This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
PERIOD 4 - WHITE MAN'S IMAGE
Over the past two days, we watched and discussed the documentary, In the White Man's Image. Please post your thoughts about the film.
35 comments:
Nick Pham
said...
I thought that the film opened up a lot of new doors that I had not thought of before. It was sort of enlightening to see that while some whites openly resented Native Americans or whole-heartedly welcomed Native American culture, there were some people that believed you could literally take the "Indian" out of a person and mold him/her into a white man/woman. Though I find the social experiment interesting, I believe that it belittled the captured Natives to little more than animals. I feel as though that the Natives were thought to have been so low on the social ladder that it was believed, at least by some, that they should be reformed to behave as mainstream Americans whites did.
I thought that it was very surprising that people tried to really make the Native Americans adopt American lifestyles in virtually every aspect of life. I was also surprised as to how terribly the Native Americans were treated by the white people of that time period. I agree with Nick in that it was a very eye opening video for me.
I agree that it was an eye opening film. I remember learning a lot about the way the white Americans treated Native Americans in past history courses. So it doesn't surprise me that they would do something like this. I think its awful that they would actually try to "kill" the Indian in these people. I don't understand why they thought it was so necessary to "save" these people that had clearly been doing just fine on their own since long before the Whiles even came to America.The school that was set up for native Americans almost reminds me of a psychology experiment, just to see what woulds happen if they tried to assimilate this one culture into their own. while it is now sad that the Native American culture has been dwindled down so much that it is barely present today.
I definitely walked away from this film with mixed emotions. It was really kind of sad to see; the Americans thought and truly believed they were doing the Native Americans a favor-they thought they were being generous. But to us, with our modern perspectives, we can see that it is actually incredibly condescending and arrogant to think that stripping them of all of their culture and history is even slightly noble. I did, however, sympathize a bit with Pratt. He seemed like he actually cared about the Natives' well being; he wasn't just being selfish or greedy like countless other Americans. While he certainly wasn't for equality or preservation of their culture, he was for preservation of their lives, and their future in the rapidly growing United States.
After watching this film, I find myself sympathizing with the Native Americans. I think that the idea of assimilation and the Dawes act were both unfair and unreasonable. I personally don't think that it is right to try and take away someone's culture and beliefs just to try and get them to be under one dominant culture. I feel like these ideas were portrayed throughout the experiment that took place in the movie when the Native Americans were stripped of their identities in order to be made into white men. It's weird to see how easily one can be transformed into one particular image just by changing an appearance. I don't think that the Native Americans deserved to be changed into something they didn't want to.
I can agree with everyone else so far in saying that the film was interesting and had something to take away as a message. To me it just feels as more of an eye opener to the sometimes horrid past in American history- in terms of discrimination, racism, prejudice, etc. If I were around in the late 1800s I would have done something to speak out, or at least to inquire about the practices. Although hindsight is always 20/20 so the question that really lies here is would I really have done something if I were alive in the late 1800s?
I think Melissa makes an important statement in saying that assimilation is unfair and unreasonable. It brings more to my mind about other things that were once "constitutional". Just because something has been around "forever" or in the Constitution does not necessarily mean it is right or applicable to our times today.
I left the film feeling a lot of sympathy for the Native Americans. I also noticed the extreme extent of Americans poor treatment of Native Americans because they felt like different was unacceptable. And that the only way to make their difference okay was if Native Americans were forced to assimilate to American culture. I also found it very interesting that although losing every connection to their own culture and being taught the ways of another culture many Native Americans chose to stand by their culture.
I agree with Abby that it is awful that Americans believed things like, "The only good Indian is a dead one" and that they needed to "kill" the Indian and leave the man. Americans believed so strongly that Indians were all alike and that the only possible way to "save" them was to kill the Indian in them. They basically wanted to get rid of their whole identity and replace it with the identity Americans wanted the Indians to have which is awful.
I agree with Nick that the Native Americans were belittled by the white men. These men were treated in such an unfair and disrespectful way. I thought it was very wrong of the white men to try and completely alter the lives of the Native Americans into something that is more suitable for themselves. Stripping people of their culture is only going to cause issues and distress for both groups involved.
After watching the film, I was taken back and shocked that Americans tried forcing the Native Americans to adapt to their lifestyle and customs. I feel sympathy towards the Native Americans, and thinks its terrible that they were forced into turning into something they weren't. I also agree with Melissa that the idea of assimilation and the Dawes act were both unfair and unreasonable. No one should have to change their beliefs to be under one dominant culture.
Watching this film, i hadn't been quite surprised at the fact that the Americans wanted The Native Americans to assimilate there lifestyle into an "American".The manner in which the Americans had treated the natives was really cruel and unfair, they tried to assimilate them into a so called "American" but do they actually know the characteristic of an american? they were the ones whom founded this land and to be treated as a ragged individual is truly unfair and unappreciative. I think assimilation still takes place today although in a different manner of approach, When immigrants come to this country and apply for citizenship they are to have followed certain rules and obtain certain things, I would call that assimilation. Do you think its fair for a particular person to tell you , you cant practice your culture as the Native Americans were told? "they would actually try to "kill" the Indian in these people"__Abbey Stadig I think that phrase is a powerful thesis to this
I was surprised to hear that the "white men" forced the Native Americans to cut their hair; which to the Natives’ is a sign of mourning. I found it interesting how ”the white men” felt like they were helping the Native Americans by teaching them about the American culture; yet didn’t take the time to learn about their culture. I couldn’t understand how “the white men” found that the Native Americans were an issue; yet they never took the time to learn any of the Native Culture. I agree with Kevin with his statement about Pratt. He seemed like he cared about the Native Americans.
During this film I was surprised by the white mans attitude to the natives, that they were savages that needed to be fixed, and that the only way to fix them was to make them like the white man, by doing things like cutting their hair and replacing their traditional clothes with those of a solider.
After I watched the movie I left very mad at the white people for forcing the native Americans to become white. I do not think it was fair for the White people to force the Native Americans to be white! It does not make sense to me that the white people thought that the native Americans were savages. The native Americans just dressed different and came from a different culture. That does not mean its is a a bad thing its just different. I agree with Alanna that the Dawes Act were both unfair and irresponsible
All these people taking sides. To me, none of the brutality comes as a surprise, having read enough books or stories about our pioneer ancestor's complete neglect of native cultures. I primarily agree with Kevin in that it is astounding that the Americans actually believed they were helping the natives; they were so self-righteous as to believe that they were simply right in everything they did. This ignorance has created an impressive list of atrocities throughout history and into the modern world. Human history, including our own, is riddled, and will be riddled, with this stupidity...!
After watching this film, I feel as though it was out of line that the Americans tried to Americanize the Indians. I feel as though the Americans needed to leave them alone, but they did not seem capable of that. They were treating the Indians in a way that they should not have been treated.
I agree with Nick in that this film was eye opening. I also agree with him thinking that the Indians were treated more so like animals when it came to the social experiment.
I agree with Ashley that the Indians are treated like animals when it came to the social experiment. The Americans did not consider the thoughts or feelings of the Indians and only focused on what they wanted to accomplish.
Before watching this film all i knew about this topic was how white Americans had gone into Native American territory and kinda taken over then put the Native Americans on reservations. I thought this film was pretty eye opening. I did not know that the Native Americans were stripped of their culture and forced to conform to the "proper" way of life. This movie had a powerful message and invoked a lot of ideas around identity.
I thought that the film we watched in class gave me a new perspective of the hardships the Native Americans faced. I think we are taught in History that the settlers came in and took the native american's land and forced them out. Really, they did much more than that. The settlers stole the Native American's culture and ultimately their identity. Kevin's point is an interesting one in that the Americans truly believed they were giving the Native American's opportunities they would not have had. I believe that if the American's had been better educated on the culture and society of the Native Americans, they might not have done what they did to them.
After watching this film i did feel a little bad for the native Americans. I don't think that it was right that the Americans made the native Americans adopt a totally different lifestyle. They made them pick new names and also had them cut there hair so they would could look the same as everyone else. I don''t see how changing a group of native mericans lifestyles in every way possible benefited the americans society as whole.
I was not very surprised that the Americans tried to assimalte the Native Americans into our culture for the sole reason that we had always believed that America was the way to go. But i do not agree with the fact that they would try to rid of all of the native culture that they held and completely change them into a new person. I do not believe that this would be possible with just putting the Native Americans in a school for a period of time. It is horrible to see how poorly that America thought of the natives after taking the land from them. I agree with Kevin for the fact that I do believe that Pratt, at that time, did think that he was doing the right thing for them because America and our way of life had been flourishing.
I agree with Scott, I had no idea that Native Americans where placed in these "schools" and forced to change thier identities before watching this film. I think that the attempted assimilation of native Americans shows that the US never had any intention of living peacfully with Indians. I think that Ashley had a good point when she said that the Native Americans where treated no better than animals and veiwed as a social experiment.
There is no denying that the white community of the time harbored very racist beliefs towards the Native American population. However, I found it interesting to see how these views were manifested. Of course, there was the large population of Americans that hated “Indians,” as expressed through the disturbing quote, “the only good Indian is a dead one.” But while they still ignorantly believed that Native American culture was inferior to the ways of the white man, some people, such as Carlisle, genuinely tried to help the Native Americans. Of course, in hindsight the assimilation seems cruel and inhumane, but at the time I can see Carlisle’s perspective. While, yes, he was wrong in believing that Native American culture was fundamentally incorrect, he wanted to better their lives rather than end them. He hoped that by making them more familiar and acceptable to white ideals, he could snuff out the hate directed towards the Indian population.
I agree with Abby. It is awful that Americans believed that the only way to help the Native Americans was to completely wipe out their Native American heritage. As I said, I can see how he thought that making Native Americans seem more white could make them more accepted, but it was extremely shortsighted for him not to have foreseen the serious implications of plucking people out of their home and attempting to completely change who they are. If Americans could have understood and accepted the merits of both cultures, then this tragedy could have been avoided.
This film gave me a new view of the struggle the Native Americans faced. It was interesting to see how the white settlers barged into their culture, and truly thought they would be doing the Native Americans a favor. I agree with Kevin because I do sympathize with Pratt, who had good intentions even though he was still hurting the Native Americans by taking them from their homes.
I thought it was informative about some of the decrimination people had against natives at the time. I personally think the natives were treated unjustly.
| There are some things however that your sub-conscious will isten to, anF some things it wont. For example, you shoulF always keep your aFFirmations in the present tense. IF not, your subconscious will categorize it as garbage Fata. Network aFvertising business enterprise is maFe up oF 3 parts anF they are the Fistribution oF proFucts anF services, the compensation plan anF the company. Network promotion enterprise is [url=http://www.germanylovelv.com/]louis vuitton knolckoffs[/url] FinF, sponsor, anF retain. For some people, having home company network aFvertising anF marketing is their only realistic hope oF making an extraorFinary income. |
35 comments:
I thought that the film opened up a lot of new doors that I had not thought of before. It was sort of enlightening to see that while some whites openly resented Native Americans or whole-heartedly welcomed Native American culture, there were some people that believed you could literally take the "Indian" out of a person and mold him/her into a white man/woman. Though I find the social experiment interesting, I believe that it belittled the captured Natives to little more than animals. I feel as though that the Natives were thought to have been so low on the social ladder that it was believed, at least by some, that they should be reformed to behave as mainstream Americans whites did.
I thought that it was very surprising that people tried to really make the Native Americans adopt American lifestyles in virtually every aspect of life. I was also surprised as to how terribly the Native Americans were treated by the white people of that time period. I agree with Nick in that it was a very eye opening video for me.
I agree that it was an eye opening film. I remember learning a lot about the way the white Americans treated Native Americans in past history courses. So it doesn't surprise me that they would do something like this. I think its awful that they would actually try to "kill" the Indian in these people. I don't understand why they thought it was so necessary to "save" these people that had clearly been doing just fine on their own since long before the Whiles even came to America.The school that was set up for native Americans almost reminds me of a psychology experiment, just to see what woulds happen if they tried to assimilate this one culture into their own. while it is now sad that the Native American culture has been dwindled down so much that it is barely present today.
I definitely walked away from this film with mixed emotions. It was really kind of sad to see; the Americans thought and truly believed they were doing the Native Americans a favor-they thought they were being generous. But to us, with our modern perspectives, we can see that it is actually incredibly condescending and arrogant to think that stripping them of all of their culture and history is even slightly noble. I did, however, sympathize a bit with Pratt. He seemed like he actually cared about the Natives' well being; he wasn't just being selfish or greedy like countless other Americans. While he certainly wasn't for equality or preservation of their culture, he was for preservation of their lives, and their future in the rapidly growing United States.
After watching this film, I find myself sympathizing with the Native Americans. I think that the idea of assimilation and the Dawes act were both unfair and unreasonable. I personally don't think that it is right to try and take away someone's culture and beliefs just to try and get them to be under one dominant culture. I feel like these ideas were portrayed throughout the experiment that took place in the movie when the Native Americans were stripped of their identities in order to be made into white men. It's weird to see how easily one can be transformed into one particular image just by changing an appearance. I don't think that the Native Americans deserved to be changed into something they didn't want to.
I can agree with everyone else so far in saying that the film was interesting and had something to take away as a message. To me it just feels as more of an eye opener to the sometimes horrid past in American history- in terms of discrimination, racism, prejudice, etc. If I were around in the late 1800s I would have done something to speak out, or at least to inquire about the practices. Although hindsight is always 20/20 so the question that really lies here is would I really have done something if I were alive in the late 1800s?
Whoops! Sorry about that everyone, I hit "Enter" instead of "Shift". I think I finished my thought though.
I think Melissa makes an important statement in saying that assimilation is unfair and unreasonable. It brings more to my mind about other things that were once "constitutional". Just because something has been around "forever" or in the Constitution does not necessarily mean it is right or applicable to our times today.
I left the film feeling a lot of sympathy for the Native Americans. I also noticed the extreme extent of Americans poor treatment of Native Americans because they felt like different was unacceptable. And that the only way to make their difference okay was if Native Americans were forced to assimilate to American culture. I also found it very interesting that although losing every connection to their own culture and being taught the ways of another culture many Native Americans chose to stand by their culture.
I agree with Abby that it is awful that Americans believed things like, "The only good Indian is a dead one" and that they needed to "kill" the Indian and leave the man. Americans believed so strongly that Indians were all alike and that the only possible way to "save" them was to kill the Indian in them. They basically wanted to get rid of their whole identity and replace it with the identity Americans wanted the Indians to have which is awful.
I was absent this day
I agree with Nick that the Native Americans were belittled by the white men. These men were treated in such an unfair and disrespectful way. I thought it was very wrong of the white men to try and completely alter the lives of the Native Americans into something that is more suitable for themselves. Stripping people of their culture is only going to cause issues and distress for both groups involved.
After watching the film, I was taken back and shocked that Americans tried forcing the Native Americans to adapt to their lifestyle and customs. I feel sympathy towards the Native Americans, and thinks its terrible that they were forced into turning into something they weren't. I also agree with Melissa that the idea of assimilation and the Dawes act were both unfair and unreasonable. No one should have to change their beliefs to be under one dominant culture.
Watching this film, i hadn't been quite surprised at the fact that the Americans wanted The Native Americans to assimilate there lifestyle into an "American".The manner in which the Americans had treated the natives was really cruel and unfair, they tried to assimilate them into a so called "American" but do they actually know the characteristic of an american? they were the ones whom founded this land and to be treated as a ragged individual is truly unfair and unappreciative. I think assimilation still takes place today although in a different manner of approach, When immigrants come to this country and apply for citizenship they are to have followed certain rules and obtain certain things, I would call that assimilation. Do you think its fair for a particular person to tell you , you cant practice your culture as the Native Americans were told?
"they would actually try to "kill" the Indian in these people"__Abbey Stadig I think that phrase is a powerful thesis to this
I was surprised to hear that the "white men" forced the Native Americans to cut their hair; which to the Natives’ is a sign of mourning. I found it interesting how ”the white men” felt like they were helping the Native Americans by teaching them about the American culture; yet didn’t take the time to learn about their culture. I couldn’t understand how “the white men” found that the Native Americans were an issue; yet they never took the time to learn any of the Native Culture. I agree with Kevin with his statement about Pratt. He seemed like he cared about the Native Americans.
During this film I was surprised by the white mans attitude to the natives, that they were savages that needed to be fixed, and that the only way to fix them was to make them like the white man, by doing things like cutting their hair and replacing their traditional clothes with those of a solider.
After I watched the movie I left very mad at the white people for forcing the native Americans to become white. I do not think it was fair for the White people to force the Native Americans to be white! It does not make sense to me that the white people thought that the native Americans were savages. The native Americans just dressed different and came from a different culture. That does not mean its is a a bad thing its just different. I agree with Alanna that the Dawes Act were both unfair and irresponsible
All these people taking sides. To me, none of the brutality comes as a surprise, having read enough books or stories about our pioneer ancestor's complete neglect of native cultures. I primarily agree with Kevin in that it is astounding that the Americans actually believed they were helping the natives; they were so self-righteous as to believe that they were simply right in everything they did. This ignorance has created an impressive list of atrocities throughout history and into the modern world. Human history, including our own, is riddled, and will be riddled, with this stupidity...!
After watching this film, I feel as though it was out of line that the Americans tried to Americanize the Indians. I feel as though the Americans needed to leave them alone, but they did not seem capable of that. They were treating the Indians in a way that they should not have been treated.
I agree with Nick in that this film was eye opening. I also agree with him thinking that the Indians were treated more so like animals when it came to the social experiment.
I agree with Ashley that the Indians are treated like animals when it came to the social experiment. The Americans did not consider the thoughts or feelings of the Indians and only focused on what they wanted to accomplish.
I agree with Scott,no one should have the right to do that to another human. No matter what the cause is.
Before watching this film all i knew about this topic was how white Americans had gone into Native American territory and kinda taken over then put the Native Americans on reservations. I thought this film was pretty eye opening. I did not know that the Native Americans were stripped of their culture and forced to conform to the "proper" way of life. This movie had a powerful message and invoked a lot of ideas around identity.
I agree with Melissa, i also found myself very sympathetic towards the Native American population
I thought that the film we watched in class gave me a new perspective of the hardships the Native Americans faced. I think we are taught in History that the settlers came in and took the native american's land and forced them out. Really, they did much more than that. The settlers stole the Native American's culture and ultimately their identity. Kevin's point is an interesting one in that the Americans truly believed they were giving the Native American's opportunities they would not have had. I believe that if the American's had been better educated on the culture and society of the Native Americans, they might not have done what they did to them.
After watching this film i did feel a little bad for the native Americans. I don't think that it was right that the Americans made the native Americans adopt a totally different lifestyle. They made them pick new names and also had them cut there hair so they would could look the same as everyone else. I don''t see how changing a group of native mericans lifestyles in every way possible benefited the americans society as whole.
I was not very surprised that the Americans tried to assimalte the Native Americans into our culture for the sole reason that we had always believed that America was the way to go. But i do not agree with the fact that they would try to rid of all of the native culture that they held and completely change them into a new person. I do not believe that this would be possible with just putting the Native Americans in a school for a period of time. It is horrible to see how poorly that America thought of the natives after taking the land from them. I agree with Kevin for the fact that I do believe that Pratt, at that time, did think that he was doing the right thing for them because America and our way of life had been flourishing.
I was absent for today's class
I agree with Scott, I had no idea that Native Americans where placed in these "schools" and forced to change thier identities before watching this film. I think that the attempted assimilation of native Americans shows that the US never had any intention of living peacfully with Indians. I think that Ashley had a good point when she said that the Native Americans where treated no better than animals and veiwed as a social experiment.
There is no denying that the white community of the time harbored very racist beliefs towards the Native American population. However, I found it interesting to see how these views were manifested. Of course, there was the large population of Americans that hated “Indians,” as expressed through the disturbing quote, “the only good Indian is a dead one.” But while they still ignorantly believed that Native American culture was inferior to the ways of the white man, some people, such as Carlisle, genuinely tried to help the Native Americans. Of course, in hindsight the assimilation seems cruel and inhumane, but at the time I can see Carlisle’s perspective. While, yes, he was wrong in believing that Native American culture was fundamentally incorrect, he wanted to better their lives rather than end them. He hoped that by making them more familiar and acceptable to white ideals, he could snuff out the hate directed towards the Indian population.
I agree with Abby. It is awful that Americans believed that the only way to help the Native Americans was to completely wipe out their Native American heritage. As I said, I can see how he thought that making Native Americans seem more white could make them more accepted, but it was extremely shortsighted for him not to have foreseen the serious implications of plucking people out of their home and attempting to completely change who they are. If Americans could have understood and accepted the merits of both cultures, then this tragedy could have been avoided.
This film gave me a new view of the struggle the Native Americans faced. It was interesting to see how the white settlers barged into their culture, and truly thought they would be doing the Native Americans a favor. I agree with Kevin because I do sympathize with Pratt, who had good intentions even though he was still hurting the Native Americans by taking them from their homes.
I thought it was informative about some of the decrimination people had against natives at the time. I personally think the natives were treated unjustly.
|
There are some things however that your sub-conscious will isten to, anF some things it wont. For example, you shoulF always keep your aFFirmations in the present tense. IF not, your subconscious will categorize it as garbage Fata. Network aFvertising business enterprise is maFe up oF 3 parts anF they are the Fistribution oF proFucts anF services, the compensation plan anF the company. Network promotion enterprise is [url=http://www.germanylovelv.com/]louis vuitton knolckoffs[/url]
FinF, sponsor, anF retain. For some people, having home company network aFvertising anF marketing is their only realistic hope oF making an extraorFinary income.
|
i was absent for this class
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