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Zitkala Sa Indian Education Summary

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As the wild west opened, so did new opportunities for American to strike it rich. But with the wild west opening up for the Americans, Indian lands were being encroached for railroads and homesteads. Indians were being pushed into reservations, their children sent to assimilation schools such a the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. In the horrors of American assimilation targeted at young Native American children, many children would face the struggle of losing their identity or face punishment of resisting assimilation. In the assimilation stories of Zitkala Sa’s Impressions of an Indian Childhood and Sherman Alexie’s Indian Education, tells the tale of their childhood experience being integrated into “American culture”. Alexie and Sa describe their own experience …show more content…

Both of the author’s language really shows the stark difference where their purpose drives the piece into different emotional appeals. Alexie satirical nature resembles his way to make light of his situation, through his way of viewing his teacher “ For Halloween I drew a picture of her riding a broom with a scrawny cat on the back” (Alexie Second Grade). As well as “Always throw the first punch.” (Alexie Sixth Grade). Diverging into Sa’s language, craftily makes the reader feel empathy to young Sa as she is ambiguous about her fate. Sa’s voice is gentle but makes the reader feel like a small ant trying to get past human feet. Shown in “My only safety seemed to be in keeping next to the wall.” (Sa 682) and “It was very little I could swallow besides my sobs, that evening.” (Sa 628). Essentially Alexie is the rough and a rowdy little boy while Sa is an innocent little girl waiting for her mother. However these pieces are diverse as well alludes to the author 's purpose of each story. Language really impacts the reader view of the story displayed in both of these

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