An Indian Father's Plea By M. F. Moonzajer

As the author M. F. Moonzajer says, “My culture is my identity and personality. It gives me spiritual, intellectual, and emotional distinction from others and I am proud of it”. One’s culture is what separates them from everyone else, but also can bring people together. Culture plays a significant role in the person we become, how we view the world and what we believe in. Every culture varies in a multitude of ways, and these differences affect the perspectives and opinions that an individual possesses. By being a part of certain groups of people and different ethnic groups, we are influenced in a way in which we are taught what is acceptable in a certain culture. Certain behaviors and social interactions are what influence us to view the world

It includes the marginal instances of how we view other educations systems that are different from what we have experienced in our culture: but also the more significant part, where people who for whatever reason cannot have an education. Where this affect our perspectives is in where cultures view illiteracy and naiveness. Of course, not everyone shares the same opinion, but generally cultures will view the uneducated as less intelligent and consequently less useful to society. With this in mind, “An Indian Father’s Plea” is about a Native American’s son’s struggle with the American education system. Robert Lake, the father and author, is concerned, and almost offended about his child being already labeled as a slow learner at age 5, the key word being ‘slow learner’ which can be interpreted as dumb and stupid. Robert exclaims how his son is actually more intelligent than he might seem to be, and he describes it with this sentence, “So you see, all of these influences”(Influences being the new ways of thinking,methods of teaching and learning mentioned earlier in the passage)“all together might make him shy and quiet- perhaps ‘slow’ according to your standards. But if Wind-Wolf was not prepared for his first tentative foray into your world, neither were you appreciative of his culture.”(Lake,77). This example supports and expands upon my claim about education. Out of the

Growing up with one’s own culture, different beliefs, traditions, and acceptable behaviors are taught and instilled, which are later carried out through their lifetime. Therefore, the beliefs you have, the traditions you practice, and the behaviors that are seen as acceptable in your own culture may be different in others. For this reason, I believe that one’s culture can inform the way that other’s view different cultures. For example, in the short story, “Everyday Use”, by Alice Walker, we are told about a family who in which a specific family member, Dee, begins to change her views on her culture. Dee, the daughter of the narrator, is described to be different from her sister and the rest of her family, both in personality, appearance, and cultural aspects in her lifestyle. Dee lived differently and believed in different practices than her family did, therefore resulting in willing to give up her family name, in which had been passed down for multiple generations. Despite Dee getting rid of her family name, she begins to stress over a quilt in which holds no significance to her family, in which she wishes to inherit next. Her name change is expressed when the author refers to her daughter by her birth name, but is later corrected when Dee says, “No, Mama. Not ‘Dee,’ Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo!” (Walker, 61). The author then expressed her confusion and anger towards her