Indigenous Perspective Essay Example for Free

Indigenous Perspective Essay I agree with Professor Acuna and his historical statement. Along with Linda Tuhiwai Smith, their interpretations of the colonization of the Americas has long since been scene as the rape of a country for it’s riches, resourced and land is evident. The impact of the Catholic Church (I am catholic) at this time in history was one of the most devastating blows to the indigenous peoples of America, and the beginning an effort to wipe their cultures and history form the global historical record. The pillage of gold and the exploitation of the indigenous people clearly funded the beginning of Europe’s rapid expansion leading up to the Industrial Revolution. Without the vast amount of gold and wealth taken from the continent, Europe would have taken much more time to amass its wealth and the economical ability to pursue colonization around the globe. It is the perspective of the authors from both readings that our history from the perspective of currently accepted research is flawed. They claim, from an ethnocentric focus, any research conducted by a non-indigenous researcher is to re-inscribe a Western view. I agree that to legitimate and be considered â€Å"real† knowledge as they term it, such research should be from the perspective of an indigenous author. In addition, my perspective is that any non-indigenous researcher has to immerse themselves into the culture being studied. Smith especially argues that western research and critiques’ are but the cultural assumptions by a dominant culture, namely non-indigenous Americans. I think that Acunas adamant declarations asserting his self professed socialist views; that there is â€Å"insidious ethnic prejudice woven into the fabric of American culture†, and that minorities with an emphasis on Chicano and African culture are in fact victims of American society seems to be eccentric, but it does have the indication of validity to it. It was interesting to note that Professor Acuna actually had to go to court, in order to in order to obtain a position at an Institute of American Higher Education. Perhaps this is one of the best examples of his view on ethnic prejudice. I does seem to me that our current views on the history of the Americas should be expressed from the view of the ethnic culture that experienced it. What we read in grade school history books, does not tell us the perspective of the people who actually experienced colonization and its effects. The Mesoamerican’s were nearly wiped out and their cultures were devastated. These interpretations are clearly lacking. We are taught our history through rose-colored glasses that obstruct our vision of the destruction, enslavement, and rape of the early Americas through colonization of South and Central America. We are not taught that the cultures were largely wiped out by disease spread be their conquerors, or that the entire history of their culture was put to torch by catholic priests. Very few of the documents written by scribes of those cultures survived and exist today. What does exist is an enigma.

Changes in Rita and Frank in Acts One and Two Essay -- Educating Rita

Changes in Rita and Frank in Acts One and Two Nicola White The ways in which Russell portrays the changes and developments in the characters of Rita and Frank in Act 1 scene 1 and Act 2 scene 1 of Educating Rita The play ‘Educating Rita’ written by Willy Russell explores the life of Rita, a twenty-six year old woman from a working class background, who is trying to find a new identity by becoming more independent, educated and cultured. Rita goes to the Open University and meets her tutor Frank. She is determined to learn from him and will not let anything step in her way. On closer analysis of Act 1 scene 1 and Act 2 scene 2 of this play and the changes in the relationship between Frank and Rita in these two scenes. When Rita enters Frank’s office at the beginning of Act 1 she is very talkative and excited. Frank is having problems with his life but he makes an obvious connection with Rita. In Act 2 scene 1 Rita returns from her holiday she is more mature and also widely educated and does not have to completely rely on Frank anymore. He does not approve of this and tries to become very controlling over Rita. In ‘Educating Rita’ there are two acts. In the first act there are eight scenes and there are seven scenes in the second, fifteen altogether. This whole book is over a one year period and Frank and Rita are the only two spoken characters in the play. The scene is set at the Open University inside Frank’s office in England. This is effective because it shows you how the characters change but the setting will always stay the same. It shows the change more effectively. Frank’s office is very dark, there are a lot of books against the wall, a large bay window and a large painting Rita describes a... ...en in a dark office for so long. â€Å"It hasn’t been opened for generations,† Frank explains to Rita. At the end of Act 2 scene 1 Rita uses higher vocabulary words and recites a poem by William Blake. She explains the Frank how they covered Blake at summer school and Frank is a bit shocked but also disappointed that he cannot teach her Blake. Frank thinks more of Rita than just her tutor and friend, he has stronger feelings for Rita but she does not notice at all. Rita and Frank have become closer; the audience knows Frank has feelings for Rita although she does not. Rita’s change in Character makes her more exciting and willing, but Frank seemed to like her better in Act 1 scene 1. Rita sees Frank as someone she an share things with in Act 1 but in Act 2 scene 1 she does not tell him she has a new flat mate or some other new things happening in her life.

Jacksonian democrats Essay

Thomas Jefferson was consistently inconsistent by switching from a strict constructionist view to a broad interpretation on the constitution to support his political views. Similarly, Jacksonian democrats occasionally altered their belief of being guardians of the political democracy, individual liberty, economic opportunity, and the Constitution to suit their purposes. President Andrew Jackson had several ways of ensuring political democracy thus he is regarded as a guardian of it. The spoils system is an example of Jackson stressing political democracy. According to Senator William Marcy the spoils system was acceptable since the benefits of winning should go to the winner. He supports this thought by saying, â€Å"To the victor belongs the spoils.† The spoils system allowed Jackson â€Å"Old Hickory† to rid his opponents of government jobs and award them to his supporters the â€Å"Hickoryites.† Another example of political democracy is rotation in office. Rotation in office is what Jackson utilized to incorporate the â€Å"common man† into a government role. Jackson believed that any man was capable of doing the job. â€Å"Every man is as good as his neighbor,† he declared, â€Å"perhaps equally better.† The inevitable dilemma that arises from Jackson’s notion on political democracy is that illite rates, incompetents and crooks obtained positions of public trust. The result of this was Samuel Swartwout, the collector of customs at the port of New York, stole a million dollars from the government. Jackson, although he was a rich aristocrat at the time of his election, might have been influenced to raise the common man on a pedestal as a result of him having been born poor. One of his first acts as president was to invite the working class of America to his inaugural. The White house was only emptied upon a rumor that said spiked punch had been served on the lawns. As a result, the inaugural is often referred to as the â€Å"inaugural brawl† and Jackson being the leader of the common people was called, â€Å"King Mob.† This represented what Jackson emphasized and that was the importance of individual right. Jackson believed that it was unfair for power to be in the hands of an elite few. Therefore, he advocated the rights of the common man through his land policy. His land policy would allow people to expand  further into the west. The more obtainable land there was signified a higher electorate. Jackson’s belief of rotation in office allowed average men to try their hand at government. Rotation in office is something which had been previously limited to the aristocratic elite since they were the only ones viewed as capable of managing the job. His success in achieving basic individual rights is shown in Doc. D. when Harriet Marineau, a British visitor to the United States reported that she had seen every man as an independent citizen and controversies â€Å"of which the people were to be judges.† However, the concept of individual liberty is not applied to minorities such as the blacks and Indians. This is seen in Document E. when Philip Hone, a New York City businessman describes riots in Eastern cities. â€Å"The spirit of riot and subordination to the laws†¦appears to have been produced by†¦ hostility to the blacks and an indiscriminate persecution of all whose skins were darker than those of their enlightened fellow citizens.† Document G also demonstrates that individual liberty was only directed towards whites. If individual liberty had been meant for all the Indians would not have been removed from their homeland. Further proof of whites against minorities is represented in Document A when George Henry Evans explains that all men are created equal, and allowed the rights of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Obviously, the Indians, immigrants and blacks were not granted these rights to individual freedom. Jackson was a guardian of the economy since he supported economic opportunities. To make sure that economic opportunities were achieved Jackson had to be anti big business. A big business tended to monopolize a certain part of the economy and not allow other businesses to expand and earn money. He wanted to ensure that the economy was not in the hands of a few rich men. In 1835 Jacksonian Roger Brooke Taney replaced Federalist John Marshall as Supreme Court judge. In 1837, a case known as Charles River Bridge versus Warren Bridge was about monopolies and charters. Two companies wanted to build bridges across the Charles River, but only one had a long standing charter. In the Marshall Court, the ruling would have been that the contract was stronger than the interests of anything else. But, under the  Jacksonians, it was ruled that the interests of the people were more important then any charter. Jackson viewed the bank as unconstitutional and undemocratic. In Document B Jackson describes the bank as incompatible with the Constitution he also says, â€Å"The present Bank of the United States†¦ enjoys an exclusive privilege of banking†¦almost a monopoly of the foreign and domestic exchange.† Therefore, when Henry Clay proposes a bill to congress in 1832 that would recharter the bank four year before needed Jackson vetoes it. After this Jackson bleeds the bank dry by removing federal deposits and started placing surplus money in â€Å"pet banks† which were pro-Jackson banks. The nullification issue emerged due to the Tariff of Abominations which protected it us from European competition. It angered South Carolina since they had to buy expensive manufactured goods and had to sell crops on an unprotected market. As a result of the high tariff Britain does not purchase as many goods as it previously did. The south also feared the tariff as a possible foothold for later federalist interference with slavery in the southern states this was brought on by a the South Carolina Cxposition written by John Calhoun which stated that the federal government has a compact with the states and that the state conventions had the power to declare laws unconstitutional and states should nullify the tariff. The tariff of 1832 was null and void they undertook the necessary military preparations and threatened to secede from the union if the United states government came to collect the customs and duties by force. Jackson was furious because he was against nullification therefore he quietly prepared an army and passed the force bill which authorized the president to use the army and navy to collect fed tariff duties. Henry Clay, although a supporter of the tariff influenced the compromise tariff of 1833 which said that the tariff would be reduced by 10% over a period of 8 years. By 1842 it would be back at 20-25%.Through Jackson’s aggressive reaction of South Carolina threatening to secede from the state we can see that Jackson believes in states rights. However, if he has to choose, the union comes before states rights. Being a guardian of the constitution means protecting many things at one time  since the constitution is basically a summary of the rights we possess. The rights that had to be protected were individual liberty, and economic opportunity among other things and the Jacksonians were not guardians of these rights. The time Jackson was president tends to be regarded as the â€Å"Age of the Common Man.† The reason as to why is that Jackson attempted to incorporate the â€Å"common man† into the current political& economic situation. The type of common man that was favored by Jackson was a poor westerner who desired land, freedom of choice, and a say in politics. He succeeds in incorporating the common man into politics through Rotation in office and involving them in government rallies. However, the problem with improving the common man was that anyone else who would fall out of this category: women, slaves, Native Americans, wealthy, Easterners, Northerners, were often den ied their own rights which is a direct violation of the constitution. (Doc D). The exempting of those who wouldn’t fit the category of the common man, helped stress universal manhood suffrage. Jackson’s personal view of the Bank of the United States was that it was unconstitutional. However, John Marshall had made it very clear in McCulloch vs. Maryland that the bank was constitutional. Jackson believed that preservation of the union preceded states rights. This was an unconstitutional view considering it was the states who had created the government. Therefore, if the government was stepping it’s rights the states could protest against the government’s actions. The first amendment is violated in Document F when the U.S. Post office suppresses abolitionist mail into the South. The reason why this was done to keep the multitude from finding out which would have motivated many to become anti-slavery. The Jacksonians could be described as two-faced considering they were for the common man while being a part of the aristocratic elite. They attempted to promote economic opportunities by eliminating the Bank of the United States. The Panic of 1937 was a repercussion of removing the bank yet Jackson succeeded in his main effort. His main focus was retrieving power from Nicholas Biddle, the owner of the bank. The belief of Union preceding states was utilized to assert the power of the executive branch. Finally, Jacksonian democracy did allow more people to vote than ever before and made government more directly responsible to the people.

An Analysis Of Hidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff

â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism† by Gerald Graff Albert Einstein once said everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole existence thinking it is stupid. There are many students who relate to that fish believing they are unintelligent and useless. Believing that they cannot possibly succeed in the education system. The education system is failing to teach students and bring out their maximum potential. Everyday thousands of students drop out of school because they are failing to succeed. Gerald Graff argues in his article â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism Ã¢â‚¬  that the educational institution are failing to nurture students. He believes that some students would be more willing to learn and have better†¦show more content†¦That is one reason why students who are labeled as â€Å"geeks or nerds† do good in school and student who are labeled as â€Å"street smarts† do worse in school. The students who a re labeled as street smarts struggle in school because what is being taught is not something they can relate to or find interest in. Those students who struggle in school are not â€Å"stupid† or â€Å"lazy† they have a form of intellectualism that need to be developed. Students can’t be judged because they are having trouble succeeding in school when its the schools fault for not trying to reach the students who are labeled as street smart just the ones who are labeled as â€Å"geeks† or â€Å"nerd†. Students are taught to be book smart in school instead of street smarts because people assume intellectually intelligence come from book smart and overlook street smarts. Being book smart is an excellent quality, but simply teaching students what is only in the books can be dull and can further discourage students who already perform poorly in school. 75% of students reveal that the materials taught in school is not interesting or engaging, and if t he materials are not interesting, then student are not going to pay attention or want to learn the materials. What is being taught in school has not changed in a long time. Everything in the world has evolved phones, cars, the internet, hair, clothingShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Article Hidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff Essay1642 Words   |  7 Pages1 In the time surrounding the 1950s, intellectualism was hostilely viewed by most, and was a subject towards which division and ambivalence were pointed. Book-smarts and intellectualism were contrasts to regular life. The article â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism† is written by a man named Gerald Graff, an English and Education professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago. In his article, Graff argues with a compelling case, that not only is intellectualism found in the academic world, but can alsoRead MoreHidden Intellectualism Gerald Graff Analysis787 Words   |  4 Pages In Gerald Graffs short essay, â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism,† he explains people are intelligent in their own unique way, but educators must help adolescents convey their intellects into a classroom setting. Graff targets students, teachers, and administration to educate them about a hidden intellectualism that can be found outside a classroom setting. Schools and colleges might be at fault for mis sing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts channel them into good academic work; Gerald GraffRead MoreHidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff Analysis1055 Words   |  5 Pages2017 Brains in the Shade In the article â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism,† the author Gerald Graff analyzes the difference of being book smart and being street smart. It questions why being book smart is seen superior to being street smart. Gerald Graff compares book smart intellectuals and street smart intellectuals. He thinks that people who are street smart are people who are not given the chance to show that they actually are intelligent. Graff states that he used to consider himself street smartRead MoreHidden Intellectualism Summary Analysis - Gerald Graff814 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿In Hidden Intellectualism by Gerald Graff, he begins with the argument of â€Å"street-smarts† versus â€Å"school-smarts†. Graff explains that school-smarts can be hidden within street smarts and can be learnt through not just talking with friends, but also from the media and our surroundings, hence the â€Å"hidden† intellectualism. He goes onto explain that â€Å"schools and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street-smarts† (198) because these types of intellectualism are actually considered anti-intellectualismRead MoreGerald Graf : An Analysis Of Hidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff 1033 Words   |  5 Pagesthere, she became a federal police officer for the U.S. Postal Service. Working her way up, she was able to become a successful manager at a postal plant. But to get there, she needed the basic knowledge of secondary education. Gerald Graff, the author of Hidden Intellectualism, makes a valid point in stating that schools overlook the intellectual capability of street smarts. While this part of his argument is true, I do not believe that colleges, as well, ignore non-academic thinkers. In higher educationRead MoreHidden Intellectualism Gerald Graff Rhetorical Analysis Essay853 Words   |  4 PagesIn the article â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism† written by Gerald Graff, Graff target college students to inform them about a hidden intellectualism that can be found in our everyday society. In the article Graff draws attention to the many types and ways different people can identify with intellectualism. He argues that people are intelligent in several way s and just need to learn how to plug the intellectualism they enjoy into a school-like setting during classes. He exemplifies this by using his own intellectRead MoreHidden Intellectualism : Beyond The Books1551 Words   |  7 PagesSophia M. Huss Professor John S. Benson English 102-05 16 September 2016 â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism†: Beyond the Books We have all been in the position where we have had the option between writing a dissertation on some academic subject, the Industrial Revolution for example, or the generally more favored option of watching football or reading about who Taylor Swift is dating now. Many would argue that while they would rather spend their time scrolling through social media and keeping up with the latestRead MoreEssay on Incorporating the Best of Both Worlds1371 Words   |  6 Pagescomes to common sense or reality. In â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism,† by Gerald Graff, author of They Say I Say and professor of English at the University of Illinois in Chicago, argues many different points on the two. With his many distinctive arguments throughout the reading I coincide with Graff when he shows us that, yes street smarts is favored, but fundamentally, incorporating street smarts and book smarts together will have the best outcome. Gerald Graff gives his own experience from when heRead More`` Jimmy Santiago Bac Poetry As Lifesaver, And Gerald Graff s Hidden Intellectualism927 Words   |  4 Pagesand Gerald Graff in both these essays, Rob Baker’s â€Å"Jimmy Santiago Baca: Poetry as Lifesaver† and Gerald Graff’s â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism†, they talk about their experiences with how they got to wanting to inspire kids to write. Jimmy Santiago Baca and Gerald Graff both want to inspire kids to want to write, but Baca believes that you should write about yourself through poetry and Graff believes that you should write about things that interest you to want to write. The ways that Baca and Graff wantRead Moreâ€Å"There Must Be Many Buried Or Hidden Forms Of Intellectualism1360 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"There must be many buried or hidden forms of intellectualism that do not get channeled into academic work†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Graff 22), this said by non-other than Gerald Graff himself within his article â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism†. This quote being his overall main point of the entire article. Graff meaning that students can be intellectual even if they feel like they aren’t a book smart student. Graff argues that students who are street smart could also be intellectual. Within Graff’s article, there are a few arguments