Reflection #6

“The Great River” by Bruce Upholt

After reading chapter 4, “Half Horse, Half Alligator,” from “The Great River” by Bruce Upholt, I immediately noticed a difference in my experience reading this text and our literary texts. The most notable differences was that it felt more like a narration on the events described instead of a story, as well as that it confused me on the people depicted.

Firstly, this chapter felt more like a narration of the events described instead of a story because it felt like I was reading a history book. To elaborate more on that, with our other literary texts, we are reading about history and non-fiction situations, but the way that they are delivered keeps the reader engaged. However, while reading this chapter, there was a lot of information given as well as situations described and explained, but there was not much of an engaging factor other than learning more about it.

Secondly, after reading this chapter, it confused me on the people depicted. The reason behind that is because we are told from our first history class that the British were the enemies of the United States and the Founding Fathers are amazing people who we should look up to. However, in the text it specifically talks about how Thomas Jeffereson was planning to steal the land away from the Native Americans, as well as the other settlers from the other countries. In the chapter it specifically says, “Americans should encircle tribal villages with settlement, he said, choking off their hunting lands and thereby forcing a complete dependence on agriculture… And should anyone object and “take up the hatchet,” as Jefferson put it, the president was clear: they should be crushed.” Seeing that this was said, and done, by Thomas Jefferson wasn’t exactly what confused me since I have learned, outside of school, the horrors of what the U.S. as well as people during that time have done. What confused me was seeing that at a certain point in time, the British were actually helping the Native Americans to fight off the American colonizers. Although it was also for their own benefit as they were also trying to colonize their land, it still surprised and confused me because I never would have thought they would be apart of the war in that sense.

In conclusion, I immediately noticed a difference in my experience reading this text and our literary texts because it felt more like a narration on the events described instead of a story, as well as that it confused me on the people depicted. There was a lot of information given in that chapter without much to engage the reader, other than the opportunity to learn more about this history. Also, the fact that the British were once fighting with the Native Americans to fight off the American colonizers was a shock. However, after reading this chapter, my mindset and views on certain situations have been opened and this has caused me to want to learn more on my own about this situation.