Outside Reading #9

Many times stories can teach us how to be humans. In "Star Quilts and Jim Thorpe," Brenda Child describes her grandmother's experience with the Flandreau Indian School. After describing how students native learned words and phrases from each other, she states, "This peculiarly pan-Indian quality of the boarding schools is not what assimilationists, who were committed to the repression of tribal languages and culture, had in mind when they founded the institutions" (2). This positivity shows how people can maintain their identity even in the worst of times and oppression. Stories also teach us to be human through contrasting reality with intentions. In "Pipestone" Addie describes how the whites would check the Native American boys for nits or lice. He describes, "I hold my breath as that bug rake  goes through my hair over and over. It takes only one louse to fall on the sheet, and off I go to Paul Smith. I cry as those hair clippers chomp off my hair...we're lonely, bald-headed, our clothes don't fit, and we smell awful" (22-3). This scene presents the intentions of the whites to prevent the students from having nits or lice and the pain that results from these good intentions. Stories like these can teach us to think ahead to the consequences of our actions and the effect they have on people.