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  • Essay / Racism as depicted in Silko's “ceremony”

    Ceremony is the story of a marginalized community. For many years, interactions between Native Americans and whites have been destroying Native Americans. Native Indians suffer from genocide, racism and exile and all of this is blamed on white people. The government takes away ancestral lands from indigenous people and forces them to reside on reserves. The reservations are inhospitable and it is not possible for Indians to carry out livestock and agricultural activities there. Native Americans in modern America suffer from racism to this day. Silko uses metaphorical boundaries to elaborate on the effects of racism on native people. Racism alienated native people from white people, making them feel out of place. For example, Tayo observes that: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The first time you walked down the street in Gallup or Albuquerque, you knew it. Don't lie. You knew the right way. The war was over. The uniform was missing. All of a sudden, that man at the store waiting for you last makes you wait for all the white people to buy what they wanted. And the white lady at the bus depot, she's very careful not to touch your hand when she counts out your change (Silko 42). Tayo means that the way white people treated native people before and after World War II was different. During the war, native people were treated well because they were American officials fighting for their country. However, after the war, they no longer wore uniforms and the boundaries between whites and Native Americans were reinforced. The natives have regained their normal status and therefore no longer have importance in the eyes of the whites because they are not fighting for their country. Whites used psychological boundaries to make Indians understand that they were “outsiders” and therefore could not have the same status in society. Silko Ceremony Native Indians face the challenge of environmental discrimination because they are pushed to live on reservations that are not productive. For example, Emo complains, “You know we Indians deserve something better than this damn parched country over here. Yeah, that’s true… but they have everything. And we don't have to do anything, right? Even though Indians helped whites fight in World War II, they were treated as outsiders once the war ended and forced to live in poverty. The whites seize all the productive land and leave the Indians a dry country. Environmental discrimination by whites reminds Indians that they are not equal or similar to whites, even though they fought in World War II. Therefore, the challenge of environmental discrimination against the natives began in the colonial era. it is still widespread to this day. Structural racism has perpetuated economic and social inequalities among Native Indians. According to Reading and Sarah, “the continued existence of “Indian reservations” is one of the most visible reminders of Indian racial segregation. indigenous peoples” (4). Various governments have played an active role in supporting the racialized form of discrimination against indigenous people over generations. Even in the contemporary context, there are not many social and economic developments on Indian reservations. As a result, natives struggle to access important resources such as housing and financial resources (Reading and Sarah 6). Government investmentfederal funding for watering facilities on reservations has declined, resulting in overcrowded, substandard, and poorly ventilated housing on Indiana reservations. Additionally, educational opportunities for Native people are limited compared to other racial groups because the government has not provided sufficient funds to support educational development on Indian reservations. It should be noted that indigenous Indians face discrimination in electoral matters. Discrimination reduces their turnover in elections. To elaborate, Dillion writes that “turnout among American Indian and Alaska Native voters in the 2012 election was 17 percentage points lower than that of white voters” (Dillion). Turnout among indigenous Indians is lower because they are assigned remote polling stations and have to spend large sums of money before arriving at the polling stations. Additionally, there are physical barriers, such as rivers, that prevent Indians from reaching polling stations on time. They cannot therefore exercise their right to participate in national and federal elections. Additionally, Indian voters' low turnout in elections is attributed to intimidation in towns bordering reservations, language barriers and animosity, which prevent them from voting. The Ministry of Justice has failed to provide sufficient resources and legal support to empower indigenous communities, which is why their political participation is low. Discriminatory prejudice against native Indians is evident in the Silko ceremony. Tayo's experiences with racial prejudice illustrate the racial prejudice that Native Indians face to this day. Tayo says: “I’m mixed race. I'll be the first to say it. I will speak for both sides. »(42). Tayo uses the “term” mixed race to demonstrate that the way people treat others in society is dictated by their race. Tayo is torn between two heritages and that's why he can't find any sense of identity in either because people on both sides don't accept him. Tayo feels inferior because he is a mixed race. Harmful experiences deny him the joy he needs. his life. Racism discourages people from appreciating people's inner beauty because it is based on skin color. Racism implies that some races are pure while others are not. Therefore, Tayo believes the lie that he is impure because he is half. Perceptions regarding prejudice and purity condemn Tayo's existence because he is mixed race. Likewise, racism has permeated the American scene and this is evident in the widespread use of the term "redskin" which, Giago explains, is "less well known in most countries." America, but well known to Native Americans, is the covert racism that afflicts “red-skinned” Americans as opposed to blacks” (Giago). Using the term redskin to describe Indians means that they are “not equal,” “less than “separate,” or “not as good as” whites (Giago). The overt form of racism causes white people to view Native Indians as a form of property. The Indians were relegated due to the use of the term Redskin, which prevents other peoples from honoring them. Their value in contemporary America has diminished because the use of the insulting term redskin indicates that they are not as valuable as those with white skin. White people are ignorant, that is why they continue to use the term redskin even though they are aware that it hurts the feelings of the native people. They have not understood that they are doing, 2006.