have you ever gone to a different place and seen people dressed differently. or have you recently moved to the U.S. from a different country and some people are doing things differently than from where u come from. well, this essay will talk about how our culture consistently informs the way we view others and the world around the U.S. first of all, in the article, "An Indian Father's Plea" by Robert Lake, discusses an Indian father who is curious to know why the teacher, (who is white) has already "Labeled" his 5-year-old son, wind-wolf, a "slow learner". in the story wind-wolf was walking home with his mother, he wanted his friend from school to play with him until he had to go home. the boy asked his mother, his mother said "It is OK if
The article “The Founding Indian Fathers” by Jack Weatherford is about how the Indians contributed to the American Government and how we went off the Indians system. We see how they had a council of each of the separate nations just how we do now. We also followed how one person wasn’t allowed to hold one position and hold another so they wouldn’t be so powerful. Another thing was that in their meetings there were no interruptions when someone was speaking. The caucus was another thing that was copied. One thing that I learned was that the Chiefs of the Indians had nothing to do with the government he was to perform rituals and other ceremonies. I think the authors main point was to show how the American government derived from that of the
The Essay, I have chosen to read from is ReReading America was An Indian Story by Roger Jack. The topic of this narrative explores the life of an Indian boy who grows up away from his father in the Pacific Northwest. Roger Jack describes the growing up of a young Indian boy to a man, who lives away from his father. Roger demonstrates values of the Indian culture and their morals through exploration of family ties and change in these specific ties. He also demonstrates that growing up away from one’s father doesn’t mean one can’t be successful in life, it only takes a proper role model, such as the author provides for the young boy.
Bigger Thomas wasn’t just one man but every man Richard Wright, the writer of Native Son, had encounter in his childhood and adulthood. Wright had encountered a nice Bigger, violent Bigger, and a Bigger Thomas who hated the white society. He combined all of these Thomases and created Bigger Thomas in Native Son. Bigger filled with enrage and fear of the whites accidentally kills a white woman and tries to run away, but only to end in a prison cell waiting for his punishment. Bigger’s definition of himself and the white society had limited his possibilities of having a greater future but Bigger could have went to the right path if he had controlled himself and his choicies.
In “Indian Education”, Sherman Alexie stresses to his readers and audience the effects of discrimination within educational facilities. Sherman Alexie grew up in Wellpinit, Washington on the Spokane Reservation with his parents. Sherman’s father is a Coeur d’Alene Indian who married his mother, a Spoken Indian. Through his grade school years, Sherman endured teasing from his fellow classmates and disapproval from his school teachers when he exceeded their expectations. It wasn’t until high school that Sherman realized that his educational opportunities were limited compared to the white race. This pushed Sherman to make the decision of attending a nearby farm town high school in the town of Reardon. However, during his high school years, the factor of discrimination was present as Sherman tried to build his education.
The removal of Indian tribes was one of the tragic times in America’s history. Native Americans endured hard times when immigrants came to the New World. Their land was stolen, people were treated poorly, tricked, harassed, bullied, and much more. The mistreatment was caused mostly by the white settlers, who wanted the Indians land. The Indians removal was pushed to benefit the settlers, which in turn, caused the Indians to be treated as less than a person and pushed off of their lands. MOREEE
Lights, camera, action! The light switches on, and shines brightly in the center of the stage. Two people walk towards it, these are actors that were told to come out at this exact moment by the director. After days of intense rehearsals. The two young actors burst. “We are tired of working for you” the two participants yell towards the director. The director in a surprising manner walks up to the stage, stares down at the performers and laughs. “You are going nowhere; I have your contract and your pay, now back to your positions!” The performers stand and continue their roles with no opinion in the matter. The camera turns off, the shadows of the actors disappear. The common person stands up and is face to face with the director. The director
“Cultural identity is a broader term: people from multiple ethnic backgrounds may identify as belonging to the same culture” (Elise Trumbull and Maria Pacheco). Though people may identify themselves with a certain culture, their beliefs and actions varies and adjust to their experiences. “…We do not consciously pick and choose attributes from the total set; rather, the conditions and events in our individual lives…” (Elise Trumbull and Maria Pacheco). A person is easily influenced by their culture which also makes an impact on their beliefs as well as their view of the world which can cause conflict with another person.
Culture influences the way people identify others. The short story, “An Indian Father's plea”, accentuates a cultural conflict between a concerned father and teacher. This idea that Wind-Wolf is culturally different, making him “slow” in the teacher's perspective, contrasts with the father’s position. Rober Lake states, “So you see, all of these influences together make him...slow, according to your standards”. The teacher labeled Wind-Wolf as "slow" immediately comparing him to his white classmates. Wind-Wolf's learning style juxtaposed with the American culture; he was a “slow adapter” because he wasn't used to the traditional education, let alone experience a non-Indian childbirth. Wind-Wolf was identified as a student of color who didn't
Many naive people, like myself for example, would see a book titled The Indian Lawyer, by James Welch, for the first time thinking that it must be about Indians with horses and bows and arrows trying to get revenge, but this novel written by James Welch is nothing of the sort. It is about the modern Indian, in today’s modern world, with modern problems, but written in a unique way. The book is written in many different characters points of views, and it adds a tremendous amount of detail and understanding to the story. In this paper I will discuss three of the main characters points of view and why this helped illuminate the story even more. By telling the story through multiple points of views, which gave more insight, it showed the reader
Manifest destiny has been idealized in America since the budding of the nation, and in the late 1800s it went hand in hand with the American Dream. It was government funded and railroad approved, as both ruling powers promised immigrants and citizens a prosperous life in the West. Americans weren’t apt to allow anything to keep from recognizing their dream, and unfortunately Native American tribes in the West proved to be roadblocks for American settlers. Thus began the dissolution of tribes and the belief that colonization of the Native Americans would be anything but destructive. Though these actions may have been met with relief from American settlers, the implications of cultural immersion and forced education proved to be disadvantageous to Native Americans residing in the West.
Culture sometimes informs the way one views the others and the world in our everyday lives. Some say your culture shapes you as who you are but others say that it’s the experiences you’ve had. Whenever I hear the question “To what extent does one’s Culture inform the way one views others and the world?” I think of two different things. I think of the differences between people, an example being people who have homes and the homeless. They have different point of views because they are in drastically different situations. So I do agree with it may have to deal with experiences, but then I also think about racism and racial judgement, etc. Thats where the Culture comes into play and then with that information I stand in the middle. Its both,
“Native of Hell: The Conditions in Richard Wright’s Native Son” Native Son by Richard Wright was written in 1940, a time where African Americans were for the most part disenfranchised and economically suffocated. There had been no civil rights law passed since Reconstruction, and because of this African Americans endured some truly appalling conditions. Richard Wright knew this, because he lived it. He grew up in the American South, a hotbed of racism and intolerance.
America has proven to be a very diverse and mixed culture. Our society is compiled with various ethnicities, religions, moral standards, and so much more. With all that combined there is bound to be racial clashing, religion bashing, and abstention. The movie “Crash” depicts how cultural identity affects Americans everyday by stereotyping, nonverbal communication, and avoidance.
This divide is primarily seen when Junior transfers to Reardan High School, where, at first, he is subject to numerous instances of racial slurs and bullying due to his Native American heritage. Junior says, “But there were a few of those Rearden boys, the big jocks, who paid special attention to me … So mostly they called me names. Lots of names” (Alexie 63). This racism highlights the tension between Native American and whites, two groups who, in the case of Alexie’s novel, are not accustomed to interacting with one another.
As part of our study of culture, my peers and I were asked to write a paper reflecting our own cultural background. I have always considered myself "all American". I shop, I eat fast food, I drive my own car, and watch too much television.