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The body ritual of the Nacirema

Topics: Native Americans in the United States, Teeth, Oral hygiene Pages: 3 (810 words) Published: October 18, 2014
The Body Ritual of the Nacirema discusses the habits of Americans and medical professionals to someone outside the culture. The article is meant to make the Americans health habits seem like a new discovery. In the article it examined health habits that Americans follow, it also examined the bathroom habits of the Americans, and it also examined the medical professionals that treat them. But the distinction of the habits of the Americans in the article is that the author worded them as if they were originated from an Eastern Civilization; perhaps China or Native American cultures even though they’re ordinary American habits. For example the author talks of a shrine box or chest that is built in the wall. Within the chest are many charms and magical potions without no native believes he can live. This could be related to how the Chinese believe in homeopathic remedies and the same with the Native Americans. Within the shrine is a box or chest that is a built into the wall is a symbol of American’s belief that their prescriptions should be hidden within confines of their homes from their guests. The shrine and the box which is built into the wall that contains many charms and magical potions are symbols of the bathroom, medicine cabinet, and prescription medications. The medicine cabinet is also located where Americans do most of their private business such as bathing, relieving themselves, and grooming that takes place in the shrine (bathroom). The utilization of the word shrine is considered many things a memorial, a place where people worship, a temple, a holy place, and a sanctuary. The idea of a shrine is to put faith into a religion (believing in a deity or multiple deities that will help you in troubling times and in the afterlife where the worshipper meets the deity after completing good deeds that pleases the deity) hoping it works. Thus people put blind faith into the prescription medications charms and magical potions) hoping that the medications...
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