Dancing Skeletons Life And Death - 1239 Words

Question One: Core Quote In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death In West Africa (published in 1994), the core argument is best shown when the author, Katherine A. Dettwyler, says on page 142, â€Å" What is wrong with this picture?† Suddenly, it dawned on me. The children- dancing with abandon, smiles on their faces looked like dancing skeletons. They were the living embodiment of Camille Saint-Saen’s â€Å"Dance Macabre. â€Å"They were the warrior skeletons from Ray Harryhausen’s film Jason and the Argonauts-dancing, instead of fighting. They flung their arms and legs about like kindling, knees and elbows jutting out of painfully thin arms and legs like knots in the wood† (Dettwyler 142). Question Two: Core Argument I chose this quote because it was the place in which I felt like through all of her research of differing topics from infant feeding practices to the effects and causes of parasites, this was where Dettwyler finally came to a solid conclusion about the lives of the people in West Africa and the role of malnutrition in this society. Dettwyler does come to a lot more different conclusions and argues about various topics throughout the ethnography while conducting her research. But, in my opinion these arguments were not broad enough to be the core argument of the whole ethnography as many of them were only addressing one specific topic that Dettwyler researched. Also, I found that this argument was the strongest, most direct argument in the book. It really made meShow MoreRelatedDancing Skeletons : Life And Death1470 Words   |  6 Pagesbook, Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa. She addresses important issues such as ignorance in nutrition. S he also addresses some of how Islam has become part of there culture as time has gone on and as the country becomes more civilized. Muslims in Mali did were not perfect Muslims and did not do everything they were supposed to but their deepest roots came from Islam. Dettwyler addressed some very difficult problems in her book from malnutrition to child development Dancing Skeletons:Read More Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa1701 Words   |  7 Pagesmalnutrition, and having to adapt to the ever changing and advancing cultures around them. What I found to be the most significant problem that is shared between both areas is that the people suffered from a lack of education. In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine A. Dettwyler, there is a lack of education in proper nutritional practices, taking care of children and newborns, and basic medical knowledge and practices. The Dobe Ju/’hoansi have recently started puttingRead MoreEssay about Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa1383 Words   |  6 PagesStates has to offer, but the United States also has a downfall to all of the â€Å"good† things in life: we think our way of life is better than everyone else’s, and we often judge other countries, especially Africa, for their way of living. We often ask the questions, â€Å"What if we go to help them?† or â€Å"How can we help them?† when the real question is: â€Å"What can we learn from them†? Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa is a non-fiction book written by Katherine Dettwyler, who traveled to the countriesRead MoreDancing Skeletons : Life And Death Throughout West Africa By Katherine Dettwyler, All You Can Think2334 Words   |  10 PagesMarbaugh Anthropology 105 S. Home Hogue October 13, 2014 â€Å"Dancing Skeleton† While reading Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine Dettwyler, all you can think is â€Å"what if I had had to live in a culture like this?† Katherine Dettwyler is an ethnography that primarily study how children feeding and weaning customs, and continuing malnutrition directs to a higher likely hood of children being more likely to perish from life threatening childhood illnesses, for example: malariaRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death1223 Words   |  5 PagesIn the 1300s, the Black Death swept across the western world, leaving behind a different perspective on the world. The Black Death rampaged through cities, killing thousands of people a day, leaving the remaining citizens distraught. With the multitude of death, many people began to contemplate what the afterlife held in store for them. Therefore, pieces like the Dance of Death, transi tombs, the Three Living and Three Dead, and many other artistic expressions about death began to appear. The artisticRead MoreThe Death Influenced Music Of The Medieval And Renaissance Era1291 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay I will discuss how death influenced artists in the Medieval and Renaissance era. I will do this by explaining the view of death and its sacraments in society. By examining events around this period I can determine the reason behind such attitudes. I will then apply this knowledge to four works by artists from 1400-1500. I will examine how these societal perceptions influenced the narrative behind the work. I will conclude that the view of death and the dying man had a great impact onRead MoreThe Day Of The Dead1166 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Day of the Dead dates back around 3,000 years. The Aztec people celebrated a holiday of similar importance and regard. Once a year, the Aztecs held a celebration honoring the Aztec goddess, Mictecacihuatl. Mictecacihuatl was the Aztec goddess of death and the â€Å"Queen of the Underworld† and the â€Å"Lady of the D ead†. The Spanish conquistadors observed the Aztec peoples’ celebration of this holiday and meddled with it. They brought the aspects of Catholicism into the holiday and changed the dates thatRead MoreEssay about The Black Death in The Decameron by Boccaccio1176 Words   |  5 Pages The Black Death was an epidemic disease that was also known as the Bubonic Plague. It was one of the most tragic epidemics that has happened in the world. The Black Death hit England between the years of 1348-1350. This plague annihilated one third of its original population. Trading ships that came to England during this time were blamed for the spread of this disease. People believed that when trading ships left other countries that they would bring in infested rats that carried the disease. WhenRead MoreDancing Skeletons Essay2599 Words   |  11 PagesMeagan Conrad ANT-103 Rough Draft March 16, 2012 Transfixed by Dancing Skeletons Katherine Dettwyler’s work in the field while she was in West Africa was exciting, filled with humor and even terrifying at times. She dealt with seeing various life-threatening diseases that affected the lives of children her daughter’s age, as well as adults. Dettwyler found that almost all of the people she came in contact with were completely oblivious and uninformed of the ways to prevent diseases such asRead MoreEssay on The Tree Of Life612 Words   |  3 PagesAlthough not an enormous tree, it dominates the nearby scenery. As the oldest and wisest vegetation, it demands seniority from the surrounding landscape. Over the course of one year, my apple tree takes on multiple faces, demonstrating the circle of life. During the winter months, the apple tree is gray and lifeless. Having been stripped of all leaves, its limbs are barren and jagged. Frozen in place, they stiffly poke out into the air, and are reluctant to sway even for a harsh winter wind.