I tried to warn you

Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
March 12, 2008
Journal #41 Zitkala Sa



Quote:
"Their woods are sweet, but, my child, their deeds are bitter. You will cry for me, but they will not even soothe you"(Sa 1112).




Summary:
The little girls mother is warning her about how she will weep for her once she is taken by the missionaries. This quote shows a foreshadowing that will occur in her life.



Response:
Sa's mother is very wise beyond her years. She tries to warn her daughter of the troubles that she will face once she arrives at the school. Being the young girl that she is, Sa, does not listen to what her mother is trying to tell her. At this point in her life, Sa, is the age at which the white missionaries ask the mothers of the native children for their permission so that they can be taken to the Indian boarding school. The sad thing is that the mothers are not given any real options. Although the missionaries do ask for the permission from the mother, it just does not seem sincere. It seems that the missionaries would take the children off to the boarding schools regardless of what the mother's say. What makes this decision harder for the mom is that her daughter is excited and curious about going to the land of the, "Big Red Apple". The mother knowing the atrocities that will happen to her tries to warn her daughter. She warns her that she will have no one to comfort her when she is presented with a unfamiliar and scary situation. This quote is an excellent foreshadow of what happens to Sa once she arrives at the boarding school. She is forced to dress and talk in ways that are completely foreign to her. The missionaries at the boarding school force her to take off her moccasins and wear stiff shoes, they also force her to speak English and not her native tongue. They also force her to wear tight fitting dresses that she is not accustomed to wearing. What happens to Sa when all this occurs, she cries and weeps for her mother to come and soothe her. Exactly what her mother had warned her would happen she is experiencing. It is really disturbing to see the atrocities that these children had to face all because they were enticed by the promises of all the "Big Red Apples" that they could pick.