Blog Post #1

What issues relating to culture do you see in these first 25 pages of River Town?  How is Peter Hessler approaching the issue of cultures or cultures in conflict?  Please respond in 250-350 words before class on Wednesday.

Throughout the entirety of the first twenty-five pages of River Town, Peter Hessler touches on many issues of culture conflict. He talks about how there are the different sides of China (East & West) where one side the women may marry and divorce whoever they please as supposed to the opposite side where that would not be welcomed at all. He gives a very specific example of when he was in class and the woman teacher took off her jacket and tied it around her waste. This shocked many of the students because they were not used to a woman somewhat undressing in front of them because it was not part of their culture where a woman was "allowed" to do that sort of thing. He also explains how some teachers would embarrass their students "due to their absence of Chinese custom. We Chinese have our own taboos. We never make frivolous remarks about people's appearanc. But one of these two American teachers broke this taboo once in class. But I think, with the time on, up their knowledge of Chinese daily life, would some embarransements be avoided." (19). Clearly Hessler had to go through many culture shocks and changes when changing countries and realizing when he was doing something "out of culture." Thankfully he shares that sometimes when he would do something unknowingly against the culture, the civilians would quietly point it out and help him to fix it so he would not make that mistake again. 

Mackenzie Ogden