In her book Nanberry, Jackie French portrays colonial life as a very confusing and perplexing time for both the Indigenous Australians and the White British Settlers, albeit in different ways. With the Indigenous Australians confused by the sudden invasion of the white settler (ghosts), and the British Settlers becoming confused by the new sights, smells and culture of ‘Sydney Cove’. Through the characters of Nanberry, Surgeon White and Bennelong, the viewer is shown just how confusing their life was at the time of the first settlement in Australia.
Knowing the fact that Native Americans were pushed toward the Middle West and had to settle down against their wills are depressing. When the first Europeans came to this remote land and decided to make it their home, I was not sure whether they could imagine that the whole land is dominated by “invaders” called by the Native Americans, including the native Hawaii. “From a Native Daughter” by Haunani-Kay Trask showed us how these Natives’ feelings are being overlooked and silenced by white historians who do not know their language and culture. The author questioned Western historians were “looking at them with Western eyes, thinking about them within Western philosophical contexts, categorizing them by Western indices,
While reading the book, Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, I learned a great deal about early Indian life, in a way I had not before. Of course, in grade school you learn about “Pocahontas” but not in the way Camilla Townsend describes her. I started this book not really knowing what to expect besides to learn more than I had previously known. I know recently a lot about history has come up for discussion in ways it has never before. Native Americans and Africa Americans have been a topic of discussion for the past few years, shedding light on their history. Times have changed and so is the presence of their history. When I was young it was okay to dress up as an Indian. I did once for Halloween. We did not think about the way Indians would
Joseph Boyden’s novel Three Day Road demonstrates how effective betrayal is at destroying our hopes and beliefs.
Richard Wagamese brings to light the troubles of aboriginals living in Northern Canada in his book Indian Horse. Wagamese demonstrates the maltreatment aboriginals have faced at the hands of the Zhaunagush and their residential schools. The disgusting truth of the treatment of aboriginals in Canada is shown through recovering alcoholic, Saul Indian Horse, who recounts his life from the time he lived in the bush with his native family, the Anishinabeg, to the the time he checked into The New Dawn Treatment Centre.
Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma written by Camilla Townsend introduces the historical period of seventeenth century Native Americans and the journey of their survival. Townsend is known for her multiple books mostly focusing on the lives of indigenous people and their stories. This book, however, goes through the specific life of Pocahontas herself. The author uses not only tragedy but also romance when recapping Pocahontas’ life throughout the years. The book successfully teaches and emphasizes the struggles Pocahontas and her people went through and educates the audience of the real history behind this time period.
Abina and the Important Men is a graphic history novel written by authors Trevor R. Getz and Liz Clarke. The novel is a winner of the American Historical Association’s James Harvey Robinson prize due to its powerfully illustrated graphic history as it follows the trial of Abina Mansah in 1876. Throughout the novel, the authors argue that several women that have made history have been silenced. Getz and Clarke share this story to give voice to the women that when compared to men, were not seen as important.
After reading Laura Bohannan’s Shakespeare in the Bush and Horace Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, a common theme presents itself between the two articles. Ethnocentrism, particularly within the U.S., is elucidated through the actions of Bohannan while in West Africa, and the reaction of any American reading Miner’s piece about the “magical” Nacirema culture. In Bohannan’s piece, she struggles to prove that Hamlet is a universal story that any culture can easily understand. She speaks to the elders of the Tiv people, and is shocked to conclude that they do not understand Hamlet the way Americans understand it. In Miner’s piece, he cleverly presents the idea of the culture of the Nacirema people who are sadistic in nature, and lack logic
Jane Tompkins, when researching about Indians while preparing to teach a course on colonial America, encountered a problem. This problem was that if the events of history were determined by the “observer’s frame of reference”, then we might never know what really happened.
When an individual experiences prejudice or a lack of connection to place it can diminish ones sense of identity, leading to social isolation and a loss of cultural practices and traditions.
Noel Pearson’s An Australian History For Us All and Margaret Atwood’s Spotty Handed Villainesses effectively explore the challenges faced when rectifying the consequences of the past on the present. This is achieved through the implementation of rhetorical techniques, including ethos, logos, and pathos, generating textual integrity. While Pearson uses the rhetorical triangle in order to shed light on the ramifications of past injustices towards Aboriginal Australians, Margaret Atwood employs it to showcase the complications derived from second wave feminism, and its impact on the portrayal of female characters in literature.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Billy Jacking exhibition, presented by Gallery 2, created and brought to you by artist, Jordan Bennett from the Mi’kmaq Nation, Wabinki Confederacy in Newfoundland, Canada. This exhibition is situated within the traditional un-ceded territory of the Sinixt Peoples.
The justification of choosing historical criticism to critique this short story is because this story is based on the setting of Boys and Girls which is at a fox farm outside of Jubilee, Ontario, Canada and the
Into the Darkness: How and why is a social group presented in a particular way?
“A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” by Mary Rowlandson gives a first person perspective into the circumstances of captivity and cultural interaction and an insight to Rowlandson 's attitude towards the Indians, both before and after she was held captive.