Yes or No to NC?...

In my quest to figure out whether "Nervous Conditions" should be a part of next year's syllabus, I thought the most logical thing to do would be to take a look at what the main purpose of this course is.  One thing stressed a lot through out the year is this one questions: "How do culture and community influence who we are?" I've decided to look into "Nervous Condtions" and find out how this question is answered throughout the book.

First off, let's look at the surface of it all. Culture: "The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively." Obviously the environment of NC is very different from the one we live in. Let's think about location and customs. Tambu and her family live in Africa, and as we all know, have many different customs. I'd say that the most prominent of them all is the cast system. The men are given the education, ability to drive, money, and basically everything else over women. Just think about how much that effects the women and how their lives are lived.

What about community? It is defined as "a group of people living together in one place, esp. one practicing common ownership." This is closely related to culture. It all has to do with who you surround yourself. When Tambu is around her family, she participates in the cast system and customs because she wants to fit in with her family and show respect. Nobody wants to be the odd man out, so I think community and who you are with makes a huge impact on how you live your life.

Because this question is answered so clearly throughout NC, I would say that it should be a part of next year's curriculum. Personally, I didn't exactly love this book for it's plot, but I do think that it was a good tool for answering our question and led to a lot of deep class discussions. Most importantly, it gave students a new way of looking at our world in a way of understanding just how fortunate we are. At least, it did for me.