Lionel, Wounded Knee, And Intertextuality Essay, Research Paper

Lionel Red Dog, one of Thomas King & # 8217 ; s characters in his novel Green Grass,

Runing Water, was an employee of the authorities. He worked in Indian Affairs,

and his occupation took him all over North America. It was in South Dakota that Lionel had

his last assignment.

Lionel was sent to Utah to present a address on & # 8220 ; The History of Cultural

Pluralism in Canada & # 8217 ; s Boarding Schools. & # 8221 ; While at that place, he runs into a set of indigens

that coheres him into traveling to Wounded Knee for a peaceable mass meeting. Along the manner, the

vehicle that Lionel is siting in is pulled over by the constabulary. He steps from the auto, and

trips over a gun that was lying in the dorsum. Hit by a police matron, he is taken to imprison

and, while at that place, he loses his occupation.

This, in a manner, is really similar to what happened to AIM ( American Indian

Movement ) some old ages back. The indigens were upset about the Government & # 8217 ; s neglect

of pacts and grants. The indigens held a peaceable mass meeting in a town, so they all packed

up, and moved it to Wounded Knee.

Wounded Knee was the sight of a awful slaughter in the late 1800 & # 8217 ; s. The

Natives were going to a adjacent cantonment, when soldiers came upon them, and

& # 8220 ; captured & # 8221 ; the indigens. The indigens were asked to give up all arms, and a

misconstruing led the soldiers to believe there was a opposition. The soldiers

opened fire on the Natives, and over three quarters of the indigens were killed.

There, at Wounded Knee, The indigens set up route blocks meant to maintain

tourers out. They did this so that the authorities would take notice of their predicament.

But things went dreadfully incorrect. The FBI intervened, and put up their ain route

blocks. They stopped all traffic and it shortly became a base off. The indigens were

confused that such an action should be taken, and many left. Of those who stayed, all

were members of AIM.

The FBI claimed that the AIM members were keeping sureties, even though

the sureties told the FBI that they stayed because that was their place. The whole

thing escalated until the ground forces was moved in. Finally, the FBI apprehended the

members of AIM and the truth of the state of affairs was suppressed for many old ages. The

American Indian Movement lost much of it & # 8217 ; s credibleness and support. This all & lt ;

/p >

happened in 1973.

If we were to look at the basic narrative line to Lionel & # 8217 ; s history and the AIM

business of Wounded Knee, we would see many similarities. The first similarity

would be both Lionel & # 8217 ; s and AIM & # 8217 ; s reputes. Before the problems for both of them,

they had really good reputes. Lionel had a great occupation, AIM was good supported. Then

they both went to a peaceable presentation.

Both presentations were about the same topographic point, but at different times. AIM & # 8217 ; s

presentation was about the land about Wounded Knee, and their rights, while

Lionel went to a presentation about what had happened at Wounded Knee.

I think it is here that I should advert that both these things happened at

different times. Lionel comes along after AIM, and it is a presentation about what

had happened to AIM that Lionel is traveling to go to.

Upon making the point where the presentation is to be held, Lionel is

stopped by the constabulary, and because of a misinterpretation, he is taken to imprison. AIM is

besides wrongly accused and is finally arrested by the governments.

And the last, large similarity between Lionel, and AIM, is the loss of their

credibleness. Lionel has a difficult clip happening a occupation, and ends up working in an electronics

shop. AIM excessively, losingss it & # 8217 ; s credibleness, and has non yet recovered wholly from the

actions it took, and the actions taken against it.

I believe that Thomas King is rather cagey in utilizing Lionel to state the narrative of

the business of Wounded Knee by AIM. Thomas uses Lionel efficaciously as a tool,

and anyone who has read, or has heard about what happened at Wounded Knee in

1973 would catch on rather rapidly as to his purpose of utilizing Lionel for his relation of

the occurrences at Wounded Knee.

King, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water. United States: HarperCollins, 1994.

Zimmerman, Bill. Airlift to Wounded Knee. Chicago, Illinois: The Swallow Press

Incorporated, 1976.

Lyman, Stanley David. Wounded Knee 1973: A Personal Account. Ed. Floyd O & # 8217 ; neil,

June Lyman, and Susan McKay. Cornhusker state: University of Nebraska

PressLincoln & A ; London, 1991.

Brown, Dee. Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee. United States: Holt, Rinehart and

Winston, 1971.

& # 8212 ; . Wounded Knee. United States: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1974.