Chapter+02+Culture



Cultural transmission - the process by which one generation passes culture to the next In The Princess Bride, one little boy becomes sick at the beginning of the movie. His grandfather comes to keep him company while he stays home. He tells the little boy a story from a book which has been passed down from his father, who had it passed down from his father. The cultural transmission in this movie is storytelling.

Culture shock - personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life Princess Buttercup experiences culture shock when she becomes kidnapped by Vizzini and his gang. She is used to a safe society where people respected her. When she is kidnapped, she no longer has the freedom to do what she wants, which is a different way of life for her.

Language - a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another Language is the heart of a symbolic system. The characters in the movie all speak English, making it easy to communicate with each other. They all speak just one language in their society so they understand conversations and commands. Each word they say is a symbol that has its' own meaning.

Symbol: anything that carries a meaning recognized by people who share a culture In the beginning of the movie Westley is a farm hand at Buttercup’s farm and she is constantly asking him to do chores for her, he always responds “as you wish.” She began to realize over time that “as you wish” really meant “I love you” when Westley was saying it to her. In fact later on in the movie when Buttercup thinks Westley is a pirate trying to kidnap her she pushes him down a hill and says that he should go away, he responds rolling down the hill “as you wish.” This is how Buttercup knew that it was Westley and not a true pirate.

Beliefs: Specific ideas that people hold to be true The belief in true love is a main idea throughout the entire movie. Buttercup doesn’t give up on Westley when he is taken captive the night before her wedding to Prince Humperdinck because she believes that true love will conquer all. This is the belief shown in the end when Westley and Buttercup kiss after escaping from the kingdom.

Society: people who interact in a defined territory and share a culture The society in the movie are the town people, they share the same rulers and values displayed in the time area. They mainly appear when Buttercup is being announced as Princess Buttercup and as Prince Humperdinck’s bride. They then appear again at the wedding for Buttercup and Humperdinck.