Characteristics Of The Noble Savage

Vanity, infidelity and envy once seen as transgressions, have now been normalized by the capricious acts of society. Failing to regulate to society’s ever changing norms makes one an outcast. Their actions deemed erroneous and caustic to the way of life. In like manner, this is not the first time outcasts have stayed within one’s midst. Olympian gods have defied their “high horse” by violating the canons of god like behaviour, yet instead of being isolated these Olympian gods are put on pedestals. The early people are blinded by their need for explanation that they do not see that; although the Olympians were gods they had very human frailties.

The frequent depiction of the “Noble Savage” trope has many functions, with its main function being to portray Native Americans as sinless uneducated humans and to make their abusers and torturers seem evil and superior, which in most cases the torturers are indeed evil. Bartolomé de Las Casas and Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca use the “Native Savage” trope for different reasons, which makes their portrayal different, and not because they are writing about different tribes and groups of Native Americans. The “Noble Savage” is a very common adaptation of Native Americans, but the definition isn’t as pretty as the name of the trope may seem to be.

I saw the play “The Curious Savage” written by John Patrick. This play was directed by Jocelyn Sanders at the Harbison Theatre, which I attended on June 24, 2016 at 8pm. I arrived early to get a good look at the theatre, the set-up of the stage, and to get my notes together before the play started. The Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College is a small, yet inviting community theatre. The theatre was set up in three large rows of seats, which were situated separately from the stage and actors.

In the film “The Gods Must Be Crazy” by Jamie Uys, there is a contrast between the primitive and the civilized society. The civilized society has come a long way since its primitive days. Its hard to imagine that there are still people in this world that live without the advantages and developments of a civilized society. Those living in a civilized society would must likely believe that their society is better than that of a primitive society, but like wise a primitive society would think their society is better. In this essay, a comparison will be made between the different traits that make up these two different societies.

John the Savage’s view of civilization was greatly enhanced after he left the sheltered community of his tribe. When he first arrives in “utopia” London, he is amazed by the aesthetic of the city and the people who live there; here he recognizes how different the paradisal city is from the barbarous environment of his tribe. John exclaims,“how many godly creatures are there here! How beautiful mankind is!” (129). John is exemplifying the value of learning a new culture and religion from the perspective of one who has been sequestered

The governing legal, moral and religious codes of ancient civilizations were written and enforced by a minority that exercised power and authority over the majority. This minority consisted of priests, rulers and elites with established power and influence in society. In these codes of early civilizations, there was an overarching emphasis on maintenance of structure and order in society. Simply put, while these codes reflect the conditions, needs and values of the times in which they were formulated, they also unveil the authors’ agendas to preserve their power by maintaining the status quo. Therefore, these codes acknowledge and uphold the prevailing social, gender and racial inequalities as natural conditions of human existence and reveal the manifold biases present in early civilizations.

The Noble Savage was the concept of a superior primitive man uncorrupted by civilization who lives under just and reasonable laws. In the book, John Savage was an unfettered

Then, upon hearing stories of native groups cannibalizing their enemies, early European explorers perpetuated this belief. As a result, the Europeans were given the justification of bringing “civilization” to the “noble savage”. This belief of European superiority was used to excuse despicable acts

The last one are the District 9. The movie District 9 is considered of an example of the noble savage because the alien is peaceful and undisturbed before the human enter the ship. Before the human enter the ship the pawns is nearly dying because their ship is out of power, but they live in harmony not violent. After the human enter the ship and take all the prawns all out the ship they became more violent and aggressive. They start the riot across the country and the citizen want the prawns to leave their country and never return.

Literature is one of the most powerful and revealing aspects of a society. In ancient Greek society, Homer’s The Odyssey provides a detailed insight into the values of this intricate culture. In particular, this epic discusses the ways in which the deathless gods influence the fates of the mortals. The overall impact of the gods’ power is the mental straining that emerges from the unrelenting conflict of man versus immortal. Likewise, the actions and misfortunes of others also catalyze this extremely significant and powerful mental battle. Homer’s The Odyssey reveals the values of ancient Greece by portraying the intrapersonal struggles between a person’s self-determined honor and his/her worthiness in the eyes of the Gods. This underlying

Wells, Peter. Barbarians to Angel: The Dark Ages Reconsidered. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2008

Some civilizations perish into ashes, and others supersede the former and ascent to power. Ancient Greece is one such example, rising to the apex of its glory, and as history is depicted to repeat itself, the future was simultaneously on a quest to bring about its diminution. Although this cycle is inevitable, we are blessed by our biological programming to relay the chronicles of such civilizations through stories. Literature allows us to peek through the fabric of time and gain insight into the ideals a civilization was structured upon. Examining the Odyssey will allow us to view the values the Ancient Greeks were reliant on, and how those values and brought about the indomitable hero

The world of Late Antiquity is written by Peter Brown, a Professor of History at Princeton University. This book is an entertaining introductory text to the Late Antique period, AD 150 to 750. Brown delivers an entertaining account and perspective of how and why the Late Antique world came to differ from “Classical civilization.” Instead of focusing on the cause and effect of the civilization’s downfall, Brown emphasizes the changes that occurred and men’s reaction to them. His thesis centers around social and cultural changes and specifically states:

When most people hear the word “Barbarian” they often think about the negative things that barbarians have done instead of the positive things that barbarians have done. It is stated in the section titled “Were the Barbarians a Negative or Positive Factor,”

The notion of human nature has always been historically debated. Explores, philosophers, and writers have always come to argue on what is considered to be barbarism, savagery, and civilized. These constructed categories have put a label on people who do not share the same ideas as one another. These different views of human nature have come to propel change and have come to revolutionized human history. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Michel de Montaigne, and Thomas Hobbes all differ on their ideas of human nature, but they also share common ground. For some of these men the practices of different cultures are categorized as savagery, and for others it has been viewed as noble savagery. Their ideas however have allowed society to view different perspectives of human nature. These perspectives have classified human nature as a way of life, or as an obstacle to what is consider to be the good life. Their ethnographic resources provide a glimpse to all the different cultures and their value to society and history.