Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the themes of culture, dignity and self-respect in Native-American short stories. "Borders" by Thomas King, for example, is a short story about a mother and a boy who belong to the Blackfoot tribe living on a Canadian reservation. The story is told from the boy's perspective and is a remembrance of an experience he and his mother endured while trying to cross the border between Canada and the United States. Other stories analyzed within this paper include "How to Write the Great American Indian Novel" by Sherman Alexie, "Captivity" by Lousie Erdrich, "Captivity" by Lousie Erdrich and "Indian Boarding School: The Runaways" by Lousie Erdrich.

From the Paper:

"To analyze 'How to Write the Great American Indian Novel' by Sherman Alexie, it is important to understand the term 'horse culture' because it is a metaphor mentioned throughout the piece time and time again. The term horse culture is metaphorically used to sarcastically imply a superior culture--stronger, braver, more prosperous, and more beautiful.
"The term 'half-breed' is also used over and over again. The author mentions that the hero should be a half-breed--half white, and half Indian. This implies that being half white makes the Native American look less ethic, more commercially appealing, more acceptable as a human being to the dominant white culture. The author further brings this message home by saying that the Indian woman '...should be compared to nature: brown hills, mountains, fertile valleys, dewy grass, wind, and clear water.' Here he is trying to emphasize a Caucasian commercialized perception of a beautiful Native American woman--something from Disney's Pocahontas--not a real woman."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Fox, B. (2003). Native American Culture: Indian Horse Culture. Retrieved from theWorld Wide Web on 10 October 2007: http://lengendsofamerica.com
• Purdy, J. and Ruppert, J. Nothing but the Truth: An Anthology of Native American Literature. Prentice Hall, 2001

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