10592737
Carayon
Black Robe
Black Robe is a movie that teaches about the culture of the Huron and Iroquois people and how they interacted with the French Jesuit missionaries. Unlike other film about Native Americans, Black Robe does not aggrandize nor deprecate the native people. The main character goes through an evolution of his belief in Jesus Christ, which is relevant today for those who are of the Christian faith or are being preached to by Christians. The story in the film is enhanced by the rich costumes, rugged setting, and compelling dialogue, all of which are historically accurate. The experience of watching the film is similar to the experience of the main character, Father Laforgue, in that we are shocked, humbled, and educated by the interaction with the unknown.
Jesuit missionaries travelled the world with the goal of spreading the message of Jesus Christ and baptizing those who would believe in His message. As part of the Catholic church, they took on many vows such as the vow of celibacy and the vow of poverty. They dedicated their life to study and church work. Father Lafogue is a prime example of a Jesuit. He is humble yet eager to proclaim the superiority of the Catholic church above all other religions. He is a celibate man yet lusts after woman, bringing him shame and causing him to engage in flagellation. His initial view of the Huron is the view many earlier Americans had of Native Americans. He and others after him view them as savage barbarians with sinful lives and weak minds. This is a view which many films bolster. The younger French carpenter, Daniel, has the view located on the other end of the spectrum, that of the noble savage. This view was popular during the 60's and 70's and inaccurately displayed the Native Americans as quiet, righteous, ecologically perfect, animal worshippers. These two men, and their views, undergo many changes. Depending on your understanding or lack of understanding Native Americans, you as the viewer are also transformed and enlightened through their adventure. At the end you are left with a more historically accurate picture of the Native Americans as people, not icons. They have a diversity and complexity that is similar to all mankind. They are both truthful and mischievous. They are noble and savage. They are wise and stupid just like any other people.
As a Christian I found the film to be a great way of understanding my faith's ability to appeal to all kinds of people. I also felt the film taught me the benefit of proper missionary work and the damage of improper missionary work. Father Laforgue begins his journey with a narrow minded view and purpose. He knows the truth and there is no room for anything else to be learned. The beginning of his journey is a one way path of knowledge from him to the ignorant Huron. He evolves into a person who understands that before you can teach someone about Jesus Christ you must love them as Christ loves them. In order for your love and subsequent preaching to be effective you must open your mind and seek to understand those who you teach. This transformation is capsulated and made readily apparent when the leader of the tribe asks Father Laforgue, "Do you love us?".
Throughout the film we are transported to a wild, harsh, beautiful land filled with a fascinating people who are engaged in a relationship with visitors from France. Both the French and the Native Americans are depicted with great detail. Their clothing, speech, and actions allow us to travel back in time. The filmmakers use of flashbacks of life in France before the journey and dream sequences of the Natives gives us insight into how the people of this time period thought and felt. Watching the film gave me a deeper understanding and ability to relate to the people of this time period.
Casey Deans 10592737
Carayon
Jesuit Relations
7. How does Indian government and diplomacy work, and how can it affect Indian-European relations in the future?
I am writing this letter in the hopes that it will educate my fellow missionaries and prevent them from making the same mistakes I have. I have been sharing the knowledge of the true God with the Indians for many years and have learned a great deal. My first station was that of apprentice to the personal assistant of Monsieur de Champlain. My teacher was a dedicated and faithful servant of God and of Monsieur de Champlain. When I arrived at the colony, Canada, I waited outside Monsieur de Champlain's home which was a crude wooden lodge. My escort, a Huron who spoke French, stopped me from going inside and informed me that Monsieur de Champlain did not like his conversations to be interrupted. I was shocked at his politeness until I realized that he was eager to hear the conversation without being noticed. Inside, Monsieur de Champlain was conversing about his disdain for the military of the Huron. As I listened, I learned that Monsieur de Champlain had recently returned from an excursion into Iroquois territory. During the expedition many of the Huron under his command had initially impressed him by mounting a successful sneak attack on a slumbering village. After the village was taken Monsieur de Champlain was befuddled by the actions of the Hurons under his command. They were not interested in taking the next village and the next, further expanding the captured territory, but were rather content to return to camp with the prisoners from the village. Further increasing his perplexion was the lack of obedience to his orders to regroup and continue the conquest. Instead of following his commands, like a good soldier, they were instead rushing to make sure they laid claim to the most prisoners they could. A few Hurons even marched off completely ignoring his orders as soon as they had the prisoners they wanted. It was at this point that I sensed the motives of my escort were that of spying rather than not wishing to interrupt. Later in my career I learned that often times the savages will supplant their own amongst their enemies in order to extract information. Rather than build a castle and engage in games of treachery and supplantation as we Europeans do they seem to pretend that everyone is to be treated neighborly, even the enemy. These outsiders are however restricted to their movements suggesting that they are not as naive as one might initially assume. Upon knocking on the door and entering I was greeted by Monsieur de Champlain and introduced to my superior. I was full of questions that night as I ate supper with my teacher. I confessed that I had heard the conversation and was perplexed at why the Monsieur had not informed the Indian's king of their lack of discipline and ordered punishment to be inflicted. My teacher informed me that there was not an "Indian King" but rather a council of elders. I asked him if there was then perhaps a head of this council and he informed me that there was not. I had assumed that he meant temporarily there was no leader of the people. I suggested that Monsieur should ascend to the empty Indian throne while it remained vacant. My teacher informed me that the savages did not have a leader but rather captains who were selected for their intelligence, courage, wisdom, and eloquence. These captains gathered and discussed the affairs of state, including warfare. At this point I suggested that we gain influence with the strongest of the captains and cause him to galvanize the people and act as our puppet king. I had heard of this occurring many times in many European countries. He laughed but in a way which was not offensive but rather complimentary, the way a father laughs at his child as if saying, "I once thought as you did, before my mind was opened to the ways of the world". He suggested at this point that we venture to the Indian village. There I was first struck by the fact that everyone was polite to one another. Although they did not kiss each other's hands or bow and curtsy, they greeted one another with friendly greetings like, "my friend", "my comrade", and "my uncle". My enjoyment of their civility quickly vanished and was replaced by disgust when we came to the place of the prisoners. The horrors being committed by the captors were heinous. I turned away and to my shame ran into the forest. There amongst the suffocating denseness of this wild seemingly endless ocean of trees I was comforted by my teacher. He informed me that we were not here to build up the kingdom of France, or of Monsieur de Champlain, but rather the Kingdom of God. Before these barbarians could even grasp the concept of monarchy and government they must first learn and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. We would not have the luxury of converting a leader and thus converting all of his followers like our predecessors had with barbarians tribesmen such as Clovis. We would have to conquer the hearts and minds of each individual. I asked him how Monsieur de Champlain was going to establish a government amongst the Indians. He answered that he did not know if that was possible as the concept of laws, order, and government were so foreign to the Huron. I hope in reading this that you can learn about how the Indians are truly a different type of man altogether and that with this viewpoint relate to them in the best manner possible.
Casey Deans
UV ID: 10592737
H2700 - 001
Carayon
PRIMARY DOCUMENT ANALYSIS: "Bacon's Rebellion" (Johnson,27)
1. Nature of the Document: This document is a published declaration written by Nathaniel Bacon in 1676. Nathaniel Bacon was a farmer who belonged to well-known English family.
2. What was the author's intended audience? Nathaniel Bacon intended his declaration to be read by those supporting his cause, opposing his cause, and remarking on his cause in the future. The Declaration drips with a self righteousness that was supposed to bolster his cause immediately and for future generations. Although primarily purposed for those who felt they were being treated unfairly and those acting unjustly toward the lower classes, the author also intended this declaration to explain and aggrandize his rebellion for future generations. The truthfulness of the document is affected by this because it was solely written to propagate the author's viewpoints which were very biased and self flattering.
3. Subject: The response and argument against the accusations put forth by Sir William Berkley that Nathaniel Bacon and his followers are traitorous rebels.
4. Central Question: What were the reasons behind the rebellion and were those reasons justified?
5. Argument: The rebellion was virtuous and the participants were not traitorous or unreasonable in their actions.
6. Supporting Arguments:
- The rebellion was not treason but one brother defended another.
- A crime was not acted out by the members of the rebellion but rather a crime was committed against the members of the rebellion and the rebellion was an appropriate response.
- The dishonest and dishonorable acts were those actions of the governor.
- The rebellion never intended to mock, degrade, or replace the power of his Majesty.
7. Unspoken Assumptions: The author assumes that his rebellion will be squashed. He also assumes that the from the stamped out fire the sparks of freedom, justice, and righteous sovereignty will not die out but smolder until nurtured into the mighty blaze of the American revolution.
8. Historical Value: Nathaniel Bacon was the first of many to follow who did not bend their back to the underserved tyranny of the status quo. He was one of the first to realize that dying in the light of freedom is better than living in the shadow of oppression. His defiance was one of the first to carry with it the self realization that disobedience is not seditious but rather an expression of loyalty to ideals more important than the status quo. His army was not one of professional soldiers with mutinous hearts but planters, tenants, and servants willing to die for what they believed in. The sentiments of someone fighting back against a bully can be felt on a personal level and a historical level. This theme of righteous rebellion continued to grow and affect the Revolution and many other revolutions including those we see occurring today in Egypt and other parts of the world.
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