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Your identity, personality and characteristics are all influenced by your culture. If you come from a 'different world' to another person, chances are you will see things unlike that of the other person. But also, exposure to another culture may change your view on things because you could chose to adopt an aspect or part of that countries lifestyle. Say you are not very close to your family and really feel no connection with them, if you go to a place such as Italy where family is a major part of an Italian person's life, you may want to reconnect with your parents, siblings and grandparents upon arrival back home. As shown in Bride and Prejudice, Lalita who is from a traditional Indian background is very resistant to become friends with Darcy, the American hotelier, who obviously holds her in higher esteem than she holds him. She is convinced that he is just another pig-face American who has stormed into Indian culture in an attempt to westernise its traditional roots. He is however, challenged by Lalita’s patriotism when his plans are deferred by her insistence that he discovers Indian culture and he is then forced to question himself.

Different worlds can challenge the way we see ourselves, through the contrasting of cultures and different beliefs. For example in the movie Bride and Prejudice, the different worlds are contrasted through the characters of Darcy and Lalita. Darcy is a brash, forward American who says it how he sees it, whereas Lalita is a traditional Indian girl who is astounded at some of the things Darcy says about her culture. Throughout the film Lalita challenges Darcy to change his views on her culture, which tend to be the typical American idea of Indian culture, thus demonstrating that different worlds can challenge the way we see ourselves. Different worlds can also challenge the way we see ourselves because they highlight different aspects of contrasting cultures, and can ultimately cause us to change the way we view ourselves. For example in traditional Indian culture, the girl is married off through an arranged marriage. However as the Western world has slowly begun to influence Indian culture, this practice has been stopping over the years. Through this it can be seen that the different world of western culture has been challenging the way that traditional Indian practices are being seen. It can be seen that the influence of Western culture has challenged the way this particular belief is seen, and has ultimately challenged the way that Indian people see themselves. Another aspect of different worlds that can challenge the way we see ourselves is through religious beliefs. For example India is traditionally a very devoutly religious country, and someone coming in there from the Western world may be challenged by the devoutness of their beliefs, and this may change the way they see themselves. In conclusion, different worlds can most certainly challenge the way we see ourselves, through the demonstration of different cultures and beliefs.

Ones identity is formed through ones culture, background and traditions. These concepts are what forms a person to be who they are and how they live their life. Throughout life you are exposed to various different cultures and this can have an impact to your own opinions and beliefs of your certain culture. As you develop in life, other cultures may have an influence on yourself and can cause traditions that have been carried down for many years to alter. Once one has come across a culture different from their own, they then see things in a different point of view, and may question their own beliefs and traditions. Because there are a great deal of cultures, individuals are brought up to believe their culture is the right way and this then leads people into discriminating others. But once individuals have gone through their rights of passage and gained their individuality they then will have their own beliefs and have a better understanding of who they are through the influences of different cultures.

A major influence on different worlds is different cultures and how we perceive them. While background things such as climate, geography of the country, housing, food and living standards are important, the overriding issue is always the difference between the cultures. We have the tendency to make comparisons to think that our culture is the best, our standard of living is higher and we are superior to people in other countries. This view is not always correct and can be considered arrogant. We must realise that we are not looking at different worlds as that assumes we are looking at something outside our planet. In reality we are looking at another part of our own world that differs to us in many ways but still have the same basic needs as ours such as air, food, drink, shelter, companionship and love. We should judge the standards of another country objectively. We can only do this if we open our minds and view the culture of the people from their perspective and not our own. We should stop looking inwardly at ourselves but step outside our person and look back into it to see ourselves as we really are. This is the challenge that faces us when we really explore different parts of the world.

The term ‘different worlds’ implies that people from different cultures are completely on separate planets than each other, that is, metaphorically. The reality is that we all share this world and because of that, we are forced to face and interact with different cultures other than our own. Cultures can be compared and contrasted against each other in terms of the traditions surrounding food, dress, marriage and lifestyle in general. Clashes in beliefs and traditions between different cultures become evident when two “worlds” meet. Prejudice and racism also becomes an issue when those two perspectives care expressed. These prejudices may cause conflicts either in intercultural ways or internal conflicts- questioning your own beliefs and traditions. Prejudices may spring from fear or judgment of other traditions and customs. Once you become immersed in a foreign world, your own principals and beliefs become questioned and the fear of losing yourself may become dominant, the intimidation of another culture makes you a minority. From this position you are either forced to stand against their traditions and make your own publicly known or to mature and accept their traditions and customs.