Analysis of “Cultural Baggage” by Barbara Ehrenreich
“What is your ethnic background and what significance does it have in your life?” Barbara Ehrenreich in her essay, “Cultural Baggage” puts forward her opinions on traditional values arising out of a family’s ethnic heritage. Ehrenreich’s purpose is to persuade the readers that no ethnic or religious background can be considered as a person’s background. In her book, Ehrenreich discusses her ethnic background following the challenges she encountered while growing up. She says she was raised to explore new things instead of accepting something because it existed before. This paper enriches our understanding of Barbara Ehrenreich’s, “Cultural Baggage” and helps understand her ideas on traditional values.
Ehrenreich takes an unpopular view on a person’s ethnic background. She feels embarrassed to claim her background and claims to have no background. When asked about her ethnic background, responds by saying none. She somewhat appears to be rejecting her heritage out of Anglo-Celtic hate (Ehrenreich, Pg. 1). Ehrenreich seems satisfied to have pronounced her ethnic background as none. However, she is troubled when she discovers that her children may be growing up without family traditions. She asks her children if she was doing the right thing by raising them without family traditions (Ehrenreich, Pg.3). She is relieved when her children say that they don’t feel any stirrings of ethnic or religious identity. She criticizes traditions and persuades her readers to abandon their family traditions.
Ehrenreich’s criticizes repeating traditions and reveals her intention of for instilling individuality in her children. Ehrenreich says that her chest swelled with pride when her children shared the same opinion on the lack of importance of ethnic or racial identity. She narrates how her chest swelled with pride the same way her mother would be happy knowing that her children would continue not associating to any ethnic background (Ehrenreich, Pg.3). In her essay she informs the readers how her mother failed to teach her about traditions. She says that in her parent’s view, new things were better and some rituals deserved to be abandoned since they had been performed in the past. Ehrenreich mentions how her dad used to tell her that she should think for herself and always to inquire about the reasons for doing things (Ehrenreich, Pg.2). Ehrenreich demonstrates that parents are responsible for passing down traditions. She affirms to the readers that her parents instilled her lack of value for ethnic or religious identity.
Barbara appeals to her readers that there is nothing wrong in failing to follow or neglecting to start family traditions. She expresses the disappointments encountered by people associated with traditional based religions. Ehrenreich says they will face disappointment to find out that their ancestors had often tried out new religions in the past (Ehrenreich, Pg.2). She reveals to her readers, that though her great grandparents were Jewish, they never held any value to the Jewish traditions (Ehrenreich, Pg.2). She testifies that she didn’t believe in God the same way her parents and grandparents and her ancestors never believed in religion.
In conclusion, this paper is in support of Barbara Ehrenreich’s ideas that family traditions are not necessary. It is important to try out new ventures and learn new things. A lot of conflicts in society arise from peoples radical beliefs in their traditions. Barbara mentions in her essay that the world will be the best place if people did not care family traditions. Barbara position of calling family tradition baggage is right since it hinders the mind from discovering new things.