The purpose of the Miner was to demonstrate, although diversity has made different people behave the same in a similar situation, there exist some exotic customs that are hard to understand. These people are not astonished the most exotic customs because they have seen all combinations of behavior and do not think if there exist such customs. The article was addressed to the anthropologist who thought they were aware with the diversity of different people. However, the author targets them when describing the ritual of the Nacirema, which is poorly understood. Miner assumes that the reader may have the same belief that Nacirema have such strange customs and that their culture is poorly understood. This is so because the reader may have seen the Nacirema customs from a different perspective. He also supposes that the reader has the same difficulty in understanding Nacirema culture.
The miner’s piece demonstrates that it is hard to comprehend the culture if little is known about their origin because it makes it hard to understand their practices and beliefs. Similarly, he demonstrates that it is tough to understand how these cultures have existed so long when they have burdened people with such exotic customs. He demonstrates that it is hard to understand a culture when it is marked by several ritual rites like those of Nacirema. It demonstrates that it is hard to understand the culture when some functions and rituals are done in secrecy (Miner 507). The piece indicates that the ritual life of some cultures can be so hard in that they can only be performed by magic-driven people. However, not all cultures are difficult to understand their beliefs and practices.
Work Cited
Miner, Horace. "Body Ritual among the Nacirema." American Anthropologist 58.3 (1956): 503- 507.
