1. What is Miner’s purpose (argument) in writing about the behaviors of the Nacirema? The Body Ritual among the Nacirema serves as an illustration of how American culture could be perceived by those who are entirely ignorant to our way of living as strange and ritualistic. The work is written specifically from the viewpoint of an anthropologist who is oblivious to the “rituals” in our society, however familiar with many others. Miner’s substantiates how foreign our lives could be to others by offering numerous and vivid descriptions of routine Nacirema activities. While describing these actions, the tone of the anthropologist is nearly condescending, perpetuating the idea that said activities are extreme and very alien to the speaker. The activities described include brushing teeth, going to see a doctor, and taking medicine among other examples. Miner contends that “The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease.” (Miner 503) Which is an accurate deduction despite its cynicism. Miner compares the use of a bathroom to a shrine that’s purpose is to aid in remedying this belief. The shrine contains all things necessary for masking our supposedly faulted bodies. These things are all referred to by words to help dissolve the familiarity of the objects themselves, such as calling medicine “potions.” The wealthy are also referenced in the account. Miner says that those can afford large homes will often have more than one “shrine” in their home. Rich people tend to not be averse to improving their image despite the price that may come with it. He then goes on to say that the poor will often imitate the opulent homes of the well-off, saying “Most houses are of wattle and daub construction, but the shrine rooms of the more wealthy are now walled with stone. Poorer Families imitate the rich by applying pottery plaques to their shrine walls.” (Miner 503) This goes to show that holding vanity in high regard is universal to the Nacirema.
3. What is the significance of Miner’s statement near the essay’s onset: “if all of the logically possible combinations of behavior have not been found somewhere in the world, (the anthropologist) is apt to suspect that they must be present in some yet undescribed tribe”?

Miner’s statement expresses the belief that human behavior has limitless variables, and if we have not yet witnessed a certain of combination of behavior, we simply have yet to discover the group of people with these traits. This is clearly evident if you compare countries from opposite hemispheres, for example. No two civilizations are exactly alike, and many civilizations are vastly different from one another. The cause of this is the diversity of conditions and causal factors that dictate the way we survive and coexist with each other. This thought however is contradictory to his apparent belief that the Nacirema’s lifestyle is particularly peculiar, because if human behavior can be so wildly different, doesn’t that make the Nacirema average in comparison to the other odd behavior that ensues?