Rhetorical Essay on the Glass Castle

Throughout the movie, The Last of the Mohicans, the producers film it to portray many of the characters opposite of what they actually were like in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Very many of the depictions in the film, not just of the Native Americans, are very inaccurate and show them as something they were not, leading the viewers to gain knowledge of history incorrectly. This movie, which was based off a book, was one of the first to begin to portray indians using stereotypes.

These over-generalizations, also known as stereotypes, corrupt our way of perceiving other races. In the movie the British feel that they are superior to any other race and or ethnic background. In less than 15 minutes into the movie the British are already putting down the colonists by considering them worthless and you can't get them to do anything. The British general states,” One has to reason with these colonials to get them to do anything.” Within the same conversation the general continues not only to bash the colonists but also the French. They also believe the indians to be the scum of the earth, they believe they do not understand or know what they are saying and are too primitive.

Not only do the British make stereotypes of everyone so do the indians to the white man. The main indian who is the translator in the beginning of the movie believes all white men to be lazy and that they all rely on the indians for food and other stuff. Around the 16 minute mark where they are making their journey through the woods to deliver the daughters to their father the indian states in his native tongue,” When they want to eat, he puts down his tomahawk to feed their laziness.” This shows that he think all white men are helpless by the act that these few put on. This stereotype spreads causing friction between them and other tribes.

Many British military and even american colonists believe that all the indians are subservient to them. The colonist strived to exterminate the Indians because of their savagery only known because of a select few made that stereotype for the whole race. The author makes the justification of the taking off the Indians lands by using terra nullius which deems the Indians unfit to take care of their land because they don't take full advantage of it. For example, David says,” there is much fruitful soil not cultivated here and may I add, without the sinful leaven of self condemnation…” Therefore this shows that both the colonists and the British believe that they are not capable for doing the simple tasks in their life.

In the end, stereotypes lead to many problems in the future. Many stereotypes for example are still conflicting with people's views on ethnic races today. All races have their stereotypes of each race because of certain people they've met causing them to alter their opinion of the whole race and changing the way other people