Literature and Globalization: Cultural Expression and Appreciation XXX XXX Ashford University Running head: LITERATURE AND GLOBALIZATION 2 Because of the increase in the global movement of man, many of our modern written
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Literature and Globalization: Cultural Expression and Appreciation XXX XXX Ashford University Running head: LITERATURE AND GLOBALIZATION 2 Because of the increase in the global movement of man, many of our modern written works strive to clarify cultural differences and bridge cultural gaps. Both Mitu Sengupta’s essay, Race Relations Light Years from Earth and Dr. Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel’s, essay, Individualism as an American Cultural Value demonstrate the impact of globalization on literature in the realm cultural expression and cultural perception. Race Relations highlights the point that there is an expected narrative structure when addressing the storylines dealing with the displacement and colonialism of subjugated cultures. Sengupta contends that storylines such as these portray the native’s world inferior to that of the conquering culture. Citing Lawrence of Arabia and Avatar as an examples, the essay demonstrations how native cultures, though often portrayed as noble, lack the aspects of civilization deemed necessary by the colonizers according to the accepted narrative structure. (Sengupta, 2015). The continuation of this ethical myth—that one culture is more civilized than another culture—in works of literature has a negative impact on persons of all cultures. Sengupta touches on the negative bipartite effects of the perpetuation of the “White Messiah” in fiction. Her essay discusses some of the more subtle aspects of racism found in works of fiction, such as the psychologically damaging effects of racism on both white and non-white people. When the subject of racism arises, the focus is often on the more visible negative effects of racism such as cyclic poverty, poor school achie
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