Below is a student summary of "Letter to President Pierce, 1855." Chief Seattle argues that the misuse of the earth by white people will lead to the destruction of the people and creatures that rely on the earth. He points out the different views of the earth held by whites and Indians: whites see land as an enemy to be conquered and left behind, and Indians consider cities created by whites to be eyesores. In the cities, whites distance themselves from quiet sounds and pleasing scents and from other living things, but Indians prefer nature's solitude and see all things as connected. Seattle says that the Indians, who once controlled the land, will soon die out, but he warns that whites will suffer the same fate, and probably quickly, unless they can learn to respect the earth. Observing the actions of whites, Chief Seattle does not understand what they expect from the future. But perhaps, as he ironically notes, the Indians' savagery prevents them from comprehending the whites' ways. next >> |
2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education