Recognize Perspectives
The Mission
In English, we watched The Mission and took notes over the themes of the movie, and the meaning behinds its characters. This movie fits within the pillar of Recognize Perspectives, because the movie showcases a transformation process for one of the central characters, in which he shifts his perspective from a heartless slaver and killer, to realizing the plight of the natives and becoming an important figure for them as a priest. Furthermore, the notes we took helped us explore in more detail the pillar of Recognize Perspectives, as it the notes assisted us in absorbing more information by guiding us in seeing some of the subtler details of the movie, such as the conflict and transformation of the Cardinal, and how the priests themselves shifted to a more defensive stance, rather than passive one, during the climax of the movie. This source addresses my overall question in that it showcases a political struggle for land that that is rooted in greed and desire for economic domination. The sprawling Jesuit missions are very wealthy and operate under a more communal system that runs contrary to the more plutocratic and capital dominated systems of the Spanish and Portuguese. |
Zinn Chapter 7: As Long as Grass Grows or Water Runs
For APUSH we read, annotated and discussed Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States, specifically chapter 7, in which Zinn details what interaction were like between early Americans and the Natives Americans, especially with regards to Western Expansion beyond the Appalachian mountains. This reading fits within the pillar of Recognize Perspectives because it gives us a less than romantic look into Western expansions, granting us access to more native-centric viewpoint otherwise ignored by conventional historical sources. Furthermore, the discussion we had following the reading, supported the concept of the pillar in that it allowed us an open forum to detail our thoughts about the text, granting us new insights from our fellow peers. Thus we experienced a new perspective not only from the unorthodox nature of the text but also from our fellow classmates. Finally, this source addresses my overall question fairly explicitly: the focus of the chapter is on the treatment of natives by settlers from America and the details of Indian Removal do well to answer the simple question of American greed. |
Empire of the Summer Moon
In AP English we read and annotated chapters 2 and 3 of Empire of the Summer Moon, of which, the second chapter explained the story that would come to create the infamous Quanah Parker, the third chapter explaining the story of the tribe he would come to inherit as leader. This book fits within the pillar of Recognizing Perspectives because the brutal, raw actions of the Comanche often do not come to full magnitude in our culture, given the sheer horror of these events. Simply put, the side of native/settler conflict we are exposed is whitewashed compared to the truth. Furthermore, the later chapter supports the pillar as well, in shifting from a narrative perspective to a more objective historical one, giving context to the brutality that was detailed in the previous chapter. All in all, the book gives a unique perspective on an old cliche, of a settler kidnapped and terrorized by the Comanche but now the full consequences of such actions are put out in full view. This source addresses my question in that it shows early contact between the white man and the Comanche and the beginning of a long a brutal war for the Southern plains, in which land hungry settlers warred with the prolific and dangerous Comanche. |
Puebloan River Tour Guide from New Mexico
While in New Mexico, we had the honor of floating down the Rio Grande with a Puebloan tour guide who informed us upon the culture and lifestyle of his people in the modern day. His testimony to the contemporary lifestyle of the Pueblo is an invaluable primary source in Recognizing Perspectives different from our own, as the experience of meeting one who is of and lives in the culture (semi)foreign to your own is nigh impossible to replicate on paper. The descriptions provided by the guide do well to paint a picture of a native culture doing its best to preserve itself though crafts, dance and religion, important aspects of the Pueblo of yesteryear, which continue to be important now. Essentially the perspective of the guide was not one normally experienced and was overall very insightful. Upon asking the guide the nature of the Pueblo and the economy, I was interested to learn of the Pueblos subsistence style living, especially with regards to the nature of farming in the Pueblo. Seemingly, the Pueblo wishes to be self-sufficient in a country that engages in commercialization above all else, a value that is both respected by contemporary Americans, and ignored for lack of profit. The Pueblo was not rich, but that did not seem an issue to the guide, yet another major cultural difference between the USA and its natives. |
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
In Spanish 4 we read a poem by Sor Juana Ines de las Cruz and watched a portion of a biographical drama that dramatizes the early life of Juana Ines, a real life women who is renowned for her skill at language and for her views on femininity which were extremely modern for the time. Her poem fits the description of Recognizing Perspectives for multiple reasons. One, the poem is among the older pieces we have read, the words being put to pen at a time in which the New World was still a very much unexplored and alien environment. Second, Juana Ines writes in a heated and argumentative way, in contrast to the expectations of women at the time, especially a nun. Her fiery voice and accusatory message towards the men of her time makes her such an interesting poet and gives a fascinating perspective on 17th century Spanish-Mexican colonial culture. The show also does well to show another Perspective of Juana Ines, this time as younger woman finding her away around colonial Spain. In this rendition, Juana Ines' interacts with the various natives on the show, as she is able to speak their language despite being of Spanish blood. This addresses my overarching question in that it showcases early economic divisions between natives and the Spanish ruling class in the New World, a perspective that American's often hear about but do not fully understand, as Anglo-Native relations were very different from those between natives and Spanish. |