ipl-logo

Louise Erdrich's The Truth About Stories

856 Words4 Pages

1) (The Truth about Stories) Oral storytelling is main staple of Native American tradition. Stories are passed down from generation to generation and many of them contain common themes and characteristics. They often revolve around family and the importance of community. As Thomas King says in The Truth about Stories, many of Native American creation myths are about cooperation and unity, unlike the Judeo-Christian belief of a sole Creator and world built on competition. Humor is a very distinct characteristic that is present in many stories and is added to create relatability to the listeners. The objective of oral storytelling is be vividly remembered and passed on.
2) (The Trickster) The “trickster” archetype is an important part of oral and written literature. The character is notable for the way it disrupts order often for its own pleasure. The character is often depicted as selfish, not thinking about consequences or its effect on others. They are frequently depicted to experience delight in the pleasure of tricking others. Tricksters are either shown as the villain of the story, a comic relief character, or, in some cases, a sort of hero of the story.
3) (Tracks) Louise Erdrich writes about a small group of people facing major struggles during a time of historical transition in …show more content…

The most prevailing depiction of Native Americans in popular media is as set dressing in the Old West. As past figures is often the only representation that is seen in Hollywood films, mainstream television, and commercial products. By depicting Native Americans in the modern day and discussing present-day pop culture, Super Indian challenged these stereotypes to create a better representation of Native Americans. This references create a richer (and more humorous) story that is very relatable for readers of the

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Indian Mascots You Re Out

    523 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Indian Mascots- You’re Out” is a very well organized and thought out article about the stereotyping of American Indians in sports. As a child, Shakely supported the Cleveland Indians and even the buck tooth, big nose Indian mascot that accompanied them, but once he witnesses the effect that such support has on his mother, it quickly fades. The author describes the hurt his mother feels from seeing her own son wearing a stereotype of their heritage.

    Read More

  • Jay Rosentein: The Use Of Native Americans As Mascots

    276 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jay Rosentein took a look at the long time practice of honoring Native American’s as mascots and team names in sports whether professional levels or college teams. He gives us insight that it is not only about using the natives as mascots but the issue at hand of racism, minority representation and stereotypes. This film is more than the practice of utilizing Indians as mascots, it is about culture identity and how we should all change to make a difference. In this documentary we follow Charlene Teters, the leader some have called her the Rosa Parks of Native Americans and her struggles to protect her identity and cultural symbols.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Trickster Characters Of Tranio And Ferris Bueller

    1644 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Trickster character has existed since the origin of comedy. This role is still an important part of many comedies today. In this paper, I will compare and contrast the trickster characters of Tranio in The Haunted House with Ferris Bueller from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Tranio and Ferris have different social and economic backgrounds and different motives for their foolery. However, both characters rebel against the system and push for social change, influence others and create wild plots and scenarios to get themselves and others out of trouble.

    Read More

  • I Hated Tonto Analysis

    358 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Louise Erdrich's The Round House

    944 Words  | 4 Pages

    Going through a traumatizing event such as rape may alter a victim 's life, including those of their family. To recover from such an incident finding justice can be the best resort. Geraldine the victim in “The Round House” was raped and found covered in blood. Life on the reservation means that Geraldine will never be able to seek justice against her rapist. Her son, Joe, the protagonist in the novel further explains how he feels at the young age of thirteen.

    Read More

  • Pushing The Bear Analysis

    1281 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Importance of Storytelling in Cherokee Culture The Cherokee people, like all Native American tribes, possess an extensive, ancient oral history. Before European contact and the creation of the Cherokee syllabary, the only way the Cherokees could pass on the legends within their history was by word of mouth or in other words through storytelling. Their stories included justifications for the origin of Earth and mankind, good human morals and values, and Cherokee culture rituals. Diane Glancy, author of Pushing The Bear, does a great job in conveying the importance of storytelling in Cherokee culture.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Film Reel Injun

    1480 Words  | 6 Pages

    The film, Reel Injun reveals a distortion of the way Hollywood sees Native American life through comedy and the real way Native Americans live which changes according to the current times. Neil Diamond sets out on a journey across America to figure out where the incorrect image of Natives arose from, all signs pointing towards Hollywood. Dozens of films recreate the way Americans believe Natives live as savages and wear costumes and decorated headpieces with feathers, but Hollywood does not show the true spiritual side and the meaning of why they live the way they do as true to their own culture and assimilated to the American culture as well. US history negatively affects Native American live which lead to the image of Natives to be clouded by imagination through film, changed the way Natives viewed themselves and expect to live, and misshaped the view we now have for Natives.

    Read More

  • The Trickster And The Talking Bulb Analysis

    1480 Words  | 6 Pages

    Native American Trickster tales are told to children of the tribes orally and have morals and lessons within the tales to help teach its listeners how to behave and right from

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Thomas King's The Truth About Story

    895 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Thomas King 's autobiographical novel, The Truth About Stories takes a narrative approach in telling the story of the Native American, as well as Thomas King 's. The stories within the book root from the obstacles that the Thomas King had to face during his years in high school and his post-university life. These stories are told in a matter that uses rhetorical devices such as personal anecdotes & comparisons. "You 'll Never Believe What Happened" Is Always a Great Way to Start is about the importance, potential, and dangers of stories, specifically those of creation stories and how they can shape a culture, with the aim to share King 's urgency for social change with his readers King 's informal tone, lighthearted jokes, and effort to make his writing follow the style of native oral tradition as closely as possible, all help the reader understand the type of narrative he believes would be most beneficial for the foundation of a society. His unique style allows for the use of personal anecdotes and requires that he breaks the proverbial fourth wall to communicate with the reader directly, to create the conversational feel of the oral tradition.

    Read More

  • The Noble Or Ignoble Savage: A Cultural Appropriation Of American Culture

    1494 Words  | 6 Pages

    Even though America has become quite the diverse place with diverse cultures, the cultural appropriation found within the American society contributes to the loss of multiple minority culture’s identity. Native Americans are one of the minority groups most heavily impacted by cultural appropriation. From offensive sports, many American Indians feel as though their cultural identities are lost in the mass of stereotypes and false representations of them in popular culture. In literature and film, Indians are too often portrayed as some variation of “the Noble or Ignoble Savage” (Gordon, 30), violent and uneducated, and it is easy to imagine how this negative representation inspires resentment in the Native American community, who have no interest in having their cultures and peoples being reduced to mere savages,

    Read More

  • Pocahontas Rhetorical Analysis

    644 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even today, movies and cartoons that depict Native Americans in any way are most often being portrayed in the same fashion as they have been for hundreds of years: through the eyes of the earliest white settlers. When Disney’s Pocahontas came out, the brutal song “Savages!” devastated Native American children.

    Read More

  • Misrepresentation Of Native Americans

    1058 Words  | 5 Pages

    The media today consists of a huge diversity of different things. This is because the United States is known as the melting pot country and today 's society doesn 't understand the real history of the Native American people. They are easily one of the top most underrepresented cultures and people in the media in today’s world. This is why there are stereotypes of them throughout the media. Native Americans are stereotyped in many ways such as in movies, tv shows, books, etc.

    Read More

  • Smoke Signals Victor And Thomas Essay

    679 Words  | 3 Pages

    Native Americans in pop culture have been very misunderstood in many ways. The stereotypical Indian that lives on a reservation doesn’t look like he lives in the 1600s. Indians have evolved to fit more into pop culture, but this isn’t always the case. For example, in a movie called “Smoke Signals” a boy named Victor and Thomas set out on a journey of self-discovery and they head all the way from their Indian reservation to Phoenix Arizona. Indians have an easy way to pass down old tradition to the newer generations that follow behind.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of Mass Media On Native Americans

    755 Words  | 4 Pages

    From all these years, I would say I associate American Indian’s media representation as impolite only because that is how they have been shown to me through books and the

    Read More

  • Indians Lesson Learned

    380 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before I was in elementary school I learned about the American Indian on television; however, what I learned was not very favorable to the Indians. I learned that the Indians were “red,” instead of white, like me. I learned that, except for a very few, they were the enemy because they were always attacking the soldiers’ forts and shooting cowboys and, if you were caught and Indian, you were scalped. I learned they were savages, and not civilized like the white man.

    Read More

More about Louise Erdrich's The Truth About Stories

Open Document