Culture plays an important role in everyone's daily life, even if it is not easily recognizable. Julia Wood defines culture in her book Communication in Our Lives as a coherent system of understandings, traditions, values, communication practices, and ways of life (189). The film Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai has many themes that match ideas in Wood's book. Both the film and the book have ideas of collectivism, power distance, and long-term orientation that make them easy to understand. The first idea from Wood's book that we see in the film was collectivism. Cultures high in collectivism value group identity over specific people, and group members feel deeply rooted in values ​​and customs developed over time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay This idea of ​​collectivism ties into Ghost Dog's theme: The Samurai's Way of Unity. This is seen in the crowd mentality where the appearance and continuity of the crowd is not dependent on a single person but rather the group as a whole. Ghost Dog, the main character, is a hitman for the American mafia and he is hired by Louie to kill a man who is sleeping with the boss's daughter. He kills the man and spares the girl when he realizes she is there, causing him problems in the future. This is a relevant scene in the film to tell the story of collectivism, as Ghost Dog values ​​the mafia mentality that women should not be harmed unless the situation demands it. This shows his deep-rooted customs that he remains faithful to in his culture. The second idea is power distance which relates to the theme of maintaining order in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. Power distance refers to the gap between people who have power and those who do not (Woods 191). Cultures that have a significant power gap tend to pass power through family and respect for those in power. This also leads to great respect for the elders/leaders of the group. This is seen throughout most of the film due to the mafia culture. Mafia boss positions are usually awarded through family ties and you must respect the boss and his rules. As bosses age and pass on the leadership title, they become highly valued elders. The final idea from Wood's book presented in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai that will be discussed in this article is the idea of ​​long-term orientation. The idea of ​​long-term orientation is that the group focuses more on the history and future of the group, but does not focus on living in the present moment. This means that the group has longer term plans, works very hard and is very committed and loyal to said group. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This relates to the theme of commitment in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. Long-term planning and hard work are exemplified in Ghost Dogs' line of work. As a hitman, you must plan the attack and all the situations that might arise afterward. This is also his way of life and this is how he supports himself, so he has to work hard otherwise he won't have a good life. Loyalty is shown in the movie at the very end when Ghost Dog doesn't want to hurt Louie because Louie is his master and he owes him.