Journal 5: A Native American Theme

  Discrimination.  Prejudice.  No human rights.  Are these words or pictures you think of when you hear about Native Americans in the 1800s?  This is what comes to my mind, Lydia Sigourney’s and William Apess’ as well.  These two writers in the mid-1800s influenced thousands of Americans with their views in their work about the unfair treatment in America towards Native Americans.  Although written at different times and by different gendered authors, “Indian Names” and “An Indian’s Looking-Glass For the White Man” tells readers explicitly about the unfair treatment of Native Americans and the drastic need of social reform in America. 

     William Apess was a Methodist minister.  A Native American himself but not raised in his own culture, Apess was still deeply interested in Native American history (639).  Stricken by the unfair treatment towards Native Americans by whites, Apess wrote “An Indian’s Looking-Glass For the White Man” to convict whites of mistreating God’s beloved people.  In the beginning of the story, Apess convicts whites, saying that God shows no favor to outward appearances (640), so why should white people?  Because of the way he incorporates God’s book, the Bible, Apess has an easy way of convicting whites.  He does this because it is God’s sovereign law, commands that are true and apply precisely to the issue Apess writes about.  For example, Apess includes one verse (1 John 3:15) that applies specifically to this situation: “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.”  Apess produces strong feelings from the reader such as conviction and guiltiness.  It would not be surprising if more social reform activists united together in an effort to promote Native American equality after this story was published.

     Lydia Sigourney traveled a different road in an effort to raise support for Native American equality.  In her poem, “Indian Names”, she mentions different places across America that are named after Indian tribes to prove to Americans that Indians themselves are American.  By saying, “And Rappahannock sweetly sleeps on green Virginia’s breast” (lines 15-16), she successfully produces a feeling of motherhood, gentleness and affection towards Native Americans by connecting an Indian name to the adverb-verb combination of “sweetly sleeps”.  Through her diction, Sigourney reveals a different side of Indians to Americans and calls Americans to support equality for these mistreated people.