Throughout the book Keep The River On Your Right there appeared to be many differences between American culture and that of the Akarama; however, when more closely examined it can be seen that what seem to be differences, actually serve the same purpose. The Akarama people live and breathe to hunt and laugh. In all of Tobias’ notes he recalled the most how they laughed at all things, even the first time he stumbled across these naked smiling faces. Furthermore, when the author finally felt like a part of the tribe and they had accepted him is when they gave him is own bow and arrows and took him to hunt with them. Also, one sign of success in the tribe was to be well known hunter. Although the Akarama were known to be a cannibalistic tribe, this was not the premise of their society to hunt and only eat people, for the first seven months that Tobias was in the area he never saw one account of this.
When comparing these premises to American culture, laughter and food is not too far off the mark. In
This look at the Akarama culture was very intriguing. It seemed to give a reality to something that I have always known was out there but never acknowledged. It makes me want to get away from American culture and see what else is out there, what other people can teach me, but then it also makes me want to stay right here where I think I belong.
As the pages turned through the book a sense of wanting to be in that jungle in that point of time would regularly fill the room. The ability to be so uninhibited seems like a tantalizing option, but then when looked at from the Akarama peoples point of view, we a very weird and uninhibited. At one point in the book the author questioned his nakedness and began to wonder if when he arrived at the village clothed it appeared to the Akarama people that he was naked. Then the realization was made that the double “V’s” that were painted on everyone’s body (eventually his) were like their clothing. Another rewarding lesson the Akarama people taught Tobias was to accept people. In America people are rarely
Example Essays Home
