"Noble Savage," Helen Hunt Jackson, and Zitkala Sa Readings

These readings were really interesting, and for the most part I wanted to be able to keep on reading more about these entries. It dumbfounds me on how inhumane and unacceptable a certain race can be towards people of another race. Just because someone's skin is darker and they believe in different religions or ways to live doesn't mean that they should be treated horribly or called "savages." In the Helen Hunt Jackson entry The Ponca indians did nothing to deserve what they had brought down upon them. They should not have had to go through starvation and exile. They met American settlers with open arms towards peace, and in the end got shot in the back. I'm very surprised that excerpts like this were able to be published during the 19th century, and after they were people still did little for the Native Americans.

Zitkala Sa's story as a young indian girl was very interesting. It showed a first person point of view from the Indians that isn't often found in literature talking about the Old West. You could definitely feel the animosity her mother felt towards the white settlers moving into the west. Her accounts as a young girl show how innocent and unknowing she was about their situation. At least she was given a chance to be educated in school, but I think you can educate someone while still having the respect to let them keep their culture and heritage. The missionaries didnt have to Easternize them just to teach them.