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.





http://www.bigorrin.org/iroquois_kids.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/iroquois-confederacy-the-iroquois-today.html
http://www.iroquoisdemocracy.pdx.edu/html/logan.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_of_self-identified_Cherokee_ancestry
http://www.aaanativearts.com/cherokee/famous-cherokee.htm
http://visitcherokeenation.com/FAQ/Pages/16.aspx
http://www.indians.org/articles/sioux-indian-tribe.html
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls005301786/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Algonquin_Chiefs
http://www.colorado.edu/csilw/arapahoproject/traditional/clothes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Raven_(Arapaho_leader)
http://www.bigorrin.org/arapaho_kids.htm
Unlisted. "Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Indian Fact Sheet." Facts for Kids: Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Indians. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
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Ohio Historical Society. "Logan." Logan. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.
Unlisted. "List of People of Self-identified Cherokee Ancestry." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.
Unlisted. " Famous Cherokee Chiefs, entertainers, Artists, athletes, and Leaders."Famous Cherokee. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.
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Unlisted. "Sioux Indian Tribe." Famous Chiefs and Leaders of the. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
NativeFilmEnthusiast. "First Nations & Native American Celebs." IMDb. IMDb.com, 06 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.
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Unlisted. "Clothing." Dance & Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.
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Unlisted. "Arapaho Indian Fact Sheet." Facts for Kids: Arapaho Indians (Arapahos). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.

Mathew Shepard Rough Draft

Jason Fishel

Ms. Menough

SLCC

November 17, 2014

Matthew Shepard Rough Draft

The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman is a book about the events that led up to Matthew Shepard’s murder committed by Aaron McKinney and the after effects of the murder. This book takes a bias saying that the murder was a hate crime; Aaron killed Matt because Matt was gay. The media has attempted to find answers to why Matt was killed, but there is such wide spread of theories surrounding this topic at hand that it’s difficult to find the absolute truth.  Matthew Shepard's past is not certain; was his death caused by hate, meth, Aaron McKinney’s insecurities or a combination of them all? There is a lot of evidence we need to consider within The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman, ABC News 20/20 Report, and The Book of Matt and in life there is usually more that one reason for something like murder, so it has to be a mixture of them all.

One theory of why Matt was killed was because Aaron was involved with meth. It is believed that Matt was beat to death by Aaron because he owed Aaron money for meth and or wanted to rob Matt so that he could have money for meth. “Aaron beat up someone else over drugs before beating Matt to death” (ABC News 20/20 Report). This could mean that Aaron was involved in a drug ring, maybe he was just a meth addict, or maybe it’s both. It’s believed that during the time that Matt was tied up and beat to death by Aaron McKinney, Aaron was in a meth-induced rage.  “Yes, I knew that Aaron didn’t kill him because he was gay, he killed him because he wanted money for meth and he was probably going through withdrawal” (ABC News 20/20 Report).

But then again the bias from 20/20 is that the murder had nothing to do with Matt being gay, because it’s believed that Aaron is bisexual. 20/20 sat down with people that knew Aaron well. They knew him so well that one of the men they interviewed admitted to having a three way with Aaron, and a woman admitted to Aaron asking her to have a three way with him and another man. “Yes, I most definitely believe that Aaron was bisexual” ABC News 20/20 Report. This could mean that Aaron McKinney was insecure about his sexuality and decided to take it out on someone who he may have saw himself in.

            Many sources turn to Matt being killed because he was gay, that not just the bias in the book The Laramie Project but it’s also the bias in the HBO film adaptation of the book and The Book of Matt. 

            Larger societal influences and human complexities played a role in the search of why Matthew Shepard was killed. For example, there is no saying that the people who were interviewed about Matthew’s death and the event that led up to it were telling the truth. For all one knows, the whole book The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman could be completely mythologized. It’s ok that Moisés Kaufman kept out some of the evidence of why Matt was killed and kept a bias in the book. This brought attention to the issues that people who are gay go through on a daily basis, a constant fear of hate because of people like Aaron. Kaufman may have made Matthew into a myth that really publicized this issue, but the story is still misleading for someone looking for the whole story. If someone came from a cultural background involving Christianity read The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman, it may be easy for them to accept that Matt was killed because he was gay because a part of a some Christian culture is that being gay is a sin. I think that Matt’s murder was out of hate, but I also believe that there was more than just hate that caused Aaron to kill him.

Matthew Shepard

Watching Willi's Presentation... (told from the third person)

Several blogs are presented in Senior Literature and Composition. Jason watches as a child wraps up their presentation. Willi is next up to present and he looks a little nervous. He stares at his notes extensively as he mouths each enticing line to himself. Willi goes up to present. As he stands up all of his nerves and fears seem to wash away. He walks to the front of the room with a swagger in his step. He seems like he is ready. There's no doubt in Jason's mind that he won't nail this presentation.


                                     Willi starts his presentation and states that his presentation is based on a book titled Jay-Z American Gangster Decoded.  He explains how Jay-Z grew up in a small apartment complex in a tough side of his neighborhood. After Willi shows a video where Jay-Z explains that rap is poetry and lets you express your emotion through it. Once the video finishes Willi moves to the next slide where he tells the audience the depths of the relationship between Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls. Jason learned from Will's presentation that Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls were competitors in the rap industry. Overall Willi's presentation went smoothly and Jason hoped he got a good grade on his presentation. Several other people presented that day and everyone did a great job, but Willi's presentation held Jason's attention above the rest.              
                                                                                 

Presentations and Presenting

This week in Senior Literature and Composition we had to have a presentation about our memoirs ready to present. It was the second day of presenting. Two other people have presented and there is about 15 minutes of class left. This leaves just enough time for Ms. Menough to call on one more person. She does. "EEhhEhehEh" said "the deer in headlights" aka the scared child she called on. "Are you not ready?" said "the Audi r10 coming strait for the deer" aka Ms. Menough "Naww sorry." said the scared child She subtracts a couple points and picks on another child. I think to myself "oh please don't be me." She picks on another child that agrees to present, and as their preparing their powerpoint they decide they aren't ready to present as well. This is where I started to get anxious, I thought to myself "what are the odds she picks me next, slim to none right?" Wrong. "Uhhhhmm Jason" Ms. Menough announces "Alriiiiight" I announce with subtle distaste I go up and present and it goes pretty well. I feel I nailed all of the key points I wanted to. I wound up to get a high A as a grade and was happy.

Throughout the course of the week we saw several powerpoints presented. One of my favorite powerpoints had to be the one done on the book Fab Five. What makes this book so astounding is that you learn that there will never be a team like this again because of how much they impacted the game. Another Thing I found amusing about the Fab Five was that they were the first basketball team to use Hip-Hop music during their games. It was also interesting to find out that what ruined them as a team was what ruins most bands and teams that become popular, of course I'm talking about money. I hope to read this book in the near future because it sounds like quite a wonderful read.