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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This is a 5 page paper discussing structural functionalism in relation to themes presented in “Black Elk Speaks”. “Black Elk Speaks” as told through John G. Neihardt portrays several social and religious aspects of the Sioux while they are faced with their own destruction by the invasion of the white men. Black Elk, a holy man, provides commentary on the structure of the individuals within his own tribe through a vision he has which includes himself, all the levels in his tribe, all the men, women, children, warriors and the spirits of their ancestors. This vision and faith in their structure allows Black Elk and his tribe hope in their negotiations with the intrusion of the white man. Structural functionalism also deals with the evolution of social and religious forces which shape social and religious roles within a community and the slow religious transition and inclusion of the Catholic Mission into the lives of the Sioux allows for Black Elk as a religious leader to promote the cohesiveness of his tribe while remaining within the restrictive new laws of the country.
Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_TJNBElk1.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
of the white men. Black Elk, a holy man, provides commentary on the structure of the individuals within his own tribe through a vision he has which includes himself, all
the levels in his tribe, all the men, women, children, warriors and the spirits of their ancestors. This vision and faith in their structure allows Black Elk and his tribe
hope in their negotiations with the intrusion of the white man. Structural functionalism also deals with the evolution of social and religious forces which shape social and religious roles within
a community and the slow religious transition and inclusion of the Catholic Mission into the lives of the Sioux allows for Black Elk as a religious leader to promote the
cohesiveness of his tribe while remaining within the restrictive new laws of the country. Structural functionalism is a sociological theory with its origins
from the theories of Durkheim, Comte and Spencer which studies societies in relation to the interconnections which exist between the different social institutions within a culture. The functional aspect of
the structure helps to define how societies can relate different meanings of social relationships into the larger functional performance of the community (Kingsbury and Scanzoni 195). Examples of structural functionalism
are most often found within family units and the social roles each member of the family plays within the unit in order to increase the function of that unit. Structural
functionalism is also found in different aspects of religion and how it may reflect and promote political and structural functions within the community. In addition to social roles, structural functionalist
theory also suggests that social changes are the result of social evolution and that social forces are prominently what shape individuals within each community (Kingsbury and Scanzoni 195).
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