![]() ![]() Throughout his childhood, he witnessed a changing landscape in his homeland. He was the fourth man in his family to go by the name Black Elk. He had five sisters and one brother and was a second cousin to respected war leader Crazy Horse. GradeSaver, 25 March 2020 Web.Black Elk was likely born in December 1863 along the Little Powder River in what later became Wyoming. Next Section Imagery Previous Section Metaphors and Similes How To Cite in MLA Format Anonymous "Black Elk Speaks Irony". Will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingĪfter you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. It was never his role to single-handedly defeat the US government and save the Native way of life. As a prophetic voice, he feels that he failed, but ironically, by communicating his experience, he succeeds. That is because a prophetic voice is a singular person, and Black Elk certainly qualifies here. Which of the Old Testament prophets were able to stop the downfall of Israel and Judah? Which of the prophets were able to avoid exile and decimation? None were. In order to see this irony most clearly, compare Black Elk to a prophet from the Judeo-Christian tradition. ![]() Instead of resurrecting a passionate way of life, he accidentally served as a kind of museum exhibit. Situationally, this is ironic because gradually, Black Elk realizes that this kind of cultural celebration is exactly the opposite of his religious intentions. Whether Native, Asian, Black, female, gay-whatever the case may be, there is a tendency for minority groups to be socially disadvantaged and disenfranchised, to be later resurrected to a role of entertainment. This story touches on a common motif which can be frequently found in minority American literature. The hope is merely a tool for contrast to make his "witness" more plenary. The unfortunate reality is a painful reminder of what dramatic irony concealed from Black Elk he is not there to save his way of life, but rather, he seems to be a true martyr who will experience the death of his way of life. Instead, he realizes that the US government is set in their ways, committed to removing Native peoples from their ancestral homelands. He believes that with sincere devotion and hard work, he is being granted an opportunity to save his people as a miraculous messiah figure. The unfortunate realityīlack Elk decides from the content of these visions and religious experiences that his role is to be the arbiter of fate. Black Elk gains his new role in the community through religious experiences of ecstasy and calling. The vision reported is catastrophic to the point of permanent identity change. The truth of the matter is that Black Elk's tribal and pantheistic opinion of spirituality is historically standard, but because of the modernization of the West, it feels very jarring to read about out-of-body astral projections into heavenly realms of one's own ancestors. It seems drastically ironic to a modern reader to encounter Black Elk's stories of religious ecstasy. The reader already knows from history that he is largely incorrect. The name for this dramatic irony is "hope." He does not know what will happen, but he chooses to believe that with correct action and religious sincerity, the gods might let their way of life survive. That doesn't apply to technical matters: he is obviously well-informed about the activity of nearby militaries, but in general, he seems to believe genuinely that there is a hope for Native American culture in the New America he watches unfold. Written by people who wish to remain anonymousīlack Elk seems sometimes willfully ignorant of the changing political landscape around him. ![]() We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.
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