Sun Dance Behind Bars: The
Rhetoric of Leonard Peltier’s Prison Writings by Janna Knittle
was an interesting text, as it explores the rhetoric of and American Indian who
is doomed to stay in prison for the rest of his life, which undoubtedly affects
the power of his rhetoric’s delivery.
The description of the Sundance
was indeed a somewhat horrifying one, at least to me. It seemed like a
torturous ritual, staring at the sun for hours upon end, only to dance until
your nipples are ripped off. Jokes aside, the fact that Peltier uses and sees
his Sundance as a way of sacrificing himself for the greater good of his people
is fascinating. The act of using his prison sentence as a sort of Sundance is
in itself a feat of rhetorical power, along with his fearlessness of pain,
being able to relieve himself from it by thinking of it as a sacrificial
Sundance.
His ability to ignore pain
because he has partaken in an actual Sundance, and can always relate his pain
to a higher purpose when in prison shows an impressive manifestation of
rhetoric in his own being. It is indeed a manifestation of survivance and
defiance against his unrighteous prison sentence, and displays a great deal of
power as an Indian who refuses to be torn down by anything. “Sun Dance is our
religion, our strength. We take great pride in that strength, which enables us
to persist pain, torture, any trial rather than betray the People” (120). His
defiant resolve, and by extension his rhetoric, is strengthened not only by his
ability to endure, but also by the fact that not being able to is viewed as a
betrayal towards his own people.
I think that you could draw
lines between many other aspects of his rhetoric portrayed in the article to
Aristotelian rhetoric, but the Sundance aspect is in my opinion very much unique
and of a different kind.
Erlend,
ReplyDeleteThe Sun Dance description by Peltier fascinated me also. I have heard of Sun Dance, but never fully understood exactly what it entailed. Peltier's rhetorical comparison of his prison sentence to the physical sacrifice in Sun Dance ceremonies was interesting. He states on pg. 120 "Now I had given not just my time and my effort and my dedication to my People's cause, I had given my flesh", the physical aspect of the ceremony and of Peltier is how he relates to his People and brings traditions of his tribe into his texts. I think that his ability to turn his prison sentence into a way to promote Native activism was a strong rhetorical move and through his comparisons to Sun Dance he effectively demonstrates a tribal tradition and his personal participation - even in jail.
Erland,
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that I find it quite interesting to me that you do not seem to particularly enjoy most of the other rhetorics we have viewed, or at least not see them as very legitimate rhetorics. However, you find a within a story of someone maiming one's self a legitimate rhetoric. Although I am kidding here, it is interesting to me that you found a good amount of justification of the word, "rhetoric" in this text as opposed to others we have viewed, maybe it is the fact this rhetoric seems as though it is for a good reason, and is something that is being lived out and practiced?
The section of the text that describes the Sun Dance is by far the most interesting portion of the text. While reading it I couldn't help but draw similarities to Egyptian Rhetoric and its practice of Maat. Whereas Maat is a goddess and way of life, The Sun Dance for the Peltier's tribe was/is a religious ceremony and a strength against the injustices in the world. There is a dual function for the Sun Dance that enables Peltier to survive and thrive in prison.
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