William Apes/ An Indian's Looking-Glass for the White Man Journal

Tanya Barragan
Scott Lankford
English 48A
William Apes

11/03/11

AUTHOR’S QUOTE

I would ask you if you would like to be disfranchised from all your rights, merely because your skin is white, and for no other crime. I’ll venture to say, these very characters who hold the skin to be such a barrier in the way would be the first to cry out, “Injustice! awful injustice:” (1054)

INTERNET QUOTE

“Apess, in adopting the rhetoric of Christian conversion narratives, "lost his voice" as a Native American and wrote in a derivative style. In the last decade, however, as interest in marginalized peoples, in the subversion of established discourses, and in cultural, ethnic, and racial identity has grown, Apess's works have been rescued from obscurity. Apess is now celebrated for his ability to combine the perspectives of Native Americans and European Americans and to manipulate the accepted modes of discourse to suit his subversive ends.”

http://www.enotes.com/william-apess-criticism/apess-william

SUMMARY

In An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man, by William Apes, he writes how we should look at the Indian’s for more than their skin color and look at them as people. He argues what is the difference between them and the white man and what gives the white man, the right to treat them as they were not equals. He quotes many verses from the bible using examples on how God looks at everyone the same and loves them for who they are and not because of their skin color. He is asking for justice for the Indian people and tells us, if this was the “white man” they would have a fit and cry, if they were treated they way the Indian’s were.

YOUR IDEAS/REACTIONS/RESPONSES TO THE AUTHOR’S IDEAS

I think that Apes wanted to get a point across, a point on the unfair treatment towards the Indian’s. I really think that he wanted us to see them as people and equals. He also wanted us to see that all people are equals, no matter what their skin type is. I got that the world he was living in was unfair to color; especially if you were not white. I reacted to his work as coming from experience and what he was seeing in life. I think that he does a good job at stating what he is trying to say. Even if at the time people didn’t agree with him; I think he was right at looking at people for more than their skin color. I responded to Apes work as really good work because he is speaking about people and the truth about them. I think that he points out many facts about people and their skin color; there is no difference than the color and that they are still all people. I like that he points out that God created many colors and what makes the white man’s color the best; God did not intend this. His ideas to look at people for more than a color were great because that’s they way it should be and no one is less or more of a person because of it. Even though Apes and his work disappeared for awhile; like he fell off, his work shows strength and truth and I really liked what he had to say.