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'An Indian Father's Plea' By Robert Lake

1355 Words6 Pages

Culture is the building block for life. It sets society's standards, it sets our own standards, and everything we know is all because of our culture. Culture is a way of thinking, a way of behaving and learning. We express our opinions based upon our beliefs, and define ourselves by what aspects of our culture we choose to show. Culture's impact on someone's perspective of others and the world is greater than its other influencers because it can change how you interact with people, your ability to change, and your opinions of the world. Without the knowledge of what culture is and does, we as a society would be lost. In the essay, “An Indian Father’s Plea” by Robert Lake, the author takes to explain to his audience that your culture can greatly impact your perspective of others. For example, when the teacher Wind-Wolf a slow learner, the father writes a letter explaining why wind-wolf is not, but in fact the opposite. The author said “If you ask him how many months there are in a year he will probably tell you 13. He will respond this way not because he does not know how to count, but because he was taught by our traditional people.” (lake). This example shows that because the teacher’s …show more content…

One who lives an American lifestyle to one who lives a traditional Indian lifestyle. The purpose of the passage is basically stating that culture doesn't change us, we change ourselves. “In the passage” immigration separates the two sisters. Now while both are supposed to return to India. To marry the guys their father chosen. Mira feels a sense of betrayal. Mainly because they are living in the US, but Mira is living a traditional Indian lifestyle. While Bharati loves America and American traditions. The author states several times how the sisters were at odds with each other because of the fact that they are liking two different

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In “An Indian Father’s Plea” by Robert G. Lake-Thom, Lake-Thom uses transitions to help connect his ideas and create a well written essay. In the twelfth paragraph the author discusses the knowledge that his son possessed before he began going to the school he is currently attending. Since Lake-Thom is listing the knowledge his son possessed before starting at that school he uses the transitional expression “and” frequently in this paragraph. Lake-Thom also repeatedly uses the transitional expression “but” when he says that while his son may not be able to do something that other non-Indian children his age can do such as writing their names he has knowledge of other things that those children don’t have. He also begins multiple sentences with

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Culture plays a large role on how someone views others and the world. Some things that can affect some one’s perspective are their childhood, past experiences, and their ethnic background. In “An Indian Father’s Plea” by Robert Lake, Wind-Wolf’s father, Medicine Grizzly Bear, explains why his child isn’t a slow learner, and that he is just different from the other children in an educational way. He say’s this because his son has been taught differently than the other children- because of his Indian culture.

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“Wind-Wolf knows the names and migration patterns of more than 40 birds. He knows there are 13 feathers on a perfectly balanced eagle. What he needs is a teacher who knows his full measure” (Lake 75). There are variant forms of culture worldwide; individuals get a unique identity by incorporating other cultures based off experiences and personal opinion into their own. For some people, to incorporate means to deal with obstacles; it is challenging to adapt into new cultures.

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