Lerner’s story highlights the massive amount of change that occurred in Balgat in just four years. Not only did infrastructure change — like the village becoming a part of Ankarra, clean water, electricity — but the mindset of the people changed as well. All of this change occurred on the election of the Demokrat party. The new leaders turned the small farmer village into an up-and-coming town. Tosun’s account of Balgat in 1950 highlights the struggle between tradition and change. The Chief represents tradition while the Grocer represents change. Ringer mentions that to “define modernity is also to define tradition.” In this piece, we see the manifestation of that. Jobs and fashion trends changed in Balgat, but what remained give us a sense of Turkish tradition and culture — like how the Chief offered Lerner “the corners.” Sometimes we unknowingly resist change (or modernity). After finishing the piece, Tosun even comes across as a resister of change. He mocks the Grocer’s necktie and dislikes how he tries to be closer with him than the other villagers. Between the lines, Tosun is resisting a change of tradition. A dilemma of modernization lays in our ignorance of progress when it is occurring. We naturally resist change. At the end, Lerner quotes one of the villagers admitting to misjudging the Grocer, saying, in fact, that the Grocer was “a prophet.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lerner’s story highlights the massive amount of change that occurred in Balgat in just four years. Not only did infrastructure change — like the village becoming a part of Ankarra, clean water, electricity — but the mindset of the people … Continue reading