For most Americans, their knowledge of Native Americans and their culture of both past and present are based predominantly on outdated labels and stereotypes. Over the past 7 weeks, we have covered several sources that have contributed to the continuous development of the stereotypical images that have unsettled the Native Americans over time. These misleading pictures, novels, Hollywood films, professional sports mascots, and other mediums have misrepresented and alienated the indigenous peoples within in each respective time period regarding the current Euro-American centered culture. In order to empathize with their situation one need to understand how and why these stereotypical images of Native Americans were first created in the first
Looney Tunes, a popular cartoon from the 30s to the 60s brought many children hours of entertainment, with its entertaining plot and hilarious antics, which people of all ages enjoyed. In many of its early episodes, there were many times Native Americans made appearances. Many of the characters go off of the stereotypes that had been passed down from the 18th and 19th centuries. In this paper, I focus on the images of Native Americans in the children’s classic cartoon, Looney Tunes, while also exploring the interactions and portrayals of the Native American characters. With a closer look at how the stereotypes surrounding Native Americans from the 18th and 19th centuries continued to thrive into the 20th century, this reveals how these stereotypes were embedded into a person’s mind from a very young age.
In Allan Sillitoe’s The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner, we are introduced to Smith, a man with his own standards, beliefs, values, and battles. As we are taken through the story of a period of his live, we come to understand what Smith really stands for. He is a diehard rebel that is destined to always stick to his beliefs, and is willing to sacrifice all in a battle against his greatest enemy and opressor, society.
Smith is forced to run by the governor at Borstal as part of his punishment for his crimes as a juvenile. He does not enjoy running except for the sanctity that it provides. The nature and beauty surrounding him while he runs is what appeals to him. Nature is not governed by man’s laws and in this sense is honest, true, and free. This appeals to Smith because he wants to...
It can be argued that Western films portray the race of Native Americans in a negative and racist manner. Using the texts The Stalking Moon (1968) and Dances with Wolves (1990) the following essay will explore the way that the issue of race and racism has changed throughout the history of the Western genre, taking into account a vast number of theoretical approaches whilst exploring the style and production context of the genre.
Visual sovereignty and survivance in Atanarjuat and Smoke Signals are used to challenge the stereotype of “the Imaginary Indian”, yet redfacing is still a common mechanism used in Native American films that catalyzes this trope. Redfacing refers to the beginning of racist Native American stereotypes and drawings. In the case of the film industry, it also describes the bias the white producers, directors, and actors have against hiring real Native Americans to play Native American roles. Because of redfacing, there was an inaccurate display on film of how Native Americans looked in the past, and throughout the years the stereotype has gotten even more demeaning. Redfacing is disrespectful to Native American cultures as they are being misrepresented and Americans are given a false notion about the true sacredness and value behind the Native Americans’ lives. Thankfully, the method of redfacing had not been used in both Atanarjuat and Smoke Signals. Atanarjuat challenges these stereotypes by having an all Inuit cast and filmmaker and the writing, directing, and acting entirely in Inuktitut. Since historical accuracy
John Smith, the troubled Indian adopted by whites appears at first to be the main character, but in some respects he is what Alfred Hitchcock called a McGuffin. The story is built around him, but he is not truly the main character and he is not the heart of the story. His struggle, while pointing out one aspect of the American Indian experience, is not the central point. John Smith’s experiences as an Indian adopted by whites have left him too addled and sad, from the first moment to the last, to serve as the story’s true focus.
As a result, both films represent Natives Americans under the point of view of non-Native directors. Despite the fact that they made use of the fabricated stereotypes in their illustrations of the indigenous people, their portrayal was revolutionary in its own times. Each of the films add in their own way a new approach to the representation of indigenous people, their stories unfold partly unlike. These differences make one look at the indigenous not only as one dimensional beings but as multifaceted beings, as Dunbar say, “they are just like us.” This is finally a sense of fairness and respect by the non-native populations to the Native Indians.
In contrast Stanley represents the immigrant New American, he is “proud as hell” of being “one hundred per cent American”, and can see no place for the old order of the Southern aristocracy who are incapable of holding on to their inherited wealth.
In John Smith’s “A description of New England “ he writes about, In his writing he says that “May quickly grow rich” in the new world. Even “if he have nothing but his hands he may set up his trade, and by industry quickly grow rich, spending but half the time well which in England we abuse in idleness, worse as ill” (Descriptions of New England). In his “Descriptions of New England” Smith writes of land where one “may quickly grow rich” (Descriptions of New England)in the new world. In writing this Smith pioneers the fabled american dream, which he too strives to achieve, of