harsh way to introduce a culture
to people. Often, CNN shows cases of the Egyptian desert with camel riders.
This narrow perspective influences the society's view of our culture.
Another example is an article in the National Geographic magazine
about Egypt (written by Peter Throux in April 1993). The writer described
the country as smoggy, dirty, over-populated and with traffic problems. The
article introduced Egypt as a superstitious culture which was graphically
proven in a picture shown in the article. This picture showed the head of a
woman with the body of a snake. This picture gives the reader the impression
that Egyptians believe in black magic.
Whenever the media introduce a culture, they should mention all the
positive and the negative aspects of that specific culture. For instance,
whenever you watch a program about the United States of America back
home, you see only sky-scrapers and big luxurious cities. This doesn't
portray the entire United States.
In reality, Egypt is a mixture of well educated and uneducated people.
I have lived there for many years and from experience, I think it's an
interesting country. Egypt has the Nile River which supports the cities
around it with water and green areas. In Egypt, the government encourages
the people to move away from the cities and start agricultural communities
with great facilities. This encouragement helps provide more agricultural
areas and more jobs for the Egyptian people. This enrichment has stabilized
the currency for six years and has also improved the growth of the national
income. In Egypt, there are the "pyramids" which are symbols of the
Egyptian pride. Temples, churches and mosques show a great art of design.
These buildings are not just constructions, they are decorations and a history
for all generations. This history has motivated the Egyptians to continue their
modern progresses. It has also influenced the Egyptian traditions. For
example, the Egyptian ancestors passed down many traditions. These
traditions emphasize respect for elders and family.
In conclusion, my view is that culture has it's good and bad qualities.
The negative ones in the Egyptian culture are the traffic, extensive paper
work (with certified signature), hard-to-find housing and beggars. This
occurs because of the over population problem. The Egyptian government is
trying to fix this problem by doing everything possible.
I wish every person could view the Nile River at night, the historical
sites (such as the pyramids) and the beaches of the red sea, to fully
understand the beauty of nature in this part of the world. Egypt is mentioned
in the holy book Quran as a secure country with generous people living in it. I
wish everyone could see the world with an open mind, rather than with an eye
of ignorance and prejudice.

Effect of he Environment on Westward Expansion

As the country grew and expanded, the American people where always one to push their bounds. In 1763, we proudly, defied England's proclamation of the year, and settled west of the Appalachian mountains. A little later, the westward people pushed Indians, animals, and society to a place where no American person had gone before. But all the while, one important factor determined where they transported themselves, where they settled, and what they did when they got there. This factor, the environment, profoundly affected the settlers way of life, and other factors, such as the Indians and the railroad, only aggravated a pre-existing condition.

The settlers of the late 1800's had only one way to get to the west- along the pre-existing routes established by the courier-de-bois, Spanish settlers, and the Indians of the past. These routes, which flowed through the only passable areas of the Rockies, naturally led to Oregon and California, which caused an increase in the population of these regions at the time. These trails, such as the Oregon Trail to the north, the Mormon and Spanish Trail to the south, and the California and Overland trails in between were very rough and bumpy, making the trek no easy task.

On the home front, the environment played an important role on the family life as well.. Women had a more prominent role in society as we shifted from the urbanized east to the more agrarian west. They were expected to do more than they did in the past, such as make the clothing everyone in the family wore, while the man was off toiling in the desert in search for food. With an increased sense of independence, women had gained rights to vote and proprietorship. But with this increased sense of independence came the added responsibility of being the family doctor, chef, and provider of family comfort and support. Women even faced the grim possibility of giving birth on the trail.

The environment also affected the health of the people who lived in the west. In the middle of the desert, with scarce sources of food and water, the people and environment became one. With the water remote and out of hand, the emigrants faced higher incidents of dysentery and diarrhea, which stemmed from their inappropriate water supplies.

The environment also molded another aspect of our westward ancestors- their style of architecture and development. In the east, where the land was expensive and hard to find, people generally built towards the heavens. But in the lands west of the Mississippi, where the land was found easily and very cheaply, the people generally built outward with buildings no taller than two stories. Perhaps we should of learned from the Indians of the past, who built in natural recesses in the mountains to provide natural protection and shade.

But other factors also played a role in westward movement, although it's influence wasn't as imposing as the environment. The people that already lived in those areas, the Indians, naturally fought against these white faced foes to keep the land that was once theirs. But other factors also played an important role. The railroad, for instance, would ultimately decide which areas would become populated or not as this form of transportation became a more comfortable mode of movement.

In conclusion, one can now see the extreme influence the environment played on the westward settlers of the past. Not only did it influence where and how they settled, it affected their way of life, livelihood, and general mood. While it may be said that external factors such as the Indians and the railroad changed the direction of westward movement, it was ultimately the environment that would decide where and how the people settled.