Answer the following question.

Humanities

1. Ceremony offers the suggestion that the European settlers of America were created by the “witchery” of a nameless witch doctor. What is the effect of this assertion? Does it make white people demonic by intimating that they are agents of evil, incapable of doing good? Or, to the contrary, does it somehow absolve them from blame because they are merely tools of the “Destroyers” and are not really responsible for their actions? ~400-600 words in length, cite from the text to support your response.

Structure:

Your primary post should include an introduction

that introduces the topic and ends with a clearly worded, 1-2 sentence thesis statement.

Each supporting paragraph (there should be at least 3) should begin with a strong topic sentence

and should incorporate evidence, including direct quotations from the short stories as needed to support your argument. Direct quotations should be incorporated using the quotation sandwich method

and proper MLA in-text citations.

The post should also contain a strong conclusion.

2. Respond to these two posts of at least 100-150 words each. Do you agree with his/her argument? Why or why not? Does the text offer evidence to the contrary?

post 1. The Concept of Witchery in Ceremony

Native Americans have a vivid history of centuries. Culturally, they are known for their incredible traditions, and they have always held nature with the most respect. Through years, they have religious as well as witchcraft views that are existing in them as they held similar perceptions about nature and its sacred value. This is why witchery has been involved as a major theme in their practices while they extracted elements from nature. This concept is explored in Leslie Silko’s novel Ceremony. The witchery practices are inherently different in different regions of Native America which is why there are differences in their beliefs. Her assumption of witchery being the reason behind the European Americans is reinforced by the beliefs of Native Americans when it comes to witchcraft as well as magic. Their witchcraft is indeed considered as medicinal rituals that are established in order to cure the presented illnesses. The reason why the European Americans have started against Native Americans is that the witchery leads them.

Native Americans have used various tools and methods like herbs, crystal rocks, chants, hymns and feathers as they perform these rituals. Leslie Silko introduces us to the character of Tayo, the main lead who returns to his homeland after the war. He is highly affected by the happenings of the war which is why he wants to be healed before the trauma kills him in the form of the deteriorating health. As considered above, the witchery can’t be separated from nature which is why he gets told by Dr. Benitoe that witchery is responsible for the existence of the European Americans. “But white people are only tools that the witchery manipulates… it was Indian witchery that made white people in the first place.” (Silco 122). In order to deal with the world, the white man has come up with various coping mechanisms which include the crudeness against the Native Americans.

According to Silko, “The white man hated to hear anything about spirits because spirits were already dead and could not be tortured and butchered or shot, the only way the white man knew how to deal with the world” (Silko 125). Silko has tried to go beyond the types of witchery with her novel. We have to understand witchery as a dominant metaphor for the force behind the destruction or the destroyers, themselves. Witchery is viewed as a counterforce which counters birth as well as the vitality. One has to talk about the good and the evil and the reasons behind the good and evil in order to stay that both are a part of an individual.

In order to counteract witchery, there should be a balance created between these opposing forces. “Josiah said that only humans had to endure anything because only humans resisted what they saw outside themselves.” (Silko 142). Silko introduces to the character of Josie, Tayo’s uncle whose death shatters him. The reason behind the death makes Tayo think if there’s a witchery which is really making things happen or if people are evil on their own. There are two forces that are existing in this world, which are constantly put against each other. In most of the cases, one rules against the other by striking an imperfect balance.

In conclusion, Witchery is represented as a greed for power and fame that is driving the European Americans and that they are unaware of them. There should a balance between these forces which is necessary for the world to function properly or else there won’t be any death or the regeneration. The idea of defaming someone because of their deeds should be prohibited. On the other hand, by not considering someone as an inherent evil we can look at things in a clearer way and take necessary actions that are required for not enabling witchery to rule us.

Post 2. Witchery – The constant struggle between the Good and the Evil

If you observe the history and the lifestyle of the Native Americans, it is evident that they have suffered through the years. The presence of witchery purports all the destruction of people, communities, and cultures. In her novel Ceremony, she says that the evil has been in existence for decades now and it is the basic force which resides in everything. If we look into the traditional meaning of the witchery, it can be controlled by traditions and ceremonies which can restrict it. The stories that are told by Betonie and likes, different in content, but explain the origin of the witchery and how its power dominates the old. Witchery is the main force which connects the universe to the past, the future as well as the community. Witchery is indeed a powerful bond which prompts the individuals and groups to commit a sin that ruins the peace.

Witchery turns white people demonic by intimating that they are agents of evil, incapable of doing good. Native Americans have moved away from the heritage, because of the activities of the European Americans. Even when the stories have faded, people like Betonie keep them alive as they narrate. “Their evil is mighty, but it can’t stand up to our stories. So they try to destroy the stories let the stories be confused or forgotten” (Silko 104). The story of the witch creating the European Americans in order to win the title of ‘Best Witch’ at the witch convention details the effects of the human actions. Witchery is solely responsible behind the destruction in which people have been involved. It first strikes an individual and then pervades through the society as it happened with the European Americans. It eventually will then infest to all the aspects of the life where the humanity is entirely threatened.

It comes to an annihilation point where risk is evitable and the actions of each other doom the humans without their own knowledge. Witchery has been invented in order to provide the theory of cataclysm with respect to the Native Americans. As Leslie Silko says, “the material world and the flesh are only temporary – there are no sins of the flesh, the spirit is everything!” (Silko 120). Ceremony is a novel which has been written involving the Native American traditions, but her message can be applied to all the cultures. The main lead of the novel, Tayo is in constant search of the identity as he returns from the war. It is through the explanation of witchery as the reason behind the human activities, he connects himself to the ancient traditions.

Witchery is used in order to bring plight to this modern man who has been alienated from everything because of various forces. As a result, we realize that witchery is nothing but the damaging progress which seeks greed in the place of social wholeness. “It took a great deal of energy to be a human being, and the more the wind blew, and the sun moved southwest, the less energy Tayo had” (Silko 56). Witchery makes people experience a lot more things. Through witchery, we understand the process of the decay of human race. To do this, she beautifully returns to the origin of humanity after emerging through the earth. Silko doesn’t blame people for their deeds but gives the Pueblo Indians both negative as well as positive characters. In order to tell that no human is evil from the inside, but are prompted by the external forces; she uses witchery as the main concept.

In conclusion, it is the witchery which is responsible for the destruction of humanity. This concept is not however limited to the Laguna Pueblos, but it is universally applied to say that the humans are responsible for both good and as well as evil. As she says, World Navel” is the source of all life, and it “yields the world’s plenitude of both good and evil” (Silko 44). There will always be a constant struggle between these kinds of forces in every person which is why the personal struggle of a person is not a small conflict, but a part of the larger conflict which is responsible for all their deeds. While the European Americans can’t be totally ignored form the blame, they don’t have the ability to fight against witchery.