Blue Winds Dancing
Living Between Two Worlds
In the essay, “Blue Winds Dancing,” by Tom Whitecloud, the theme is motivated by the conflict the narrator faces while missing what he considers home. Satisfaction for ones culture is a fine line between appreciation of your own and disapproval for those that are different. This conflict is brought to light by the narrator’s different views of the two cultures to which he lives. These differences are felt internally and externally as the writer searches for his individuality and deals with society, respectively.
In the beginning of the essay, the narrator explains his views about life. The narrator goes onto compare the different aspects of the cultures, and in a sense thinks like the White man, that his culture is inferior. He talks about the peace that he feels when he is home in Wisconsin, “That land which is my home! Beautiful, calm—where there is no hurry to get anywhere…” (paragraph 5). However, he also mentions how such peace is completely lost in the everyday life of a big city. It is apparent that the narrator has lived in a big city for a long time, at least long enough to evaluate the quality of life in such an environment. The narrator expresses dissatisfaction with society, most notably in the essay, “white” society. He bluntly states: “I am tired. I am weary of trying to keep up this bluff of being civilized. Being civilized means, trying to do everything you don’t want to; never doing anything you want to” (paragraph 6). He makes a clear difference between white society and Native American society. Clearly, the writer feels as if he is not fit for white society; after all, he is a Native American. It is this dissatisfaction with his present situation and his present place in culture that causes the conflict that he faces. More simply put, the narrator is in search of an identity.
In a desperate attempt to find his true identity, he decides to go back to Wisconsin. He is filled with joy as he sees all of the places on
In the essay, “Blue Winds Dancing,” by Tom Whitecloud, the theme is motivated by the conflict the narrator faces while missing what he considers home. Satisfaction for ones culture is a fine line between appreciation of your own and disapproval for those that are different. This conflict is brought to light by the narrator’s different views of the two cultures to which he lives. These differences are felt internally and externally as the writer searches for his individuality and deals with society, respectively.
In the beginning of the essay, the narrator explains his views about life. The narrator goes onto compare the different aspects of the cultures, and in a sense thinks like the White man, that his culture is inferior. He talks about the peace that he feels when he is home in Wisconsin, “That land which is my home! Beautiful, calm—where there is no hurry to get anywhere…” (paragraph 5). However, he also mentions how such peace is completely lost in the everyday life of a big city. It is apparent that the narrator has lived in a big city for a long time, at least long enough to evaluate the quality of life in such an environment. The narrator expresses dissatisfaction with society, most notably in the essay, “white” society. He bluntly states: “I am tired. I am weary of trying to keep up this bluff of being civilized. Being civilized means, trying to do everything you don’t want to; never doing anything you want to” (paragraph 6). He makes a clear difference between white society and Native American society. Clearly, the writer feels as if he is not fit for white society; after all, he is a Native American. It is this dissatisfaction with his present situation and his present place in culture that causes the conflict that he faces. More simply put, the narrator is in search of an identity.
In a desperate attempt to find his true identity, he decides to go back to Wisconsin. He is filled with joy as he sees all of the places on