Monday, March 23, 2015

All Things Share the Same Breath

Chief Seattle gave a famous speech in January 1854 in what is now downtown Seattle, when he was in his late fifties or early sixties. Dr. Henry A. Smith, a settler and amateur poet who was present and detailed notes at the time, transcribed it. But Smith didn’t speak Lushootseed, the language in which Chief Seattle gave the speech, and he waited 30 years before he transcribed his notes about the speech. Smith’s “Chief Seattle” speech, as he rendered it from his notes, contains 19th-century rhetorical elements that make it sound like he created some of it. Smith admitted in his introduction to the speech that his version of it was “a fragment of [Chief Seattle’s] speech, and lacks all the charm lent by the grace and earnestness of the sable old orator, and the occasion.”

Although Chief Seattle directs his speech at the “white man,” his audience for his speech can be found to also be for his people as well. He tells his people to not fight, for “[they] would have everything to lose, and nothing to gain.” Chief Seattle uses many persuasive techniques in his speech including powerful imagery, striking similes, cautionary notes, and an ominous tone conveyed in parallel structure.

An example of power imagery and a simile is found when he compares the roles of the white men and his people: “Some grim Nemesis of our race is on the red man’s trail, and wherever he goes he will still hear the sure approaching footsteps of the fell destroyer and prepare to meet his doom, as does the wounded doe that hears the approaching footsteps of the hunter.” This creates a greater sense of vulnerability for his people, and makes the white man sound incredibly dangerous.

Many genocides and wars contributed to the 19th-century era that possibly could have led to this cautionary speech. He was well aware that Native American Tribes were not surviving well amongst others in the US, and he wanted to change that. Through his ominous tone, he conveys his message well and his speech becomes famous for providing his views on how all men should live, share, and survive in the natural world.

2 comments:

  1. I find your point about separating the rhetoric that Chief Seattle actually used from the rhetoric that Mr. Smith uses when he writes it down. That is very useful to know when rhetorically analyzing any piece.

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  2. That is very interesting to hear about. If he wasn't able to speak the language and waited 30 years to transcribe it that would change a lot of the meaning behind the words. It would be interesting to compare the two, although we may never be able to, in order to see how much the translated version was affected by the mindset, culture and beliefs of Dr. Henry A. smith.

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