Question

Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our Chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Ta Hool Hool Shute is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever. What is the speaker's overall point in this passage?

Answer 1

Chief Joseph is conveying deep exhaustion and sadness over the suffering and losses of his people, culminating in his decision to cease fighting.

Step-by-step explanation:

The speaker, Chief Joseph, in the passage is expressing a profound sense of exhaustion and despair over the ongoing struggles and losses his people have faced. The heart-wrenching details of the Niimíipuu (Nez Perce) suffering, including the death of tribal chiefs and the desperate circumstances of his people without food or shelter in the cold, lead to his ultimate decision that he can no longer continue to fight. Chief Joseph's speech is a poignant surrender, expressing that his heart is sick and sad, and making it clear that from that moment he will fight no more forever.

Answer 2

The overall point is that everyone he cared about is dead and his life is ending.