Remarks Concerning Savages

In the “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America”, Benjamin Franklin tells of experiences with Indians. He starts out by saying “Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility, theythink the same as ours” (American Literature, p 476). Sadly, this still holds true today. Most people seem to judge by what is on the outside verses the inside or actually getting to know the other party. They go into meeting someone with a sterotype already in their mind but little do they know that person they are meeting may be doing the same thing. Franklin goes on to discuss the rolls of men and women in the Indian culture at the time. The younger men were the “hunters and warriors” (American Literature, p 477), while the older men were the guiders and councilmen. The women stayed at home and took care of the land, food and children. In today's society and culture these rolls could not be more further from the truth. Close to seventy percent of women are currently working outside the home in the United States. …show more content…
They would be well taken care and “instructed in all the learning of the white people” (American Literature, p 477). The speaker for the Indians very politely declined the offer, saying a few Indians had attended the “white man's” college once before and when they came back to the tribe, they were good for nothing. The speaker also exchanged his own invitation, requesting a half dozen of their sons. The speaker said they would also be well taken care and they would turn their young boys into men. This is just the beginning of the politeness showed by the