The Mythology And Culture Of The Native American Indians

Introduction: All around the world many cultures may find the story of the creation myth, as well as have their own interpretation of it. The Native Americans have rich history and many myths, but the one legend that is common throughout every tribe is the creation myth. The mythology and culture of the Native Americans was influenced strongly by the Creation myth, which was the foundation of many other myths related to various aspects of the natural world. In Native American mythology, Fred Ramen says of the Native American Indians, â€Å"Their creation myths are notable for two reasons: the stories explain how people came to this world from some other, magical place, and they detail a close cooperation between animals and humans† (19).†¦show more content†¦Most entities are known for seeding this planet in which are environment is experienced by the magic illusion of time and emotion. â€Å"A myth is symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partl y traditional, that ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious belief. It is distinguished from symbolic behavior and symbolic places or objects† (â€Å"Mythology,† par. 3). â€Å"All mythology has a basis in the creational myths of each culture, representing by the duality of our reality† (â€Å"Mythology,† par. 2). The myths of every culture are reflected in different stories but all the stories have the same creational force. This meaning the interpretation of a myth may be different but they are all based on the same idea. â€Å"The Myth of Creation is the symbolic narrative of the beginning of the world as understood by a particular community† (Britannica Encyclopedia). The term myth pertains to the imaginative expression in narrative form of what is experienced as basic reality and the term creation pertains to the beginning of things. The cornerstone to the Native American Indians cultures is their creat ions myths. Looking closely into one specific tribe from both the earth diver and emergence myths, the earth diver creation myth is found through the Cherokee Indian tribe and the emergence creation myth is found through the Navajo Indian tribe. Earth

Decolonization The Wretched Of The Earth - 1283 Words

Decolonization, as one of the most significant movements throughout the twentieth century, has always been debated between the colonizers and colonized under certain historical circumstances. M.K Gandhi, Aimà © Cà ©saire, and Frantz Fanon, as the avant-gardes of decolonization movement, addressed their ideologies on the relationship between European colonists and colonial states, and their views on the process of gaining national freedom. Nevertheless, as Fanon defined in the article â€Å"On Violence† from his book â€Å"The Wretched of the Earth†, decolonization is a historical process which can only be understood and self coherent under certain history background. Hence, since they were in different colonial situations, their perspectives vary. As†¦show more content†¦The states, after the annexation of colonizers, had been turned into barbaric and savage. In addition, he also criticized the capitalism in Europe, saying that the capitalism objectively coll uded with the force of violence and erupted in the colonial states. To some extent, the development of capitalism was like a catalyst, gave the European colonizers incentives to search for colonial states as their market in order to gain profits from. As a mentor of Frantz Fanon on decolonization, Aimà © Cà ©saire had similar views on European civilization and the relationship between colonizers and colonial states. As Cà ©saire described in his work â€Å"Discourse on Colonialism†, the so-called â€Å"civilization through colonization† simply, on contrary, decivilized the colonizers and the European bourgeoisie civilization was never able to justify itself on these issues. In Cà ©saire’s point of view, â€Å"no one colonizes innocently†¦and no one colonizes with impunity either†. The European bourgeoisie society and European civilization, seeking for their own benefits, allowed the colonialism occur and destroyed the colonial civilization. What the European colonizers gained were profits and free forced labors; while for the natives, what they lost were not only home and land, but also dignity and personality. Just as Cà ©saire portrayed, the relationshipShow MoreRelatedDecolonization : The Wretched Of The Earth 250 )1737 Words   |  7 Pageswho am I? (The Wretched of the Earth 250) For Fanon, therefore, colonialism is fundamentally a violent situation since the stage is set in motion between two kinds of interests--the interest of the colonizer and the interest of the colonized (Gordon 77). As a result, Fanon insists that decolonization entails a violent struggle between two parties since decolonization is the replacing of a certain species of men by another species of men (The Wretched of the Earth 35). In other wordsRead More Violence of Decolonization Essay726 Words   |  3 PagesViolence of Decolonization Frantz Fanon argues the decolonization must always be a violent phenomenon because resisting a colonizing power using only politics will not work. Europeans justified colonization by treating it as gods work. They believed that god wanted then to occupy all lands and spread the word of god to savages of darker skin color. Fanon joined the Algerian Nationalist Movement when the Algeria was being colonized be the French. Many examples of violence written of in TheRead MoreDecolonization Is Always A Violent Event Essay1475 Words   |  6 Pages Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, where a nation establishes and maintains its domination over dependent territories. In the words of Fanon, in the reading The Wretched of the Earth, â€Å"National liberation, national reawakening, restoration of the na ­tion to the people or Commonwealth, whatever the name used, whatever the latest expression, decolonization is always a violent event.† (Fanon, 1). Frantz Fanon was one of many authors who supported decolonization struggles occurring afterRead MoreThe Psychoanalysts of Violence Essay1208 Words   |  5 Pagesunderstanding of both insightful phenomena. Fanon’s views on violence are it unifies individuals into forming a complex unit organism that works together, rinses, in addition it is presented as an effective and productive mean that support the process of decolonization. In contract, Arendt’s theory detaches the concept of violence from power and emphasizes that the driven reasons for violence i s anti-political. Both philosophers present distinctive theories upon the use of violence; Fanon elucidates his philosophyRead MoreViolence As A Cleansing Force Essay1686 Words   |  7 PagesThe third aspect of the function of violence in decolonization is violence as a cleansing force. For Fanon, in the process of decolonization, violence liberates the consciousness of the oppressed people by erasing their inferiority complex: At the level of individuals, violence is a cleansing force. It frees the native from his inferiority complex and from his despair and inaction; it makes him fearless and restores his self-respect. [. . .] When the people have taken violent part in the nationalRead MorePolitical Representation Of Political Violence1337 Words   |  6 Pagesis a disputable matter. To decipher the problematic rationale of using violence, one will briefly outline two main contending stances that are advocated by Frantz Fanon and Mahatma Gandhi. While the former preaches violence as the solution for decolonization, the latter adopts nonviolence as the best way to freedom and liberation. Gandhi s philosophy of nonviolence is deeply rooted in the Christian belief in forgiveness and love, and in the tenets of Jainism and Buddhism. For him, JesusRead MoreComparing Frantz Fanon And Mahatma Gandhi1333 Words   |  6 PagesDanielle Patton Final Paper History 1500 to Present December 4th, 2014 When you look back through time at the history of decolonization, there are many names that come to mind, but two that should be focused on are Frantz Fanon and Mahatma Gandhi. Both of these men were strong advocates for anti-colonialism and nationalism. Their attitudes can be described by this quote from Frantz Fanon who said, â€Å"what matters is not to know the world but to change it.† They may have been active during differentRead MoreThe Communist Manifesto, By Karl Marx And Friedrich Engels1000 Words   |  4 PagesManifesto and Frantz Fanon who wrote The Wretched of the Earth argued that the use of violence is always present and unavoidable. In the book Colonial Voices, the first chapter on Fanon: â€Å"Concerning Violence† can be seeing how the author went in detail about the point that he was trying to establish: â€Å"decolonization is always a violent process†. He started by giving his definition of decolonization and the possible outcomes that this had. According to Fanon, decolonization can be explained as the substitutionRead MoreWhy did Fanon Argue for a Violent Struggle Against Colonialism?1851 Words   |  8 PagesIn the second half of the twentieth century, started a process of decolonization, first in Asia and then in Africa. In 1949, India was one of the first country to gain its independence, followed by Burma, Malaysia, and Ceylon. In Africa the decolonization started a few years later, first in Libya and Egypt, and in the rest of the continent afterwards. The main colonists were the Great Britain and France. The history has shown that Great Britain succeeded to decolonize generally in peace while FranceRead MoreAccording To Edward Said, â€Å"There Has Been No Major Revolution1417 Words   |  6 Pageshumanity. Speaking of humanity, according to Bogues, a call for a new human was one of the central questions that the black radical intellectuals raised. He also stated how this call was expressed in both Cà © saire’s writings and Fanon’s book Wretched of the Earth.   Meanwhile, they constantly remain engaged in public conversation and discussion. One term that most black intellectuals have been noted to relate to is Praxis, which can be described as taking theory and putting it into practice. However

True Beauty free essay sample

Most people would perceive beauty as something that attracts the eye. Peoples mind shine at the thought of fair white skin, flawless face and skin, shiny hair, perfectly shaped eyebrows and, etc. They read every magazine that basically tells them to morph themselves into perfect human beings, magazines that tell them to lose weight, to attain a fair skin and basically to acquire impeccability. Truth is society tells us their definition of beauty and we being vulnerable, as to yearning to fit in, comply with what they tell us to do, in hopes to live up to the kind of beauty, they believe to be. So, we can be accepted, get more attention and, be loved by everyone. We were all created differently and uniquely. We are who we are, we dont have to change just because some people dont like something or a part of us. The thing is, thats what makes us who we are. We will write a custom essay sample on True Beauty or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If we happen to have dark skin, if we happen to be fat, if we happen to have hairy skin, then that defines us, who we are on the OUTSIDE. If they dont like it, it doesnt mean that you have to, too. We cannot live our lives trying to become something else, attaining to be the person they want you to be and endeavoring to live up to their ideal of beauty. If we do with what they tell us to do we will never be happy because you know what? Were always going to try to live up to their expectations, theyre always going to want more and expect more and, then eventually we see ourselves wanting the same thing. In order to please everyone, be complimented by everybody, and be accepted for changing ourselves. We dont have to become the person we arent created to be, we just have to accept who we are, what we are fabricated to be. Because if you see yourself as who you are, if you are contented with what God gave you, and if you accept yourself flaws and all, it shows and it radiates on the outside and, thats true beauty. Embrace your flaws. Love yourself. Dont try to fit in. Stop changing yourself because beauty fades but, acceptance stays. True beauty is who you are and what you are created to be. So, live it and accept it.

Is Silas Marner a Moral Tale Essay Example

Is Silas Marner a Moral Tale Paper A moral tale is a recalled story with a deeper, meaningful lesson to be learned hidden in it. The earliest moral tales probably originate from the Bible. One such moral tale in it was about a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. But when a lamb strayed away, the shepherd left his flock of ninety-nine and looked for that one lost sheep. When he found the lamb, he took it back to the flock. And the moral of this tale? Everyone is just as worthy/valuable as everyone else. Many of these moral tales appear in other books as well. One common trait in many moral tales, is that they are quite simple, or at least the moral part normally is. And the moral within the story is easy to spot. It is a lesson on how to treat others/ or how to behave or act. The setting and atmosphere at the beginning of Silas Marner is the simple village, Lantern Yard. You get the impression that Lantern Yard is a very religious village, and has minimal contact with the outside world and new technology. They arent greedy, nor is food as plentiful as in Raveloe. In the first paragraph, Silas Marner, and weavers in general, are described as near aliens, and the craft they are skilled at, couldnt be carried on entirely without the help of the Evil One the evil one being the devil. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Silas Marner a Moral Tale specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Is Silas Marner a Moral Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Is Silas Marner a Moral Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer George Eliot is trying to make the point in the first few lines of Silas Marner, that people judge people and things that they dont understand. And you get the feeling that the residents of Lantern Yard are almost primitive, in the sense that they dont even understand the simple craft of weaving. The name, Lantern Yard, also has a meaning. The yard in Lantern Yard, gives you the sense that the village is enclosed and lantern being warm and homely. Silas Marner is first introduced in the book as a mysterious weaver living in a stone cottage by a stone pit in Raveloe. But the description of the noise from the loom, so unlike the natural cheerful trotting of the winnowing-machine or the simpler rhythm of the flail, gives the feeling that he was perceived as unknown to Raveloe. He is described as someone obsessed with his work, and his large brown protuberant eyes in Silas Marners pale face really saw nothing very distinctly that was not close to them although the Raveloe kids believed he could dart cramp, or rickets, or a wry mouth with a single stare. And because of this description, he must look very daunting and almost spooky and frightful. I believe some of George Eliots life mirror themselves in this book in an abstract form. Parts in the book about Silas Marner losing faith. She also lost her faith (George Eliot=Mary Ann Evans) and maybe she is putting her point across in this book. In previous books, namely The Mill on The Floss, she added many of her own experiences, and I believe she has done the same in Silas Marner. In the way that he is treated in Raveloe and Lantern Yard. For instance in Raveloe, he is ignored and silenced from social events, and the same happened to Mary Ann Evans after she ran off with the already-married George Henry Lewes. And in Lantern Yard, Silas is judged by the parishioners and friends, the same as Mary Ann Evans was. After the introductions to Raveloe and Silas Marner himself, it is revealed why Silas was forced to leave Lantern Yard and how he came to live in Raveloe. And there is a moral question in lantern Yard that a man should be judged by a kind of pulling straws method. I think in this way, Mary Ann Evans, is trying to put a point across, that you cannot judge anyone with hocus-pocus as it were. Because you know that Marner is innocent, yet he is dealt with injustice, and I think she may also be hitting out at believers in God. When he is falsely accused and judged at Lantern Yard, all that he believes in, his main object in life is shattered, and the only thing he can do and wants to do is isolate himself from people, the rest of this new world called Raveloe and God, who he believes has betrayed him. Maybe she believes that whether you believe in Him or not, you are still accused and judged, good or bad, innocent or guilty. The contrasts play a major part in Silas Marner. Lantern Yard is a very religious village, and the church plays a major part within the village. The village itself is very isolated from the outside world and new technology. Food is not as in much excess as it is in Raveloe, because unlike Lantern Yard, orchards looking lazy with neglected plenty; the large church in the wide courtyard, which men gazed at lounging at their own doors in service time . And this extract, is pointing out the contrasts between Lantern Yard and Raveloe. In Raveloe, food is plentiful, and orchards with apple trees in them, stand full of ripe fruit, yet the apples are not taken from the tree, because there is so much food, that they are not needed. But this is not the case in Lantern Yard, where they have to take in as much food as possible, as food cannot be wasted there, for there isnt enough to be wasted. And then it describes men, lounging at their own front doors, but in Lantern Yard, it was a different story, and the villagers of lantern yard would be eager to go to church, but in Raveloe, there is no need for all that, and not many people do go to church in Raveloe, yet you would of thought they would have more to be grateful for, and I think that is what Mary Ann Evans is trying to put across. I believe she is trying to say that whether you worship God or not, and go to church regularly, it doesnt matter. you still maybe poor or hungry, and going to church and worshipping God would not change that. So if Silas Marner is a moral tale, it is going against everything the Victorians believed in. And that if you dont believe in God, you can still be well off with plenty of food on the table. When Silas was exiled from Lantern Yard, the reason he does not go to church in Raveloe, is not only because he wishes to be isolated, it may also be the connection to Lantern Yard and God. In Lantern Yard, they are not as well off , and need to work harder for their food. But in Raveloe, there is a sharp contrast. Raveloe is a secular town, and the church plays a minor role in the town and its residents. There is also plenty of food, there were several chiefs in Raveloe who could farm badly quite at their ease, drawing enough money in those war times, to live in a rollicking fashion, and keep a jolly Christmas, Whitsun and Eastertide, meaning Raveloe was a thriving economy, where you didnt have to work hard to make a good bit of money, and that everyone was well off and well fed too. In the second chapter, The Groove Made by Fifteen Years in Raveloe, the mood is set that Silas is unhinged from his old-faith, and the past becomes dreamy because its symbols have all vanished, and the present too is dreamy because it is linked with no memories. What Mary Ann Evans is trying to say is that when you are in a new space, a new environment, everything becomes blurred, and dreamy, because you do not know this place and have no memories of it. And that memories are what make a place, for example, home is not home, unless you have memories of that place, and you know people there. But for Silas, Raveloe is like a new world, and it is all dreamy to him, because he has no memories of that place. The towns people in Raveloe, because they dont understand him, do not trust him either and keep their distance. Silas after his exile from Lantern Yard, doesnt trust God or people and they do not trust him back. He rarely leaves his cottage, except to get essentials, and doesnt talk to anyone. So they think he is a bit mysterious, and therefore dont trust him. His first movement after the shock had been to work in his loom; and he went on with this unremittingly, never asking himself why, now he was come to Raveloe, and this extract, tells us Silas reaction to moving into Raveloe, and his instinct almost tells him to work. But at first, he doesnt care for the money, only to work: but it was pleasant to him to feel them in his palm, the five gold guineas he held. And this is when his motives for weaving change, from an instinct, too a greed for gold. But it doesnt start of as greed, at first it is a fascination, because in Lantern Yard, he probably would never have seen this much money before. And it was another element of life, like the weaving and the satisfaction of hunger and this gives us an insight, that Silas loves his weaving as much as satisfying a hunger, and he now has this new element of life, and that is gold. There is a lot of moral comment through each character. And they all get their just deserts in the end. Many are either punished, or rewarded, and that is why I think this book is a moral tale, but a very complex one with more than one message. For instance, Dunstan, Godfreys brother, is really hated in Raveloe because he is rude, dishonest, and disrespectful to them. Then he does the worst, and steals Silas Marners gold, and the description of Dunstan when he stepped forward into the darkness has a double meaning. One, it is a descriptive sentence, and it describes how dark it is, and him stepping into that darkness. The second, is an abstract account, of Dunstan doing something much worse than he ever has before, and stepping forward to a new evil. And the moral message in Dunstans story, is that the truth will always come out, because at the end of Silas Marner it is discovered that Dunstan has drowned, and silas money is returned to him; but because of his new love in Eppie, it cannot hold him like it did before. Another character with a moral comment within him is Dunstans brother, Godfrey Cass, who lies for many years about a secret marriage he has with a drug-addict, and who is a victim to the demon opium and a secret child to that wife. That child later becomes Eppie, and while Godfreys wife goes to see him and tell the truth to his family and friends, she dies in the snow where she does not feel the bed was cold, and this two has another meaning, that she was cold and heartless. While her child wanders into Silas house, and he believes it to be a present from God. But when Godfrey learns of his wifes death, he is pleased, and wishes to propose to Nancy Lammeter, and care for his child. But he cannot bring himself to tell the truth to his wife, and so keeps it from her, and lets Silas Marner look after her instead. But sixteen years later, Godfrey tells Nancy all about Eppie, and she says to Godfrey, Godfrey, if you had but told me this six years ago, we could have done some of our duty by the child. Do you think Id have refused to take her in, if Id known she was yours? And you feel great sympathy for Godfrey, for if he had told Nancy all that time ago, he may now be the father of Eppie. They do go to Silas but she has known only Silas to be her father, and stays with him. He is almost, the tragic hero of the story, but for one secret, one lie, he been punished for the rest of his life. But Eppie does bring happiness to Silas, who, after losing his gold, falls into a sort of numbness, but when he finds Eppie on the floor, in her golden hair and his short eyesight, he sees his gold. And this is symbolism, because he sees the only thing he had loved in Raveloe, in this little girl, and a new, warmer love starts to fill him. So in Silas story, he gets what he deserves, happiness. He was a good man, who was unfortunately thrown out of Lantern Yard, but he finally found happiness in Eppie. Nancy, was just unfortunate to get caught up in it all. A sort of innocence almost, and she shares her sorrow with Godfrey. When Eppie does come to Silas, it is like a message from God. For all these years, he had been exiled from Lantern Yard, and no friends, relatives, or just people he knew in Raveloe. But when Eppie comes, it is redemption and forgiveness from God. Eppie is innocence from an evil background. A background of her mother and opium. In the end, the truth is always revealed, and I think this is the main moral in Silas Marner. The truth about Godfrey being Eppies father and about Dunstan stealing Silas money. When Nancy and Godfrey, tell Eppie if she comes with them she can become a proper lady, but Eppie doesnt want this. She has realized she does not need riches and money to be happy and loved, all because of Silas. This is almost Godfreys punishment, if he had told the truth, he could have had Nancy and Eppie, but because he didnt, he paid the price of not being Eppies father. Dunstan dies in a river, and after taking the choice of stepping forward into the darkness, he is punished for it, he steals money, and for what? He doesnt get a chance to spend it, a chance to be evil. Near the end when Eppie marries Aaron, they are happy, yet do not have much money. And I believe what the author is trying to tell us is that you dont need great amounts of wealth and money, in the case of Eppie and Silas. Silas found love and happiness in Eppie even though he had lost his money, and Eppie and Aaron found love in each other, without having much money and riches. Their garden is a symbol of their simple happiness, and I think the author has put this in deliberately. And to say that you only need a simple life to have simple pleasures, and this is the same with Silas. I do think Silas Marner is a moral tale. But not just about the way we behave. I think it is trying to tell us that we dont need great wealth to be happy, that happiness cannot be bought with money, and this moral is repeated in Silas and Eppies stories. Also, that the truth always comes out sometime, and you cant keep a secret or lie forever. Dunstans secret about him stealing the money comes out in the end, it takes sixteen years for the truth to come out but it does come out, and I think that is what the author has tried to emphasis; it may take a while, but the truth does come out eventually. I think a very old moral also appears, treat your neighbor has you would like to be treated and I think this is the case with Silas and Dunstan. They both either disrespect people, or try to isolate themselves from them, and they both got the same treatment back. But Dunstan, among other things was just disrespectful, and he was punished for that. Silas though, he did have an almost plausible reason for his actions, and at least he never did any wrong. I think what the main moral within the book that the author is trying to get across is to try to be kind, honest, truthful, and respectful, and the same will happen to you. And I think this story has come from many of the authors own imagination, but also from her own experiences with religion, society, and also social life and differences.