Humanities & Classics 1003
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Revolutions Forum
Humanities & Classics 1003 |
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Liberation, according to Gloria K. Fiero was "one of the most potent themes of the twentieth century." The two major types of liberation movement were the effort by colonial nations of the world to achieve political, economic, and ethnic independence; and the demand for racial and sexual equality. Both of these are portrayed in the movie Thunderheart. The fight for independence and the harshness of racism are also illustrated through the writings and visual arts of the twentieth century. After reading and watching these works, the realizations of racism and the fight for independence have brought out a more powerful meaning to me.
One of Thunderheart's main highlights is racism. According to Webster's dictionary, racism is defined as animosity shown to peoples of different race. This is held true to the fact that the FBI are discriminate toward the Indians. They can't remember their names so they just make up names for them like "crowfoot" and "crowbeak." By doing this the whites are mocking the Indians. When Ray first arrives at the reservation he is sceptical about the Indians. Even though he is part Sioux, Ray is a little afraid of them. After getting to know them and become friends, he realizes that they are his people too. At the end of the movie he may have actually felt closer to the Indians that the whites. Racism is also displayed through all the road blocks on the Reservation. This shows that people aren't trusted, mainly the whites by the indians. The road blocks are there so the Indians can make sure they know who and what goes in and out of the reservation. Thus, racism is a very important topic in Thunderheart.
Racism, along with discrimination is also illustrated in the writings and visual arts of the twentieth century. In Wole Soyinka's poem Telephone Conversation, an African is looking for a place to stay in London. People who rent rooms sometimes do not take in Africans. The lady the African is speaking to asks him "How dark?... Are you Light or very Dark?" refering to his skin color. The man is very offended but continues the conversation. He trys to convince her to see him in person. This is an excellent piece of poetry that illuminates the racist views towardsAfricans. Another great piece of literature which portrays racism and discrimination is Virginia Woolf's If Shakespeare Had A Sister. The main point in this writing is that "men are the superior sex." It also states that "wifebeating was a recognized right of man and was practiced without shame by high as well as low..." If Shakespeare had a sister with all the potential and gifted assets like her brother, she would not be given a chance, not even to attend school. She is a woman, she has to do chores. Personall, I think if women like Virginia Woolfe hadn't gotten up the courage to stand up for themselves and write, life would still be miserable and discriminative towards women.
Finally, both Thinderhear and the writings and visual arts of the 20th century portray the fight for independence. Indians had to fight for their independence against the white FBI agents. They knew something suspicious was going on and when one of them found out she was murdered. Before she died she told Ray what was going on. When the whites were digging for Uranium, they were dumping it in the river, thus polluting the drinking water for the Indians. They gought honorably to get the whites out of there so they could regain their independence. In the writings and arts of the 20th century brought forth gender independence. Women wer not allowed to recieve an education, let alone write or paint. Women got so upset and went against the social norm placed upon them and became great literature writers and artists. Some included Virginia Woolfe and Scuplptor Betye Saar who attacked the 'white' icons when she designed "The Liberation of Aunt Jemima." With out these women and many others breaking through their social norms, life for women today would be much more restricted. Thus women have procieded in making an independent life for themselves and the women to follow.
In conclusion, through the numerous literature works and visual arts, one can see how life in the 20th century was both racist and a fight for independence. After wathching Thunderheart, I realized what life was like then. I also realized that if it weren't for many important couragous women, I might not have the chances and opportunities I have now and in the future. I believe not only women, but also minorities will be in a constent battle for independence.