Book 2 Post 2
For my second book, I read "The Wayfinders" by Wade Davis. This book followed many different cultures. Davis analyzed each culture and wrote about their unique perspectives to find the fundamental likeness of humans and answer the question: what does it mean to be human and alive?
At first, it was hard to read. I felt like I was reading a history book because he included an enormous amount of detail about everything. It felt like he described every thought process he experienced during his analysis of every culture. Also, it was a hard read for me because his diction is very different from mine. It did not feel like we were having a conversation. Instead, I had to think more to understand what he was trying to convey.
As I kept reading though, it got better. I understood why he explained his thought process so meticulously. He had to explain because the reader would get lost without guidance. For example, he described how you can learn a lot about a culture through analyzing their language. At first, I did not get the significance of this or cared.
But then, it clicked. There is no direct translation of any language to another that is completely accurate. This is because different cultures who speak different languages have different perspectives of the world. If he did not take his time with his explanation, I would have skimmed right over this insight.
Also, when I thought about this deeper, I felt more connected to his book. I realized that since my first language is English, I think "in English". On the other hand, my grandma thought "in Korean". While it is not the only reason we have different perspectives, I began to wonder if that played a role-- it was something I never considered before.
Hi Allison, I also read "The Wayfinders" by Wade Davis. I thought the part about how you can learn a lot about a culture through analyzing their language was very interesting as well. It makes a lot of sense that those from different cultures and who speak different languages have different perspectives on things. Overall, I found this book to be insightful. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHey Allison !! Your post made me really intrigued about this book. The concept of diversity has always been something that inspires me, especially since I come from a very blended family and diverse city. I really appreciate your honesty about it being a dense novel at first but really love how you closed out your post about the concepts and themes finally "clicking". Loved your post!
ReplyDeleteHi Allison! I really enjoyed reading your post as it was very well summarized. I agree that you can learn a lot about a culture through analyzing their language. I think its important to learn about different cultures --especially in today's society. Overall, great post and I will definitely have to read this book soon!
ReplyDeleteHi Allison!
ReplyDeleteHaving also read The Wayfinders, I agree that the book started off rather technical and it was a little difficult to understand at first. As I kept reading, I also had my moment of realization, and learning about the different perspectives of indigenous cultures was very valuable.
- Lieza
Hi Allison, I love reading about how your processed this book. The message of the book is truly beautiful. I personally love learning about different culture! I feel that it is so important that we take the time to understand and respect other people perspectives, traditions, and cultures. Great post, and I will be adding this to book I need to read,
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ReplyDeleteHi Allison, I also read The Wayfinders for my book 2. I completely agree about it being a bit of a difficult read. Although I appreciate the amount of detail as it helped me truly immerse myself into the experiences Davis was describing, it also meant I had to reread some paragraphs to fully understand what was being conveyed. What you said about there being no direct translation of any language is super eye-opening and definitely explains why Davis’s attention to detail was so necessary.
Hey Allison,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post! I loved your honesty, when you explained that the book was not only hard to read, but also contained insights you ignored or didn't care about. Amazingly though, it "clicked", and I also find it fascinating how language influences perspective, culture, and so much more. It's a notion I have to keep in mind, especially as we go on to travel in the future.
Hi Allison,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and your summary from the book. I've seen a couple other of our classmates read this book and it's very interesting what everyone got out of the book. As you mentioned in your last paragraph, the way they "think" in might be different than others. Perhaps this also had an effect in the way you all had different perspectives on the book.
Hey Allison,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and perspective on language and thoughts. I grew up bilingual but often think in English as its the language I use the most. Direct translation is not always possible and have to find a "close enough" translation at times. I agree with your initial thought of the book being very "heavy" to follow along.
Hey! Like most said, the language thing is really interesting because language has so much history embedded into it that it is almost impossible to be able to speak it without inherently embodying the past of it. This is why the fact that languages are dying at the rate they are is absurd. Those languages have nuance, secrets, and answers to life we as a society have steered too far from to find any sort of concrete answer.
ReplyDeleteHi Allison, I read The Wayfinders as well and was interested by your take on thinking in languages. I've often heard the notion that the measure of whether you are fluent in a language is whether you can dream in that language. I think this mimics that. As someone who speaks two languages, it's interesting to me to start paying attention to when I think in what language.
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