Love Medicine

Love Medicine
Detail of beadwork from an Ojibwe medicine pouch

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

What does everyone think about John Pai. Do you think that he wants to go to seminary? or do you think that he objects to the western way of life?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

i think he objects to the western way of life and doesnt not want to go to seminary

Jessika Whitbeck said...

I don't think John Pai wants to go to the seminary. I think he feels pressure from Carrie to go. He feels like he would let her down and the rest of the school down if he choose not to go. He also realizes he can't return to his home because he has changed so much. He would not fit into his culture anymore.

Jack Truett said...

I think he wants to get out of the reservation, but not so much to go to seminary and adopt a western way of life. He wants to be true to himself, not the white man.

alex hump said...

i agree with jessika. i think he doesn't have much of a choice really. he's caught somewhere in between his indian tradition and western culture. i dont think he really wants to go to seminary but he's changed so much he cant really go back home

bkorrapati25 said...

I don't think John Pai cares to much for seminary. I know he would rather visit his home than go there.

bkorrapati25 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BHidalgo07 said...

I think since he was already pressured to become Americanzied he is forcd to go to the seminary. It is kind of like he came this far why would he try and object what they want him to do now? Does he really have a choice?

sophie said...

just from his attitude i dont necessarily think that john pai wants to go to seminary but i think that he thinks that that is what he is suppose to do. i think by growing up in the kiowa school he has grown to have no idea of who he is because it is impossible to take all of his memories away and replace them.

Laurie said...

I think he wants to get out of the Kiowa boarding school, but doesn't feel comfortable returning home. After his brainwashing at the boarding school, he's no longer the same person. There was something like this in the Grinde handout. When American Indian chiefs were invited to send tribe members to college, one stated:

"Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the Colleges of the Northern Provinces, they were instructed in all your sciences, but, when they came back to us, they were bad Runners, ignorant of every means of living in the Woods, unable to bear either Cold or Hunger, knew neither how to build a cabin, take a Deer, or kill an Enemy, spoke our language imperfectly, were therefore neither fit for Hunters, Warriors, nor Counsellors, they were totally good for nothing. We are however not the less oblig'd by your kind Offer, tho' we decline accepting it, and to show our grateful sense of it, if the Gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their Sons, we will take great Care of their education, instruct them in all we know, and make Men of them" (26).