Scholarly reviews provide a reader with an analytical insight to an author’s analysis on a monograph. In The Comanche Empire, Pekka Hamalainen creates a thesis, which claims the Comanche Native Americans created a powerful empire in the Southwest. Assessing Hamalainen’s thesis, reviewers Joel Minor, Dan Flores, Gerald Betty, and Joaqin Rivaya Martinez present a variety of views on the monograph. Providing the strengths and weakness of Hamalainen’s text, each reviewer agrees and disagrees on several of the monograph’s points. The scholarly reviews provide a structured assessment, which offers the reader with an individual perspective of the monograph under review. Readers should identify the approaches to the text in each reviewer’s assessment …show more content…
Identifying the common comparisons in the reviews allows the reader to analyze the structure and arguments in the monograph. A strength that three of the reviews recognize is the depth of research that Hamalainen provides on the Comanche. Recognizing the text’s detailed research, Flores states that its precise history makes it the leading text on the Comanche. Minor writes that Hamalainen’s thesis allows detailed research into the three eras of the Comanche. The rise, peak, and fall of the Comanche, Minor claims allow the readers with a comprehensive understanding of the expanse of the Comanche’s power in the southwest. Agreeing with Flores and Minor, Martinez believes Halamlainen’s advanced research allows the monograph to stand out. Two common weaknesses that the reviewers share involve the structure of the text. The reviewers agree that the contradictions Halamlainen makes towards the citations used in the text leads the reader to question the validity of the progression of the monograph’s arguments. Lastly, another flaw that Flores and Minor highlight is the writing style of the text. Minor states that the text is “dry”, which he believes may turn many readers away from the book. Flores confirms that while Hamalainen offers a detailed history, the author writes it from an academic …show more content…
The reviewers take a historical, academic, and causal approach in assessing the monograph. The various approaches allow both academic and causal readers to analyze and understand the text. Summarizing the reviews, each author raises distinct questions on Hamalainen’s points and arguments. A comparison of the text enables the audience with an awareness of the monograph’s strengths and weaknesses. Evaluating the reviews provides the reader with multiple perspectives on what each reviewer identifies as a flaw or highlight of the Hamalainen’s
As the goal of the writer was to educate, the book achieved success in both ways as the reader is left much more informed about early America than when they began reading the novel. The book covers the its main topics in three sections, Discovery, Conquest and Settlement. Each section includes information from various geographical regions in America with information pertaining to one of the specific sections above. Each section gave a comprehensive look at the main topic in a way that was easy to understand as well as
Now we have all heard about the story of Pocahontas, unfortunately many of the stories we were told growing up are not completely true. Camilla Townsend, the author of “Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma”, intends to inform its readers about the evolution of the many lies written and told by the Englishmen regarding their relationships with the Native America peoples that many of us have heard about today. However, Townsend has ineffectively given her readers information about the whole truth to the stories she has written about the many relationships of the English and Native Americans. Firstly, although Townsend claims to have done her research on the topic by reading all the documents written from this time period and beyond, she leaves
The Comanche and Anglo Population developed very differently but had multiple things in common. One of the major developments was the horse for both groups. The Comanche used them much more and development extremely because of them. The Comanche used them for battle, transport, and trade mostly. The Anglo Population, with Hays, began practicing and became pretty accurate with their new pistols.
Ripped from the fabric of American history, the truth of the Old West is far darker and less heroic than depicted when the fresh wounds from the American Civil War were still fresh and the expansion of the railroads encroached on the eroding territory of Native Americans in the name of “progress” and manifest destiny. The slaughtering grounds of Little Bighorn where General Armstrong Custer valiantly fought to the last man deflates into an ignorant move that Lakota warriors, led by Crazy Horse of the Lakota tribe, took advantage of to fight assimilation in the form of constricting reservations. The lawless land of the West where notorious criminals robbed banks and trains, while the heroic sheriffs ignited
Their website describes the journal as “a must for college and university libraries and teachers of literature”. The purpose of this article is to show readers that although it seems apparent what Bambara wants her readers to glean from her story, Cartwright proposes might just be an underlying theme. His hope is that by examining the text he can prove that the conflict is not the differences between the rich and the poor; on the contrary, the conflict is the sometimes present resistance to learning even at the detriment of the student. Cartwright states, “the dramatic question that powers the story, that moves it forward, is whether Miss
The harsh conditions the Indians underwent “encouraged the emigration of rural laborers from Mexico to the southwestern part of the United States” (New York: American Geographical Society, 1923). Diaz intervention in the administration of justice sided with the indians (162). He was aware that a large majority of territory was taken from the indians and so, made negotiations with corrupt companies which profited off of these lands. Part of this plan was to give the Indians sale on easy payment terms, irrigation, and education (Eder, 35). Indians were part of the rural population, they had their land taken from them and therefore were repressed.
There currently are about 9.2 million horses in North America. They are widespread with many breeds and disciplines that each horse fits into. Horses did not always inhabit North America as they do now. Roughly four hundred years ago the horse made it to America through Spanish soldiers, also known as conquistadores. These conquistadores successfully conquered parts of Mexico and South America before traveling north to the southwestern portion of what is now today’s
“1491” Questions 1. Two scholars, Erikson and William Balée believe that almost all aspects of Native American life have been perceived wrong. Although some refuse to believe this, it has been proven to be the truth. Throughout Charles C. Mann’s article from The Atlantic, “1491”, he discusses three main points: how many things that are viewed as facts about the natives are actually not true, the dispute between the high and low counters, and the importance of the role disease played in the history of the Americas. When the term “Native American” is heard, the average person tends to often relate that to a savage hunter who tries to minimize their impact on their surrounding environment.
Secondary Source Analysis In order to create his ideal Native American standing within the American Government, which includes the non-indigenous portion of the world acknowledging and understanding Native American issues with the United States and Internationally, Walter R. Echo-Hawk, in his A Context for Understanding Native American Issues, delves into the United State’s past Indian affairs as well as his goals for achieving this ideal. It is important to consider the author’s attitude towards the topic, his desired audience and the devices he used when analyzing the strength of his arguments. Echo-Hawk brings up the point, during the beginning of chapter two, that the general public is unaware of much of the happenings between the United
Therefore when they use it they are able to get their point across. Kieckhefer provides information about the book written by Stephen A. Mitchell. The Literature Review was written by Richard Kieckhefer about the book written by Stephen A. Mitchell.
Stephanie Malinowski wrote an op-ed article questioning Thomas L. Friedman’s Optimism in “30 Little Turtles”. In addition, Malinowski criticizes Friedman when he generalized the Indians and how he based most of his article on his personal experience. Not to mention that Malinowski used quotes to support her evidence and make the reader question Friedman’s credibility. Malinowski is effective when she summarizes by telling the reader what she is criticizing, her use of paraphrasing to help the reader understand her point of view, and her use of quotes to support the evidence she gives. Summaries are used when someone uses the main points to explain something in a quick manner.
Effective Criticism, Ineffective Execution Janet Spector ’s book What The Awl Means is a break-way writing that reflects on many relevant issues within archeology during the twentieth century. She addresses the academic issues within archeology specifically when learning about Native Americans. Through in-depth reports on archeological sites and artifacts Spector, introduces a new form of archeological review.
Throughout history, there have been many literary studies that focused on the culture and traditions of Native Americans. Native writers have worked painstakingly on tribal histories, and their works have made us realize that we have not learned the full story of the Native American tribes. Deborah Miranda has written a collective tribal memoir, “Bad Indians”, drawing on ancestral memory that revealed aspects of an indigenous worldview and contributed to update our understanding of the mission system, settler colonialism and histories of American Indians about how they underwent cruel violence and exploitation. Her memoir successfully addressed past grievances of colonialism and also recognized and honored indigenous knowledge and identity.
“Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress”, chapter one of “A People’s History of the United States”, written by professor and historian Howard Zinn, concentrates on a different perspective of major events in American history. It begins with the native Bahamian tribe of Arawaks welcoming the Spanish to their shores with gifts and kindness, only then for the reader to be disturbed by a log from Columbus himself – “They willingly traded everything they owned… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” (Zinn pg.1) In the work, Zinn continues explaining the unnecessary evils Columbus and his men committed unto the unsuspecting natives.
Broken into two sections, the book’s first is of a theoretical approach and