Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Native American Literature Essay
This piece of literature, ââ¬Å"Superman and Meâ⬠by Sherman Alexie, reflects what it means to be an Indian in todayââ¬â¢s culture written in first person. Alexie utilizes memories from his childhood to develop his thesis: reading and writing saved his life and allowed him to overcome poverty and be successful. They were an Indian family and his father owned an enormous amount of books. He learned to read at an early age with a Superman comic book. He writes about the stereotypes of Indians expected to be stupid and fail in the non-Indian world. He, on the other hand, declined this pity and refused to fail; he was a smart Indian that read as much as he could. He grew up to be a writer and visited the schools unfailingly to save the lives of Indian children. The purpose of this article is to improve the lives of Indian children. LaFarge, Oliver. ââ¬Å"Myths that Hide the American Indian. â⬠Historical view point. New York: John A. Garraty, 1991. 3-5. Print. In this essay, Oliver La Farge writes about the true civilization of the American Indian in ââ¬Å"Myths that hide the American Indian. â⬠Europeans made inferences without understanding them. La Farge describes the impact of the white menââ¬â¢s negative perception of Indians as ruthless, faithless, savages, drunken, and lazy good-for-nothings. The most important influence the Indians had on western civilization was their political economy where they had one ruler. Later, England formed a constitutional monarchy. All in all, this articleââ¬â¢s purpose was to illistrate the Europeansââ¬â¢ views of Indians as savages was wrong; they were merely advancing to civilization. ââ¬Å"The World on Turtleââ¬â¢s Back. â⬠McDougal Littell Literature: American Literature. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2008. 34-40. Print. ââ¬Å"The World on a Turtles Backâ⬠describes the world before land, creatures, or people. The Sky-World consisted of multiple gods, a great ocean, birds of the sea, fish, creatures of the deep, and most importantly the Great Tree that grew right in the middle. The author states that a couple was expecting a baby in the Sky-World the man went to fetch some bark from the roots of the Great Tree. He accidently dug a hole through the Sky-World and his pregnant wife fell through capturing a piece of the barkââ¬â¢s root. The woman planted the roots, and as she walked around the earth it grew into nurturing food. Later, the lady gave birth to a baby girl, and when the girl got older she had twins. the right handed-twin appeared to be god-like, while the left-landed twin comply with the devil. Both twins possessed their own powers; however one twin would use it to perform kind acts, and the other used it to pursue evil. They fought till the end, but both had to exist to maintain balance in the world. The purpose of this story is to show there has to be evil in the world to balance with the good. Momaday, N. Scott. ââ¬Å"The Way to Rainy Mountain. â⬠McDougal Littell Literature: American Literature. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2008. 52-58. Print. N. Scott Momadayââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Way to Rainy Mountainâ⬠utilizes imagery to enhance the impact of his deceased grandmotherââ¬â¢s life and old customs while he makes his journey to her grave in Rainy Mountain. Aho, Momadayââ¬â¢s grandmother, belonged to the last tribe that migrated to North America. The Kiowas made a legend that explained that seven sisters form the Big Dipper. Aho honored the sun by attending the Kiowa Sun Dances. Prayers kept her memory since she was always praying even when she died. Momaday believes his grandmotherââ¬â¢s death was whole and eternal for her to have lived and died in the same place: Rainy Mountain. The purpose of this story is to inform the reader about the cultural history of the Kiowa Indians. Tempus, Allie. ââ¬Å"A Tribal Tragedy: Suicide Rates Soar Among Native Americansâ⬠New America Media November 29 2010 Posted. Web. Native Americansââ¬â¢ suicide rates are evaluated in Allie Tempusââ¬â¢, ââ¬Å"A Tribal Tragedy. â⬠They have the highest rate of all other ethnic and racial groups. The suicides are traced back to their mental health, including depression. Poverty and family issues resulted in depression which led to drug and alcohol use. Many users experienced an abusive childhood and turned to drugs to alleviate the pain. Native Americans involuntarily lost the balance in their lives as their traditions and customs died out, but today there are prevention efforts made to reduce suicide rates. The purpose of this news is to inform the reader about the history and hopeful future for Native Americansââ¬â¢ suicide rates. Popick, Jacqui. ââ¬Å"Native American Women, Past, Present and Future. â⬠Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal. 2006. Volume 1 Number 1. Jacqui Popicksââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Native American Women, Past, Present, and Futureâ⬠is an informative article that evaluates the different generations in the life of a typical Native American woman. In the past, women were treated equal and with respect because they have the power to give life. In present day, a drastic changed occurred because women face sexism, racism, and they are not generally respected as well as before. The Bill of Rights finally gave women their rights after a long, hard battle but that was not enough. As time progressed, Native American women initiated programs of awareness, AIDS, suicide, violence, prevention, and education to renew lives and overcome the feeling of hopelessness. The purpose of this journal is to show a comparison of the treatment of Native American women in the past and present, as well as goals for the future.
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