Outline of Intercultural communication - Term Paper Example

Due Culture Change in The Last Samurai Introduction Culture refers to the ideologies of a group of people. There is needfor a person to understand the culture of the people he or she lives with for mutual understanding. However, cultural change is an extremely complex issue and calls for a revision of long set ideologies and beliefs. The Last Samurai is a good example of how a person can undergo cultural change and effectively adapt to the new life, regardless of the hardships and complexity of the situation.

After he is defeated by the Samurai, Algren is brought into the samurai village where it is expected that he would be put to death. However, he is spared and set free. He struggles to fit into the Japanese culture throughout the movie. The need to change culture and hostilities from the Samurai comprises a big part of hardships that Algren faces. Basic terms that support the thesis of this paper in regard to the film, the last samurai are;Culture intolerance Culture intolerance is depicted through the way the Samurai treated Algren when he was captured.

They, pioneered by Uijo, label him as barbaric due to his exclusive culture. The Samurai cannot tolerate an infiltration of ‘strange culture’ amongst them. Most Samurai warriors prefer killing the prisoner as dictated by their culture. The Samurai culture does not allow a defeated soldier to live and sees the actions of Algren as unacceptable.Animosity and distrust There is a lot of culture backed animosity in the film. Uijo is portrayed as the most reserved culturist in the film. He tortures Algren both physically and psychologically to show him that he does not belong.

In the infamous episode where Uijo tortures a helpless Algren, the animosity and distrust between cultures is depicted. Conflicts and resolution The film depicts intracultural conflicts and conflicts between cultures. The culture of war and peace is more pronounced. For example, a samurai worrier is supposed to cut off the head of a prisoner of war but Katsumoto chooses to keep Algren alive. Intercultural conflicts are observed in the differences between American and Japanese cultures regarding rule of war, and family.

Custom Custom refers to the tradition people apply in their life. The traditions are bound by culture of the society. The Last Samurai is a clear depiction of varying traditions which soon become blended into a hybrid version. This is because the traditions and Algren are used alongside those of the Japanese. Change Cultural change is seen throughout the film. The changes are initiated by the samurai leader who prefers to keep Algren rather than kill him. According to the Samurai, defeat is not an option and thus Samurai worriers concede by ending their lives, however, this changes when Algren is saved and proves important after his platoon is defeated by the Samurai.

Algren changes totally and adopts the Samurai culture. Cultural hardliners such as Uijo accept Algren as one of them.Cultural identity This refers to a sense of belonging to a particular culture through application of its virtues and custom. According to the Samurai, culture defines their ways of life and how they interrelate with each other. For example, a vivid cultural identity in the film is that Japanese people live in villages in simple setting and are protected by able men, known as the Samurai.

Culture identity is used by the samurai to alienate Algren and have him killed. Algren loses his culture in favor of the samurai way of life.Family The film depicts two cultures that value family differently. According to the Samurai, family should come first before personal issues. Samurai warriors are supposed to serve their families and protect them. This is in contrast to the American way of life that takes on an individualism approach. By the end of the movie, Algren is able to recognize the importance of family and society.

Culture loss As events unfold in the movie, both sides lose parts of their culture. These parts are forgotten and left out in various scenes. Algren loses virtually everything pertaining his culture and adopts the Samurai way of life. The Samurai also do not kill themselves in defeat; they retreat at the end of the film.Acculturation Throughout the film, Algren undergoes cultural change. He gradually loses his American culture and adopts his current way of life. As the film unfolds, he loses every aspect of his culture and is just like a native Samurai, a total adoption of a new culture.

Acculturation is the final stage in culture change where an individual becomes totally absorbed into a new way of life.Work cited"The Last Samurai." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fRJxYynvmws