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Essay on Indian residential school
Essay Alcohol use among Native American populations: historical perspectives, prevalence,
Native American tribes during the 19th Century
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Overview Throughout history, many stories have been shared of the ravages of alcohol on the American Native Indians. Facts of these stories still ring true to this day. There is still wide spread rates of alcoholism, domestic violence, and poverty among many tribes peoples devastating the young and old. However, long ago there was hope brought forth to the tribes. Handsome Lake was born in a Seneca village in 1735. He would grow to be a great prophet for his people. But before his visions, he was broken alcoholic that had loss all he had. His drinking would leave his body ravaged by its affects. He suffered, unable to take care of himself for four years. His daughter showing love and kindness to her father nursed him, until one day, he collapsed and seem to be dying. His daughter dressed him in his burial cloths and sent for Blacksnake (his nephew) and Corn …show more content…
Communication When assessing communication one could say that in the end both men would take on the role of the “Processor”. The text defines this as, “Talented at setting boundaries and at creating the structures and systems necessary to support the organization’s objectives” (Northhouse, 2015). When considering Handsome Lake’s visions laid out a clear plan for his people to regain their lives, creating structure and Corn Planter worked to support the organization’s objectives by going to war to fight for his tribe. However, in the end one sees a great change in this for Corn Planter. He becomes the “Communicator”. The communicator “possesses impressive theatrical skills and great presence and are said to have the ability to build great alliances. (Northhouse, 2015). One can see this as he uses his great presence to work with the “white man” to ensure they abide by the
The lake itself plays a major role throughout the story, as it mirrors the characters almost exactly. For example, the lake is described as being “fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans” (125). The characters are also described as being “greasy” or “dangerous” several times, which ties the lake and the characters together through their similarities. The narrator explains, “We were bad. At night we went up to Greasy Lake” (124). This demonstrates the importance that the surroundings in which the main characters’ choose to be in is extremely important to the image that they reflect. At the beginning of the story, these characters’ images and specifically being “bad” is essentially all that mattered to them. “We wore torn up leather jackets…drank gin and grape juice…sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine” (124). They went out of their ...
The lake is the main symbol in “Greasy Lake” that symbolizes youth corruption. When the narrator enters the lake, he describes it as already being “ankle-deep in muck and tepid water and still going strong” (Boyle 5). The filthy description of the water is used to show the gloomy and corrupt waters in this lake. The lake also was “fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of bonfires” (1). These descriptions revolving around the lake show that this lake was where people went to be “bad” people. Primitive acts were done here,
would sign any treaty for her (Alexie).” However, alcohol only made their lives worse. Native Americans throughout the story began to realize that sticking to tradition was more important than following the negative roads of white American culture.
In ?Greasy Lake,? water is a powerful entity. The lake works to reveal the true nature of the narrator and his friends. Water is in itself the most influential character of the story. It submerges the protagonist, both physically and metaphorically, in his own mentality. The lake serves as a great equalizer. It creates and resolves conflict, all to force the narrator to confront his weakness and reveal his strength.
The lake is one symbol that helps illustrate the theme of this story. “The Indians had called it Wakan, a reference to the clarity of its waters” (573). The lake is used in the story to symbolize the narrator’s moral condition. “Greasy Lake was once known for the clarity of its waters but now its fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn beer cans and the charred remains of bonfires” (Grace). What imagery probably stuck in my head the most was "there was a single ravaged island a hundred yards from shore, so stripped of vegetation it looked as if air force had strafed it." as Boyle put it. Throughout the years the lake turned into a party place where wild teens went to drink, smoke pot, and cause trouble. The characters go to “Greasy Lake” because everybody goes there. They wanted to experience the remot...
Greasy Lake was once beautiful and clear until the actions of humanity changed it to something that was filled with chaos and destruction. The Native Americans used to call Greasy lake Wakan, which was a reference to its clear waters (Boyle 570). The narrator says that, “Now it was fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of the bonfires” (Boyle 570). The lake acts a symbol because this was where the youth went to party and have the times of their lives. These characters went to Greasy Lake because to them, this was “nature” (Boyle 570). Moreover, the desolate lake could have been a representation of the people who went there in search of fun. The “bad” characters who visited Greasy Lake were associated with the transfiguration of the lake. This once beautiful lake was now a party site which, “…is associated with decay and destruction…”
Often used as a coping mechanism to deal with PTSD, alcohol abuse throughout modern Aboriginal culture proves to be a major cause for concern. According to a report by Health Canada (2003), 79 percent of individuals in First Nations communities suffered from alcohol abuse, and 59 percent from drug abuse. Additionally, a study conducted by the National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation (2002) found deaths due to alcohol consumption among Aboriginal population to be 43.7 per 100,000, twice the rate of the general population (23.6 per 100,000). Staggering figures when compared to the overall population of Canada, the statistics indicated portray the extensive damage caused by residential schools. The phenomena of historical trauma and Residential School Syndrome are large contributors to the social and cultural epidemic of alcohol abuse in Native communities. With a strong correlation to PTSD, alcohol is also used also to cope with issues beyond that of mental illness, including economic and social hardships, which are not directly related to residential schools. Yet, even when not related to mental illness, alcohol abuse is still the result of interaction with European culture. Prior to the arrival of European colonists in North Ameri...
Many people believe that Native Americans are a disadvantaged group of individuals in many ways. Culturally, in that many of the cultures of the various tribes across the Americas were taken from them by Europeans and their descendants. Socially, in that they are unlike other minorities in the United States because of their extra-constitutional status; and even medically, stemming from the general belief that Natives are at a higher risk for disease than other ethnicities due to tobacco and alcohol use, especially when used together (Falk, Hiller-Sturmhöfel, & Yi, 2006).
Alcohol was introduced into Native American culture many years ago and has been a source of suffering since. In Flight, Zits states that his father “was more in love with vodka than with him and his mother,” and it is this statement that helps drive the story along (Sherman 4). Zits addresses the stereotype that come along with being Native American. The major one mentioned in the story is that Native Americans consume a lot of alcohol. This follows what is known as the firewater myth, which says that Native Americans “…may be genetically predisposed to crave ever increasing doses of alcohol…”—this was and still is believed by several researchers (Lamarine). This alcoholism leads to instability within homes and leaves the child to suffer. A perfect example of this is when Zits says that his father “vanished like a magician” shortly after he was born (Sherman 5). It was fear that made Michael’s father run, but it was fear mixed with alcohol that...
Alcoholism is the most well-known health problem in the Native American community, and a source full stereotyping because alcohol is one of the worst things that can affect their community.( Gordon, Claire. "5 Big Native American Health Issues You Don 't Know about." 5 Big Native American Health Issues You Don 't Know about. N.p., 29 May 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2016).According to Ann Pietrangelo Alcohol can affect many things such as : brain, Pain in the Pancreas ,Diabetic Danger Zone ,Coordination, Blackouts ,Shifty Eyes , and Dependence. Pietrangelo, Ann. "How Alcohol Affects the Body.(" Healthline. N.p., 30 June 2014. Web. 19 Feb.
Robert s. Young, Jennie R. Joe. “ Some Thoughts About Epidemiology of Alcohol and Drug Use Among American Indian Population”. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse. Vol. 8 Iss 3:(2009) 223
Today, one out of every thirteen adults abuse alcohol or are alcoholics. That means nearly thirteen million Americans have a drinking problem. (www.niaaa.nih.gov) This topic offers a broad range of ideas to be researched within the psychological field. For this particular project, the topic of alcoholism and the psychological effects on people best fit the criteria. Alcoholism is defined as a disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on alcoholic beverages, leading to physical and psychological harm and impaired social and vocational functioning. (www.dictionary.com) Through this project, the most important information regarding personal experiences dealing with alcoholism will be revealed. Not only are statistics, like the facts mentioned before, important when dealing with an issue such as alcoholism, but personal accounts and information are often more powerful and influential evidence. Non-alcoholics should be allowed to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for research purposes.
In the Lake of the Woods is a fictional mystery written by Tim O'Brien. Through the book we learn that our lovers, husbands, and wives have qualities beyond what our eyes can see. John Wade and Kathy are in a marriage so obscure that their secrets lead to an emotional downfall. After John Wade loss in his Senatorial Campaign, his feeling towards Kathy take on a whole different outlook. His compulsive and obsessive behavior causes Kathy to distance herself from him. His war experience and emotional trauma are a major cause for his strange behavior. We remain pondering about Kathy's mysterious disappearance, which becomes fatal for her. Possible scenarios are presented in eight chapters marked 'Hypothesis', these chapters add a mysterious twist which can change our train of thought to 'maybe' or 'perhaps' this is the truth.
Latham, P.K., & Napier, T.L. (1992). Psychosocial consequences of alcohol misuse in the family of origin. The International Journal of the Addictions, 27, 1137-1158.
Alcoholism is a disease that affects many people in the United States today. It not only affects the alcoholic, but also their family, friends, co-workers, and eventually total strangers. The symptoms are many, as are the causes and the effects.