![]() GradeSaver, 26 March 2020 Web.Joe Jackson might not seem your typical Western historian. Next Section Metaphors and Similes Previous Section Analysis How To Cite in MLA Format Anonymous "Black Elk Speaks Symbols, Allegory and Motifs". Will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingĪfter you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. By taking on this emotional burden, he accepts suffering that might constitute mourning. Instead of dispersing guilt widely, blaming the past, the government, the people-instead of that, he merely accepts the failure as his own. He is a symbol for responsibility, the inverse opposite of group think. This shows the reader that Black Elk is not in the business of affording himself any excuses. But in this case, that defeat is merely symbolic. Personal defeat is a symbolic consideration in the book because the subject, Black Elk, feels personally liable for the loss of his tribe, as any good chief might. He at least hopes to be able to protect his way of life and reignite the passion of his people to obey the tradition they have been handed down, despite the rapidly changing political landscape of America. He wants to spark a permanent shift in the culture so that Native cultures are more openly tolerated. He sees the infinite beauty and value of approaching life the way he and his ancestors teach, but without an effect reach or audience, that message seems to be a kind of novelty to those who hear it. He is hoping for a cultural renaissance of his own way of life. What Black Elk wants is something archetypal. What happened to his dream? Can he really tolerate giving up? Then again, the government eliminated his way of life. ![]() Black Elk ends up on this accidental journey and has to reassess his motivations. That allegory shows how US culture often fetishizes seemingly exotic cultures and makes them into entertainment. Before long, he is a traveling entertainer. But, before long, his ancient shamanic practices gain a small following, and then a large following. Fetishism and entertainmentīlack Elk is effectively deposed by the government and flees to Canada. This is not like a personal religion that follows a person wherever their conscious goes-Native religion is tied to the ground and to the spirits that dweel in the tribe's homeland. After Black Elk's generation, the Native American culture was removed from its source. That's because the US government won that conflict decisely (for better or worse, often without tact or politique). Today, we never really hear about Native America tribes revolting against the federal government. Black Elk's witness as allegoryīesides the general symbolism of chiefs and tribes, the reader could easily notice that what Black Elk's story captures is actually a significant change in American history. He derives power from ancestry, from spiritual experience, from the gods, and from the community around him who honors him as a kind of legend. Through this, we see that Native culture prizes their chief as a complex symbol of power. By having an authoritative religious awakening, he begins to operate with a shamanic understanding of chaos and nature, and before long, he is the tribal leader. In fact, the way Black Elk Speaks about his role in his community makes it sound as if he were actually a leader by his own authority. It is not like an elected official or something. ![]() If Black Elk wrote this memoir himself, it would probably be a little more difficult to flesh out the symbolism of chiefs in Native American culture. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous ![]() We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.
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