Anne Gotzen

The Old Order Amish of Lancaster County Anne Gotzen

Research Paper (Pre-University) from the year 2011 in the subject English - Applied Geography, grade: 1,0, - (Gymnasium St. Wolfhelm Schwalmtal), language: English, abstract: When I think of Amish people I imagine farmers in awkward clothes cultivating their land or riding their buggies. Of course also the picture of colourful quilts comes into my mind. Apart from that Amish society is on the one hand fascinating and on the other hand very mysterious to me: How could they accomplish to survive as a subculture which differs so much from the surrounding mainstream society? What are the keystones of their faith? Where do they come from? Will they manage to remain unchanged in such a - as they see it - sinful, seductive and dangerous world? In this paper I will try to answer all these questions. Moreover, I want to give a comprehensive idea of Amish lifestyle and philosophy in order that we as non-Amish can understand their way of life, which feels so strange and disconcerting to us.