This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
PERIOD 3 - IN THE WHITE MAN'S IMAGE
Over the past two days, we watched the documentary, In the White Man's Image. Please post your thoughts about the film and be sure to comment on at least one other student's reflective post.
When watching this documentary it was nothing I hadn't seen before, but now I actually have the chance to share my true feelings about it. I understand that times were different back in those days, but the Native Americans were on this land way before any of us immigrants showed up and decided to live here. The Natives deserve to have their own voice and own way of living, and it was wrong for the whites to completely change the way they looked, dressed, and acted. That was the way Native Americans knew best and that is how they truly wanted to live their lives. They never did anything to the whites to deserve such treatment, and they went through so much pain and mistreatment to get through those rough times. I felt bad and sorry for the Natives all throughout the documentary, and do not think they deserved any of the horrible treatment that they recieved.
After watching "In The White Man's Image", I didn't realize that someone could choose to turn around the image of people from native american to white. He did this by trapping them telling them that they have to go to school to be like the normal American.
The documentary "In the White Man's Image" was interesting, but at the same time very sad. The treatment of the Native Americans was cruel. It isn't morally or ethically correct to force people to assimilate to a culture that is unknown and different from their own. The Native Americans in the first trial to see if Indians could be assimilated stopped trying to escape once they saw that the man in charge had brought 'men back to life'. In actuality, the Indians that had been brought back to life had been sedated with a sleeping serum. Our only dealings with Native Americans were of cruelty and trickery. I especially sympathized with the children that were sent to the white man's school, and when they returned back to their village, were never completely accepted again.
"In The White Man's Image" was interesting to me because I had never seen actual footage from that time. The white people were very judgmental and and unaccepting of the Indians. They immediately assimilated them which was unfair. I also thought that when they called the Indians "uneducated" and "savages" was harsh, as well as inaccurate. The Indians may not have been educated in the same sense as the whites, but they still learned other important things like trading and how to survive. The white people did not give them a chance at all. Just because they looked and acted different from the whites, does not give them the right to try and change them. The whites took away their identities which was unfair.
In response to what Olivia said, I agree that the Indians should have had the right to a voice and their own way of living. I think that they should have been able to live their lives how they had been for years before. This film also made me feel sorry for the Indians because I think they had a hard time trying to be like people that they are not familiar with.
I agree with Olivia that the Native Americans didn't deserve to be treated this way. Their source of food, their land, and their own identities were lost because of the white man's influence. The idea that the best kind of Indian is a dead one is terrible.
After watching the documentary I felt a little angry. What gives the white man a right to try to change the Natives to be like them? Because they dress differently or have different traditions? It's ridiculous. You don't see the Natives trying to convert the white men to be like them. So what if people are different from you? Who cares? We're all still people so get over it.
In response to Olivia, I agree that the Natives deserve to have their own way of living. As a person, you have the right to live the way you want to without being forced to change who you are.
After watching this documentary for two days, it has opened up a whole new perspective for me. When learning about how the white men took over the Indian culture in history, it was always the same story. By watching the film, I now have a better understanding of what the Indians went through. Now I cannot say I know how they will because this has never happened to me obviously but I never really understood what happened to the Indians after they were run out of their own homes. I don’t think I have ever learned that they went to boarding schools. There was one part that had really bothered me though. It was when the man who refused to be a white man, but was still not an Indian, went through the whole process of being a white man and adapted to their culture. When it was time for him to have a job as a white man he was denied the job because he was not a white man. If the whole point of becoming a white man was to adapt to their culture and become more civilized, then why was he denied? How is that fair? It’s not. They should have just let him be if they were going to deny him anyway.
I agree with Ali Strand. She's completely right when she says that the white men have no right in forcing their culture upon the native americans when the native americans never forced it upon them.
After watching "In The White Man's Image" I thought it was terrible how they tried to change the Indians into something they weren't. They were taking away everything the Indian's knew. Their clothes, their dialect, even their hair. They were stripping the Indian's of their identities to try and make them as similar to them as they possibly could. The whites doing this was almost a form of genocide because they were trying to strip the Indians of their culture and way of living.
"In The White Man's Image" was an interesting documentary for me. I never knew that actual schools were set up to try and assimilate the Native Americans and their children. It was appalling to see how the whites treated the indians during this time period because of their culture and traditions. Looking back, it is almost embarrassing that our country allowed this to happen. The whites were monopolizing the Indians and their way of life.
In response to what Taylor said, I completely agree. I felt so bad for the man who was no longer accepted in his native society and was being denied the opportunity to become apart of the white society. This proves even more how selfish the white people were and how unfair they system was.
While watching this movie and during the excercise we did during class, it made me think about society and how we respect others privacy. There are still places in the US today where there are private Native American communities where they don't have electricity, and other things we think of as a necessity. Also think of Amish people and how they live their life. It is a free country and if they want to live that life, it is their right to. Back in the 1800s they faced more discrimination which really is unnecessary. How someone chooses to live their life is their choice and you should respect it no matter what.
I agree with what Taylor said. He should not have been denied the job. It doesn't promote equality and civilization when you discriminate against somebody.
Watching “In the White Man’s Image” was really sad, and I understood the hardships the Native Americans went through. The white men were cruel to the Indians, taking from them their culture and identity, and taking them away from their families. The way the Native Americans were treated was completely unjust. Taking children away from their families and assimilating them to become proper white men was sad to watch in the documentary. The white’s took away everything the Native Americans had known, and it left them lonely and confused. I agree with Olivia in the fact that it was not fair how the Native Americans were treated, especially since they were on this land before the immigrants came. They deserved to live their lives the way they wanted to, and shouldn’t have been forced to change their identities.
After watching this documentary, I didn't agree with how the americans treated the Indians. They treated the indians cruelly and made them adapt to white culture. I didn't see this as fair because people should be able to maintain their identity especially when the Indians were the ones there first. I am commenting on Tim becuse I agree that people need to have respect towards one another, and respect one another's identities. Too many times nowadays people are trying to change other people's identites and who they truly are.
The documentary "In the White Man's Image" was very powerful because now I know what really happened to the Native Americans. It's an unjust situation that I personally don't agree with. Forcibly being taken from your family’s and being put into a school to completely change who you are is not something I would ever want to happen. Now knowing what really happened really makes me wonder. How long did this actually go on for? I honestly don’t agree with the idea of changing people, it's just not right.
I like what Tim has to say about how people should be able to do what ever they want. It is a free country and other peoples views should not depict the fate and livelyhood of others based on one's values.
Although I was absent on the day we started watching the film, I was able to reflect upon what was seen today. I found it absolutely terrible that the Native Americans were in no control over their lives. Although I have read about Native Americans being assimilated in history class, I was able to fully understand how horrible it must have been for the Native Americans. They lived unfair lives lead by the "whites" that claimed they were superior to them.
In response to Olivia's comment, I completely agree with her that the Native Americans deserve to have their own voice and own way of living, it was their culture, and everyone should be allowed to embrace thier own culture.
Watching "In the White Man's Image", it can clearly be seen to how the Native Americans were treated during the time period. Going into the two classes I didn't know anything about the treatment of the Natives other than in the brief unit in US History. The way that the white men treated the Natives was truly cruel and dehumanizing. The Natives never had a chance to express their feelings towards the situation and instead they were forced to become something that they weren't even remotely close to. It just goes to show how powerful some people or cultures can totally take over and demolish the lives of other people and their culture.
I agree with Mike's comment about how we don't know how long this had been going on for. For all we know it could have been happening many years before and this was just the worst of it all.
After watching "In The White Man's Image" I thought it was bad how the whites tried to change the Indians into like them.I didnt like how they thought they dont have their own identity, and changed them from their clothes to their hair. To me thats unacceptable.
I agree with Matt Demers, Changing the indians into the whites was terrible.
After watching this documentary, I realized how cruelly treated the Native Americans were by the Whites. I did not know that the white man was so demanding and evil during this time. They changed the identity of many Indians to that of a white male with short hair and "proper" dress. I have a great deal of confusion when discussing why the Native Americans allowed the whites to change their identities. I agree with what Greg said in the sense that the Indians never got to have a say in any of the Whites' decisions because they were looked upon as "uneducated".
After watching the documentary I really was able to grasp a different point of view of what happen back then. I don't agree with how the Native Americans were treated, but I do understand what the "White Man" was trying to do. It is a good idea for the Native Americans to learn about the white man's culture. But the culture shouldn't be forced upon their tribe. The two groups needed to find some proper way of communicating with each other. I also believe that the "white man" should of taken the time to understand and learn more about the Native American culture.
I agree with Ali Strand's comment. The White Man should have never forced the Native Americans to convert into the White Man. That wasn't their job. Even though I think both groups should have sat down and got to know each other more. I think the way the White Man went about it was horrible.
I was absent for the first day of the film. I had already known about a lot of the stuff, including the Indian school that were made to assimilate the Native American children because of my US History class this year. I have read articles on the Indian schools, and know a lot about the way in which the white mistreated the Native. I think that it shows how ignorant we were as a country. The natives are people just the same as the whites, helped them when we landed here for the first time, and kept the treat is that they made for us an in return we broke our treaties and stomped all over the Natives to get what we want. I think that the way in which the Native Americans were treated is one of the most disgraceful things that has happened in our country because it goes against everything that America is supposed to stand for. I agree with Olivia that the Natives didn't deserve all of the mistreatment that they received from the whites.
After watching in the white mans image I found it amazing how Pratt was able to change the native americans identity. Another thing that I found interesting was that Americans were all for the reeducation of the native American And they were pretty much trying to exterminate them
I thought that this documentary was very beneficial for us to watch. It was unfair, and cruel for the white to force the native Americans to change their entire lifestyle. I was very sad while watching this documentary and thought that it was wrong to strip the native Americans from their individuality and make them feel as though they need to be like the whites. I think that this relates a lot to the holocaust as well as society today. This type of cruelty happens all the time
31 comments:
I was abset today
When watching this documentary it was nothing I hadn't seen before, but now I actually have the chance to share my true feelings about it. I understand that times were different back in those days, but the Native Americans were on this land way before any of us immigrants showed up and decided to live here. The Natives deserve to have their own voice and own way of living, and it was wrong for the whites to completely change the way they looked, dressed, and acted. That was the way Native Americans knew best and that is how they truly wanted to live their lives. They never did anything to the whites to deserve such treatment, and they went through so much pain and mistreatment to get through those rough times. I felt bad and sorry for the Natives all throughout the documentary, and do not think they deserved any of the horrible treatment that they recieved.
After watching "In The White Man's Image", I didn't realize that someone could choose to turn around the image of people from native american to white. He did this by trapping them telling them that they have to go to school to be like the normal American.
The documentary "In the White Man's Image" was interesting, but at the same time very sad. The treatment of the Native Americans was cruel. It isn't morally or ethically correct to force people to assimilate to a culture that is unknown and different from their own. The Native Americans in the first trial to see if Indians could be assimilated stopped trying to escape once they saw that the man in charge had brought 'men back to life'. In actuality, the Indians that had been brought back to life had been sedated with a sleeping serum. Our only dealings with Native Americans were of cruelty and trickery. I especially sympathized with the children that were sent to the white man's school, and when they returned back to their village, were never completely accepted again.
"In The White Man's Image" was interesting to me because I had never seen actual footage from that time. The white people were very judgmental and and unaccepting of the Indians. They immediately assimilated them which was unfair. I also thought that when they called the Indians "uneducated" and "savages" was harsh, as well as inaccurate. The Indians may not have been educated in the same sense as the whites, but they still learned other important things like trading and how to survive. The white people did not give them a chance at all. Just because they looked and acted different from the whites, does not give them the right to try and change them. The whites took away their identities which was unfair.
In response to what Olivia said, I agree that the Indians should have had the right to a voice and their own way of living. I think that they should have been able to live their lives how they had been for years before. This film also made me feel sorry for the Indians because I think they had a hard time trying to be like people that they are not familiar with.
I agree with Olivia that the Native Americans didn't deserve to be treated this way. Their source of food, their land, and their own identities were lost because of the white man's influence. The idea that the best kind of Indian is a dead one is terrible.
After watching the documentary I felt a little angry. What gives the white man a right to try to change the Natives to be like them? Because they dress differently or have different traditions? It's ridiculous. You don't see the Natives trying to convert the white men to be like them. So what if people are different from you? Who cares? We're all still people so get over it.
In response to Olivia, I agree that the Natives deserve to have their own way of living. As a person, you have the right to live the way you want to without being forced to change who you are.
After watching this documentary for two days, it has opened up a whole new perspective for me. When learning about how the white men took over the Indian culture in history, it was always the same story. By watching the film, I now have a better understanding of what the Indians went through. Now I cannot say I know how they will because this has never happened to me obviously but I never really understood what happened to the Indians after they were run out of their own homes. I don’t think I have ever learned that they went to boarding schools. There was one part that had really bothered me though. It was when the man who refused to be a white man, but was still not an Indian, went through the whole process of being a white man and adapted to their culture. When it was time for him to have a job as a white man he was denied the job because he was not a white man. If the whole point of becoming a white man was to adapt to their culture and become more civilized, then why was he denied? How is that fair? It’s not. They should have just let him be if they were going to deny him anyway.
I agree with Ali Strand. She's completely right when she says that the white men have no right in forcing their culture upon the native americans when the native americans never forced it upon them.
After watching "In The White Man's Image" I thought it was terrible how they tried to change the Indians into something they weren't. They were taking away everything the Indian's knew. Their clothes, their dialect, even their hair. They were stripping the Indian's of their identities to try and make them as similar to them as they possibly could. The whites doing this was almost a form of genocide because they were trying to strip the Indians of their culture and way of living.
I agree with Juliette. The way the whites treated the Native Americans was completely unjust.
"In The White Man's Image" was an interesting documentary for me. I never knew that actual schools were set up to try and assimilate the Native Americans and their children. It was appalling to see how the whites treated the indians during this time period because of their culture and traditions. Looking back, it is almost embarrassing that our country allowed this to happen. The whites were monopolizing the Indians and their way of life.
In response to what Taylor said, I completely agree. I felt so bad for the man who was no longer accepted in his native society and was being denied the opportunity to become apart of the white society. This proves even more how selfish the white people were and how unfair they system was.
While watching this movie and during the excercise we did during class, it made me think about society and how we respect others privacy. There are still places in the US today where there are private Native American communities where they don't have electricity, and other things we think of as a necessity. Also think of Amish people and how they live their life. It is a free country and if they want to live that life, it is their right to. Back in the 1800s they faced more discrimination which really is unnecessary. How someone chooses to live their life is their choice and you should respect it no matter what.
I agree with what Taylor said. He should not have been denied the job. It doesn't promote equality and civilization when you discriminate against somebody.
Watching “In the White Man’s Image” was really sad, and I understood the hardships the Native Americans went through. The white men were cruel to the Indians, taking from them their culture and identity, and taking them away from their families. The way the Native Americans were treated was completely unjust. Taking children away from their families and assimilating them to become proper white men was sad to watch in the documentary. The white’s took away everything the Native Americans had known, and it left them lonely and confused.
I agree with Olivia in the fact that it was not fair how the Native Americans were treated, especially since they were on this land before the immigrants came. They deserved to live their lives the way they wanted to, and shouldn’t have been forced to change their identities.
After watching this documentary, I didn't agree with how the americans treated the Indians. They treated the indians cruelly and made them adapt to white culture. I didn't see this as fair because people should be able to maintain their identity especially when the Indians were the ones there first.
I am commenting on Tim becuse I agree that people need to have respect towards one another, and respect one another's identities. Too many times nowadays people are trying to change other people's identites and who they truly are.
The documentary "In the White Man's Image" was very powerful because now I know what really happened to the Native Americans. It's an unjust situation that I personally don't agree with. Forcibly being taken from your family’s and being put into a school to completely change who you are is not something I would ever want to happen. Now knowing what really happened really makes me wonder. How long did this actually go on for? I honestly don’t agree with the idea of changing people, it's just not right.
I like what Tim has to say about how people should be able to do what ever they want. It is a free country and other peoples views should not depict the fate and livelyhood of others based on one's values.
I agree with what kim said that the way the americans treated the indians was truly cruel.
Although I was absent on the day we started watching the film, I was able to reflect upon what was seen today. I found it absolutely terrible that the Native Americans were in no control over their lives. Although I have read about Native Americans being assimilated in history class, I was able to fully understand how horrible it must have been for the Native Americans. They lived unfair lives lead by the "whites" that claimed they were superior to them.
In response to Olivia's comment, I completely agree with her that the Native Americans deserve to have their own voice and own way of living, it was their culture, and everyone should be allowed to embrace thier own culture.
Watching "In the White Man's Image", it can clearly be seen to how the Native Americans were treated during the time period. Going into the two classes I didn't know anything about the treatment of the Natives other than in the brief unit in US History. The way that the white men treated the Natives was truly cruel and dehumanizing. The Natives never had a chance to express their feelings towards the situation and instead they were forced to become something that they weren't even remotely close to. It just goes to show how powerful some people or cultures can totally take over and demolish the lives of other people and their culture.
I agree with Mike's comment about how we don't know how long this had been going on for. For all we know it could have been happening many years before and this was just the worst of it all.
After watching "In The White Man's Image" I thought it was bad how the whites tried to change the Indians into like them.I didnt like how they thought they dont have their own identity, and changed them from their clothes to their hair. To me thats unacceptable.
I agree with Matt Demers, Changing the indians into the whites was terrible.
After watching this documentary, I realized how cruelly treated the Native Americans were by the Whites. I did not know that the white man was so demanding and evil during this time. They changed the identity of many Indians to that of a white male with short hair and "proper" dress. I have a great deal of confusion when discussing why the Native Americans allowed the whites to change their identities.
I agree with what Greg said in the sense that the Indians never got to have a say in any of the Whites' decisions because they were looked upon as "uneducated".
After watching the documentary I really was able to grasp a different point of view of what happen back then. I don't agree with how the Native Americans were treated, but I do understand what the "White Man" was trying to do. It is a good idea for the Native Americans to learn about the white man's culture. But the culture shouldn't be forced upon their tribe. The two groups needed to find some proper way of communicating with each other. I also believe that the "white man" should of taken the time to understand and learn more about the Native American culture.
I agree with Ali Strand's comment. The White Man should have never forced the Native Americans to convert into the White Man. That wasn't their job. Even though I think both groups should have sat down and got to know each other more. I think the way the White Man went about it was horrible.
I was absent for the first day of the film. I had already known about a lot of the stuff, including the Indian school that were made to assimilate the Native American children because of my US History class this year. I have read articles on the Indian schools, and know a lot about the way in which the white mistreated the Native. I think that it shows how ignorant we were as a country. The natives are people just the same as the whites, helped them when we landed here for the first time, and kept the treat is that they made for us an in return we broke our treaties and stomped all over the Natives to get what we want. I think that the way in which the Native Americans were treated is one of the most disgraceful things that has happened in our country because it goes against everything that America is supposed to stand for. I agree with Olivia that the Natives didn't deserve all of the mistreatment that they received from the whites.
I was absent for this film.
After watching in the white mans image I found it amazing how Pratt was able to change the native americans identity. Another thing that I found interesting was that Americans were all for the reeducation of the native American And they were pretty much trying to exterminate them
I thought that this documentary was very beneficial for us to watch. It was unfair, and cruel for the white to force the native Americans to change their entire lifestyle. I was very sad while watching this documentary and thought that it was wrong to strip the native Americans from their individuality and make them feel as though they need to be like the whites. I think that this relates a lot to the holocaust as well as society today. This type of cruelty happens all the time
I was absent for this
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