Avatar: The West And The Rest

In both of the passages, the characters ' intentions to build or justify their pride lead them to compromise or completely disregard on the qualities that make them a human and humane.

Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his

Language can be a powerful tool which can build individuals up but it can also tear them down. When reading Literature through a post-colonial lens it can give us the needed tools to provide or grasp the information in order to reveal the bigger picture in the story. “Post-colonialism examines the manner in which emerging societies grapple with the challenges of self- determination.” (Aladren, 2013) In one way we can see that approach of colonist being conveyed through the native tongue which tends to be taught to its subjects. Such examples can be seen in Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Act1 & 2) and the The Epic of Gilgamesh which illustrates how a “savage” can be domesticated simply by learning the imperialist language. As the subjects Caliban and Enkidu encounter these dominating issues due to the situation they face once they are introduce to oppressors culture.

The central conflict in the story has a large part to play in influencing the development experienced by Connor, which consequently reveals the theme; that in rough situations, life is worth the fight. In this case, the conflict between the societal law of

Alexie’s narrator describes a story of assumption and discrimination through not only the thoughts of the narrator and his life, but also how the narrator explains his thoughts and the diction he uses as he recalls certain moments. Throughout the passage, the narrator demonstrates how isolated he is, not only in the country where hia people are shunned, but also with others that are in a situation similar to his. Not only is there a feeling of loneliness and isolation, but also guilt of relation to how Indians are being treated today. Through stories of realistic fiction, Alexie addresses serious issues that others fail to.

By the 1800s, Europe had gained considerable power- centrally governed nation-states had emerged and the Industrial Revolution had deeply enriched different country’s economies. Advances in science and technology, industry, transportation, and communication provided Western nations with many advantages. Encouraged by their new military and economic prestige, European countries embarked on a path of aggressive expansion that today’s historians call “New Imperialism (1800-1914).” Europeans brought much of the world under their influence and control, dominating various countries politically, economically, and culturally. Though the West reaped the benefits of foreign imperialism, native peoples felt its harmful effects. For example, in Document

On the other hand, Nguyen talks of the language difficulties that she experienced being a Vietnamese in the United States. At first, she is enrolled to a school far from home as it offers bilingual education to help her integrate with the system of learning. She works hard to raise her academic performance with hopes of falling in favor with the teacher. However, as the teacher knows her Vietnamese origin, she manifests her stereotype on Nguyen’s comprehension in literature readings. For instance, while it was her turn to read, the teacher would interrupt her making sentiments such as “you are reading too fast….things she did not do to other students” (Nguyen, 35). She also faces a “school-constructed identity” together with her sister with all sorts of jibes thrown against them. As Vollmer puts it, “such assumptions affect the interpretations made of student behavior and school

Addressing cultural stereotypes can be an extremely difficult task for many individuals, especially when the individuals themselves are being stereotyped. Sherman Alexie’s short story “Flight Patterns” brings about new ideas in regards to Native American Indian people. The main character who is a man William, completely contradicts the stereotype of the typical Indian individual. Although William defies the stereotype of the typical Native American individual he is guilty himself of giving other groups of people stereotypes as well. There are many times in Alexie’s “Flight Patterns” when common preconceptions are both questioned and answered through the thorough examination of the cultural stereotypes in the short story, the thorough discussions that take place between characters, and the

This is the analysis of the native people who were affected by the arrival of the British. As seen in this source there is a boy dressed in all his native clothing and he is outside. Then in the next photo is the same boy, in what looks to be a suit. The boys stance is completely different in the photo before as well. I believe the creator of this photo is trying to show the difference between before the British came and changed the Indians lives and made them do the thing they wanted. This links to globalization because the British practiced there own was and are now trying to force them on different cultures around the world.

The movie Avatar shares many themes with the Age of Imperialism. In the movie, the human protagonist takes the form of a local alien Na'vi in a conflict between humans and the Na'vi. The conflict arises because the humans in the film have arrived at the home of the Na'vi, Pandora, and begun to exploit its resources. At first, they ignored the Na'vi, but their quest for resources is now taking them into direct conflict with the native peoples of Pandora.

grow and mature. Although how we act in these situations defines who we are, the

Throughout the novel he focuses on the notion of language and how being a native speaker provides evidence for one to claim or be seen as a native of America. Chang-Rae Lee

John Fire Lame Deer was a Sioux Indian tribal leader, medicine man, rodeo clown, and storyteller amongst other things. A selection from his autobiography Seeker Of Visions: The Life Of A Sioux Medicine Man titled “Talking to the Owls and Butterflies” is a short piece regarding nature and man’s relationship with it. The piece was intended to make an impression on white people in order to help salvage what is remaining in the environment. Lame Deer reprimands the “white world” for its negative outlook towards nature and the treatment of animals, he converses how man has changed and reshaped nature in order to make it more profitable. Stating that Caucasians have gone and altered animals in order to create

For example, he has a loving family who would always be there to support him. In conclusion, the conflicts in the story, person versus society and person versus self, show the need to be optimistic during tough times.

In James Cameron’s critically acclaimed Avatar, there are many issues/disputes that are represented, but there is only one that especially stands out; cultural assimilation. Cameron’s purpose for this is to better represent and portray the possibility of assimilation to today’s modern audience. He adopts a visually stimulating tone to better impact and leave his viewers with a lasting impression of his portrayal, that will better convey the feelings of transgression in the supremacist audience he is trying to reach. This is known by the type of subject he is tackling and by showing a similar situation, unrelated to the ‘textbook cover’ of Native assimilation, but leaves the same impact.