Sanchez 1

Caleb Sanchez

AP Lang

17 September 2017

Miner Precis

Precis

1.) Horace Miner, in a process analysis essay, Body Ritual Among the Nacirema(1956) argues

that anthropologists are disrespectful towards other primitive cultures.

2.) Miner incorporated process analysis (Describes in detail what these rituals are and breaks

them down to the root of the rituals),to demonstrate that anthropologists place the American

culture on a high pedestal but in reality that is further from the truth to a foreign spectator , spells

words backwards (Nacirema for American and latipso for hospital) to maintain the culture in

question shrouded in mystery to mock anthropologists that use these strategies to degrade the

cultures of others, then humor is used (he keeps the fact that he is using Americans to create this

tribe and informs that America was used at the end of the essay) to prove the fact that

anthropologists have a tendency to feel superior to others.

3.)Miner makes daily tasks like hygiene appear similar to tribal rituals in order to make

anthropologists see how they degrade other cultures and not their own.

4.) Miner has a humorous attitude, asking his audience to laugh at themselves, so Miner wont

appear disrespectful towards them.