Zitkala-Sa Analysis

Schools would “kill the Indian and save the man” by introducing them to the life of an American. In order to destroy their culture, children were taken away from their families. Indians were unable to engage in their tribe’s culture and they were required to speak in English.

In her autobiography, Neisei Daughter, Monica Sone shares her journey and struggles of growing up, a task made more difficult as she faced racial and gender discrimination. Over the course of the novel she becomes aware of her unique identity and goes from resenting it, to accepting and appreciating her identity.

Junípero Serra has been decapitated, defaced, and became a saint all within a month’s time. He is surrounded by controversy. Many celebrated for he was the first Latino to become canonized. Rubén Mendoza of California State University of Monterey Bay explains, “Father Serra was not only a man of his time, he was a man ahead of his time in his advocacy for native people on the frontier.” However, Valentin Lopez who is the chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band explains that “Serra’s and the Church’s failure to learn form the teaching of Christ or from the life of St. Francis resulted in the complete extinction of many, many California tribes and great devastation for many others.”

Written by the great Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon is where the song of African- Americans is sung with the most genuine and sincere voice in utmost entirety. In this essay, the masterpiece will be examined with gender studies approach and cultural studies approach, the function of Pilate and Ruth would be examined in depth, the suggestion that the protagonist should be more loving and caring for others would be fully explained, and the value of this book will be carefully examined.

He exclaimed, “Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians” (Alexie 13). The other kids on the reservation were instructed to give up and to not push to learn anything that did not concern the native people. When children are taught such ideals at an early age, it plants itself within them through most of their lives if they stay in that society. There are few that can break away from these kind of ideals, but like Alexie it all depends on the kind of household they grew up in and if their parents followed the expectations set by the community. Alexie was fortunate enough to be raised differently than the other kids and had a mind not trapped within the walls of societies’ expectations. Despite the content taught to the children, Alexie persevered and refused to follow them like a sheep which made him unusual or an outsider to the children and many

Different dress, food and confined living environment created a huge amount of stress, which those little boys and girls carried with them. There may have been some good intentions associated with the Boarding school program, but the process and the end results were completed opposite with those good intentions. The idea of exterminating a culture and transform it into another is a false concept to begin with. “I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man he would have made me so in the first place. He put in your heart wishes and plans, in my heart he put other and different desires. Each man is good in his sight. It is not necessary for Eagles to be Crows.”(Sitting Bull) This famous quote from the legendary Native American leader Sitting Bull conveyed Native people’s criticism towards the Boarding school and Americanization. Sitting Bull was a holy man and chief of his people, well-known by his bravery in battle and bright insight in leadership. Never afraid to persist his belief, Chief Sitting Bull was a forerunner during years of resistance to the U.S government policies. (Eastman) His powerful influence to his tribe and great knowledge led to his spiritual legacy remaining in the history of Native Americans. Unfortunately, the U.S government wasn’t perceptive enough to understand Chief Sitting Bull’s

Throughout Love Medicine Louise Erdrich used allusions to refer to different events that effected Native American culture and their life on the reservation. Vietnam, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and differrent laws surrounding the relocation of Natives were referenced in this piece. Erdrich used allusions to refer to childrens programs like Road Runner and Tarzan. She used Tarzan beating his chest to to convey the emotional prayer he was giving in the church and Howard Kashpaw’s evening televisions show to lead Lishpaw MOrrissey to some deep thoughts about life. However, the more prominate allusions were those that refered to the government deal to give the Native Americans back their land although their land wasnt the same as the one they got back. This helps the reader understand why the Natives have a general anamosity towards the government such as the time when Gerry Nanapush needed his friends to testify in court and they all fell through.

Our identity is a place upon many attributes of a human being. Whether the person is someone who goes on promoting themselves to the world or not, and it shows how people communicate to others around them. Language is one of the main components that unveils the person’s identity in their everyday life, and they are many different ways to approach a person’s language. Relating to the article of Yiyun Li, “To Speak is to Blunder,” she knows two languages that has its positive and negative outcomes in her life. I to relate to her understanding of language, but a different view of what language means to me. This how a language connects towards those who can relate to other people and may or may not have a deeper relationship

During the American Colonial period, the primary focus of colonists was to establish their own settlements in order to survive in the new continent. However, many of them believed that it was their responsibility to Christianize and civilize Native Americans. The educational institutions they established became the forerunners of the boarding schools which arose later in the 19th century both in the United States and in Canada (Stout 1). The aim of these schools was to resolve the so called “Indian-Problem” and to assimilate American Indians by separating Native children from their families and teaching them the American or the Canadian way of life (Trafzer, Keller and Sisquoc 14). Children in boarding schools were taught to be ashamed of and to reject their cultural heritage, ancestors and spiritual traditions (Chansonneuve 43). Moreover, boarding schools were usually underfunded, which had a negative impact on numerous aspects of school life and on the health of children (Daniels, 151). Therefore, with their harsh discipline and poor living conditions, boarding schools had damaging effects on Native people’s lives, and they contributed to many of the problems Native Americans have to face the present-day both in the U.S. and in Canada.

Most indian boarding schools were the same with their tactics in transforming the native man into a white one. The transformation first started with getting rid of outside signs that were generally associated with being native, which included: long hair, outfits, and names. They were no longer allowed to speak their native language and had to learn english. Students were often treated very poorly, being put into a building too small for the amount attending the school, disobedient students would be beaten, as long as

When it comes to determining the identity of an individual, there are a few simple things that typically influence that assumption. The way one may speak or where they’re from, the types of things they like to do or hear or eat. While grander choices and decisions play into this identity, it is truly who one chooses to be on an average day that forms this mold. Gertrude Bonnin’s memoir The School Days of an Indian Girl focuses on her changing sense of self after being placed in a boarding school. No longer was she allowed to keep all of the little things that created her identity, the simple day-to-day habits that made her who she was up to that point. The schools fundamentally changed many Native American youths and anything that would have

Residential Schools was an enormous lengthening event in our history. Residential schools were to assimilate and integrate white people’s viewpoints and values to First Nations children. The schools were ran by white nuns and white priests to get rid of the “inner Indian” in the children. In residential schools, the children suffered immensely from physical, emotional, sexual and spiritual abuse. Although the many tragedies, language was a huge loss by the First Nations children. One of the worst punishments in residential schools was for speaking their own language. The use of residential schools on First Nations has led to substantial loss of the indigenous languages, therefore, causing further cultural losses to First Nations people.

Mohawks filed a complaint but were declined due to lack of evidence for “specific legal requirements” (Conflict over)

In the story “Two Kinds”, the author, Amy Tan, proposes to make readers think of the meaning behind the story. She doesn’t speak out as an analyzer to exemplify what is the real problem between her and her mother. As a substitute, she uses her own point of view as a speaker to state what she is knowledgeable in and what she feels in her mind all along in the story. She has not judged what is right or wrong based on her beliefs. Instead of learning how to solve a family issue, thse author selects to engrave a description diary encompassing her true feeling towards actions during her childhood, which offers readers not only a pure interpretation, but understanding on how the narrator feels discouraged due to failing her mother’s potentials which leads to a large fight between the narrator and her mother. Children carry the weight of parent’s hopes when they grow up and face emotive paths to create an identity.

Imagine being ripped apart from family members, culture, tradition, and labelled a savage that needs to be educated. Imagine constantly facing punishment at school for being one’s self. Unfortunately, these events were faced head on for many First Nations people living in Canada in the late 20th century. These First Nations people were the victims of an extensive school system set up by the government to eradicate Aboriginal culture across Canada and to assimilate them into what was considered a mainstream society.