Analysis Of An Indian Father's Plea

It’s fascinating how people have been able to make so many different definitions for the word culture; a word that was thought to have one singular definition. People of all cultures are unique not just in their methods and ways of life, but also in their definitions of culture. One person can describe culture as something that can bring family and a community together, but another person may define it as the exact opposite; something that tears people apart and in turn will rip apart a community. Neither of them are wrong or right however, because culture is something that is tangible. Culture is something that changes with time instead of against it. Culture can be symbolized as a “lens”, and these “lenses” are interchangeable and determine …show more content…
As long as culture has existed, there have been a variety of culture, and as a result there are a variety of views regarding different cultures. After one has experience with the culture their family has introduced to them they go out into the real world to experience the other cultures there are. The only problem, however, is that one will experience the views of other people regarding their own culture, and in that may cause trouble regarding one 's mindset. An Indian Father’s Plea, written by Robert Lake, is a letter that was written to the elementary school teacher of his son, Wind-Wolf. Wind-Wolf has grown up with his family’s Native-American way of living, and as Lake stated, “he has already been through quite an education compared with his peers in Western society” (Lake 1). But Wind-Wolf on the other hand does not feel that he is in an acceptable environment. In An Indian Father’s Plea, Lake makes it abundantly clear that Wind-Wolf doesn’t look back on his culture in the way that he used to. Wind-Wolf wants his hair to be cut because the kids at school “make fun of his long hair” even though his father told him that “in our culture, long hair is a sign of masculinity and balance and is a source of power...he remained adamant in his position” (Lake 2). Conflict among cultures results in this sense of discomfort in people that makes them ponder whether they are welcomed into society or not. Conflict between cultures also creates incorrect representations of cultures. In media and TV especially, some cultures take on a negative role in a movie rather than the main antagonist being a person or an organization. Lake says in An Indian Father’s Plea that Wind-Wolf always asks “why the white people hate us so much and always kill our people in the movies and why they take everything away from us”. Now the argument could be made that movie like this are historical movies that are supposed