The West Vs. Reality - 1366 Words

The West Versus Reality Since the beginning of history, the rise and descent of civilizations has molded history influencing what nations have become today. The approach of using a strong military and a dynamic economy can be seen as template for civilizations when trying to dominate parts of the world since this template has been consistently used. The Clash of Civilizations, an essay by Samuel P. Huntington, argues that, as a result of the Cold War, global politics would be centered around the conflicts between the world’s civilizations. Huntington perceives the conflict between Islam and the West an extremely impactful conflict. However, The Clash of Ignorance, a literary piece by Edward W. Said, critiques and disapproves Huntington’s†¦show more content†¦His argument would have been significantly stronger if he showed the darker side of the West as opposed to making it appear like the West never did anything resulting in a negative impact. Huntington emphasizes the importance of culture within a civilization by describing it as â€Å"a cultural entity† (Huntington 2). Culture, along with history, language, and religion, is what distinguishes civilizations from each other (Huntington 2). Similarly, he speaks about the significance of being aware of one’s own civilization and what makes it unique from others. He describes this awareness using term â€Å"civilization-consciousness† and believes that this awareness can sometimes lead to conflict (Huntington 3). This idea is similar to the idea of nationalism. Nationalism is commonly used to engender a sense unity within civilizations with the goal of fighting external forces, but nationalism can be certainly dangerous. For instance, in the film Promises and Betrayals, Arabs and Jews had an ongoing conflict after the British promised them their independence, which made them victims of their own sense of nationalism. However, Huntington also mentions ac tions like â€Å"Asianization† and â€Å"re-Islamization† that have the goal of understanding cultural differences showing the non-violent side of â€Å"civilization-consciousness† (Huntington 4). An increase in tolerance toShow MoreRelatedTrue Grit Essay1285 Words   |  6 Pagesobvious border set up along the western and eastern sections have discussed their opinions of the west. In addition to these literary works by renowned authors, one rather convenient cinematic reference has also been influenced by these well-known, well-discussed practices of this American frontier. â€Å"True Grit†, a film recently remade in 2010 by the Cohen Brothers, crosses the boundaries of the west allowing all movie-goers to capture one idea of the western world. The movie, along with a few scholarlyRead MoreEssay on Excessive Themes in David Henry Hwangs M. 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