Morality In Tayo's Ceremony

The prescribed question that I have chosen is Power and Privilege: “How and why is a social group represented in a particular way?”

In Ceremony  Tayo observes what media has done with colonialism and how it has affected the way he views himself and whites. He was out trying to retrieve his uncle 's cattle from Floyd Lee 's position. Additionly, when trying to retrieve them he contemplates how they got there in the first place. Furthermore, he is struggling internally to figure out why a white man would want to steal the cows.  “Why did he hesitate to accuse a white man of stealing but not a Mexican or Indian?” (Silko, 177) To elaborate, the answer to his internalized struggle is how colonialism has in bred whites as the saviors to the savage Indians. Moreover, it has brought him to believe the lie that whites are there to save him and can not do any harm. Also, how he

In the third grade, I was asked to draw a picture related to Thanksgiving for a drawing contest to win a Toys R Us coupon. I remember the only knowledge I had of Thanksgiving was what my grade school teachers had taught me: the Pilgrims, people who wore tall, black hats shared a joyous meal with Indians, who were known as wild people who wore togas around their waist and feathers on their heads. Being a ignorant little boy, I drew what I thought Indians had to do to catch the turkeys as my picture; I drew an Indian man with a bow shooting an arrow right through the body of a turkey. With that picture, I won the contest. This thought of Indians in togas stayed with me until 9th grade when my world history teacher taught the class about the effects

When analyzing the book Waterlily, by Ella Cara Deloria, it is important to recognize the vital relationship she illustrates between the Dakota Sioux tribe and their values of kinship. The book both incorporates the complex nature of kinship, but also constructs a comprehensive timeline of the traditional lives of the Dakota Sioux and how the interact within their society. Deloria strives at epitomizing how important kinship is in everyday life for the Dakota Sioux; and how it keeps them organized into one exhaustive, organized society, thus allowing them to stand together in solidarity.

With no natural vegetation to hold the earth together, the earth itself flew away, along with the livelihoods of thousands of farmers. In the 1930s, what would become to be known as the Dust Bowl blew across the Southern Plains region of the United States. As people moved to this region seeking land grants from the federal government, so did the droughts. However, these droughts themselves were not entirely responsible for the Dust Bowl’s namesake. Instead, it was the monumental dust storms that terrorized the inhabitants of the Southern Plains. As a result from the drought and dust storms, farming was all but impossible, leaving many families to rely on the federal government and relief organizations just to stay alive. Also occurring

His own journey ended this speculation that he, in fact, is a true Native American more than emo and his friends, more than anyone who calls themselves pure. This discovery might have happened over a long period of time with small individual connections to animals and people that might have seemed insignificant. But each of these animals; the fly, the cattle and the mountain lion, all exposed Tayo to see his own struggles that he is having. And in order for one in any situation face their problems head on, one must know them first, one must know what directly causes them to happen. This is exactly what does on his journey of self-opening, even though it is not planned he was able to see these struggles in each and every animal and living being. This allows for Tayo, in the end, to be completely self-aware of everything that revolves the

Petalesharo’s writing reflected the treatment of Native Americans during the 1800s. Being a Native American himself, Petalesharo was able to give perspective on a point in history typically viewed from a white man’s opinion. The excerpt “Petalesharo” explains how the Native American was able “to prevent young women captured by other tribes from being sacrificed”, making Petalesharo well liked by the Americans (588). Petalesharo gave the “Speech of the Pawnee Chief” infront of Americans to convey the differences between Native Americans and Americans through emotion, logic, and credibility, which showed how the two groups will never be the same, but still can coexist in the world together.

During Christmas, Tan is worrying about how Robert is going react about their culture. Tan’s mom sees that she does not like the culture of her family in front of Robert. Furthermore, her mom does not want her daughter to be ashamed of her family and her culture. The best way for Tan’s mom to teach her a lesson is to follow their culture on her way to cook and act, and she says something unique, “Your only shame is to have a shame.” Its change the way she thinks after year later (111). However, Dumas’s parents teach her lesson about when people are moving to other country, and do not forget the people and the culture of the family. For example, Dumas dad gives a lesson when he is helping his relative and his friends from Iran. Furthermore, every weekend her dad invites them for dinner to show her daughter that it is important to not forget the culture. Also, Dumas mother cooks their own dishes to share with friends and relatives every weekend

Throughout history, there have been many literary studies that focused on the culture and traditions of Native Americans. Native writers have worked painstakingly on tribal histories, and their works have made us realize that we have not learned the full story of the Native American tribes. Deborah Miranda has written a collective tribal memoir, “Bad Indians”, drawing on ancestral memory that revealed aspects of an indigenous worldview and contributed to update our understanding of the mission system, settler colonialism and histories of American Indians about how they underwent cruel violence and exploitation. Her memoir successfully addressed past grievances of colonialism and also recognized and honored indigenous knowledge and identity.

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant” (Horace). The idea that hard times elicit the development of certain aspects of a character, whether good or bad, is prevalent in literature, particularly The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Horace’s assertion is true in regard to the two texts in that they both contain characters who develop maturity and mercy, a new self-awareness, and cunning duplicity.

The winds were growing stronger. The sun was shining brighter. It had not rained for many days and the soil was dry. Then the winds whipped up the dust and soil. The wind blew everywhere and so did the dust. The air was filled with dust and dirt. Many mammals died from swallowing and breathing too much dust and dirt. It was during the Great Depression so animals were valued. Animals gave them money from their milk and meat. The Dust Bowl lasted a terrible ten years that changed many people's lives.

Many cultures have different beliefs on how earth came to be. Native Americans shaped people 's society. They give individuals multiple views of how cultures have changed lives. The tribes Huron, Nez Perce, and Medoc share stories of their cultural beliefs. In “The Sky Tree”, “Coyote finished his Work” and “Blackfeet Genesis” all portrayed natural beliefs, complex religious beliefs and social values.

In their respective novels, the monster from Frankenstein and Grendel from the novel share many similarities as well as differences that can be seen throughout their separate novels. While the number of differences between the two novels are abundant, we will mostly be looking at how each of these two complex novels are similar to each other. In focusing on their similarities we look at how they both feel alone and isolated, they both want companionship, and they both are at times enticed by humanity.

The Salem witch trials are an outstanding example of a dysfunction in a “perfect” society. Tituba as part of that society helps us understand the simpleness of a complex shaped idea. Notwithstanding that Tituba is considered irrelevant during the Salem trials, nevertheless Tituba exposes European perceptions of Native Americans as a basis for cultural superiority and oppression, since Tituba is an indisputable symbol of injustice, of an ignominious drama, slavery, racism, as well as the defamation of a culture.

On page 177 Tayo is asking himself an important question. " Why did he hesitate to accuse a white man of stealing but not a Mexican or an Indian?" Silko brings that question up for a few reasons. One, to show the superiority whites had over minorities. If Tayo did accuse a white man of stealing, no one would believe him. Due to his race that puts him at disadvantage. His only chance of anyone believing him would be if he told someone from his race. Plus, he knew that if he went and accused a white man of stealing he could be in big trouble for even making the accusation in the first place. Second, Silko makes Tayo have a realization during this section. He can accuse Indians particularly of stealing so easily because he is doing that right at this very moment.