This past semester in English 215: Introduction to American Literature, we focused on four pieces of literature, as well as other short literary texts and a handful of context sources. The themes of these novels were violence, death, and human suffrage. Each piece also provided a unique perspective, whether it was from the narrator or from the characters that we were introduced to, and the settings all varied in time periods of history. However, while reading all these pieces of work, I found myself questioning how someone could be driven to the point of being able to viciously attack someone or even commit murder. The collection of books all provide different characters with different motives and backgrounds, yet at least one found it justifiable
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In chapter nine of the book, the main character Zits spends time in an Indian boy’s body that can’t talk because he had his throat cut by a white soldier. During this chapter, Zits witnesses the Indians fighting against Custer and his army at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The most gruesome part of the battle was the aftermath when Zits witnesses “Indian men, women, and children desecrating the bodies of the dead white soldiers.” It is easy to see that Sherman Alexie is showing that the motive of the Indians in this scene is pure hatred for the white soldiers and revenge in the struggle of whether one is superior to the other. However, Alexie also shows the white perspective on hatred of another race in chapter five when Zits is in the body of a white FBI agent and they kill an Indian named Junior in cold blood. Zit’s partner Art, who holds a deep hatred for Indians, demands him to shoot Junior’s dead body, even stating: “shoot him, or I’ll shoot …show more content…
There are many battles and wars that can be referenced to as an example of soldiers or group members participating in acts of violence due to following orders. The U.S. army soldiers from the Wounded Knee Massacre have a direct connection to the acts of violence committed by John Brown and his men. By the command of the higher ranked officials in the army, a squadron of the Seventh Cavalry moved out to Wounded Knee Creek to address complaints made by racist locals that the Indians were trying to start a revolution. As described in an article written by historian Jennifer
In chapter nine of the book, the main character Zits spends time in an Indian boy’s body that can’t talk because he had his throat cut by a white soldier. During this chapter, Zits witnesses the Indians fighting against Custer and his army at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The most gruesome part of the battle was the aftermath when Zits witnesses “Indian men, women, and children desecrating the bodies of the dead white soldiers.” It is easy to see that Sherman Alexie is showing that the motive of the Indians in this scene is pure hatred for the white soldiers and revenge in the struggle of whether one is superior to the other. However, Alexie also shows the white perspective on hatred of another race in chapter five when Zits is in the body of a white FBI agent and they kill an Indian named Junior in cold blood. Zit’s partner Art, who holds a deep hatred for Indians, demands him to shoot Junior’s dead body, even stating: “shoot him, or I’ll shoot …show more content…
There are many battles and wars that can be referenced to as an example of soldiers or group members participating in acts of violence due to following orders. The U.S. army soldiers from the Wounded Knee Massacre have a direct connection to the acts of violence committed by John Brown and his men. By the command of the higher ranked officials in the army, a squadron of the Seventh Cavalry moved out to Wounded Knee Creek to address complaints made by racist locals that the Indians were trying to start a revolution. As described in an article written by historian Jennifer