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Model Midterm1 answers 2018 Essay 1: Begin Minority Identification & Analysis (American Indians) Index to Essay 1 Sample Answers |
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Justin Murphy
Native American Literature: The Voice to a Voiceless Group
As I
entered into American Minority Literature, I didn’t quite know what to expect in
terms of Native American literature. When I think of minorities, I think of
Native Americans first and foremost: they were here first. I remember thinking
to myself “I wonder what Native American literature is going to say? Is it going
to be passive aggressive, or what will the tone sound like?” These two questions
were answered in a big way. Marginalization classifies the minority experience.
Native American literature is minority literature because their writings show
how they are voiceless and choiceless, and how their story is one of loss. They
show this through allusions and detournement.
Native Americans fit perfectly into the minority identity because of the
fact that they are voiceless and choiceless. Thinking back on American History,
I remember learning about the Trail of Tears and the forced removal of native
peoples from their land. I remember learning about Manifest Destiny and
immediately wondering what happened to Native Americans during this time. I even
remember learning about the reservation revolts, and how they were shut down in
a matter of days because the United States was way overpowering. I don’t
remember learning about the Iroquois Creation Stories, however. The Iroquois
Creation Stories are amazing in their use of language and imagery. When reading
them, the reader can immediately envision the story unfolding before their very
eyes. The entire third paragraph of the second creation story shows this
imagery. The “dirt caved in and some say the tree fell down” and the woman
“grabbed some seeds from the Tree of Life as she fell.” This excerpt shows the
scene unfolding before our eyes. It also shows an allusion to the Tree of Life
from Genesis; however, in this story it is a liquid instead of a food. This
allusion helps the reader relate to the story; however, the allusion should not
be the first thing that comes to my mind. It is, however, because I know that
story. I don’t know the Iroquois Creation Story, thus showing that Native
Americans are voiceless in the telling of their history. The term used “some
say” also shows that they are voiceless, because Native Americans don’t have a
set written copy of their creation. The dominant culture has The Bible, while
Native Americans have “creation stories.” The underrepresentation of Native
American creation literature in schools is overwhelming, and it shows how they
are voiceless.
Native Americans were also choiceless in their history. When referring
back to American History, Native Americans did not have a choice in whether or
not they were removed from their homelands. They were FORCED to relocate, or
they would be killed in the process. Native Americans didn’t even have a say in
whether or not the white man came to America. An origin story by Handsome Lake
shows this exact lack of a choice that Native Americans had. He describes how
Columbus came, saw the land, left, and returned with a pack of five things.
These five things would eventually lead to the downfall of the Native Americans
(alcohol, gambling, disease, etc.). However, Handsome Lake refers to this
commonly known story in a calm manner. He doesn’t attack Columbus, but rather he
blames the evil invisible man for knowing what he was doing in sending Columbus.
The underlying factor is that the Natives did not have a choice in whether or
not Columbus discovered America and forced his way in, it was predetermined by
the invisible man for this to happen. This origin story shows how Native
Americans were choiceless in their adventures here in America.
Another device that is shown in Native American literature is personal
narrative. Zitkala Sa wrote a series of experiences that she had as an Indian
girl growing up. Through her stories, the idea of forced participation through
religion is shown. Zitkala Sa talks about in “Impressions of and Indian
Childhood” the apple from Genesis. Zitkala Sa mentions the “nice red apples” as
being a tool for her to hopefully reach a wonderland. The tone is very satirical
as Sa shows that the story of the apple in Genesis is one that she doesn’t
believe in. However, since she is forced to learn about these stories, she knows
about the history. By using satire, Zitkala Sa is able to show the reader that
Native Americans are forced to participate in learning of the dominant culture.
Zitkala Sa also talks about forced participation in “The School Days of
an Indian Girl” when she mentions Thowin. Thowin falls in the snow, and the
“paleface lady” comes out to correct his behavior. The lady spanks Thowin as he
disobeys her, forcing him to do as she says unless he wants to face the
repercussions. This forced participation takes away the power from the Native
Americans and keeps it with the dominant culture. In this same writing, Sa uses
a form of detournement when speaking of Satan. In the dominant culture, Satan is
someone to be feared and hated. Nobody wants to be like Satan. However, Zitkala
Sa mentions that he had bearded cheeks “just like [she] had seen some palefaces
wear.” By saying this, Zitkala Sa is showing how to Native Americans, Satan
looks like the white man. She flips the image of Satan around to the white man
and shows them that they quite possibly could be more like him than they think.
Zitkala’s personal narrative is a literary device that she uses to show that
Native American stories matter. Her work shows us that Native Americans are
often forced to participate in religion and in good behavior.
However, the most prominent ideal of Native American literature that I
have learned is the one of loss and survival, and particularly the one of loss.
As previously mentioned, the history books have not favored the Native
Americans. They have always been on the side that is being marginalized, they
are underrepresented, and they don’t get to have a say in their history. Their
story is one of loss and a fight to survive.
This
idea of loss is never better justified than in Louis Erdrich’s novel “The Round
House.” In this novel, the main character Joe is out to seek justice and revenge
for his mother Geraldine. Geraldine was raped and almost killed, and this has
caused a fire to be lit inside of Joe. Joe eventually realizes that if there is
something to be done to solve this case, he must do it. The police fail them
because they can’t get past the basics of whether or not the crime was committed
on Indian or American land, thus causing jurisdictional issues. These
jurisdictional issues showcase the loss the Native Americans face in the court
system. The court system fails Native Americans, especially Native American
women as Erdrich mentions in the afterword that “1 in 3 Native women are raped.”
This statistic is mindboggling as we don’t hear about these. More than likely,
they often go unreported because of the way that Natives are treated. This
further proves how Natives are voiceless.
The other loss that Joe and his family experience is obvious: Cappy,
Joe’s best friend, dies at the end of the novel due to drunk driving. This loss
is experienced because the boys were out being stupid teenagers and drinking
alcohol. (Keep in mind the stereotype of Native Americans and alcoholism) The
cause of Cappy’s death being drunk driving is fitting, as it shows how Native
American life is devastated constantly by the use of alcohol. Alcohol that was
originally brought over to the Americas by the white man, and as Handsome Lake
said in his origin story, would devastate the Native American society. Erdrich
is showing the loss of Cappy’s life as an analogy for the loss of many Native
lives due to alcohol, further proving that Native Americans are choiceless.
When thinking about Native American literature, I think of stories that
help represent Native peoples. I think, primarily of “The Round House” and how
it showcases a story of loss, and how this is allegorical for the Native
American experience. I also think of the creation and origin stories, and how
they tell a different perspective from the one that I commonly hear. I also
think of Chrytos’ poem “I Have Not Signed a Treaty with the American Government”
and how it discusses the issue of Native Americans being voiceless and
choiceless in today’s society. Native American literature showcases the
qualities of a minority culture in voiceless choiceless decisions, and in
stories of loss. Native American stories matter, as they can show the United
States of its past crimes against them. It can also serve as a voice to the
voiceless.
