Indian horse essay. Analysis Of The Motifs In The Indian Horse By Richard Wagamese: [Essay Example], 1558 words GradesFixer 2022-10-20
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Indian Horse is a novel by Canadian author Richard Wagamese that tells the story of Saul Indian Horse, a young Indigenous man who is taken from his home and family in Northern Ontario and placed in a residential school for Indigenous children. The novel follows Saul as he struggles to come to terms with the trauma he experiences at the residential school and the loss of his culture, and as he finds solace and purpose through his love of hockey.
Throughout the novel, Wagamese explores themes of loss, trauma, and the ongoing impact of colonialism on Indigenous peoples. The residential school system, which operated in Canada for over a century, was a tool of cultural assimilation that sought to erase Indigenous cultures and identities. Many of the children who were sent to these schools suffered physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and the effects of this trauma continue to be felt by Indigenous communities today.
Despite the challenges he faces, Saul is able to find hope and healing through his love of hockey. The game becomes a source of pride and connection for him, and it helps him to find his own identity and purpose. However, even as he excels at hockey, Saul must confront the racism and discrimination that he encounters both on and off the ice.
Ultimately, Indian Horse is a powerful and poignant exploration of the intergenerational impact of trauma and the resilience of the human spirit. Through the story of Saul Indian Horse, Wagamese shines a light on the ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples and the importance of acknowledging and addressing the wrongs of the past in order to move forward.
Indian Horse Essay Examples
Saul has become a more aggressive hockey player because has been receiving a lot of racist comments from the crowd, both his teammates and his opposition are racist towards him. In the beginning Saul discovers that his love for hockey serves as a mean of escape. Eventually, Saul went back to Fred and Martha — his adoptive family — and coached the kids in hockey to get back the joy in the game and pass his skills into the others. After he lost his passion for hockey and it ceased to act as his escape, he turned to an alcoholic. Saul does not leave without a reason, even though he is not aware of it yet. Hockey gave Saul the chance to appreciate the school system.
Role of Family in Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese: [Essay Example], 977 words GradesFixer
The sexual abuse Saul faced as a child made him incapable of ever physically being comfortable with anyone which is apparent in the novel when Saul never has a romatic relationship with anyone thus far in his life. But through hockey Saul experiences relentless racism which becomes detrimental to his struggle to remain true to his identity. Richard Wagamese shocks all his readers when Saul Indian Horse, the main character, unveils a heartbreaking secret he has kept quiet for most of his life. Eric Liu ENG2DE-05 December 17th, 2014 Ms. He had a difficult childhood.
In this situation; culture, is defined as the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to future generations. His life changed for the negative. With a ridiculous reason that they were Aboriginals, numerous children got forced into residential schools and were sacrificed to add such a disgraceful history of Canada. I saw bodies hung from rafters on thin ropes. I could feel her tremble. It brings about a sense of equality as all the players play in the same court. One example of this is the Trail of Tears, an event which brought lots of people sadness and grief.
The last example is diseases, something that the Native Americans caught very often. It happened in the late sixteenth century when the Spanish approached the Great Plain. Saul was taken to a residential school where he witnessed and experienced unimaginable abuses. This quote support how racism through cultural genocide destroys the identity of Indigenous people by teaching children that their identity is bad using Christianity to defend their ill intentions Ultimately resulting in Indigenous people taking up a false identity that is acceptable to racist white Canadians. Richard ends up in a treatment facility for his drug problem, and remains reluctant to take his medications seriously at the facility. He heard about healing and eventually gave up his anger.
Reflection on the Novel Indian Horse: [Essay Example], 1095 words GradesFixer
When I could find work I was mostly a high functioning drunk, keeping just enough in hand to get me through the day, and then sinking into the drink alone when the day was over. The main character decided to play hockey even if he suffered a severe anxiety to divert is anxious attention from the school towards his new passion. Hockey enables these young people to have a community as in the case of Saul. In this scenario, the essentials of societal balance are important because it ensembles the ability of the community to accept and promote diversity. I see Saul and his story, his story of his addictions, as a survival mechanism. With his identity and way of life robbed from him, Saul loses the ability to connect with nature and his people.
Copy of NBE3U1 Indian Horse Literary opportunities.alumdev.columbia.edu
Once outside, he faces a lot of racism. He was my captor, the warder of my innocence. They thought it was their world. Wagamese also went back to his family and learnt about their history and culture. Saul grows up in the early 1960s and during this time in Canada, indigenous issues are prominent and racism towards indigenous people are very common in their day to day lives. We never gave a thought to being Indian. They create sturdy and unbreakable bonds between humans and provide a reason to strive for happiness.
Addiction is an escape for Saul, his hockey is also an escape. Saul can no longer tolerate the intensity of abusive practices at school that made him decide to leave. Clearly, Saul possesses various ACEs from his experiences of forced assimilation at St. The indigenous people of Canada underwent serious discrimination. The society around Saul is a racist society that cannot see Saul for anything but an inferior hockey player that is Indian. Throughout the novel Saul is exposed to many painful experiences that leave him little to no identity and an unimaginable outlook on life. Lawrence explores the greed in humans and the extremities people will go to please others.
"Indian Horse" Analysis: [Essay Example], 2066 words GradesFixer
The three reasons racism is detrimental to one's sense of identity are seen through low self-esteem, unhealthy coping strategies and cultural genocide. Hockey gave them a joy that they had never experienced before. Everything I knew vanished behind me with an audible swish, like the sound a moose makes disappearing into spruce. This is when Saul first realized who he wanted to be, and what he wanted to do in life; and that was play hockey. Saul can speak English but most of his classmates cannot.
Saul proves how trauma rooted from abuse affects his health when all he is going through starts to impact him mentally. Everybody was surprised that he claimed that he could play hockey because he did not have any connections with the boys playing hockey and says that he has been practicing in secret all along. I watch as he walks in an unhurried manner to the gate of the stable taking no notice of me, just wanting to go out and graze. This school would inflict pain that would last forever and has a terrible aftermath on his life that puts him in a long and difficult healing process he endured to turn his life around from the distractions he used to hide from the pain. There are female students who are also sexually assaulted by male captors of teachers during the night, causing a significant trauma. Indian Horse: How Trauma Rooted from Abuse Affects Health 5. He only tried to get better once he realized that he would die if he kept drinking over and over.
