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I Hated Tonto Analysis

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The excerpts “I Hated Tonto (Still Do)” by Sherman Alexie and “An Open Letter to Johnny Depp’s Tonto” by Natanya Ann Pulley, critique the cultural depictions of cinematic characters through remarks of personal dissatisfaction and experiences. In both their excerpts, Alexie and Pulley address their dislike with the belittlement of the Native American identity that the character Tonto contributes to. In the excerpt “I Hated Tonto (Still D0)” Alexie states, “When it came to the movies, Indians had learned to be happy with less. We didn’t mind that cinematic Indians never had jobs. We didn’t mind that cinematic Indians were deadly serious. We didn’t mind that cinematic Indians were rarely played by Indian actors. We made up excuses” (Alexie) while

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