Dances With Wolves Part 2 Analysis

Towards the middle of the movie Dances With Wolves, the director, Kevin Costner, again utilizes the emotion of the audience. Costner does this again, through the use of pathos: music, sight, sound, and/or sensory images that appeal to emotion. For example, a scene where children are playing and laughing next to a crystal blue river, while they observe their tribes horses walking out of it. This scene is supposed to convince the audience that the Sioux Nation is just as human as the White man through the use of beauty and humane similarities. Coster constantly shows throughout this movie that the White man is selfish and has a lack of understanding. For example, Lieutenant Dunbar and the Sioux follow a buffalo herds tracks and come to discover the White man had killed and skinned the all of the herd. The White man only took the buffalos hides, while the Sioux would have used every part of the buffalo, showing that the white man is selfish. In the second half of the movie Costner shows the dramatic change of his character Lieutenant Dunbar to Dances with wolves. For example, Dunbar and Otter exchange war clothing for the sake of becoming closer with the tribe and a sign of respect. Dunbar eventually understands the Sioux Nation and finds there a peaceful people, only defending their land and their people. When He fully becomes Dances With Wolves, he sides with the Sioux over his own people to try to make the White man understand, but because of the large lack of understanding the White man has, they see him as a traitor. 

Dances With Wolves Analysis

In the beginning of the movie Dances With Wolves, the director, Kevin Costner, utilizes the emotion of the audience. Costner does this through the use of pathos: music, sight, sound, and/or sensory images that appeal to emotion. For example, Lieutenant Dunbar rides through the desert as heroic music plays after saving Stands With A Fist from bleeding to death. This scene makes the audience view Lieutenant Dunbar as a hero. Costner also uses symbolism to foreshadow upcoming events. For example, Lieutenant Dunbar raises his arms out as if to say "shoot me now", in a cross formation. In film when a character performs this action, it usually foreshadows that the character will die in the near future. Costner also depicts both sides of the war between the Sioux Nation and the White man, instead of only showing the Native Americans as evil; like many American movies depicting Native Americans do. For example, Major Fambrough is an American Major depicted as a drunk that pees his pants; this is the first time in American film where a high ranking officer is displayed in a shameful manner. Costner also shows us how both the Sioux Nation and the Americans see each other as savages by the way each dresses. This movie thus far has shown a breakthrough for Native American film in the American film industry. 

Native Nations

Iroquois

The Iroquois tribe is made up of six nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Tuscarora, Cayuga, and Seneca. The Iroquois homeland is mainly located in New York State where they would traditionally live in longhouses. As for the clothing the Iroquois wore, traditionally men would wear long leggings and breechcloths, women wore shorter leggings in addition to there wraparound skirts and they would both wear moccasins. An old leader of the Mingo people was a man named Logan, who's family was part of the Iroquois tribe. He is famous for his hatred of the white man and seeking revenge on white settlements for killing his family. There were 50,000 people in the United States that were a part of the Iroquois tribe as of 1990, including a famous actress named Angelina Jolie.


Cherokee

The Cherokee tribe is a distant relative to the Iroquois Confederacy and they speak a similar language so this tribe is sometimes referred to as "Iroquoian". An old famous chief of the Cherokee was a man by the name Kanagagota. A person today who is part of the Cherokee tribe is the famous director by the name of Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino is known for his movies Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. An example of 19th century traditional clothing the Cherokee wore was manly long dresses for women and men mainly wore clothing made at of animal skin, such as leggings made of deer hide. The Cherokee lived in houses made of mud, river cane, and clay.

Sioux

The Sioux homeland was located in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. A man by the title Chief Red Cloud was a famous leader of the Oglala Lakota, one of the three nations of the Sioux tribe. A recent member of the Sioux tribe is a famous actress, Amber Midthunder. The Sioux Tribe traditionally lived in teepees made of buffalo hide.

Algonquin

The Algonquin homeland is located in the far north east of the United States of America and Canada. The traditional houses the Algonquins lived in were called wigwams. The traditional clothing of the Algonquins was made of manly feathers and vibrant red. Traditional face painting of the Algonquins can be seen below as well. An old Chief that was part of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation was William Commanda. A recent well known person who is part of the Algonquin Nation is an actress by the name of Annie Galipeau.



Arapaho

The Arapahoe Tribe is mainly located in the state of Wyoming. A recent member of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Nations is a famous director by the name of Chris Eyre. Mr. Eyre is known for the movies Smoke Signals and Skins. An old famous Arapaho chief is a man by the  name of Little Raven. Little Raven was known for his oral speaking and appearance. The moccasins people in the Arapaho Tribe wore were made with rawhide soles and buckskin tops. Women wore skirts and buckskin dresses, men wore breechcloth and leggings, and Arapaho warriors would wear fringed shirts. The Arapahoe Tribe traditionally lived in teepees made of buffalo hide.





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