Summary Of An Indian Father's Plea

“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. In the short story “An Indian Father’s Plea”, Robert Lake writes a letter directed to his son Wind-Wolf’s teacher in spite of having them take in consideration Wind-Wolf’s circumstances as he emerges into a whole new culture and attempts to adapt into a new one. A person’s

Wind-Wolf’s father, Medicine Grizzlybear, explains to the teacher that he differs from his white peers that are acclimated with Western culture. Because the teacher is exposed to only Western culture and people in it, he or she creates the opinion that Wind-Wolf is a slow learner: “It takes a long time to absorb and reflect on these kinds of experiences, so maybe that is why you think my Indian child is a slow learner” (Lake 77). Wind-Wolf’s father was also part of the Seneca and Cherokee Indian tribes, but he is also an associate professor at a university; he has adapted to both the Indian and Western culture. From his experiences, he is able to view Wind-Wolf’s situation to not only be relatable, but to understand why Wind-Wolf has a difficult time with the way he is being taught. He also understands his son’s teacher’s perspective when he believes that Wind-Wolf is a slow learner as he has already incorporated Western culture into his own. These are ways and reasons why perspectives are affected by one’s