Question

Analysis of “Yonder Sky Has Wept Tears of Compassion on Our Fathers” Seattle’s speech (yes, the city is named after him) has an interesting history. It was delivered in what’s now the state of Washington. At that time, it was called the Washington Territory, and the new governor of the territory, Isaac Ingalls Stevens, was traveling through it, trying to convince Native Americans to give up certain stretches of land so that railroads could be built there. Seattle’s speech was written down by a man named Harry Smith, who published his translation 33 years later in a Seattle newspaper. His translation is obviously very much his own, as he uses words and expressions that a Native American wouldn’t be familiar with. Seattle’s speech is interesting today for several reasons. First is his use of language. His speech relies heavily on figurative language, especially metaphors. The speech opens with the personification of the sky. Consider this statement: “Yonder sky has wept tears of compassion on our fathers for centuries untold”. Seattle uses that statement to show that ordinary language can’t capture the sense of grief Seattle feels. “Look,” he’s saying, “our suffering is so great that even the sky weeps for us!” Personification also makes the Native Americans’ connection to their land and environment clear. Because they were so close to nature, they felt that the land and sky would feel compassion for them. They wept for their land—why shouldn’t the land and sky weep for them? Pontiac continues using ecological metaphors—metaphors that have to do with earth, sea, and sky. “Today it is fair, tomorrow it may be overcast with clouds” is a metaphor explaining Indian relations with white people. They may appear “fair” at the moment, but Seattle doesn’t believe that these conditions will last. The next sentence—“My words are like the stars that never set”—employs a simile. The statement suggests that Seattle’s speech will never be forgotten. Like the stars that “never set,” his words will be forever in the minds of Native Americans. The next sentence—“My words are like the stars that never set”—employs a simile. The statement suggests that Seattle’s speech will never be forgotten. Like the stars that “never set,” his words will be forever in the minds of Native Americans. The second reason Seattle’s speech is remarkable is for its tone. His words seem to say one thing—“Okay, we’re giving up; we’ll try to get along.” But his tone is different. He uses veiled threats. He doesn’t come right out and say, “All right, white man, if you mess with us, we’ll kill you.” Instead, he suggests that he can’t control his own people. For example, he refers at several points to our own angry young men who are capable of relentless cruelty. He pretends that he’ll try to rein them in, because “their hearts are also disfigured and turn black” when they’re angry at the whites. But his real meaning is clear: “Our old men are not able to restrain them” means that he’ll unleash them against the whites if the whites break treaties and try to drive the Native Americans from their homelands. Seattle’s main theme is that while Native Americans and whites may be forced to coexist, they can never be integrated. The overall strategy of the whites was to try to eliminate Native American culture from the North American continent. The most effective way to do this was to try to get Native Americans to forsake their traditional culture and blend in with the whites. Here are Thomas Jefferson’s words on the whites’ strategy: Two measures are deemed expedient [to be done quickly and efficiently]. First: to encourage them [Native Americans] to abandon hunting. . . . Secondly: to multiply trading houses among them . . . leading them to agriculture, to manufactures, and to civilization. This is precisely what Chief Seattle said should never happen. In fact, he says that it’s impossible to integrate the two races because their cultural values are so different. To emphasize this point, he uses examples of their different spiritual practices. The basic difference between the two cultures’ spirituality, he says, is in the way they treat their dead. The whites basically forget theirs. The Native Americans continue to pay homage to their dead. This focus on the dead provides Seattle with a way to make his final, spooky threat. Native Americans believe that the dead still walk among them, he says. The whites would do well to think about this, for the land will be filled with the walking dead—so “let him [the white man] be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not altogether powerless”. Reflect and Respond Now that you have read the speech, ask yourself these questions: 1. What elements in the speech sound as though they were probably part of the original myth? 2. How does Pontiac make the myth relevant to the current situation he wants to remedy?

Answer 1

PF practice quiz: nonfiction answers

Step-by-step explanation:

Which of the following describes the interior narrative in Sojourner Truth's autobiography?

A: Themes of independence, ignorance, religious conversion, and what it means to be a woman

Which of the following statements about appealing to emotions in speeches is true?

A: It can be advantageous to appeal to emotion depending on the audience and purpose of the speech.

Which of the following statements about Seattle's speech "Yonder Sky Has Wept Tears of Compassion on Our Fathers" is true?

A: It uses figurative language to help get the point across.

In the nineteenth century, people who thought that God spoke directly to them were called

A: Enthusiasts

Which of the following is a difference between fiction and nonfiction?

A: Nonfiction writers must stick to things that really happened; writers of fiction can make up anything they wish.

Seattle's speech, "Yonder Sky Has Wept Tears of Compassion on Our Fathers," contains ecological metaphors. Which of the following is the best definition of an ecological metaphor?

A: A figure of speech that makes a comparison to earth, sea, or sky.

In his speech "Yonder Sky Has Wept Tears of Compassion on Our Fathers, " Seattle says “Yonder sky has wept tears of compassion on our fathers for centuries untold” What is this literary device called?

A: Personification

A memoir is an example of

A: personal nonfiction.

Which of the following book titles would most likely be an example of technical nonfiction?

A: Top Tips for Preparing for a Marathon

Which of the following is the best example of exterior narrative in Sojourner Truth's autobiography?

A: Themes of slavery, brutality, coming of age as a woman, and sex and gender relations between black people

You're reading a book about a made-up main character who solves mysteries and is an accomplished cook. The book contains detailed recipes of everything he cooks. What kind of book is this?

A: Fiction

Sojourner Truth's autobiography is known for its social commentary. Which of the following is the best description of social commentary?

A: Sojourner Truth’s comments about her society and its institutions, especially slavery, family, and religion

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

1- He started his speech making reference to the sky and it´s infinit limits, mentioning their birth rights as part of the land , the country and the spirits that sorround that area.

2- The white ones wanted to eliminate the Native Americans´culture from the American continent, but he made some comments on their culture and beliefs. For him the mith is truely relevant because he mentions that the natives still pay homage to teir deads. They leave the alive world but are still walking around them, observing, communicating and influencing their acts.