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The Effects of John Wayne on Native American Society America: land of the free and home of the brave. Stretching from coast to coast, it’s a nation that claims liberty and justice for all – but what really makes America so great? Is it the astonishing skyline of New York City, a skyline that exemplifies all that we’ve accomplished? Is it the abundance of popular culture and fame produced in the shiny, dream-making city of Hollywood? Maybe it’s the way our ancestors victoriously conquered the fertile, prosperous land that once belonged to the now seemingly forgotten indigenous people. A symbolic object is something that represents an abstract idea or a bigger picture. Chris Eyre’s film, Smoke Signals, uses many symbolic objects to thoroughly communicate the issues Native Americans face while living in America, “the freest country on Earth.” Specifically, the scene with the song “John Wayne’s Teeth” is used to symbolize indigenous peoples’ ongoing battle for equality and self-identity in a world of neocolonialism. In the beginning of the movie, two of the main characters, Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire, are on a bus to Phoenix, Arizona when suddenly, two white men take Victor and Joseph’s seats. When Victor confronts the two men on the issue, one of them replies, “Find someplace else to have a powwow” …show more content…
Look at Tom Mix. What about John Wayne?” Victor then argues, “You know in all those movies you never saw John Wayne’s teeth? Not once. I think there’s something wrong when you don’t see a guy’s teeth.” As a means of prevailing over the degrading situation of losing their seats, Victor and Thomas use creativity and humor by singing a song called “John Wayne’s Teeth.” The lyrics sing, “John Wayne’s teeth – are they false? Are they real? Are they plastic? Are they steel?” (Eyre, Smoke Signals). These lyrics communicate a deeper meaning rather than just talking about some cowboy’s set of molars and
Dinesh D’Souza constructs an argument in his essay “What’s so great about America” that is convincing to the average reader. His essay was published 15 years ago and American culture has seen some changes since then. However, nothing that he mentions specifically in the essay has changed drastically. His extrinsic ethos is strong because he is from India and the audience may perceive that he can compare his knowledge of living elsewhere to an immigrant’s knowledge. This view of looking at America from an outsider’s point of view and how others view living in America is essential in D’Souza’s fundamental argument. He compares living in America to living in other less developed countries and appeals to the common citizen in his style, logic, and development of his essay. His arguments are sound and he convinces the average citizen that America is the best place to live, although his lack of facts and statistics to back up his statements could be seen as a weakness.
America, it has always had everything we need, except for when colonists flocked in the early 1600´s. Its 1609, you and a group of people have been on a boat for months. Now you aren't even sure if the America's exist. But once you lost every single drop of hope, you see it. A beautiful swampy land. This place makes you feel like you have a lot of opportunities, there’s a river, a lot of wildlife, and not that many Native’s around. It seems perfect, that’s what people that saw posters of Jamestown thought in England. Jamestown seemed, perfect, appeared perfect…
Dubbed as “The Greatest Country in the World” by god knows who, America is not as awesome and free as some may see. In doing a close reading of Heather Christle’s “Five Poems for America”, we can see how the author uses metaphors to portray a flawed American, specifically within its political system, religion, obsession with technology and basic human rights. Americans have been living with the oppression of these everyday issues, completely oblivious thus creating the America we infamously know today.
John Ford’s classic American Western film, Stagecoach (1939) shows many examples of political life and social behavior during it’s time. The plot is about nine travelers onboard a stagecoach from Tonto, Arizona to Lordsburg, New Mexico Territory. In the beginning, the passengers of the Stagecoach are unfamiliar with each other. However, their relationships grow as they get to know each other during their journey. Each character claims a different social position.
" Symbolism enables us to tell a story one way, while trying to say another. I believe Tim O'Brien has achieved success in doing so in "The Things They Carried. " Works Cited The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien Book Notes.
Henretta, James A., and David Brody. America: A Concise History. Vol. 1. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
The myth of American(USA) superiority and exceptionalism has existed since the early foundation days. The rush towards the Pacific provided an easy way to sustain this theory, and for a long time it was assumed that westward growth was the best sign of success. In fact, some of the earliest films to hold captive the American citizens were spectacles of U.S. positivism, where good always triumphed over evil.
Symbolism is strongly represented through Kaplan’s short story. The symbols represented are the ocean, the killing of the doe and the woods. Visiting the ocean for the first time at the Jersey Shore was new for Andy. Since then she had been awfully frightened of the ocean. She believes the ocean to be a huge, vast that constantly moved, keeps shifting
Tells a story of the creation and defense of communities, the utilization of the land, the development of markets, and the formation of states. It is filled with unexpected twists and turns. It is a tale of conquest, but also one of survival and persistence, and of the merging of peoples and cultures that gave birth and continuing life to America as we think of and experience it today (page 5).
Unfortunately for the Whiteman, the assimilation program didn’t work quite as they planned, “most Western Apache remain on the fringe of national American society (Basso pg. 26).” The increased relations between Whiteman and American Indians only served the purpose of giving the Western Apache fodder for their jokes. Whitemen became a cultural symbol that “define and characterize what the Indian is not (Basso pg.4).” So even though Whitemen are one of the American Indian’s biggest problems, they also became one of their biggest sources of laughter.
The term “America” does not have one but many definitions that various people have come up with through out the centuries. Some believe America is everything they could hope for and some have believed that it is not what it seems. Frederick Douglas’ What to the Slave is the Fourth of July and Michael Rogin’s text Political Repression in the United States are two pieces of historic evidence that show what each individual imagined America as. Although both pieces have similarities, they have differences as well not only in their ideas but their writing style and content as well.
The United States and cultural myths pertaining to this country have been a topic of discussion for many years. Stephanie Coontz’s “The Way We Wish We Were”, David Brooks’ “One Nation Slightly Divisible” and Margaret Atwood’s “A Letter to America” are all essays about different American cultural myths. Each author focuses on a different cultural myth that pertains to the United States. They explain how these myths are thwarting a realistic view of America. As well as changing the perception of the country as a whole. The major cultural myths of America among the texts are about “ideal families”, “ideal lifestyles, and a “ideal country.”
Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie explores the concealed world of the Indians on the Spokane Reservation. Sherman Alexie exhibits humor, sadness, and reality through his main character, Arnold aka Junior, to make readers understand what the Native Americans are enduring. Indian reservations have had a long history of being prison-like homes to some of the most culturally rich and spiritual people in the world. In modern society, hopeless Indians that inhabit these reservations suffer through desperate poverty that continues to dominate. In this dark world filled with poverty
America is one word that brings the hope of freedom to many people around the world. Since the United States’ humble beginnings freedom has remained at the core of its ideologies and philosophies. People of all races, nations, and tongues have found refuge in America. The National Anthem proclaims, “…land of the free, and home of the brave” (Key, 1814). But has America been consistently a land of the free? Unfortunately freedom has not always reigned. There is a constant struggle to overcome fear and prejudice in order to provide a true land of freedom. In times of heightened tension, the masses of common people seek to find a scapegoat. Often, this scapegoat is a minority with ties to current negative events. As fear uncontrollably grows, it can cause people to allow and commit unspeakable atrocities.
Nash, G. B., Jeffery, J., Howe, J., Winkler, A., Davis, A., Mires, C., et al. (2010). The American people: creating a nation and a society. (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education