Analysis of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Analysis

Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a fully documented

account of the annihilation of the American Indian in the late

1800s ending at the Battle of Wounded Knee. Brown brings to light

a story of torture and atrocity not well known in American

history. The fashion in which the American Indian was exterminated

is best summed up in the words of Standing Bear of the Poncas,

"When people want to slaughter cattle they drive them along until

they get them to a corral, and then they slaughter them. So it was

with us_. "

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a work of non-fiction, attempts to

tell the story of the American West from the perspective of the

indigenous population, The American Indian. That in itself makes

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee an important work of literature as

it is one of the few books supporting the Indian cause. This is

done through the use of council records, autobiographies, and

first-hand accounts.

Each of the book's nineteen chapters deals with a certain tribe,

battle, or historical event. Brown goes into deep and explicit

detail throughout, as evidenced by the book's nearly 500 pages.

However, while some may complain Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee is

boring or text-book-like, I believe the opposite is actually true.

Generally, very little is known about this terrible genocide and

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a wonderful and interesting

learning tool. Brown has written many books about the life of the

American Indian, including Creek Mary's Blood and Killdeer

Mountain, but Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is clearly his

greatest work.

Brown made sure to include songs, quotes, and portraits sprinkled

throughout the book. These are very important as they break the

monotony of page after page of text. The portraits are well

selected and placed, as are the quotes, and help present a wider

picture of the point in history.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee helps to open a door into our past.

It forces us to look at the dark side of our American history and

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