St. Lucy's Home for girls Raised by wolves comparison to native American's being forced to be civilized
In the short story, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, there is a group of girls that are taken to a school where they are taught to live in society with other humans. In many ways, this can find a parallel to Native American, they too where taken to schools and taught how to be “civilized”. These are some of the comparisons that can be drawn from the two.
The first comparison is the educators. In an article published by DISCovering Multicultural America, it states, “Congress established several Indian schools run by missionaries”. The teachers at St. Lucy’s Home are nuns; the ones who taught the Native American children were missionaries. Both are religious educators.
Another similarity is that both children where removed from their home and boarded at the school, also they were not allowed to leave until they were finished with their studies. In the article, it informs, “Many children did not see their for ten to fifteen years; students did not return home for summer vacations, but returned only after they graduated from high school”. This is like the St. Lucy girls because they could not leave if they had not learned to be civilized and only then could they have returned to their parents.
Among these two, there is also another comparison, which is both students are punished in some manner if they practice their own culture. This is shown in the article, “Indian children were punished if they spoke their native tongue, performed certain ceremonies, or practiced their traditional religion“. This compares to St. Lucy’s Home for Girls because they too were “punished” if they acted in their old culture. Mirabelle was kicked out of the school, and put back in the woods because she refused to be leave her old ways behind and act civilized.
Which leads to the last comparison, both students are trying to be “civilized” because according to their society their culture and ways are different then that of “normal” people. In the article, the Native-Americans are being forced to go to the schools, “The policy of these boarding schools promoted integration into the larger society... The schools' curriculum emphasized Anglo teaching and values”. In St. Lucy’s story, the girls are sent to the school by their parents on request of the nuns because the nuns promise to make them “civilized” so they can live with other humans in a society.
In conclusion, these four are some of the comparisons that St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves has to Native-American being forcefully taught to be “civilized”. A lot of parallels can be drawn from these two articles. This shows how if your different society wants to change you so you can fit in.
The first comparison is the educators. In an article published by DISCovering Multicultural America, it states, “Congress established several Indian schools run by missionaries”. The teachers at St. Lucy’s Home are nuns; the ones who taught the Native American children were missionaries. Both are religious educators.
Another similarity is that both children where removed from their home and boarded at the school, also they were not allowed to leave until they were finished with their studies. In the article, it informs, “Many children did not see their for ten to fifteen years; students did not return home for summer vacations, but returned only after they graduated from high school”. This is like the St. Lucy girls because they could not leave if they had not learned to be civilized and only then could they have returned to their parents.
Among these two, there is also another comparison, which is both students are punished in some manner if they practice their own culture. This is shown in the article, “Indian children were punished if they spoke their native tongue, performed certain ceremonies, or practiced their traditional religion“. This compares to St. Lucy’s Home for Girls because they too were “punished” if they acted in their old culture. Mirabelle was kicked out of the school, and put back in the woods because she refused to be leave her old ways behind and act civilized.
Which leads to the last comparison, both students are trying to be “civilized” because according to their society their culture and ways are different then that of “normal” people. In the article, the Native-Americans are being forced to go to the schools, “The policy of these boarding schools promoted integration into the larger society... The schools' curriculum emphasized Anglo teaching and values”. In St. Lucy’s story, the girls are sent to the school by their parents on request of the nuns because the nuns promise to make them “civilized” so they can live with other humans in a society.
In conclusion, these four are some of the comparisons that St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves has to Native-American being forcefully taught to be “civilized”. A lot of parallels can be drawn from these two articles. This shows how if your different society wants to change you so you can fit in.