Biography on Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird)
Make an argument, using the information presented in the biography and citing specific evidence from the biography, that Zitkala-Sa participated in the winning of the west but yet at the same time she also protested the white domination she experienced.
Zitkala-Sa also known as Bonnin was a talented person of mixed race. She knew that to hate some people or certain culture was itself sinful. Hence, she tried through her intelligent writing to educate both the white and her Native American people to embrace change and bridge their cultural gaps. Yeah! It is true Zitkala helped her community the Native American to accept education and discard primitiveness but at the same time, she lamented about the mistreatment directed to people labeled savages.
Zitkala tried as much as possible to mediate between the warring Native Americans and the white men culture. As a person of mixed race, Bonnin attempted to spearhead unity between these two groups. However, she was opposed to the white men’s oppression principles. She knew how cruel oppression was, and she penned down the ills afflicted to her people (Zitkala-Sa 1). As a wise person, Bonnin used politics and literature to champion the rights of downtrodden groups.
At a tender age, Bonnin knew to differentiate between good and bad treatment and aired students grievances at the Carlisle Indian School. She knew very well that the founder (Pratt) just like other whites was exploiting learners and subjecting them to severe unwarranted punishment.
Zitkala made history first because of her army husband. This is why her burial was honored on her husband rank in the military. Needless to say, Zitkala is now remembered more for her contribution to the development of American social culture. Her great literary works such as ‘Why I am a Pagan,’ ‘The Big Red Apples’ essay opened both Christians and Native Americans to see that they could work together without humiliating one another (Zitkala-Sa 3).
According to Zitkala-Sa (4), Bonnin’s knowledge on Western allusions and mastery of the English language made her wise to understand the severe oppression subjected to her people by the dominant Christian men. Through her writing wit, she boldly challenged the reasons for demeaning her Native American cultural briefs instead of letting everyone have freedom to choose whatever they opted to believe in. A Zitkala-Sa other wonders why Christianity is forced on her people, yet they have their cultural beliefs that do not interfere with other people’s faith. It is on this basis that Zitkala-Sa states, ‘To hate difference were to hate life’ (Zitkala-Sa 4). She firmly believed that divergent cultures can live peacefully and cooperatively if they embraced their ideological differences.
Work Cited
Zitkala-Sa, Gertrude Bonnin. Voices from the Gaps. Minnesota: University of Minnesota, 2009.
