Midterm Writing Assisgnment free essay sample

In this remarkable essay Franklin makes observations on how the society of Native Americans differs from that of white English America. The main point that Franklin was aiming for is that Native Americans are anything but savages. Franklin wanted to convince people that Just because a culture is different than our own does not mean they are savages and unclean. He even goes as far in his arguments to say that in some respects, the Native American culture and people are more polite than the British.Franklin gives examples describing ways the Indians respect the white peoples values and cultures and in return the Americans believe the Indians values are barbaric. Benjamin Franklin asked the question why the Native Americans should be called savages Just cause their lifestyle is different than others. One of the first examples given was, in 1744 at the Treaty of Lancaster the Six Nations a proposal was formed asking the Indians to send some of their young men to college in Virginia. We will write a custom essay sample on Midterm Writing Assisgnment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This was purposed so they could teach them the lifestyle that the Americans know and practice. Why did the SIX Nations believe that there was room for Improvement In their community, they wanted to instill some of their values to the Indians. The Indians felt the white man had no moral values when it came to either living in the wilderness or building pains, knowing how to survive outside or either be counselors to the young. They spoke of great honor and high esteem to the Six Nations while declining their offer.Franklin explains their mannerism toward tolerance to listening to the white people ways of converting as mere . The Indians were very polite when holding conversations. After telling a story about two hunters they were told the story was fiction, a tale and a falsehood. The Indians responded by saying the rules of common civility. You saw that we, who understand and practice those rules, believed all your stories; why do you refuse to believe ours? Ben Franklin also thought that the Native Americans should have been welcomed instead of made fun and treated like circus clowns.He spoke of how they were gazed upon and crowded upon when they came In to town. If someone comes Into the Indians village, they are treated as they wanted to be treated with kindness. Franklin concludes the piece by telling of an episode during which a Mohawk man questions a friend who is familiar with white mans practice of attending a Sunday meeting. Upon hearing that the purpose of the meeting is to learn good things, he responds, If they met so often to learn good things, they would certainly have learned some before this time.But they are still Ignorant. He goes on by saying, You see they have not yet learned those little good them to us when we were children. He speaks of the meetings as only to contrive the cheating of Indians in the price of beaver. Franklin emphasizes the power of his social commentary by letting it come through the mouth of a supposed savage. Through this exchange, Franklin reveals the genuinely civilized nature of the American Indian and the ways in which he hopes that the European and white American cultures will develop.