Analysis of Dances With Wolves #2

          After the movie Dances With Wolves came out in the 1990's, the whole Native nations had shown a different side to them to Americans that impressed them greatly and now have a completely different aspect towards them. Films that were produced before Dances With Wolves that had given Americans the wrong impression on Native Americans seeing them as "dumb" in movies but after watching Dances With Wolves they had a new prospective on them. Throughout the film there was a reoccurring theme that was shown in the simplest but the most significant scenes was pathos. Pathos defined to appeal to emotion in sensory images, music, etc. is shown through the landscape throughout First lieutenant Dunbar adventure in the native nation. The uplifting and lightening music when Two Socks kept following Dunbar and Dunbar eventually getting his name Dances With Wolves by the Natives it appealed to the audience that Dunbar had a special connection to that wolf. Towards the end of the film when Dunbar gets taken by the American soldiers Two Socks follows him but gets shot down by the soldiers while sorrow music fulfills the emotions in the audience. In the Native culture it was a ritual to dance around the fire which Dunbar wasn't used to and found quite unusual to him but since being around the Natives for a certain amount of time it eventually became a ritual to him as well. Pathos was present in this specific scene because the beauty of it all was so emotionally appealing. This film does a great job portraying the inspiration with beauty in nature. An example is shown in the scene where they come across thousands of buffalo roaming the landscape and a sigh of glory overcame their faces. Before this symbolic scene the hunters from the tribe had found buffalo that were killed by the Americans. During this time the Americans and all Native nations had a lot of mis communication especially when it came to the killing of animals. As they saw the skinned buffalo laying there in the fields they became angry that people would just leave these could of been useful buffalos but instead put them to waste. The buffaloes mean a lot to the Natives. There's no part of the buffalo that goes to waste using the fur for clothes, the bones for tools, the meat for food, etc.

          The transformation of Dunbar becoming a member of the Sioux Tribe was a slow but noticeable transition starting with when one of the members from the tribe found Dunbar's hat in the valley. Throughout the film there are several scenes after showing the trading between First Lieutenant Dunbar and the Wind In His Hair giving him his ceremonial of chest armor. Dunbar wearing his coat from his uniform traded the the jacket for the chest armor symbolizing the becoming of a powerful friendship. Towards the end of the film where Dunbar gets taken from the American soldiers he was fully dressed like an Native American and questioned them why he was dressed this way. After realizing his life belonged to the Sioux Tribe he then turned his back on his American soldiers helping the very last fight in the film. When getting an invite to stay the night, Dunbar catches Kicking bird(Stands With A Fist's Father) and his wife making love to one another and Dunbar eventually recognizing that making live to each other is part of the human nature. For a long time Americans thought Native's were so different and nothing like them at all from the films before Dances With Wolves. Since this movie has been out for over 10 years Americans have gave Native Americans a new prospective on who they are,  respecting them as human beings.

Analysis of Dances With Wolves

          In the film Dances With Wolves, First lieutenant John J. Dunbar, a soldier who was badly wounded in the American Civil War decided he wanted to do something more with his life. Dances With Wolves triggered back to the 1860's where a lot of soldiers including Dunbar struggled with severe post-traumatic stress caused by awful experiences seen throughout the war. In a scene shown in the film, First Lieutenant Dunbar was severely injured choosing to try and commit suicide rather than have his leg amputated. During that scene with Dunbar riding his horse, he did a christ pose spreading his arms out wide being an easy target to shoot at. He had sacrificed his life ending up surviving his suicide riding through the Confederate front line he was awarded bravery for his appearance as well as picking his own military base in which he can store his supplies and giving him personal shelter. After settling down in at his new post in the western frontier he began to rebuild the abandoned loft. During his time at the post he would observe his thoughts into a daily dairy. Dunbar started questioning why other soldiers weren't joining him but he unfortunately didn't know that the wagon driver by the name of Timmons who took him to the frontier was killed by the native americans who came across him on his way back to Fort Hays. He would write in his dairy the reasoning why soldiers weren't coming but with the death of Timmons there was no one to tell them where Dunbar was. No help from Major Fambrough for committing suicide after awarding Dunbar for his bravery it prevented the soldiers into not knowing where Dunbar was located.

       

          The Pawnee Indians known to dress in ceremonial clothing were a violent tribe scalping their enemies as a symbol showing that they conquered them in which they did when they killed Timmons. Shortly before the killing of Timmons, a Sioux member known as Wind in His Hair found Dunbar at his post in which he tried stealing Dunbar's horse several times. The Wind in His Hair informed the rest of his tribes that there was an American living on their land and stating the fact that Americans don't appreciate anything they do or what they wear. Dunbar finally decided to go find the Sioux Tribe dressing in his uniform symbolizing civilization and preparation to fight. On his journey through the lands he came upon this women alone and hurt. In this scene it shows pathos where he is saving a women and how it makes him heroic. Usually holding the flag like he did when finding the women was expressing the power and dominance he had over everyone else on that land. He rapped the women's arm in the flag ripping it into pieces symbolizing that this wounded women is more important than his country's flag. These specific scenes in Dances With Wolves each have their own significance for symbolizing something so small that viewers wouldn't recognize.

Native American Tribes

          The Cherokee Nation was established in the early 1450’s and every since then they have been recognized for their cultural and social developments. They’re usually found in the eastern and southeastern regions of the United States which were actually the first to inhabit the location before it became present day states including North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, etc. Growing several crops including corn, beans, squash, along with sunflowers and crafting baskets and pottery are frequent hobbies that members do to stay active. Also known to be the one of the largest tribes throughout the world the Cherokee tribe consists of around 288,000 members and are divided into 7 clans who live in permanent villages along rivers and streams. John Ross was the first elected principal chief to lead the Cherokee Nation as well as the senate, and a house of representative. The first women to ever get voted in to be chief of the Cherokee Nation was Wilma Mankiller, a women who who was the principal chief from 1985 to 1995. Back when World War ll was in session Wilma’s mom, dad, and her 10 siblings were forced off of their land by the United States Army along with 45 other families in the tribe. Before dying from stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer on April 6, 2010, Wilma was an author who wrote a book about her being the leader of her nation.

Cherokee Nation's symbol

Wilma Mankiller, first women Chief 

Cherokee Nation's flag

 





The Blackfoot Nation home to over 15,500 members are a well known tribe consisting of hunter-gatherers typically hunting buffalo and following them to wherever they would migrate to.  Although they might transfer to locations where buffalo are present, the Blackfoot Nation usually tend to stay in the northern plains. When it comes to harsh brutal seasons members of the Blackfoot tribe would separate into bands of 10 to 20 villages that have one chief that leads the group of 100 to 200 members. Each leader was handily picked to their ability of the success they had during war and their experiences with ceremonies along with how wealthy they are. In the summer, the Blackfoot nation would re gather into a big group again and conduct a ceremonial known as the Sun Dance. The Sun Dance is a time where the Blackfoot tribe gathers and celebrates rituals and warrior society, recognizing members of the tribe for their brave and courageous acts they did. The buffalo hunts led to supplying food for the ceremony. When the sun dance ceremony is over, the process continues separating into smaller groups and the hunting of buffaloes begin again. Becoming a member of the Blackfoot Nation in 1954, Earl Old Person was nominated to be a lifetime chief of the Blackfoot Nation in the year 1978. From 1964 to 2008 Old Person was a tribal chairman, and became a member of the Blackfoot Tribal Business Council in 1954. Earl has also become a memory for not just the tribe itself but the whole state of Montana who was awarded the hall a fame of Montana in 2007.

Earl Old Person, a lifetime chief and hall of fame of Montana

Blackfoot Nation's flag/symbol

Traditional Sun Dance

The Cheyenne tribe who is located in the Great Plains which is now known to be the states Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, etc. In the early 1830’s the tribe is split into two separate groups due to American relocation one becoming the northern Cheyenne living in Montana and the southern Cheyenne living in Oklahoma. The Northern Cheyenne tribe is known to have land that belong to them and having the right to do anything they want to it. Women and men obtain certain roles on a daily routine women typically staying home to cook and clean. Occasionally a woman will become a chief but that was usually taken on by a male. The dirty work was left for the men hunting, protecting, feeding, and defending their families. As many tribes are known for their good hunting ability, the Cheyenne tribe is known to care about freedom and the building of their relationship between them and the creation of the world. When the time came for ceremonies a main ritual men would often do was smoke out of a peace pipe as well as tell stories of their past. Like the Blackfoot tribe, the Cheyenne tribe would migrate to wherever the buffalo would go so the hunting would be easier.

Spiritual leaders of the Cheyenne River Sioux

Cheyenne Nation's flag

 

Cheyenne Nation's symbol

Containing three large groups, the Northern, Eastern, and Western Shoshone living in the Great Basin and Great Plains and all traditionally speak the Shoshoni language. Although they were hunter-gatherers they valued their dreams, visions, and a Creator more than anything. There are several traditional ceremony dances held throughout the year including the scalp dance which women tend to place a pole in the center and dance around it holding an enemy scalp. Also like the Blackfoot tribe, they have a sun dance that happens every summer and starting doing this during the reservation.  

Corbin Harney, a spiritual leader of Shoshone Nation

Eastern symbol of Shoshone Nation

 

Sacajawea a former member of the Shoshone Nation 

They call themselves “The People” in other words known as the Navajo Nation. They would trade their cotton goods and maize for buffalo meat and tools with the Pueblo people. After getting taught how to farm, storytelling, and new rituals by the Puebloans themselves that were soon to be recognized as all those things as well as hunt-gatherers and ceremonial people. Back in the day the Navajos migrated from Central Canada to the Southwest.  When the Spaniards traded sheeps and horses to the Navajo Nation they started to be well known weavers for making rugs and blankets. But they’re not known for just making those specific things what they are also known to make is fashionable clothings such as jewelry and clothes in which the Plains Indians favored them. They started moving westward because of the pressure coming from all the rest of the regions from different nations including the Comanches and the Utes. Today, they live in the four corner area with one of the largest tribal populations of around 300,000 members. Ben Shelly was elected both president and vice president of the Navajo Nation. He was president of Navajo for four years until he lost to former president Joe Shirley Jr in the 2014 elections.

Navajo Nation's symbol

Ben Shelly, former president and vice president for Navajo Nation

Navajo Nation's flag

Work Cited

Cherokee Nation-

"Cherokee - Forced From Their Homeland on the Trail of Tears." Cherokee - Forced From Their Homeland on the Trail of Tears. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.

"Cherokee Nation Home." Cherokee Nation Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.

"Wilma Mankiller." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.

"Wilma Mankiller." Wilma Mankiller. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.

Blackfoot Nation-

"Blackfoot Indian Nation - Real People of Montana." Blackfoot Indian Nation - Real People of Montana. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.

"Earl Old Person." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.

Cheyenne Nation-

"Cheyenne - Warriors of the Great Plains." Cheyenne - Warriors of the Great Plains. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.

"Cheyenne Tribe." The Cheyenne Tribe of Native American Indians. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.

"Cheyenne Indian Fact Sheet." Facts for Kids: Cheyenne Indians (Cheyennes). N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.

Shoshone Nation-

"Shoshone Tribe of the Northwest - Information and History." Shoshone Tribe of the Northwest - Information and History. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.

"THE SHOSHONE INDIANS." Shoshone Indians. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.

Navajo Nation-

"The Navajo Nation - Largest in the United States." The Navajo Nation - Largest in the United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.

"Ben Shelly." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.

"Navajo Nation President Shelly: Thanksgiving Did Not Begin with the Pilgrims - Native News Online." Native News Online. N.p., 27 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.

Death Penalty

       

  Should the death penalty be opposed? Today a lot of people consider the death penalty to be the last alternative instead, favor life in prison from past years of innocent people getting the death penalty when they shouldn't have. Going into a Pro and Con debate in class about whether or not the death penalty should be used or not is very controversial in the world today. There are many reasons to go back and forth considering giving the death penalty to the criminal or not. When it comes to the victims family it's very hard for them to recover from a loss of a loved one. Usually a victim's family will want to give the death penalty to the criminal to give closure to the family. If the criminal is sent to prison they are still alive to haunt the victim as well as the family. The death penalty should best be relevant to fit the crime of what they did to the victim. The criminals deserve a punishment that is equal to what they did. If the criminal had murdered an innocent person than they earn to get murdered as well to feel the pain the victim did when s/he was punished. After reading The Laramie Project the death penalty was not given to Aaron McKinney because of Matthew Shepard's mother's reasoning for letting Aaron have life in prison instead. That reason being was to let Aaron think about what he did to Matthew and to be grateful that Aaron can celebrate the things that Matthew could never celebrate again. Having the death penalty as an option for criminals who have murdered people in the past is a good alternative to have because of the families that have to deal with the pain of losing their family members. 

          There are many reasons why people in the world dislike the death penalty which is a good thing for the criminal but bad for the victim and for their families and friends. Some think it isn't fair to have the death penalty happen when a criminal has murdered a person instead thinking it's better to keep them in prison for life. The truth is, is the longer the criminal is alive and in prison the more awful and depressing their lives will be. When it comes the day where the criminals die they will be going to another prison which is hell. If they get the death penalty their lives on earth are fast and painless but by them having life in prison will give them longer pain than getting the death penalty. It's useless to give the death penalty to the people who had murdered others because it doesn't change the fact that the victim is gone and never to come back. Through all the anger and sorrow from the family and friends of the victims the only thing they can do is to forgive the criminal for doing such a horrible thing and move on with their lives. Whether or not the death penalty happens to criminals that have murdered another person at the end of the day they are going to live the rest of their lives in hell. If the death penalty is sentenced to a criminal they have a faster painful death than those who have to live a slow brutal life in prison.

The Mysterious Case of Matthew Shepard

 Madison Payne

Ms. Menough- SLCC

Per. 2

November 17, 2014

The Mysterious Case of Matthew Shepard

The small town of Laramie, Wyoming was known for having a Wal-Mart, and for some folk’s non-existent. Today it has a reputation for being the previous home of Matthew Shepard, a college student who was tragically murdered. Matthew’s homosexuality was not a surprise to the residents of Laramie. He was indeed gay, but seen as a normal person to not just his friends and family but to strangers as well. Based on the media stated about the murder of Matthew Shepard, people came to the conclusion that it was in fact a hate crime. But the evidence from other sources including ABC News 20/20 Report: The Matthew Shepard Case, The Book of Matt, and the HBO film of The Laramie Project were shown to be caused by Meth induced rage.

At the ages of 21 years, the names of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson murdered Matthew Shepard in the early morning of October 12, 1998, a day that is unforgettable. Their lives were changed forever after a night of a disastrous affair. After the hate crime of Matthew Shepard homosexual, men around the world have increased having thirty men murdered since Matthew’s case. But the real question is do people actually know what a hate crime is? When the murder had gone public worldwide people started getting very upset starting protests about how hate crimes are wrong. Moisés Kaufman, the author who wrote the play The Laramie Project interviewed other’s opinions and perspectives on whether or not this was a hate crime or not. After writing the play Kaufman noticed that it didn’t just affect individuals but the culture surroundings as well. Laramie being such a small town didn’t know such a thing could happen, impacting and devastating the residents living in Laramie. “You and the straight people of Laramie and Wyoming are guilty of the beating of Matthew Shepard just as Germans who looked the other way are guilty of the deaths… you have taught your straight children to hate their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters…”(Kaufman 53) According to the interviews people were more caught up in the fact that Matthew was gay and murdered because of his homosexuality and thought nothing more of it. People of Laramie starting accusing innocent people for the killing of Matthew stating that it was their fault because they didn’t approve of homosexuals in Laramie. Rebecca Hilliker, the head of the theater department at the University of Wyoming indicated to Kaufman, “Because I was really scared that in the trial they were going to try and say that it was a robbery, or it was about drugs. So when they used “gay panic” as their defense, I felt this is good, if nothing else the truth is going to be told…”(Kaufman 89) As shown in this quote, the people who were interviewed including Rebecca had a strong feeling that this case was a hate crime and never considered it to be a drug incident. The outcome of it all is The Laramie Project has a powerful opinion on the case of Matthew Shepard and how it was all taken place because Matthew intended to be gay.

            Drugs used in the world today such as methamphetamine are very threatening leading up to violence, sleepless nights, as well as hallucinations. The sources that were developed in the ABC News 20/20 Report: The Matthew Shepard Case was stated both Aaron and Russell were under the influence of meth when the murder had taken place. Also stated in the 20/20 clip Aaron and Russell were incapable to sleep for two straight weeks from the side effect of the use of meth. Media was going back and forth whether Aaron, Russell, and Matthew were in the drug scene together, selling drugs to one another and came out to be the truth. Aaron declared to sources saying “Matthew always owed money to Aaron” when he got meth and caused another reason why Aaron had attacked and robbed him that night. Interviewing each individual about the murder, Aaron McKinney had no intentions for what he did was wrong because he was so emotionally drained he didn’t care as much as Russell did regretting the night he could have stopped Aaron. Eventually interviewing Aaron’s girlfriend at the time was told by Aaron himself to say it happened he murdered Matthew because he was gay and when the police arrived at their house she did as she was told. Aaron didn’t want to get caught for the meth he contained and blamed himself for something people still believe is the real truth today. Aaron having a mother who died when he was 16 years of age and Russell being raised by an alcoholic mother didn’t know any better. They grew up making their own decisions, watching their parents drink taught them to do the same because that’s all they knew and was in their everyday life growing up. Both growing up in poor neighborhoods they needed a way to make money. Then they got into the selling of drugs and took the path that led up to this devastating action happening. The night Aaron and Russell went to the bar was suddenly the night that changed not just their lives but also the lives around them. Since Aaron was so intoxicated on meth, Russell decided to take Aaron to the Fireside bar to get Aaron drunk so he wouldn’t hurt anyone but that didn’t last long. Sources say if Aaron wasn’t under the influence of the use of meth Matthew would still be alive today and this wouldn’t even exist. It comes to the conclusion that drugs are very dangerous and can lead to violent things. People always look back on the Matthew Shepard’s murder learning that drugs can have a big impact on changing one selves personality and taking it to the next level of insecurity.

            Stephen Jimenez the author of The Book of Matt took the case into a new perspective as well as the ABC News 20/20 Report: The Matthew Shepard Case on why it was not a hate crime but instead a drug induced rage. He decided to take the case into more depth interviews revealing new facts that weren’t said or ever heard before. Russell Henderson was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time putting himself in prison for life. He was sent to jail for life for the murder that wasn’t even his fault but Aaron’s fault. Stated in the Book of Matt, Jimenez said “Aaron made money to pay for his drugs from having sexual interactions with other men” (Jimenez). The same went with Matthew as well. Aaron admitting that he was bisexual in the book made it easier for Matthew to get drugs from Aaron by doing sexual interactions with each other. Also stated in The Book of Matt, “[w]hat I know for certain is that Aaron McKinney was well acquainted with the businessman Matthew had conferred with at the Fireside”(Jimenez 162). Sources expressed the relationship between Matthew and Aaron and how they had a past before the murder had taken place being involved in the drug scene. Surrounding oneself with a human being that is in use of drugs is never a good place to put oneself in.

            After The Laramie Project came out HBO thought it would be a good idea to create a movie to give viewers more of the image of how the act all happened from the beginning. When watching the movie and comparing it to the book itself it was very successful in hitting the major events that happened as well as organizing the bar, church, and everything else as descriptive to the play as possible which was fascinating. The lack of culture that was acted throughout the movie was very similar to what Kaufman obtained in his interviews with residents in Laramie. Interviewed by Kaufman as well as put in the movie was Jedidiah Schultz, a student who attended University of Wyoming with Matthew at the time said, “ Now, after Matthew, I would say that Laramie is a town defined by an accident, a crime. We’ve become Waco, we’ve become Jasper. We’re a noun, a definition, a sign!” (Kaufman 7) Jedidiah explains to Kaufman that Laramie was this beautiful town and now know to be a crime scene turning into Waco and Jasper were hate crimes had happened developing hatred towards those cities. On June 7, 1998 James Byrd Jr., an African American was a victim of a hate crime in Jasper, Texas. The killers, Shawn Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John King dragged James on the back of their pick up truck for 3 miles leaving James’s body parts throughout those miles. After his head was decapitated the murders through the remaining’s of his body in front of an African American cemetery. The James Byrd Jr. was nothing in comparison to how upset people were when hearing about the Matthew Shepard case. The reason why Matthew’s case was so much more memorable than James’s was because people thought and still think that it was Matthew’s intentions of being gay. Without a doubt the James Byrd Jr. case was a hate crime due to the fact that he was African American and not appreciating them as do more so today. After both murders of James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard an act was eventually passed called the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was based off of these two men that got their lives taken away from them.    

The impact that Matthew Shepard had on the world spread in the matter of days. It has said that hate itself is not a crime, which is carefully illustrated in all hate crime legislation. The difference between James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard’s hate crimes are crucial to one another.  Since James was African American he was murdered and thrown in front of a African American cemetery which was specifically stated by his murders Shawn Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John King. With the Matthew Shepard case being so skeptical on whether or not it was actually a hate crime it was suspicious. But when interviewing Aaron and Russell in prison years later when they were sober from drugs they admitted to 20/20 they were in fact there attacking Matthew for robbery for what he owed to Aaron. Since both were intoxicated on meth the meth itself gave them a bigger ego to go what they did to Matthew that night. To conclude Aaron should be the only one in guilt. With the presence of Russell being there and tying Matthew up to the fence he was to blame for as well. A cold night in early October was the last night Aaron and Russell got to see the world. Whether Aaron murdered Matthew because he was gay or because he was in the use of meth, either way Aaron and Russell deserve life in prison for what they did that night. No one will ever forget the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard changing how some look at homosexuals as well as hate crimes.    

 Work Cited

Kaufman, Moisés. The Laramie Project. New York: Vintage, 2001. Print.

Jimenez, Stephen. The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

"The Role Of Meth In Matthew Shepard's Murder." The Dish. N.p., 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

"Murder of James Byrd, Jr." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

"New Details Emerge in Matthew Shepard Murder." ABC News. ABC News Network, 26 Nov. 2004. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.