Differences Between Amish and English Folk

Differences Between Amish and English Folk

When taking a walk through Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, one will notice that a different type of people inhabits the county. These people differ greatly from the "normal" people that our country is used to. This group of people is known as the Amish. Amish people refer to the average people of the country as the English people. When looking at the Amish, one can see that they do not appear to be normal. Amish and English folk differ in many ways including their appearance, their laws, and their everyday life.

The Amish have a drastically different way of maintaining their appearance. They believe in practicing modesty in all they do, especially in their appearance. One of the many differences between Amish and English people is their appearance. Because of their religious beliefs, the Amish women are to wear long dresses that go down around their ankles and aprons that cover most of their bodies. The women are also not to have their hair down, and they must have it wrapped tightly in a bun and wear a head covering. All of this is done to keep the temptations away from the men. As for the men, they are to wear polo shirts and either pants or overalls. This prevents the women from have lustful thoughts as well. The men are also to keep their hair in a bob cut. This customs are set before the Amish people by the church and if the Amish dress like those of the English background, then they are essentially breaking the law of the church. When observing the appearance of the English people, one can see that while they can sometimes be conservative just as the Amish are, they are also very modern in the appearance. There are no laws about physical appearance set before the English people. The English are able to dress conservatively in order to prevent lustful desires from others if they choose, however it is not against the law to dress freely.

In addition to appearance, another difference between the Amish and the English is the laws set before them. The church is in a supreme position when it comes to the Amish world. The ministers set forth a set of rules called the Ordnung. The Ordnung consists of a bunch of rules such as, no interaction with the non-believers of the outside world, physical appearance guidelines that were already discussed, and transportation procedures. The Amish are not able to have any interaction with the Englishpersons besides a brief confrontation. They are unable to own vehicles unless it is used for their business. This is why the Amish are known for their horse and buggies. The young Amish teens are given a so called "grace" period where they are able to break the laws and go their own way for a certain amount of time. This period is called Rumspringe. If the people do not abide by the laws of the Ordnung, they become shunned by the entire community that leaves them unable to have any form of contact