The great paradox of American culture is the need to redefine or create their past, likening themselves to the great and previous civilizations. Since America during this time just starts to take form, there is this sense that the culture and literature are inferior in comparison to preexisting, traditionally rich countries such as England. Being a new nation that encompasses a different history and ideals it, therefore, needs its own sense of identity. This desire to clarify and establish a national identity begets the creation of the American myth. The myth though fails because it does not embody the whole of American society or an accurate account of history.
Modernity has been mainly characterized by its imperialistic policies and colonizing endeavors, which while creating the current legal organization of the world have largely marginalized the many indigenous groups who originally occupied the conquered lands (Andrews and Walton 600). Although post-modern societies have seen an increase in the awareness of these matters, American-Canadian author Thomas King has dedicated his work to throwing light on issues still not tackled. In his short story “Borders”, King tells the adventure of a Blackfoot mother and her child, who try to cross the border to the U.S. but refuse to declare their nationality. It is through his masterful choice of narrator and the careful depiction of the mother’s struggle to maintain her Blackfoot identity that the author conveys the many difficulties First Nations face in their effort to keep their heritages alive. The narrator of the story is a twelve-year-old boy whose candid view of the events allows the reader to appreciate the struggle to maintain an individual identity in the face of a globalized world.
Before and After Columbus Christopher Columbus was known to many Americans as the great explorer. He “discovered” America but as years went on the glorified Columbus was criticized and historians had found error in his ways. Does this mean Columbus was a villain and everything he stands for should be demolished? In this essay we will explore how Columbus Day is honored or observed in the United States of America and how celebrating this holiday opens up sore wounds for American Indians and how he opened the doors for transatlantic slavery, mass murders and cruelty to the Indigenous people of America. This essay will explore the apparent legacy that Columbus is celebrate and honored for, and whether or not all Americans should continue to honor Columbus Day.
Those deaths are sometimes labeled "genocide," however, David M. Traboulay states in his book Columbus and Las Casas: The Conquest and Christianization of America that it's doubtful Columbus or any other European deliberately used disease as a weapon against the Indians in the early 1500's. They simply did not have the necessary knowledge to do so. It was not until the mid-1700's that scientists began to understand the nature of immunity. After that, the British did consider using disease as a weapon against Indians, but 250 years earlier, in Columbus's time, Europeans could not possibly have anticipated the Indians' complete lack of immunological defenses against diseases such as smallpox and measles. Moreover, Indians were certainly enslaved by Europeans, probably including Columbus.
As an American, one could ashamed of the actions and policies of the US government; unfortunately, much of America’s history has followed the trend of oppression and imperialism started by those first European settlers, who colonized the Americas and supplanted the Native Americans. Hidden in the great American success story, lies a darker history of those who didn’t win, those who never got to write the history books. The descendants of the European settlers, who eventually founded the United States of America and its government, have not only taken land from Native Americans, but they have repeatedly violated their basic human rights over hundreds of years. Similarly, the U.S. has subjugated, oppressed, or killed people of other nationalities and ethnicities throughout most of its history, including the slaves from Africa and their descendants. The United States of America’s treatment of Native Americans As mentioned in Bury My Heart at Wounded
America has been known to be called “The Land of Endless Opportunity.” Ben Franklin was the pioneer of this idea and thus made a large contribution to the American identity through his ideas and hard work. At the time that Benjamin Franklin lived, the idea of complete freedom was revolutionary. Most countries still had a strict class structure and dramatic changes between classes were very few and far between. Ben Franklin felt that anyone should have the chance to change their socioeconomic
Kayla Maack Ryan Swanson UHON 122-006 March 9, 2016 Why Does the Civil War Matter? The biggest cliché in the world is that history is taught so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. So if people try to avoid this cliché and try to dive deeper into the mystery of why history is so important, they will find some interesting concepts and ideas that will show people why history is so important. The Civil War is the bloodiest battle that America has ever faught in but is it still relevant to today’s society? There has been much debate on the importance of the Civil War and in recent years, the Civil War has become less popular in the eyes of the common American Citizen.
In the last passage of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the reader gains insight into Gatsby’s life through the reflections of Nick Carraway. These reflections provide a summary of Gatsby’s life and also parallel the main themes in the novel. Through Fitzgerald’s use of diction and descriptions, he criticizes the American dream for transformation of new world America from an untainted frontier to a corrupted industrialized society. In the novel, Fitzgerald never mentions the phase “American Dream,” however the idea is significant to the story. The American Dream is known to most as the pursuit of wealth and success through hard work.
This clearly shows his ignorance to human fulfilment of accomplishing great things if we hadn’t “stuck a flag” we wouldn’t have put a man on the moon, discovered the Americas and uncovered the once opaque ocean’s secrets and wonders. Surely, Philip can’t be unaware of brilliant human discoveries and accomplishments throughout history and how far we have come as not only a society, but as a species. In addition to the idea that Hoare is of the highest ignorance to this subject he does not understand how hard it is to ascend or descend Everest with a heavy burden as he says “we don’t even take our dead away with us. While Philip is
Culture Diversity: Recognition of Indigenous People Day "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." Martin Buber Even though Christopher Columbus Day is an important day in the discovery of the Indigenous people in the Americas by Europeans, Columbus never actually set foot in the United States. Columbus never intended to travel to the Americas; he was unaware of his destination. For this reason, we should not celebrate Columbus Day in the United States. The myth that Columbus discovered a new world has led to Columbus Day promoting an inaccurate telling of the United States' history.