Project 2 by Yige Chen

Main Argument

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 01:41:44 UTC

Discarding is not an accidental by-product of festivity but an essential cultural act through which societies symbolically renew social order after periods of excess and disorder.

Background

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 01:41:48 UTC

Festivity is universal across societies — both religious and secular. Festivals temporarily suspend normal routines, creating moments of collective joy, indulgence, and disorder.

Example: Religious, Secular

Supporting Claim 1

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 02:30:37 UTC

Feasting Creates and Displays Abundance

Key act of celebration, signaling prosperity and social harmony. But abundance necessarily produces leftovers and waste.

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 02:32:05 UTC

Waste is symbolic proof of abundance — a cultural necessity, not a flaw.

Supporting Claim 2

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 02:37:10 UTC

Gift Wrapping: From Meaning to Waste

Gift exchange expresses affection and care through ritual acts of wrapping. Wrapping materials temporarily give value and suspense to gifts.

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 02:42:50 UTC

Discarding wrapping paper is symbolic closure of festive ritual and return to order.

Supporting Claim 3

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 03:02:19 UTC

Public Festivals Make Discard Visible

After celebration: tents, bottles, food, and debris cover the field.

Conclusion

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 03:03:47 UTC

Waste and discard are central to the social cycle of festivity.

Through acts of throwing away, cleaning, and resetting, societies symbolically restore balance, morality, and order.

yc1351 — 2025-10-16 03:08:21 UTC

Discarding marks both ending and renewal — a shared act of transition back to normal life.