vsalinas's blog

Valeria Salinas

May 4, 2016

CULF 1318-10

Dr. Julie Sievers

“The cutting of my long hair” by Zitkala-Sa

         During the last few decades many of the Native American languages and cultures have become extinct, since the United State government has attempted to assimilate the Indian. According to Nizhone Meza, the Federal Indian Policy was looking to educate and civilize the Native Americans and stated that “the only good Indian is a dead one […] kill the Indian in him, and save the man” (354). Zitkala-Sa decided to take a stand and defend the Indian culture by writing a book called The School Days of an Indian Girl. I will focus specifically on the section called “The Cutting of my Long Hair,” where she describes her humiliation at her first day of school in the land of apples where she was forcefully extracted from her culture. The customs from white Americans were imposed upon her. Constantly, through her writing the author would use sentimental language to evoke sympathy to her readers when describing her experience at the American school. She managed to tell the story of what the minority living in America had to go through. Zitkala-Sa ’s description of her experience going to a white American school shows her indignation over the treatment of American Indians, by portraying her own suffering, humiliation and deculturalization by the white people.

In the first part of this section, Zitkala-Sa demonstrates how the white people had already changed the other Indian girls to become and act more like them. In order to highlight the terrible treatment of Native Americans, Zitkala-Sa adopts an observant point of view. She describes this section as an outsider looking in, someone who is just observing what was happening around her. The white people were supposed to educate the Indians; however, the Americans were focusing more on assimilating Native Americans. It was stated in the article “Factors and Events Leading to the Passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act,” written by Marc Mannes, that, “from the earliest days of the American republic, one of the primary intents of federal Indian policy was to eradicate the ‘Indianness’ in young people” (2). During the first part you can see how lost Zitkala-Sa felt by the way that she describes everything around her. She does not understand what is going on or the clothes that the other Indian girls are wearing. She was placed behind a line of girls who were walking to the dining room and she mentions, “these were Indian girls, in stiff shoes and closely clinging dresses. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and shingled hair” (186).  In her description of the situation she was really focused on what they were wearing and how the girls looked. She was then obligated to look like them and to wear the same clothes.

They were not only using other clothes, but they would also follow a routine imposed by the white people. In her writing Zitkala-Sa mentions “eating by formula,” which she used to describe the routine that the Indian girls needed to follow every morning. The author describes the place using the word “bedlam,” which is known as one of the first lunatic asylums in England and is constantly used to describes a place of madness (Facts of Bedlam history). Her observation of this scene shows that she and the other girls felt more like prisoners than students. Her observations from the outside help the reader visualize better the transformation the Native Americans were going through, how they had eradicated the “Indianness” in the other girls. It was easier to see the difference between Zitkala-Sa, who had not been yet transform, and the other Indian girls who had been there longer.

During the second part of this section Zitkala-Sa not only included the description of what was going around her, but she also included both inner and outer dialogue to show her suffering and her indignation. In the first part Zitkala-Sa felt like it was going to be useless to resist the changes the white people were making them do. In the first paragraph she mentions that, “my spirit tore itself in struggling for its lost freedom, all was useless” (186). Her friend Judewin also acknowledged that the white people were really strong and that fighting to preserve her culture and who she is going to be useless. Everything she was going through made her feel like she was losing her self. They were not only changing her physically, but they were also affecting her emotionally.

She felt it was useless to fight the white people at first, but when she found out that they were going to cut her long hair, her attitude changed. When her friend informed her that they were going to cut her long hair, she mentions, “No, I will not submit! I will struggle first!” (187). She had portrayed herself as a rebellious girl who decided to resist to the unfair treatment of the white people. The change in her attitude is reflected in the change in her dialogue and shows that this was part of her culture and was really important for her. In the story she mentions that her mother had taught her that only “unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy” (187). In her culture, the only people who wore short hair were the mourners, and the ones that were considered cowards wore shingled hair. By removing their long hair, the white people were not only going to change her image and the way she looked, but they were also going to change her internally. The way that she voiced her suffering showed how much the assimilation was affecting her internally. For the white people having shingled hair was in a away helping her look more “elegant” or it was more for personal hygiene. On the other hand, Zitkala-Sa looked at this in a different way, it was not for her looks, but it was something that made her part of her culture and her family. With the use of inner and outer dialogue it helped her show the reader her indignation and how the transformation was affecting her more and more.

After they had cut her long hair Zitkala-Sa felt like she had lost everything, that the white Americans had accomplished their goal of assimilation. In a way she gave up fighting and realized that it was going to be useless to resist. Zitkala-Sa uses sentimental language to evoke sympathy and touch her readers. In her writing, after having her long hair cut, she mentions, “I moan for my mother, but no one came to comfort me. Not a soul reasoned quietly with me, as my own mother used to do” (187). This part helps the reader understand how lonely and hopeless she felt after she had been abused and humiliated by the white people. The use of the word “soul” and “mother” as interchangeable shows her loneliness and the lack of support she received at the white American school.  Additionally, she also mentions after the white people had cut her hair, “then I lost my spirit.” This words are really emotionally powerful and show the suffering she felt as she lost her identity. She had been forced by the white people to abandon her culture. She felt that she was going to disappoint her mother and the other Native Americans at her home. She ended this section by saying, “I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder” (187). By comparing the Native American girls to a cattle drive it shows they had no other choice but to follow their orders. What the author wanted to express was that she had lost her identity and her listing cultural recognition after they had change her clothes and cut her hair. The Americans had accomplished their “deculturalization.”

Zitkala-Sa had accomplished her goal of showing her suffering and humiliation when she assimilated to the white people’s schools. She demonstrated that the primary objective of the white people was not to educate the Indians, but was more to assimilate them into their culture. In the end, when she went back home, she noticed that many Indian girls had changed and become more like the Americans. She was at her home and looked to the Indians walking outside and said, “they were no more young braves in blankets and eagle plumes, nor Indian maids with prettily painted cheeks. They had gone three years to school in the East, and had become civilized” (192). They were no longer using moccasins and were now using the American’s clothes.  Unfortunately, it is sad to see that the Native American languages are becoming extinct and that it all started because the white people wanted to “civilize” the Indians and turn them more like Americans. Nizhone Meza mentions that the “Native American culture and language preservation will not only improve individual student success, but will help preserve tribal sovereignty” (366). By including her own story in her writing it made the reader feel more connected with her and get sentimentally involved with what she was going through; which is why many readers sympathized with the writer.

Work Cited

Devlin, Mike. “10 Crazy Facts From Bedlam, History’s Most Notorious Asylum.” Listverse. 02 Apr. 2014. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.

Mannes, Marc. “Factors and Events Leading to the Passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act.” 30.2 (2006): 1-9. Corporate ResourceNet. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.

Meza, Nizhone. “Indian Education: Maintaining Tribal Sovereignty Through Native American Culture And Language Preservation.” Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal 1 (2015): 353-366. Legal Collection. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.

Zitkala-Sa. “The Cutting of My Long Hair.” The School Days of an Indian Girl. Vol. 85. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1900. 186-87. Print.

I decided to write my blog post on the tex “My Neighbor’s Faith: The Heroes I Was Looking For” by Eboo Patel. One of the key themes or idea that Eboo Patel explores in his narrative is the religious beliefs. In his narrative he explain how he got to found out that the religion he felt more connected with was the Islam religion. He start by explaining how he would do community service in different locations, but did not felt that he belong. Eboo Patel mention in his narrative, “Then it will be very difficult for you to take full part in the life of this community. Find a place where you fit, body and soul.” He needed to find a place where he felt connected with the religious beliefs of others, where he didn’t felt lonely. At the end he found out that the religion that he felt more connected with was the one that he had been growing with his whole life. When he found out about this he learn that “I was a Muslim. my spiritual home had lived in my soul since my birth and before.”

One significant literary technique use by Eboo Patel in his narrative was that he was telling his own story. This really help him connect with the readers, telling his own story makes this more really and readers can get connected with what is happening easier. I believe that the reason why he wanted to tell his complete story, and not just say I am Muslim, was because he wanted to show the reader the experience he had. He wanted to let the reader know that it is okay to have doubt about religious belief. In his narrative he mention, “I found full nourishment in Islam for ideas I initially encountered in other traditions.” Many readers may feel connected to what he is saying in his narrative, they may have been or are going through the same situation. 

I decided to analyze the section “The Little Burnt Victims” from Tomas Rivera’s writing. I believe that by including this section to his writing, Rivera is doing a good job afforesting his goal, which was portraying the “suffering and the strength and the beauty … [of] the migrant worker[s]” This story talks about the struggle a family had to go through because they needed to work and also take care of their children. The parents would have to live their small children at home, alone, because they both needed to go and work to be able to provide food and shelter for their children. Besides that, it would not only explain how their parents would just leave them alone at home and go to work; but, it would also show how they love their children. In one part of the writing Rivera mention that “from then on they decided to leave them at home instead, although, they worried about them all day long. Instead of packing a lunch, they would go home at noon to eat and that way they could check on them to see if they were all right” (pg. 1415). The techniques Rivera uses to convey his message in this passage was by making the reader feel different emotions. For example, Rivera mention that, “when they arrived they found the Garcia’s shack engulfed in flames. Only the eldest child survived. The bodies of the other children were charred in the blaze” (pg. 1415). This is after the parents had found out that their children had died because their house started to burn. I believe this is a very effective way of reaching his readers because it helps them feel the way this migrant parents felt. Additionally, the use of words and the way that he describe would portray their suffering really good.

I have decided to analyze the poem written by Allen Ginsberg known as Howl. First I would analyze key themes the writer explores in his poem. One of the main themes that I have found in this poem is “Insanity.” For starters, one of his close friends, Carl Solomon, had been institutionalize because he was consider an insane person. In his poem he mentions Rockland, which refers to a psychiatric hospital, were he was accepted because he was a homosexual. He included in the poem “Carl Solomon! I’m with you in Rockland where you’re madder than I am” (Part III). because that he also mentions that his own mother was also part of this problem. He included in the poem “I’m with you in Rockland where you imitate the shade of my mother” (Part III). He would not say literally that they were insane, but when you google more about his poem you can find more information on the subject. Besides that, he would also mention that the “best minds” because insane because they were not accepted in society.

In the second part I am going to analyze the literary and rhetorical technique that Allen use in his poem. After having read Allen’s poem I saw that he would not say what he is thinking just like that, but he would use words that would relate to that. For example, he would describe in his poem “dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angel headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamos in the machinery of night,” (part I). What he was trying to point out was that “best minds” (people who are consider different) would go to the poorest neighborhood to do drugs and alcohol, on the second part he would refer to the natural world.

Project 1

“Slaves were often forcefully removed from their families. They adapted to their circumstances by creating family units with other slaves with whom they lived and worked. Slaves conferred the status of kin on non-blood relations, addressing each other as brother, sister, aunt, or uncle” (Tolman). I have decided to focus my attention to the story of “Uncle’s Tom Cabin” also known as “Life among the Lowly” written by Harriet Beecher Stowe; particularly I would be focusing in chapter VIII of the story. Generally, this book talks about the human cruelty of slavery, how the slaves where treated and what they had to go through to survive. In Stowe’s story she would included some characters that treated their slaves good and saw them as humans like Mrs. Shelby; however, she would also include slave owners that were not very good and rather than seen them as equals, they would just see them as objects to make money, like Mr. Haley. Therefore, not all the stories were as bad for all the slaves, some were good in comparison with the other stories.

On the chapter that I have chosen to talk about, Stowe would focus on the suffering slave mothers had to go through if they wanted to stay with their daughter and/or son. To portray what slave mother would go through she introduces a character name Eliza, who would do anything to be able to stay with her five-year-old son, Harry. Before this section, chapter VII, she explains that Eliza had to escape from her former owners with Harry because they had agreed to sell Harry to Haley and separate them. The way Stowe emphasis on Eliza characters and the use of description, I realize now, is because she felt connected to this situation. In the scholarly article of the preface of the text they pointed out that one of her children die and this made her realize how the slave mothers would feel when they child is taken away (VIII). Harriet Beecher Stowe’s description of the Eliza’s escape show the importance of motherhood from her point of view, by portraying some of the consequences Eliza would face thank to her running away.

Stowe decided to introduce two characters that would be responsible of finding Eliza and Harry and return them to their owner; these characters are known as Marks and Tom. Stowe uses dialogue between these three characters to be able to describe what they thought about the salve mothers. In my opinion, having some slave hunters and a trader talk about their opinion in this situation was a really good way of showing the difficulties that Eliza would have to go though. During their conversation, Tom Loker describes a situation when he was talking to a slave that had a son and says “’Look here, now, if you give me one word out of your head, I’ll smash yer face in. I won’t hear one word—not the beginning of a word.’ I says to ’em, ‘This yer young un’s mine, and not yourn, and you’ve no kind o’ business with it” (Chapter 8, Stowe). Basically, this scene talks about how they don’t care about destroying slaves’ families, they just care about making money. The use of the words and the way that Stowe would describe this scene helps the reader see the power in this voice and how they strongly believe in this idea. Additionally, with the use of an authoritative voice in the characters the readers can have a better picture of the situation and realize that Eliza could have a harder time escaping.

As it was mention before in this chapter Stowe introduces Marks and Tom, who are slaver hunters and are hire by Haley to look for Eliza and Harry. With the use of these characters Stowe is representing one of the consequences Eliza had to face when she decided to escape with her son. In this chapter Haley meets with Marks and Toms to discuss the situation and come to an agreement of what they would do to find Eliza and her son. Basically, this scene is just talking between the three of them, but some of the characters use descriptive language to say what could happen to the slaves they capture after their escape. Even though, some of the situations they were talking about weren’t exactly talking about Eliza, this helps the reader have a better picture of what are some of the consequences that Eliza and her son could face if they get caught. Some of the situations weren’t only just getting her to its proper owner, but some even involved killing the slave. For example, while they were talking about what they had done, Mark point out that “Our dogs tore a feller half to pieces, once, down in Mobile, ‘fore we could get ’em off” (Chapter 8, Stowe). I believe that Stowe added this part to the conversation to show the reader one of the biggest consequences Eliza could face if they found her; in other words, it showed that by trying to stay with her son they could both get killed.

As I mention before, Stowe also included characters that were not as bad as other slave owners. In my opinion, Stowe included Sam and Mrs. Shalvey at the end of this chapter because she wanted to give the reader a little bit of hope that Eliza and her son were going to make it. One of the characters is Sam, who is one of the slaves that help her escape by distracting Haley and delaying their search of her and her son. As the rest of the chapter, Stowe still uses dialogue between this two characters to make her point. As Sam was talking to his master he points out that, “Now, if ‘t hadn’t been for me today, she’d a been took a dozen times. Warn’t it I started off de hosses, dis yer mornin’ and kept ’em chasin’ till nigh dinner time? And didn’t I car Mas’r Haley night five miles out of de road, dis evening, or else he’d a come up with Lizy as easy as a dog arter a coon. These yer ‘s all providences” (Chapter 8, Stowe). In this part of the scene Sam describes what he had done to help Eliza escape and stay with her son. Everything that Sam had done was a way of showing the reader that may be there is still hope and things can go right. Although, at the beginning of the chapter Stowe included characters that were in favor of separating a mother from their son to be able to get more money. At the end of the chapter, she included Mrs. Shelby, a slave owner who was happy that Eliza was able to escape. Mrs. Shelby said, “Feel too much! Am not I a woman,—a mother? Are we not both responsible to God for this poor girl? My God! lay not this sin to our charge” (Chapter 8, Stowe). This shows that she could relate herself with Eliza because they were both mothers and she also consider Eliza as a mother, even though she was a slave. In other words, she saw Eliza as a human who had the right to fight for her son and didn’t deserve to be separated from him just because she was a slave.

In conclusion, after analyzing this chapter I realize that the way of describing the scene was to get the reader to realize that things were going to be difficult for Eliza, but that there was still some hope. I believe that she uses this scene to be able to give the readers a better picture of how strong motherhood can be. Besides that, by including this dialogue in the story it helps the reader realize what are some of the consequences some of the slaves had to face if they decided to run away. Additionally, it would help the reader realize what some of the mothers had to go though because some of the slave owners or traders didn’t care about separating families because all they wanted was money.

I decided to talk about the writing written by Zitkala-Sa called “The School Days,” which talk about her experience of going to a white school as an indian girl.  On section IV called “The Devil,” which talk about her experience when the white people introduce the “white” devil. I her writing she said, “Then I heard the paleface woman say that this terrible creature roamed loose in the world, and that little girls who disobeyed school regulations were to be tortured by him.” In my opinion, this is significant to what the writer is saying because it shows how vulnerable and innocent they are. The white people would tell her that if she didn’t behave the devil will come and get her. when you continue reading you can see how this really affected her because she then explains that she had a nightmare that involved the devil chasing her. It was interesting the amount of detail that she included in this section. She gave a create description of the devil and the nightmare she had. She even explain that when she woke up she decided to take a revenge upon the devil. I believe that she use a lot of description because she wanted the reader to understand and feel how she was feeling when this happen.

The second passage I decided to talk about is from section III called “The Snow Episode,” “With an angry exclamation, the woman gave her a hard spanking. Then she stopped to say something. Judewin said it was this: ‘Are you going to obey my word the next time?'” This section was talking about the time when they got punished because they were playing in the snow; however, she point out that they couldn’t understand what the white people were saying because they didn’t know how to speak english. In my opinion, this is significant because it shows how it was hard to them to communicate with the white people. It shows that the white people didn’t really care that they didn’t understand what they were saying they just assume they did. When the white women was punishing Thowin, he wasn’t understanding what she was saying and the only word he knew was “No.” For me it was interesting the way that she explains her story and how things happen. She explain that Judewin had to say to them that if they told them something they had to answer “No,” which after a moment he realize that he taught them the wrong response. By explaining this part of the story it gave the reader an idea of how it was to not understand what they were being told and how it felt that the white people didn’t really care about that and they just assume that they were being understood.

For Thoreau’s “Resistance to Civil Government” is would basically talk about the American government. He would give his personal beliefs and provided evidence that the American government is not perfect. As one of our classmate pointed out, he has an educated view on the topic and he believed that he could reformed the government and fixed its flaws and make the government better. HE doesn’t believe on eliminating the government, but rather try to fix and better the original government. He also points out that individuals should not only vote to what they think is right, but they should act and do what is right. The way that he written and stated his opinion made it seems that it was in a tone of superiority. During his writing Thoreau would use metaphors, logos, pathos, and a rhetorical strategy to convinced the reader of his beliefs on the American government.

Generally, the key ideas made in Emerson’s Divinity School Address is that it talked about the way we should see the church and Jesus. In some part of the essay he would describe the way be faithful; for example, you cannot expect God to come to us and save us, but we should be the ones who go to him. Besides that, he also mentions that our experiences we have during our lives is what makes us who we are. He also pointed out, that the church sometime would falsify the real story of Jesus and who he really was. The way that he expressed his opinion wasn’t by saying what he thinks straight to the point, but by using imaginative, descriptive poetic language. It was also mention by one of our classmates, that the way that he would describe or state his beliefs by having a superior tone would make them seem like they were the absolute truths.

I decided to choose the essay Divinity School Address written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. At first when I was reading the essay I had a hard time understanding what he meant. I believe that what made it more difficult for me to understand was the style Emerson use in his writing. When he is trying to make a point or explain him self he would not say it directly, he would use a rhetorical strategy or say it in a way that would sound more complicated. For example, in paragraph 5 he mentions “Every step so downwards, is a step upward. The man who renounces himself, comes to himself.” When I first read this part I didn’t understand what he wanted to say because, like I mention before, he doesn’t say his point directly. However, after I analyze what he wrote I finally understood. On the first sentence “Every step so downwards, is a step upward,” what he is saying is that you should always see the positive side of things. On the second part of the quote, “The man who renounces himself, comes to himself,” what he wants to say is that people should be good and humble.

Stowe wrote a novel called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” to prove that slavery was very wrong and as a way to support the abolition of slave trade. In the first 8 chapters she introduces different characters in the story; some are against slavery and some support it. For example, one of the characters who is against slave trade is Mrs. Shelby; she shows this anti-slavery just emotionally. She knows this is morally wrong, but unfortunately there is not much she would do to stop this problem because it would be against the law and she doesn’t have much power to stop it. This is shown when Mrs. Shelby tries to look for different ways to help stop Mr. Shelby from selling Tom and the son of Eliza to Haley, the slave trader. ““O yes, yes!” said Mrs. Shelby, hurriedly and abstractedly fingering her gold watch,—”I haven’t any jewelry of any amount,” she added, thoughtfully; “but would not this watch do something?—it was an expensive one, when it was bought. If I could only at least save Eliza’s child, I would sacrifice anything I have.” “I’m sorry, very sorry, Emily,” said Mr. Shelby, “I’m sorry this takes hold of you so; but it will do no good. The fact is, Emily, the thing’s done; the bills of sale are already signed, and in Haley’s hands; and you must be thankful it is no worse. That man has had it in his power to ruin us all,—and now he is fairly off. If you knew the man as I do, you’d think that we had had a narrow escape.”(Stowe, Chapter V). In this part Mrs. Shelby really tried to help this slave, but Mr. Shelby had to explain that there is not much she could do to save the salves.

On the next chapters she gives an example of what the slaves had to go through to be able to survive. There all this laws that prohibited people from helping the salve and prohibited the slaves to run from their masters. Besides that, she used Eliza to show what a mother who is a slave had to go through to be able to be with her child. The slave traders didn’t care what happen or if they split families apart. To be able to stay with her child Eliza had to leave her home and run on the cold weather for many miles. “”Then you will feel for me. I have lost two, one after another,—left ’em buried there when I came away; and I had only this one left. I never slept a night without him; he was all I had. He was my comfort and pride, day and night; and, ma’am, they were going to take him away from me,—to sell him,—sell him down south, ma’am, to go all alone,—a baby that had never been away from his mother in his life! I couldn’t stand it, ma’am. I knew I never should be good for anything, if they did; and when I knew the papers the papers were signed, and he was sold, I took him and came off in the night; and they chased me,—the man that bought him, and some of Mas’r’s folks,—and they were coming down right behind me, and I heard ’em. I jumped right on to the ice; and how I got across, I don’t know,—but, first I knew, a man was helping me up the bank.”” (Stowe, Chapter IX). This is when Eliza had to explain what she and her son had to go through to be able to stay together.

On my point of view, one quality that Franklin emphasizes in his writing is being a humble person. In his Autobiography Franklin pointed out that he wanted to create a public library even though it was going to be really difficult because he didn’t have the support of many people. Besides that, after having successfully built the public library he decided to allow others to take credit for building it, instead of taking all the credit. “The objections and reluctances I met with in soliciting the subscriptions, made me soon feel the impropriety of presenting one’s self as the proposer of any useful project, that might be suppos’d to raise one’s reputation in the smallest degree above that of one’s neighbours, when one has need of their assistance to accomplish that project” (Chapter 8). This is when he decided to say that this idea came from a number of friends who decided he should go and propose it to the people who love reading.

In his narrative Franklin talks about his strategy to become perfect; in which he stated that humility should be part of this plan. Franklin starts to describe his attempt of becoming perfect and how he used a little book to me able to perfect each virtue. What I think made him more humble was tu admit that he couldn’t complete his plan of becoming perfect. “But, on the whole, tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell fart short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than i otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it; as those who aim at perfect writing by imitating the engraved copies, tho’ they never reach the wish’d-for excellence of those copies, their hand is mended by the endeavour, and is tolerable while it continues fair and legible” (Chapter 9). This shows that he wasn’t arrogant and that he accepts that he is a “human”, in other words, he admits and accepts that it is difficult to achieve perfection.