Covarrubias, Miguel. Bali Island. Jakarta: Oxford University Press, 1972 (reprint of 1937 edition). Introduction, chapters 1 and 2.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay McPhee, Colin. A house in Bali. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1979 (reprinted from the 1946 edition). (extracts): 9-31. In his introduction, Covarrubias describes his travels and his stay in Bali. The first chapter then expands on the island – the geography, the weather, the Balinese creation myth, etc. The second chapter expands on the island's inhabitants – clothing, construction, culture, societal hierarchies, professions, racial origins, ancestry, village myths, temples, history, etc. Overall, Covarrubias attempts to describe the island as factually as possible, given that his account is based on personal experience. Rather than attempting to write an entry in a scientific encyclopedia, Covarrubias includes his personal reactions, giving his stories a personal and descriptive feel. Personally, I noticed that the author seems to describe Bali as a mystically isolated place. For example, Covarrubias writes: “For the Balinese, Bali is the whole world” (Covarrubias, 6). Towards the end of the first chapter, Covarrubias also writes: "Few Balinese know how to swim and they rarely venture into the sea, except to bathe near shallow beaches, then they move only a few meters from the shore" (Covarrubias, 10). ). At the same time, Covarrubias notes that people live "in very close contact with nature" and deplores the exploitation of Balinese culture through tourism. The fact that the Balinese still seem isolated and untouched is somewhat surprising, given the foreign invasions and violence that have marked Bali's history. In fact, Covarrubias mentions on page 37 that the Dutch army only left Bali in 1914, "when it was considered that the Balinese resistance was sufficiently controlled." Even then, police forces and puppet rulers still governed Bali, and it is hard to believe that their presence and effects would not still have been felt by Covarrubias twenty-three years later. Similarly, in this excerpt, McPhee describes his time in Bali in an autobiographical narrative. style. The excerpt begins with McPhee describing his experiences on the ship, then describes in great detail the rest of his travels, including music, conversations, reactions, feelings, observations and much more. Unlike Covarrubias, McPhee does not attempt to organize by topic, but rather takes the reader along on his journey, allowing him to "experience" Bali personally. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. One part that struck me in McPhee's excerpt was the passage on page 28 that described the "burning rivalry" between "Nyoman's legong gamelan and the other banjar's club." I thought this passage gave more perspective to Balinese culture, which is usually portrayed as completely innocent and wholesome. It's easy to forget that the Balinese are people, just like us, and that they have similar experiences, even in different contexts. This book's conversations with Sarda also gave a very personal touch to Balinese culture and showed some of how Sarda viewed his world – in fact – in comparison to the tiptoeing awe and respect with which Westerners view usually Balinese culture..