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Wooden Leg; Cheyenne war leader. Him and his people forced into reservations, assimilating partially into being a Christian and working as the reservation's judge, and taught American Law. In a speech, he compares the loss of Native culture to a plant being cut and uprooted. In his speech, Wooden Leg describes the proper way to remove a plant. Stating that given that plants have their own spirit, they can be removed, but “should not be uprooted.” While the body of the plant can be taken away, the roots must remain. Also, he states that removing a plant is sad and done with “a prayer for forgiveness because of his necessities". Stating that people should be aware of the importance of what they are removing, and realize their actions. On a surface level, it seems that he’s going real in depth with a plant, but this topic also reflects the assimilation of a culture, and doing so properly. The plant that Wooden Leg discusses is a metaphor for culture, or in this case, nat...

Chief Joseph; leader of a Pacific Northwestern tribe. 1877: the white people headed west and the Indians in the Pacific Northwest were now in danger. With the white people closing in, Chief Joseph was at a loss of things to do. Sorrowful and emotionally-packed, Chief Joseph surrenedured, putting an end to the fighting. In his speech, Chief Joseph goes on to discuss his reasonings for ending this fight. Aside from being tired of fighting, he goes into how many of his people he has lost or will lose. Stating, "My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food.” Ending his statement, Chief Joseph goes onto say, "I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more". Finalizing his surrender to the white people. Chief Joseph's tone and depressing imagery conveys his message to the audience. Throughout the speech, his tone, though sad, is also very calm, with no melodramatic outbursts in his sta...

America: discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, as he sailed the ocean blue in hopes of finding riches for Spain. Something they don’t teach, is that there was an entire established population that pre-existed in America way before Columbus even thought about sailing the sea. These people are known as natives, and were forced to assimilate with the culture of European settlers. One example of these people: John Lame Deer, who believed Europeans forced their "civilized" lifestyle on Native Americans without morals. He satirically critiques the lifestyle and culture of the colonists after their attempt to force the natives to comply. John Lame Deer states that his people were "uncivilized" before the white man came along. He goes on to discuss just how uncultured his people were, and how ill-mannered they were in comparison to the European settlers. He believes there was a cause and effect, which the natives understood more than their European friends to the...

Within the book “Between the World and Me”, fear was a constant theme or idea that was brought up. With the way he states and discusses black history, it does seem that Coates is affected by this fear that has been instilled throughout history. Along with that, a similar fear shapes the American Dream in that people have trouble attaining “The Dream” in fear that they may not get it, or that they can’t. Which entirely stops them from even considering this dream. In the book, Coates shows the inevitability of this fear when explaining that the fear lies within being a black male; something that one cannot control or change.