Thursday, September 15, 2011

Post #5

In each of these works, An Indians Looking-Glass for the White Man and Indian Names, the theme of equal Indian rights is discussed prevalently.  In An Indians Looking-Glass for the White Man, William Apess uses great detail and imagery to get his message across.  In order to show his readers that Indians are equal to white men Apess starts his paper with the quote, “God who is the maker and preserver both of the white man and the Indian.”  Since most white people at the time were Christians, bringing God into your argument is a good way to relate to your audience.  Apess then informs the reader of the current situation of the Indians still in New England.  The kids are poor, naked, and half starved while the mothers are being seduced and raped by the white men.  Apess says he has heard enough from white men stating that Indians should be treated fairly as equals and that it is time to see the example.   He reminds white men that they are outnumbered by people of color fifteen to one; maybe as a way to scare them into equal treatment. He even goes as far as reminding white me of how unjust they have been in the past by robbing the Indians of their land. In the poem, Indian Names by Lydia Sigourney, Indian rights is also presented.  Sigourney uses a different strategy, logic, to get her point across. Her basic point is that America belongs to the Indians just as much, if not more than, the settlers.  She demonstrates this by reminding the reader that most natural land forms and landmarks are named after Native Americans.   Both of these authors are deeply passionate for Indian rights and it is clearly seen in each of their works.

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