Mali: The Natomo Family

 

1. Soumana Natomo has two wives and eight children

2. Mortar and pestle for pounding grain,

3. Two wooden mattress platforms

4. 30 mango trees,

5. Old radio batteries that the children use as toys.

 

India: The Yadev Family

 

1. At age 25, Mashre Yadev is already mother to four children

2. Three bags of rice

3. A broken bicycle

4. A print of Hindu gods
5. Two beds

 

China: The Wu Family

 

1. They have no telephone

2. Two radios

3. A television.

4. 100 mandarin trees

5. Three pigs.

 

Each family mention above is various areas from around the world including countries on the continents of Asia and Africa. They all live simple lives with modest possessions. I feel that even though the families do not have many possessions, they still have each other. The most important part of a family is the people in it and these examples prove this.

ITALY: Pellegrini Family.
1) Mandolin
2) Antique Dolls
3) Television
4) Skis
5) Bicycle

BOSNIA: Demirovic- Bucalovic Family.
1) Anatomy Book
2) Radio
3) Lamp
4) Rifle
5) Television

ALBANIA: Cakoni Family.
1) Television
2) Donkey
3) Sheep
4) Cow
5) Bed


The life of the average Italian, Bosnian and Albanian differs in many ways. Italys economy is strong, stable jobs and life is overall enjoyable. Bosnia is in a state of constant violence. Cars being destroyed by artillery shells, electricity is often off, the economy is weak. Albania is a poor country. Their people work extremely hard for nearly nothing. Food on alone is not often available for the average Albanian farmer. I found it amazing how different these countries are, considering that they are all neighboring one another.

Mali: The Natomo Family

1. Hand made pottery
2. Batteries used as toys
3. Mango trees
4. Mortar and pestle for pounding their own grain
5. Wooden mattress platforms

 

China: The Wu Family

1.      Mandarin trees

2.      TV

3.      Furniture

4.      2 Radios

5.      Vegetable patch

 

United States: The Skeen Family

1. Many appliances
2. Walls of framed pictures
3. Hunting rifles
4. 2 cars
5. Souvenir fire hydrant

 

You can clearly see just from their possessions, the wealth of the families. The Natomo family lives in a turbulent and less developed area of Africa. That is why the pound their own grain and the kids dont really have toys, they use old batteries. The Wu family is at a mid level wealth. Even though they have a TV and furniture, they also harvest vegetables and oranges, and raise carp. The Skeen family is the highest wealth in the comparison. They have a fairly decent amount of disposable income, which is why they have two cars, and a large house filled with processions. But they main point of this study was to show that no matter what you own, as all these families have a different level of processions, the most important thing to all these families is the family themselves.  

United States
----
Skeen Family
1. They have a bible since it is illegal for them to not have one in Texas... also more absurdly they have to rub it in our faces which is also another state law
2. They have alot of common house hold appliances
3. They have a wall of family photos
4. THey have a dog
5. Obviously a middle class+ family here in America

Mali
----
Natomo family
1. Don't have much of anything electronic (besides the radio)
2. Have alot of pots and spoons
3. live in claylike houses
4. Husband has two wives
5. Lots and lots of kids

India
---
Yadev family
1. Uses a bike as main transportation I assume
2. Pretty small house
3. 4 kids
4. religious
5. own alot of pots

The skeen family are obviously wealthy with there lot of cars, big house, and cul-de-sac littered with stuff. The indian family is obviously not wealthy as they have very little possesions. The african family too though they do own a radio!

China- The Wu family

t.vpotspaintingsdressorbroom 

Japan- The Ukita family

StoveUnicyclePianoT.vDoghouse 

United states-the skeen family

LampBedPicturesDogBible Each of these familys differ in their own way but are all the same material wise. They all have nice things within their homes and all seem to be happy with their surroundings. It seems to me that they all basically own the same things

China: The Wu Family

1. Two radios
2. Nine people live in a three-bedroom home
3. 100 mandarin trees
4. Vegetable patch
5. Three pigs

Japan: The Ukita Family

1. 43-year-old Sayo Ukita had children late in life
2. Ring
3. Heirloom pottery
4. Dog
5. Enough clothes for entire family

United States:  The Skeen Family

1. Bible
2. For this Baptist family, it is a spiritualrather than materiallife that matters most.
3. Souvenir
4. Computer
5. Rifles

These families are all similar because they all have children that they care very much about.  They all have some, if not all things that are modern.  They are different because one family doesnt have television, and the Wu family grows vegetables and mandarin trees.

I passed this in physically.

grades updated 05-09-08

grades updated 5/27/08

mre wrote:

---

Background: Have you ever wondered how the world we live in is divided economically?  People from different cultures live in nations with diverse economies.  In The Confessions of RosaLee we learned about the extremes of American poverty and how one group in particular: African Americans are strongly affected by the institutionalized forms of racism that have existed in the past and, to an extent, continue to exist today.  We also examined statistics from the essay, Imagine a Country where different facts are highlighted to expose some hard truths about our society and what it values. 

The purpose of examining economic stories and statistics is to ask questions about our ethical choices as a culture, both as a whole and on an individual level.   Paul Menzel, in his book Material World: A Global Family Portrait has also asked these questions.  As a photojournalist, he travelled around the world talking to families in dozens of countries.  In each case, he asked the families to gather their material possessions (what they owned) in front of their homes for a portrait.  He then compiled their photos together, along with other facts and photos about their lives, into a book.

Assignment: Using the website (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/material.html) and the book (shared throughout the class) compare three families from different countries.  Specifically, highlight 5 observations concerning their stories, facts and possessions for each family (15 total) and then write a brief essay concerning their similarities and differences and what conclusions you can draw from each.  Think about the following question to help guide your answer: To what extent do you believe our inequalities should shape our values and decisions made individually and politically (from a nations perspective)?  If you want to read an article about Menzels book, please click here (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_n2_v32/ai_17369722).   Feel free (if you have extra time) to examine the NOVA site (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/) where Menzels work was used. 

Evaluation: You will be awarded 45 points for the 15 observations.  You will be given 45 points for your essay on similarities and differences and the conclusions drawn from it.  You will also be given 5 points for a comment or question to another student and 5 points for a response to another  students post.

---

ITALY: Pellegrini Family.
1) Mandolin
2) Antique Dolls
3) Television
4) Skis
5) Bicycle


United States: The Skeen Family
1.house in suburbs
2. LOTS of materials
3.Religion is more important to them than items
4.both parents have jobs.
5.Two kids.



-- Edited by James M at 18:40, 2008-05-27