"Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann, which reveals the evil plot behind the early 20th-century Osage Indian murders, is a gripping examination of a troubling period in American history. Grann explores the Osage County, Oklahoma, systematic killings through rigorous research and captivating storytelling, illuminating the bias, greed, and corruption that beset the young American legal system. This review will analyze the book in detail, looking at its themes, characters, and criminal justice repercussions. The startling sequence of events that take place in David Grann's book "Killers of the Flower Moon" is set out in Chapter 1. It presents the reader to the Osage Nation, a Native American tribe who saw incredible affluence in the early …show more content…
Grann depicts the Osage community's early success and eventual decline into terror and paranoia as more tribal members are killed or disappear. The chapter establishes the framework for the inquiry that will take place for the remainder of the book and makes suggestions about a larger conspiracy involving influential people looking to take advantage of the Osage fortune. The first chapter captivates readers with the disturbing background of violence and exploitation that forms the core of "Killers of the Flower Moon." Later, David Grann's "Killers of the Flower Moon" presents us to the multifaceted character of Mollie Burkhart, whose life is entwined with the dark happenings in the Osage village. Mollie, an Osage tribal member, embodies a strong heritage that has benefited from the abundance of oil beneath their territory. But along with this sudden affluence comes a tide of outsider greed and envy, ready to take advantage of the Osage fortune. When Mollie's sister Anna Brown is discovered dead under strange circumstances, her entire world falls
McMurtry, Larry. 2005. Oh What a Slaughter: Massacres in the American West: 1846-1890. 10th Ed. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Inventing the Savage: The Social Construct of Native American Criminality. Luana Ross. Austin: University of Texas Press. 1998.
In The Lilies of the Field, by William E. Barrett, Homer and Mother Maria share the similar character traits of stubbornness, hard-working, and kind-hearted. Homer and Mother Maria are both very hard-working. Homer is treated with inferiority and told he cannot possibly be dedicated enough to build the chapel for Mother Maria and the nuns. However, he stubbornly insists to construct the church in spite of the prejudice against him. Prior to meeting Homer, Mother Maria was adamant about building the chapel with just herself and the nuns. Though most of the town believes her to be an impractical nun with overly optimistic goals, this merely bolsters her commitment to establishing the church. When Homer leaves town, Mother Maria is steadfast
In Thomas King’s novel, The Inconvenient Indian, the story of North America’s history is discussed from his original viewpoint and perspective. In his first chapter, “Forgetting Columbus,” he voices his opinion about how he feel towards the way white people have told America’s history and portraying it as an adventurous tale of triumph, strength and freedom. King hunts down the evidence needed to reveal more facts on the controversial relationship between the whites and natives and how it has affected the culture of Americans. Mainly untangling the confusion between the idea of Native Americans being savages and whites constantly reigning in glory. He exposes the truth about how Native Americans were treated and how their actual stories were
Native American’s place in United States history is not as simple as the story of innocent peace loving people forced off their lands by racist white Americans in a never-ending quest to quench their thirst for more land. Accordingly, attempts to simplify the indigenous experience to nothing more than victims of white aggression during the colonial period, and beyond, does an injustice to Native American history. As a result, historians hoping to shed light on the true history of native people during this period have brought new perceptive to the role Indians played in their own history. Consequently, the theme of power and whom controlled it over the course of Native American/European contact is being presented in new ways. Examining the evolving
What makes A Century of Dishonor an important book is that it chronicled the government of the United State's continual mistreatment of the American Indian. In it Jackson exposed the government by documenting how treaties were made and broken, how the Indians were robbed out of their lands, and how bad reservation life was for them. Up until 1881, when Jackson’s book was published, the government was not held accountable for its actions but Jackson was able to blame the government for this maltreatment and criticize its behavior publicly. It is also significant because Helen Hunt Jackson didn’t stop only at revealing government actions but through it advocated respect for American Indians and proposed ways to change the government and its ways and views about Native Americans.
Although the work is 40 years old, “Custer Died for Your Sins” is still relevant and valuable in explaining the history and problems that Indians face in the United States. Deloria’s book reveals the White view of Indians as false compared to the reality of how Indians are in real life. The forceful intrusion of the U.S. Government and Christian missionaries have had the most oppressing and damaging affect on Indians. There is hope in Delorias words though. He believes that as more tribes become more politically active and capable, they will be able to become more economically independent for future generations. He feels much hope in the 1960’s generation of college age Indians returning to take ownership of their tribes problems and build a better future for their children.
Although the work is 40 years old, “Custer Died for Your Sins” is still relevant and valuable in explaining the history and problems that Indians face in the United States. Deloria book reveals the Whites view of Indians as false compared to the reality of how Indians are in real life. The forceful intrusion of the U.S. Government and Christian missionaries have had the most oppressing and damaging effect on Indians. There is hope in Delorias words though. He believes that as more tribes become more politically active and capable, they will be able to become more economically independent for future generations. He feels much hope in the 1960’s generation of college age Indians returning to take ownership of their tribes problems.
Louise Erdrich’s short story “American horse” is a literary piece written by an author whose works emphasize the American experience for a multitude of different people from a plethora of various ethnic backgrounds. While Erdrich utilizes a full arsenal of literary elements to better convey this particular story to the reader, perhaps the two most prominent are theme and point of view. At first glance this story seems to portray the struggle of a mother who has her son ripped from her arms by government authorities; however, if the reader simply steps back to analyze the larger picture, the theme becomes clear. It is important to understand the backgrounds of both the protagonist and antagonists when analyzing theme of this short story. Albetrine, who is the short story’s protagonist, is a Native American woman who characterizes her son Buddy as “the best thing that has ever happened to me”. The antagonist, are westerners who work on behalf of the United States Government. Given this dynamic, the stage is set for a clash between the two forces. The struggle between these two can be viewed as a microcosm for what has occurred throughout history between Native Americans and Caucasians. With all this in mind, the reader can see that the theme of this piece is the battle of Native Americans to maintain their culture and way of life as their homeland is invaded by Caucasians. In addition to the theme, Erdrich’s usage of the third person limited point of view helps the reader understand the short story from several different perspectives while allowing the story to maintain the ambiguity and mysteriousness that was felt by many Natives Americans as they endured similar struggles. These two literary elements help set an underlying atmos...
All in all, the treatment of the American Indian during the expansion westward was cruel and harsh. Thus, A Century of Dishonor conveys the truth about the frontier more so than the frontier thesis. Additionally, the common beliefs about the old west are founded in lies and deception. The despair that comes with knowing that people will continue to believe in these false ideas is epitomized by Terrell’s statement, “Perhaps nothing will ever penetrate the haze of puerile romance with which writers unfaithful to their profession and to themselves have surrounded the westerner who made a living in the saddle” (Terrell 182).
Killers of the Flower Moon was about a series of murders of the wealthy Osage Indians taking place in Osage County, Oklahoma. After the Osage Indian land was found to have large oil deposits, they became very rich. This led to them becoming targets of a murderer on the hunt for their fortunes. The murders led to many corrupt investigators and sheriffs. Throughout the book, it follows the efforts that the FBI took to solve the murders and the methods that they used.
In James Welch’s novel Fools Crow, the diversity of Native American culture and identity unfolds against the backdrop of the blackfeet tribe in the early 19th century. Through the main character, Fools Crow, and various other characters, Welch illustrates the profound diversity and complexity within tribal nations, echoing the essential understanding that there is no generic American Indian. From the outset, Welch portrays a diverse range of characters within the Blackfeet tribe, each with their own unique identities, experiences, and perspectives. Fools Crow himself engages with his identity as he navigates the shifting dynamics within his tribe, the encroachment of white settlers, and the traditional customs of his people. His journey reflects
Crimes, violence, catastrophes and injustices are most common topics to find on the internet, television and other social media sites. Just recently, the Baltimore case and Nepal tragedy are the main focus. As what everyone expects, America is the Dreamland, a place of hope and justice, where freedom and equality are granted to everybody. In contrast to the expectations, America, just like any other countries, once had conflict with the “Natives”, which is known to be the Civil War that even time can’t even heal. Richard Wright’s Native Son thoroughly enhances the meaning, themes and purpose of the novel as a whole through Foster’s inferences that emphasizes the irony of Bigger as the “native son” but suffers tremendously from alienation. Through
As the American landscape began to broaden its horizons, its administration of justice had to expand to accommodate new situations and environments. In the early nineteenth century, due to lack of law enforcement, the frontier presented itself as heavenly to outlaws and bandits (Schmalleger 139). Many citizens took up the task of protecting others in a form of vigi...
For my book report, I chose to review the book, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West”, which was written by Dee Brown in 1971 and published by New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. The book contains 298 pages total and has around 265 pages of content. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is an emotional recount of the Native American experiences during the latter half of the 19th century. Throughout his book, Dee Brown examines and discusses the many difficulties and horrors faced by Native Americans at the hands of American settlers, government, and military.