#4 Catlin's Indians: Too Weak To Survive

By looking at "Pigeon's Egg Head" one can assume that George Catlin was expressing sympathy for the Native Americans and how their way of life was drastically changed by the white settlers. However, when one actually reads the picture and takes in all aspects of change in the Native American's life, it is evident that Catlin thinks very little of the Indians, almost as if he is mocking their inability to hold their ground and keep their own values.

To fully understand this picture one must read it from left to right as we read text. In the left side of the picture the Indian is standing tall and dignified. He is dressed in traditional Indian clothing and his head is adorned with a headdress full of feathers. He is extremely noble and almost majestic-looking. By looking closely, you can see looming in the background the Capitol building, almost as if it is watching over him, waiting for him to come and lose himself in the culture.

When you look to the right side of the painting you see a completely opposite image. The Indian is dressed in a suit and top hat, and is obviously drunk. He is also carrying an umbrella to steady himself and a fan. He looks absolutely ridiculous, completely opposite of the portrait to the left. He is no longer proud and tall but shameful and an embarrassment to his people.

Through these two depictions of this Indian, Catlin is exemplifying the Indian's weak nature and inability to keep his own set of values when presented with the tempting and alluring lifestyle of the white man, therefore making the demise of their culture inevitable.

Comments

[Pati Mohamed]

Hi Shannon-
Good Job on the post! Wow your first paragraph, seems like half of it is your thesis. You could have either added more to your intro or condense the thesis. Well, since you are discussing the image, and telling the reader to read the image from left to right, it would have been better to insert the image, which would facilitate it for the reader. Good job on explaining the Indian, when dressed traditionally, but it would have been better to explain how he looks, in more details when he was dressed in a suit, it would put more emphasis, as to how the Indians changed. Your post is simple and straight to the point, good job, it is a good way to not get your reader bored. Good technique!

[Karie Von Fange]

I admire your courage at chosing such a bold thesis satemant. It is clear, and it certainly gets my attention!
I think, however, that the rest of your post needs more argument to support sucha daring thesis. The idea of the capital building taunting the Indian is very descriptive and helpful to your thesis, but I would add more such descriptions.
There is a lot in the right side of the painting that you could talk about. In your third paragraph, I would add more descriptions of the specific things that make the Indian appear foolish. For example: the women's accessories.
I also think the conlusive paragraph could use some perdiods or commas to break it up a lttle. The entire last paragraph is one sentence. Short sentences are a good way of highlighting concepts for people.

[Meisha Evans]

The thesis you used in this post is good. It clearly states what topics you plan to discuss in the paper. It is evident that you grasp the basic meaning of the painting. However, despite the strong thesis you presented, the paper lacks depth. One cause of this problem is the absence of detail when describing the opposing images of Pigeon’s Egg Head. You describe him as looking “extremely noble and almost majestic looking” and also as looking “absolutely ridiculous”, yet, you fail to specify the elements that make him appear that way. You should have elaborated these points with details about the image such as the way held his head, which signified dignity. You also describe him as being “obviously drunk” but make no mention of the liquor bottles in his pocket, or his drunken stance. Do not assume that your audience understands the points you are trying to make. Instead, clearly explain your points and what led you to that conclusion. Another problem that attributed to the paper lack of strength is the absence of outside support to clarify your assertions. The assignment was to explain Catlin’s view of the Native Americans and to give the historical context behind the painting. You only wrote about the first aspect. Not only would including outside information better fulfill the assignment’s requirements, it would also help to better support the points you made. Finally, I observed that your thesis statement accounts for more than half of your introductory paragraph. Including a quotation, anecdote, or question to grab the attention of your reader would have set your paper off on the right foot. Also, that hook would give you something to connect back to in your concluding paragraph.