Who were the real ignorant people? | Assertion Analysis #5

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 east. Without locks and keys, the natives had no thieves; unlike the normality to have thieves in European culture. He goes onto mocking the white men for not understanding humanity like the natives did, showing that it’s the Europeans who are truly underdeveloped.

With the use of verbal irony, contrasting ideas, and cause and effect. Throughout the passage, he utilizes sarcasm when explaining how “uncivilized” his people are. An example of this is when he uses parenthesis in between a sentences to emphasize the humor he is implying. He uses a contrast in ideas, to differentiate the cultures of the natives in comparison to that of the Europeans. He also utilizes cause and effect within the natives’ way of life. For example, they have no written law or lawyers, so there is no way to abuse the law or others around them. With all of these devices in use, the tone of the story is set.

In using irony, contrasts and cause and effect, John Lame Deer was able to truly define the ignorance of the early European colonists. His way of presenting his ideology uses contradiction which makes his ideas clear at the end of this statement. His writing brings awareness to the harsh reality that is “American history”, and the side of this history that we aren’t taught.