Analysis Of An Indian's Looking Glass For The White Man

1) Why does Apess title his document “An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man”?

Apess choice of words in this work allows the reader to have a better understanding of the not so hidden message presented by the author. There are different versions as to why he may have chosen this tittle. Some literary critics believe that the American Indian is looking at himself in the mirror, for the benefit of the white man. Others agree that the Native American people are holding the mirror so the white oppressor can see himself and his actions against minorities. Further interpretations deal with the issue of the Native American man being a looking glass himself, a mirror where the white man sees his image while reading the text of the work by …show more content…
To make a distinction between races and socio-economic status is not to be a faithful follower of the Bible. He questions the white man, inquiring as to why God, if he liked white people as much as they say, went on to create other races. Apess reminds the reader that neither Jesus nor his disciples were white skinned, and that out of all races of the earth, the whites have been those who have committed the greatest crimes. Apess goes further and questions the right of the white man to control others, especially the Native American people. He asks his audience to examine the prejudices and errors that plague society, and to find an affinity between such actions and their beliefs. He does this in order to show how racist attitudes are incompatible with Christianity. The author goes on to talk about the infringement of rights of the Native American people, and how the white man prevents them from making their own decisions. This mainly occurs because white society doesn’t consider the American Indian to be qualified as human being, with rights and responsibilities. This is an excuse used by the white man to dehumanize and abuse the Native American people in order to steal their land and …show more content…
He forgets about the cultural differences that exist between the European and Native American populations. Religion, traditions, language, education; they are all various factors that separate one society from the other. While he successfully uses Christianity as a tool against racism and discrimination, he assumes that both the Native American and white populations will see his appeal from the same point of view. Not only is language a barrier between them, but even when speaking the same language both societies use different phrases and words to express the same concept. Speaking the same language doesn’t equate a solution to communication, since worlds may be translated, but the feelings behinds those words may not carry on in the translation being offered. Apess also forgets that there is a marked difference between the social levels where these two societies exist. The white man has subjugated the Native American man to an almost subhuman category, in order to justify his ambition, abuse, and demagogy. While praising the minority groups by their physical strength and beauty, the white man thinks of the nonwhite people as animals that exist to serve the white man. Apes assumes that he is talking to people who consider each other equal, while forgetting that the white audience