Colors of the Wind

Animism is a word used to group religions or worldviews that assume a natural order that should be respected and worshiped. It is a belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe. People who hold these beliefs would say the stars and the changes of the seasons have important meanings that influence the fate of individuals.  Animists strive to live in harmony with the natural rhythms of the Earth, after all, they would say, we are the sons and daughters of the earth and our well-being depends on living in harmony with it.  

Read the song below. It is addressed to John Smith, a European who is ignorant of Pocahantas' worldview. What are the implied beliefs of Mr. Smith in the song?(Name at least 3)  Finally, why do you think Pocahantas asks so many questions?  . 

Colors of the Wind by Vanessa Williams

You think I'm an ignorant savage
You've been so many places
I guess it must be so
But still I cannot see
If the savage one is me
How can there be so much that you don't know?
You don't know ...

You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sun sweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

How high does the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you'll never know
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind

You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to Mr. Root's American Lit Room!  So what exactly is a Lit Room?  I can't say I know for sure, but maybe we could compare it to a training dojo where martial artists discipline themselves in the precise movements of their craft.  Maybe we could see it as a kind of wrestling room where ideas contend with one another to find out which is the mightier.  Or perhaps its is a dining room in which a delicious feast of images and insights is served up to share among friends.  I like to envision a huge conference room where the best minds of the past and present sit around a table arguing and challenging one another and every once in a while asking for my opinion. If our lit room gets a little stuffy, maybe we don't have to be inside at all, but rather in an open field where we can loafe at our ease observing a spear of summer grass... 

Speaking of summer, what literary experiences did you have this summer? What stories did you encounter either in a book, a movie or a video game? What made the story worthwhile? Was there anything that changed or clarified the way you see the world? Explain.