Thanksgiving Reflection

Until recently the history of America's first Thanksgiving was a cute animated cartoon in my mind. While little is known about the occurrence, the little we do know tells a tale of betrayal and misjudgment. The issues facing the pilgrims and the Wampanogs were primarily different cultural practices, language barriers, and religious bigotry. These differences caused tremendous consequences, which we can not only learn from, but also we can come to understand more about why there is still war and international crisis today. I grew up in a ever changing world. The seasons changed, sometimes we had food, sometimes we did not. We often faced war and hatred from other tribes. Though we faced uncertainty at times we knew the stories of our ancestors, we had our home, religion, and families. We knew how to face the problems that arose. Our culture is like a protective cave, as Plato described. We grow with a particular way of thinking, perspectives, beliefs and practices. We feel comfortable around people who understand and
We faced potential war from a nearby tribe and we were devastated by a disease that swept our through our tribe. The white men, I felt could be a gift form above. However, upon meeting I quickly realized we could not communicate. The tongues we spoke were vastly different, therefore I couldn’t see how they could help us, or us them, unless we found a way to communicate. Language barriers are a problem that everybody is familiar with. How do you speak to someone who cannot understand you? The inability to communicate intensified the issues facing the Wampanoags and the pilgrims. Language in essence is culture. The way people speak, what they talk about, even grammar structure, stems from the society of the people speaking that language. Even if we can speak the dialect, if we do not emphasize with the way those people are we cannot properly