Compare and Contrast

Bringing black slaves from Africa to America and the “civilization” of Native Americans while driving them off their native lands and onto reservations—two key events in American history, both of which have been used as platforms for discussions of current racism. Literature, as well, deals with the treatment of race and how that stigma of race affects both African Americans and Native Americans. Gertrude Simmons Bonnin’s three stories “Impressions of an Indian Childhood,” “The School Days of an Indian Girl,” and “An Indian Teacher Among Indians” as well as Zora Neale Hurston’s “How it Feels to Be Colored Me” both attempt to discuss the treatments of their races by American culture and how their identity has been affected. Although both authors have been deeply marked by their race, they have different visions of their race’s past, present, and future. In contemplating these works, some key points to consider are (1) how both authors explain the past treatment of their race, (2) how they currently perceive this past treatment (as an injustice? A necessary evil to becoming civilized?), and (3) how they have been positively/negatively affected by the past treatment of their race. Keeping these three points in mind, write an essay in which you compare and contrast Gertrude Simmons Bonnin and Zora Neale Hurston’s perception of their race.