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Comparison Essay

403 Words2 Pages

Exploring the works of Native American authors Leslie Marmon Silko, Louise Erdrich, and Sherman Alexie, one finds a rich mix of themes that delve into Native American life and culture. These authors skillfully tell stories that reflect the complex relationship between identity, culture, and the modern challenges faced by Native American communities. In Leslie Marmon Silko's short story "Lullaby," the connection between nature and personal loss reflects broader cultural traumas experienced by Native Americans. The protagonist, Ayah, uses natural imagery and Navajo traditions to cope with the loss of her children and husband. This connection to nature and tradition serves as a poignant backdrop, emphasizing how the environment plays a therapeutic role in Native healing practices. Louise Erdrich's poem "Dear John Wayne" explores the clash between Native American identity and the influence of American cultural imperialism, represented by the figure of John Wayne. Erdrich …show more content…

Their trip to retrieve Victor’s father’s remains became a metaphor for exploring their identities and reconnecting with their community and heritage. The story blends modern challenges with traditional elements, highlighting the tension between the past and the present. The recurring theme of identity and cultural continuity is evident across these stories. Each author discusses how Native Americans navigate their cultural identity in a world where pressures to assimilate and loss of tradition are common. From Ayah's poignant memories in Silko's "Lullaby" to the sharp critique of Erdrich's "Dear John Wayne," and Alexie's mix of humor and tragedy in reclaiming identity, the works collectively highlight the resilience and adaptability of Native

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Throughout history, there have been many literary studies that focused on the culture and traditions of Native Americans. Native writers have worked painstakingly on tribal histories, and their works have made us realize that we have not learned the full story of the Native American tribes. Deborah Miranda has written a collective tribal memoir, “Bad Indians”, drawing on ancestral memory that revealed aspects of an indigenous worldview and contributed to update our understanding of the mission system, settler colonialism and histories of American Indians about how they underwent cruel violence and exploitation. Her memoir successfully addressed past grievances of colonialism and also recognized and honored indigenous knowledge and identity.

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Hilary Weaver argues in her piece of writing; that identifying indigenous identity is complex, complicated, and hard to grasp when internalized oppression and colonization has turned Native Americans to criticize one another. Throughout the text, Weaver focuses on three main points which she calls, the three facets. Self-identification, community identification, and external identification are all important factors that make up Native American identity. The author uses a story she calls, “The Big game” to support her ideologies and arguments about the issue of identity. After reading the article, it’s important to realize that Native American’s must decide their own history and not leave that open for non-natives to write about.

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After reading a little about Simon Ortiz I come to find the connection and passion for literature with his essay Towards a National Indian Literature: Cultural Authenticity in Nationalism. Simon grew up in his Mothers homeland located near Albuquerque, New Mexico speaking the Acoma language fluently until he was punished in school for speaking his language at the age of six. He has always liked hearing the elders and tribal leader’s stories, which earned him the nickname “The Reporter”. Although he enlisted in the Army he was discriminated and put to work in a uranium mining industry which in return was ruining the land, that experience become a new start in life to protest against land erosion. Ortiz wrote about how Native American authors

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862 Words | 4 Pages

In Sherman Alexie’s story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, he explores the challenging life of two Native American Indian men named Victor and Thomas on the reservation. The story communicates the childhood memories, relationships, and cultural aspects of Thomas and Victor’s life in Spokane (Indian Reservation). In this story, Victor appeared to be mentally depressed because his father had died just after he lost his job. Although Victor’s father left Victor at very young age, Victor’s genetic pain made him think to travel to Phoenix. However, his poor financial situation left him with no other option than travelling with Thomas, an annoying storyteller and his childhood friend.

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1105 Words | 5 Pages

Exploring Identity in Literature: A Comparative Analysis Imagine living in a world where you are not recognized and respected for who you are. This is the reality for many Indigenous people who have faced centuries of assimilation. In this essay, I will compare and contrast two works of literature that explore the challenges and experiences of the Indigenous people: Indian Horse by Richard Wagemese and Borders by Thomas King. Indian Horse is a novel about an Indigenous boy named Saul, who survives the horrors of residential school. He finds an escape playing hockey, but his past haunts him which later leads him to alcoholism.

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In Tommy Orange's novel “There, There” we are introduced to twelve characters that explore the complexities of identity for Native American people in the city of Oakland. By reflecting on the characters, we meet throughout the novel and examining their perspectives on Native American identity, we can deepen our understanding of the issues faced by urban Native Americans. Throughout the novel, we explore themes such as colonialism, federal policies, education, language, and racism. These allow us to gain insight into the struggles and resilience of the characters in “There, There”. This novel has helped deepen my understanding of the struggles that Native Americans face today because of each of the characters struggles.

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Sherman Alexie’s is recognized for his short stories about Indigenous Nationalism. Indigenous Nationalism is a “kind of ethnic nationalism emphasizing the group’s indigeneity to their homeland”. Much of what he draws or writes are his experiences as an Indigenous American. The character Thomas from Sherman Alexie’s story “ This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona “ is Forgiving of the past bad situations, but he is also understanding he is attentive to people when they talk or tell him something.

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408 Words | 2 Pages

The use of Postcolonial perspective in Native American writing is very prevalent. Native Americans use a postcolonial voice to rewrite events in history in their writing as well. They often change perspectives on these events in order to give the reader an idea of how Native Americans experienced these events. An example of an author that uses postcolonial perspective is Sherman Alexie. In his novel “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” Alexie’s postcolonial voice best shines through in the short story “A Drug Called Tradition.”

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The text deepens our understanding of Alexie and his writing because it tells us that he was inspired by native American authors to write because it connected to him personally as he is a Native American as well who had to endure common ordeals. It is quoted in the text by Alexie, “I got into the class, and my professors, Alex Kwo, gave me an anthology of contemporary Native American poetry called Songs from this Earth on Turtle’s back. I opened it up and— oh gosh— I saw my life in poems and stories for the first time.” This book that Alexie cherishes so much is a book of poems by 52 renowned Native American writers, and the poems describe the life of a typical American Indian on the reservation, living a life full of prejudice, hate and inequality, but with all these flaws being echoed the authors did not fail to include joy and happiness, something that Sherman Alexie has replicated by integrating dark humor into his pieces.

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1313 Words | 6 Pages

Individually, the short stories tell of the struggle of Indian-Americans trying to find a balance with no avail between their identities as Indians and as Americans. In “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine,” Lilia, for all intents and purposes, is American. She was born in America, lives in America, “[learns] American history, of course, and American geography,” (Lahiri 27)

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1693 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction Young people living in the rural areas all over the world share similar dreams as their urban counterparts, swayed by the images transmitted by the television network and the lyrics of rock and roll music. But, the psychological perspective of an individual being born as a Native American is forced to undergo the chaos and commotions in the quest of finding a place for themselves. Sherman Alexie’s first novel Reservation Blues (1995) centres on the American Dream and the price of success. Written in vivid narrative using chiselled characters, Reservation Blues explores the life of the Native Americans who seek to recover the consequences of the colonisation and forge their lost identity in their own society. A critically acclaimed

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148 Words | 1 Pages

The short story, “Every Little Hurricane,” displays examples of each issue the Native Americans face, mostly about painful memories and individual “storms” that the actual storm causes. For example, Victor was taken back to a vivid memory of Christmas when he was four, a year that he watched his Father heavily weep because he did not have the money to pay for gifts; he was so broke that he continuously opened and closed his wallet, hoping the result would be different each time(Alexie pg. 4-5). Another example of reconciling in the past is at the party, “But the storm that had caused their momentary anger did not die. Instead, it moved from Indian to Indian at the party, giving each a specific, painful memory”(Alexie pg.

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1145 Words | 5 Pages

The protagonist of Indian Killer is a Native American, who was adopted out by a white couple. According to Alexie, Indians call Indian children adopted out by non-Indian families “lost birds.” One of Alexie’s cousins was adopted out, which inspired him to create such character. Here the novelist has shed a new light of his autobiographical issues through his protagonist.

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499 Words | 2 Pages

One of the key trends that helped to form this distinct cultural awareness were literary works that described the tales of white men who “went Native,” attempting to fully integrate themselves into Indigenous ways of life. As the novels gained popularity, the romanticization of Indian cultures through a strictly white, European lens brought an appropriated “sense

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The poetry of Alexie is usually composed of short stories and explores many themes. Some of the themes expressed in his work are poverty, despair, alcoholism, and violence (Blue Mesa Review, 2012). His poetry focuses on the lives of the Native American people, those who live on and off reservations. The poetry is filled with humor and wit, with emphasis placed on living as a Native American, being Native American, and the struggle to gain power in American society. More specifically, Alexie’s poem ‘Evolution’ focuses on the relationship Native Americans have with Americans or Caucasians.

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