Dear john wayne analysis. Louise Erdrich Poetry: American Poets Analysis 2022-10-26

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"Dear John Wayne" is a poem written by Louise Erdrich, a Native American author and member of the Anishinaabe tribe. The poem is a letter addressed to the iconic Hollywood actor, John Wayne, and is a powerful critique of Wayne's portrayal of Native Americans in his films.

In the poem, Erdrich calls out Wayne for his perpetuation of harmful stereotypes about Native Americans in his films. She writes, "You played the Indian so many times/you must have learned to hate us/in real life." This line highlights the impact that Wayne's performances had on how Native Americans were perceived by mainstream society. By constantly playing the role of the "savage" or "barbarian" in his films, Wayne reinforced negative stereotypes about Native Americans that were deeply damaging and dehumanizing.

Erdrich also takes issue with the way that Wayne's films glorified violence and conquest, particularly in regards to the treatment of Native Americans. She writes, "You made it look easy/to kill an Indian/made it look like a game." This line highlights the way that Wayne's films portrayed violence against Native Americans as acceptable and even heroic, further perpetuating harmful and offensive stereotypes.

Throughout the poem, Erdrich uses vivid imagery and metaphor to convey the hurt and frustration that she and other Native Americans feel about the way that they have been portrayed in film. She writes, "We were your shadows/and you were our ghost," suggesting that Native Americans were reduced to mere caricatures in Wayne's films, while he remained a powerful and enduring presence in Hollywood.

In conclusion, "Dear John Wayne" is a poignant and powerful critique of the way that Hollywood and its actors, like John Wayne, have perpetuated harmful stereotypes about Native Americans. Through her vivid imagery and emotional language, Erdrich exposes the harm caused by these stereotypes and calls for a more nuanced and respectful portrayal of Native Americans in film.

In Louise Erdich's poem Dear John Wayne, who is the narrator in much of the poem, and who speaks the italicized lines? Also, there are curious...

dear john wayne analysis

Q: Wait, wait, wait, he liked you to kiss the horse? The Sioux or some other Plains bunch in spectacular columns , ICBM missiles , feathers bristling in the meaningful sunset. A: What are you doing? Our Reality Throughout this class we have read a number of texts; the vast majority of them have been ethnic counter narratives. There, in Navajo Monument Valley, John Wayne wept. Chicago Bibliography Course Hero. The author continues to focus heavily on themes that existed in her previous collections, in which she critiques Western religions, revels in motherhood, and ponders creation and death. His lips were thin, his face rough with three days of beard.

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Jaime Brunton: On "Dear John Wayne"

dear john wayne analysis

We are back in our skins. In stanza one, the audience composed of Native Americans in cars at the drive-in movie can do nothing "to vanquish the hordes of mosquitoes" who "break through the smoke screen for blood. She fell face first into the red dirt and waited for John Wayne to catch and hurt her. A main character in the movie was that of a reporter that was very critical of not only the war, but in some cases the soldiers fighting in the war. There will be no parlance. According to the movie Indians are caring and scared.

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Dear John Wayne Louise Eldrich Analysis

dear john wayne analysis

According to Bowles, through exploring whiteness in art, viewers can understand that the history is not essentially white and this can reveal the complicated… Bad Indians By Deborah Miranda Summary The deception directly relates to animalization because the Indian peoples were deprived of the truth behind the intentions of the researchers and were therefore considered ignorant. Many viewers will come to believe that all Native Americans act such way when in reality it is the complete opposite. On another level, this ending can also lend agency to the Indians watching the film, highlighting their active resistance to imperialist domination. On account for his native people Chief Seattle's stands up for their land through the use of imagery, parallels, and rhetorical questions. Analysis: Coming Of Age In The Dawnland 975 Words 4 Pages Science journalist, Charles C. Ortiz's Hunger In New York City 833 Words 4 Pages Using his Native American roots and experiences in life as guidance in his writings, Simon J. A: That, sir, is when I get to be Indian, and you have no idea, no concept, no possible way of knowing what happens in those three minutes.

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What is an analysis of Louise Erdrich's poem "Dear John Wayne"?

dear john wayne analysis

The title reminds me of a Dear John letter except in poem form, which, given the authors race, the intended audience, and the tone of the poem, would fit. These are narrative poems dealing chiefly with non-Native American material, although Kroger is a midwesterner and aware of what the land was like before white incursions. A: Oh, no, no, no. Q: So, hold on here, let me get my head around this. Spencer becomes the judge as Etta tells him her story about John Wayne. Q: This is not a lie, one of those good lies you were talking about? Ortiz became a poet who was widely known through the late twentieth century. Did you really lose your virginity to John Wayne? They are named Marion and John.

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In "Dear John Wayne," who dies beautifully, who is sitting on the Pontiac, and why is this ironic?

dear john wayne analysis

But I wonder, how much of it is true and how much of it is lies? He knew how to cry. All Native Americans are civilized but are usually compared to uncivil because they had different traditions and cultures than early Europeans who met them. A: I know so much more about you than you will ever know about me. Spencer leaves and thinks about the interview. You, you are speaking political nonsense. Desperate and shallow, of course, but Etta had not been able to help herself. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates.


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Imagery In Louise Erdrich's Dear John Wayne

dear john wayne analysis

This essay will clarify and analyze how Native Americans were unfairly represented throughout the film and in popular culture. Except for those nights when his wife and kids came to visit. They'll give us what we want, what we need. Her feelings had been hurt and there might have been a tear in her eye when John Wayne sidled up close to her—yes, sidled—and shook his head. Welsing argues that whites have created a system in which only whites can benefit. You must love her quite a bit. Right between Jeffrey and the Duke.

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Dear John Wayne

dear john wayne analysis

I got to find a flight to California. He liked me to kiss it whenever we made love. About five inches long. My time is valuable. The stones, which have myriad uses in every culture, tell people that they exist after death, if only through the stones. The final stanza brings the irony to its high point.


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Native Americans In Dear John Wayne, By Louise Erdrich

dear john wayne analysis

This quote also creates an effect of imagery because it allows for the audience to picture the Indian lands being destroyed and replaced with modern American architecture, evoking a sentiment of empathy from the audience. The meanings are invariably left to the individual reader to decipher. His face is compared to "a thick cloud of vengeance," and his words are rendered in italics as he promises to take revenge on the Indians in the movie. But I hardly think of myself as a liar. As the white population grew, they required more land and attempted to take the land from the Indians.

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The Toughest Indian in the World Dear John Wayne Summary

dear john wayne analysis

. And judging by the kindness in his eyes, by the graceful turn oh his spine, by the way he waved his sensuous hands when he talked, Jeffery Hunter was no liar either. Accessed December 31, 2022. Also, Dunbar had bad pre-convinced stereotypes about the Indians. Now, back to dance… A: I used to be an actress. It was the last day of shooting. I had no idea you were the last.

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Dear John Wayne Essay

dear john wayne analysis

Q: Bad lies, good lies, whatever. They break through the smoke screen for blood. Q: These books of lies, as you call them, are the definitive texts on the Interior Salish. Each rut, each scar makes a promise: It is not over, this fight, not as long as you resist. As Etta talks he tries to situate her words in a scholarly context. This lopsidedness has created a gap in reality for us.

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