Dances With Wolves esaay

Jenny Pina

January 12, 2015

Dances With Wolves essay

      Many may argue that the movie, Dances With Wolves, directed by Kevin Costner, is historically inaccurate. In fact, they are incorrect. Dances With Wolves, is an accurate film that shows how men delt with injuries by using their knowledge of folk medicine and shows the relationship between the whites and the violent Indians.

      As a matter if fact, in one of David Dary's story's, titled Mountain Man,Heal Thyself, shows how folk medicine was being used. The story tells about a man with the name of Hugh Glass, who was attacked by a grizzly bear. Hugh almost died, but with his knowledge about folk remedies he was able to save himself. "...Glass rolled over onto a rotting log and let the maggots eat the infection out of his back (Dary). Glass and other mountain men had to come up with their own ways of treating themselves in case of an injury. In this case, Glass believes that if he let maggots crawl on his back, they would eat away his infection. Historically, this is one way that men saved themselves. Others used herbs and buffalo skin thongs. Some men even wished for their leg or arm to get cut off to stop further infection. For example, In the beginning of Dances With Wolves, their is a scene where a man was shot in the leg/foot area and two men took him to treat him. These men were not experienced and were not familiar with germs. The men used their bare hands to touch the wounded mans injured foot and blood to treat him. When they were finished they simply just rinsed there hands in water. Just like how Dary's story historically explains how men used their knowledge in folk medicine, this is another way that men did, to save other men, in emergencies shown, in Dances With Wolves.

      Similarly, the relationship between whites and violent Indians was shown both is Dary's story as well as in Costner's film. In Mountain Man,Heal Thyself, there is a tribe of Apache Indians who confronted Thomas L. Smith, telling him to leave the area in what is now Colorado. Indians were the americans fear which is why, "Smith agreed to leave the area, and when he caught up with his fellow trappers a few days later he learned that the groups leader, Sylvesters Pratte, had been killed by Indians." (Dary) Smith then was shot in the leg, the bullet truck him just about the ankle which shattered his bones. He fired his gun and in result, their was nine Indians dead including the one who shot him. The apachee Indians were violent to Smith without a particular reason. In the film, a batch of Pawnee Indians showed up to where Dunbar and Timonds were. The Pawnee Indians wore paint on their face, long feathered earrings on their ears and rode on their horse violently and yelling. One of the Pawnee indians shot 3 arrows directly to Timonds body which killed him. After Timonds was completely dead, the Pawnee who killed him scalped him and raised it as a victory. It's clear to see that the Indians were violent and vicious people to the Americans, which is why white men feared them.

     

      As a final point, Dances With Wolves, is definetly an accurate film because it shows the historical aspects of white men's medicine and the relationship between the whites and the unfriendly Indians.

                                                            Works Cited

Dary, David. "Mountain Man, Heal Thyself." American History 43.5 (2008): 56. MAS Ultra - School           

                Edition. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.

   

Civil War Thesis

During the Civil war, the Confederacy military was very weak. Although it's population had about 13 million more people than the south, and had high manufactoring like railroads, it didn't allow them to win the war. In the other hand, the Union had a great victory, with the help of the telegraph, which allowed southerners to pass messages instantly to their army's. Telegraph poles started to develop everywhere and made it a lot of easier to issue direct orders. The Minnie ball who was created in France, was influential because it reloaded 8 times faster, it had a 6,000 yard accuracy and it was sure to cause death. Although both the North and the South used the Minnie ball, it was more successful for the southerners. Lastly, there was war nurses. War nurses were woman who volunteered to take care of the soilders active in war. There was also men who would chop off a soilders legs, arms or  anywhere where he was shot to prevent infection or death. This method was very useful to some yet very dangerous because these men and nurses where not experienced.

Civil War

Prior to the Civil War people said, "The United States are," and after the Civil War people said, "The United States is," 

 Prior to the Civil war, the United States referred to themselves as "are" basically referring to everyone. At first it was seen as a united nation that worked together to fight through situations. And after the Civil War the people refered to themselves as "is" because they were much of a united nation anymore. Everyone began to have different ideas which cause them to seperate.

Westward Expansion (1803-1861)

The westward expasion of the United States is one of the defining themes of the 19th century American history. Between 1803-1861 the people and the institutions of the United States expanded into what is now Oklahoma. Oklahoma did not become a part of the United States until 1803, when the new American republic acquired the the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to New Orleans, and it doubled the size of the United States. Westward Expasion caused the United States to enlarge and be able to trade economics. Trail of tears is considered a shameful act to the United States.

Living like a Transcendentalist

I decided to give up using my hot tools, (flat iron, curling wand, and blow dryer) for the day. Typically I straighten my hair about once a week during the school days and usually both Saturday and Sunday on the weekends because I usually always have something to do. I think this might be challenging because I'm so used to doing my hair and makeup on weekends that if I don't it's going to feel so out of place. My hair is naturally wavy and puffy so I feel like I always have to do something to it no matter what, but it looks like I'm going to have to deal with it today! Every morning during the weekend the first thing I do when I wake up and shower Is do my makeup and hair for the day. This time I did very minimal makeup because I would feel strange if I did full on makeup but not having my hair done nicely. I was really tempted to do my hair especially because I had a family party going on and I always like to get dolled up for events. Once I got to my family party my cousin saw me and was so shocked that my hair was up in a bun! Her hair was all pretty and curled and I felt like mine wasn't! Although I could of used lots of different methods to get heartless curls, those take way too long! After this experience I learned that lots of girls including myself care much more about there appearance and looking nice rather than enjoying the place where they're at. Half the time Ill be fixing my hair or touching up my makeup. Now that all of these type of curling wands, flat irons, and wave tools are invented it tempts females to want use them.

How good was the Era of Good Feeling?

The Era Of Good Feeling was the period from 1816-1824 in which there was only one political party, the democratic- republicans of Monroe. This time is often questioned wether if it's good or bad. To me this period of history is actually misnamed, as there were lots of tensions going on in the United States. One being,the crisis over slavery in America was turned aside from the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise, was introduced by Henry Clay, and was passed in the year of 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery combined in huge United States Congress, involving slavery in the western territories. There was also the Monroe Doctorine, where in 1823, president Monroe, warned all the outside powers not to interfere with affairs in the Western Hemisphere. This ment that people could not travel farther west to create new colonies because the United States would not involve itself in European affairs or interfere with existing colonies in the western hemisphere.

Do iPads impact my education?

• How can technology distract you from learning? How can you manage this problem/these problems?

   Now that schools provide iPads, it's very possible for students such as myself to get distracted by technology. Pop out notifications, games, social media apps etc are examples of things that cause students to get easily distracted. These distractions can easily be avoided though. Simply by turning off notifications during class time will help me be able to pay more attention because i will not be receiving any snapchat notifications. Another way to manage distractions, is by only downloading school related apps on the iPad and using my personal cellphone to download games or social media apps. Although I still use or have my cellphone out in class it's less likely for me to use my phone while I'm on the iPad.