ENGLISH IV

Task 2 Comparing two civilizations

Presented by:
Harold Alexander Bonilla Pérez

Tutor:
Andreina Villamizar La Rotta

Código:
518009_119

Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

CEAD – Facatativá
Licenciatura en inglés como lengua extranjera
30/09/2023
1.The answers of the student.
a. What are the most important social characteristics of the two mentioned
civilizations?
Eastern civilization: where families make more decisions collectively. Third, arranged
marriages are not a key feature of Western cultures, as love is seen as how people tie the
marriage knot.
Western civilization: Western culture gives people more freedom.
Comparisons:
- West culture it is written from left to right; in many Eastern countries the writing
is from right to left.
- Eastern culture is somewhat conservative, more traditional, has typical norms
and values, while Western culture is an open culture that has a broad, modern
sense and is adopted in modern times.
- Eastern culture is industrious and based on struggle and creativity is also
emerging; on the other hand, western education is more based on creativity and
is more conceptual.
- Eastern culture is interdependent; On the other side of the coin, Western culture
is independent.
- Eastern culture is somewhat informal; on the other hand, western culture is
formal in many respects.

b. What are the most important traditions in the two mentioned civilizations?
Eastern civilization: Eastern culture is traditional, serving its people with various
religions, languages, norms, and values.
Western civilization: Western culture is modern, practicing some religions and not so
committed to typical traditions.
Comparisons:
- Eastern culture practiced many religions, while Western culture practiced few
and limited religions.
- Eastern culture is traditional, following some typical traditions, surrounded by
values and norms, while Western culture is modern and developed.
 c. What are the principal differences between the two civilizations?
Eastern civilization: East are rigid in their ideologies and beliefs; they are often
reluctant to challenge and question the long-practiced traditions and customs.
Western civilization: Western cultures have their origin in the first civilizations of the
Mediterranean.
Comparisons:
- Eastern culture refers to countries in Asia and the Middle East, while the
western culture refers to North and South America, Europe, Australia, and New
Zealand.
- Eastern culture arranged marriages are common, while in Western culture love
marriages are common.
- Eastern culture, people are conservative and traditional while Western culture,
people are open-minded and flexible.
- Eastern culture, people can express their emotions subtly and in Western culture,
people can express their emotions openly and directly.
- Eastern culture, women can be expected to play a traditional role, and in western
culture, women can have a better place in society.

d. How did the two civilizations conceive religion and spirituality? Differences
and similarities.
Eastern civilization: many religions from the East that became popular due to the
scandal of those in favor of preserving the purity of customs and religion in Ancient
Rome. Among them, along with Judaism and Christianity, were the cults of Cybele,
Isis, and many other mystery religions.
Western civilization: Western religions are currently monotheistic worship of a single
god who transmits his desires and teachings through prophets.
Comparisons:
- Eastern culture practiced many religions, while Western culture practiced few
and limited religions.
- Eastern religions prioritize silence over the word, the return to the eternal origin
over temporality and its works, the fluctuation and alternation of poles instead of
non-contradiction
- Western religions, having developed in Western civilization, are properly
Eastern because they too were born in the East
 - Eastern culture his teachings require a mental and, in some cases, physical effort
since religion is usually associated with beneficial practices for the body.
- the culture of both sides, that is, the West has a masculine culture, while the East
has a feminine culture, so Western political thought shows a high degree of
masculinity and Eastern political thought has characteristics of femininity.

e. What is the role of the woman in the two civilizations in the past century
and now? Differences and similarities.
Eastern civilization: The female society in Eastern culture, cooperation, modesty, care
for the weak and quality of life are highlighted.
Western civilization: Western women have been subjected to double oppression, and
the only benefit of capitalism for women has been jobs with minimum wages.
Comparisons:
- The West and the East have different cultural DNA due to the bifurcation of
development paths on both sides in ancient times.
- the civilizations of the West and the East should complement each other rather
than oppose each other, and that both sides should learn from each other.
- Eastern culture is more diverse and has a historical background, while Western
culture is modern and not diverse.
- Eastern culture expresses its feelings less; on the other hand, western culture is
more expressive and direct in the expression of anger, especially.
- Westerners tend to be more individualistic, and people from Eastern cultures
tend to be more collectivist.

f. What do you consider are the most important values and failures of every
civilization and why?
Eastern civilization: Eastern culture is traditional, has followers of various religions,
somewhat conservative, developing, intransigent to change the culture and respectful.
Western civilization: Western culture is modern, developed and evolved its culture, in
a broad sense and has changed over many times.
Comparisons:
- Eastern culture has an educational system that is based on hard work and
struggle, while Western culture is creative, and concept based.
- -The peoples of the Eastern culture are more respectful towards their elders and
take care of them in old age, while the peoples of the Western culture do not pay
attention to their elders as they live in old homes.
 - The peoples of the Eastern culture make their decisions by consulting their
parents, elders, and other peoples; on the other hand, the peoples of Western
culture make decisions for themselves.
- In the West, writing is letter by letter that the words make, in the East it is
written word by word or idea by idea.
- In the West the flags are horizontal, holding or waving from the mast at its
narrowest part. In the east, the flags are vertical, holding on to their longest part.

g. What do you consider are the most important contributions of every

civilization to humanity? Why?
Eastern civilization: Eastern culture, is more collectivist, concerned with the success of
the group, with a tendency to modesty, interested in collective achievement, are less
expressive of anger and feelings.
Western civilization: Western culture, it's more focused on personal success, self-
sufficient, with a tendency to overestimate their abilities, concerned with personal
choice and freedom.
Comparisons:
- Eastern culture is less individualistic, generally in family and group systems and
Western culture is more individualistic, lives independently.
- Eastern cultures are more interdependent, while Western cultures are mostly
independent.
- Western culture follows the linear development that they may even change their
norms and values instead of the development that Eastern culture
- Western culture is based on equality, it is not hierarchical than Eastern culture
- Sweets for children in the West have long been based on sweet flavors, in the
East the flavors are sour, sweet and sour, acid, salty.

2.The link to the video.

https://youtu.be/fm78aYzP_0c
 REFERENCES

NAATI (2022, 3 de Junio) Eastern vs Western Cultures. The Migration Translators

https://www.migrationtranslators.com.au/east-vs-west-culturaldifferences/

Tanmay Patil (2020, 3 de Junio) Understanding the Difference Between Eastern &
Western Culture. Stay curious.
https://medium.com/@tanmaynitinpatil/understanding-the-differencebetween-
eastern-western-culture-d20f94dbf956