Comparing Dances with Wolves with The Searchers

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Comparing Dances with Wolves with The Searchers The Native American culture is something that is cherished by their people. “Perhaps no other group of people has quite the rich and storied culture as those of the Native Americans. They have a history rich in struggle, strife, and triumph (Native American Culture).” Dances with Wolves, directed by Kevin Costner in 1990, is about a white man who becomes interested in the Native American culture and decides to befriend fellow an Indian tribe (Dances with Wolves). The Searchers by John Ford in 1956 is about a white man who is on a journey to find his niece who was kidnapped by an Indian tribe (The Searchers). These films do have a few differences but many similarities. Dances with Wolves and The Searchers both show the relationships between white people and the Indians, how the Indians really utilized buffalo for survival, and how the Indians and white men values differ. Dances with Wolves and The Searchers showed the relationship between the white men and the Indians. Overall, the relationship between the Indians and white men was nonexistent and they hated one another. However, in Dances with Wolves, Kevin Costner decided to show another side to that relationship- a friendship (Dances with Wolves). In Dances with Wolves, the main character John Dunbar who is a Lieutenant in the military, finds himself alone and abandoned at his new post, Fort Sedgewick. He is living close to an Indian tribe named the Sioux. Many times they try to steal his horse and make him scared (Dances with Wolves). Despite that, Dunbar finds himself interested in their culture and the way they live. So he decides Finks 2 to try to become friends with them. After the Indians realized that they could trust Du... ... middle of paper ... ...ips the white man had with the Indians, how the Indians used buffalo for survival, and how the values of the white man and Indian tribes differed. This was the first time I had seen both films and I really enjoyed them both. Dances with Wolves was very interesting to me because it showed a different type of relationship between a white man and an Indian tribe (Dances with Wolves). The Searchers was a classic John Ford film and showed the viewer the not so good side of certain Indian tribes (The Searchers). I would recommend both of these films to someone who was interested in learning more about the Indian culture and culture from the 1950s and 1980s. Works Cited Dances with Wolves. Kevin Costner.TIG Productions. 1990. Film Native American Culture. Indians.org. N.P. 2014. Web. 28, January 2014. The Searchers. John Ford. Warner Brothers Entertainment. 1956. Film

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