Ceremony
CeremonyKnowing Oneself, Knows the World
The colonization of civilizations has changed the world�s history forever. From the French, Spaniard, and down to the English, have changed cultures, traditions, religions, and livelihoods of other societies. The Native Americans, for example, were one of the many civilizations that were conquered by the English. The result was their ways of life based on nature changed into the more �civilized� ways of the colonists of the English people. Many Native Americans have lost their old ways and were pulled into the new �civilized� ways. Today only a small amount of Native American nations or tribes exist in remote areas surviving following their traditions. In the book Ceremony, a story of a man named Tayo, did not know himself and the world around him but in the end found out and opened his eyes to the truth. However the Ceremony�s main message is related not only to one man but also to everything and everyone in the world. It is a book with the message that the realization of oneself will open the eyes to see what is truth and false which will consequently turn to freedom.
Tayo faced a struggle of recognizing his essence: the true definition of himself outside and most especially inside. Being a half Native American and half-Caucasian in an environment of a Native American tribe in Laguna, he was constantly reminded of being an outcast. Externally, whenever he would try to fit in any of his race, both sides would reject him with ridicules. As Emo stated against Tayo, �There he is. He thinks he�s something all right. Because he�s part white. Don�t you, half-breed?� It presented hatred from a full-blooded Native American because, �the only reason for this hate was that Tayo was part white.� In fact the shame of being a �half-breed� continued down to his relatives. Auntie�s, �shame for what his mother (Tayo�s) had done, and Auntie�s shame for him (Tayo),� was surprising even though she was one of the closest blood relative of Tayo. On his Caucasian side, encounters were similar with the Native Americans. He was not truthfully acknowledged by the Caucasians he encountered under the shadows of his military uniform, which symbolizes �his service and loyalty� for the United States because, �they had the uniform and they didn�t look different no more. They got respect� . He was automatically disregarded as �the different one� else by both races because the Caucasian saw a Native American and the Native American saw a Caucasian.
In addition to his external struggle in finding his true definition, Tayo also faced internal conflicts because of his uncertainty of himself. Belonging to two different race categories was only the beginning of his struggles because �he wasn�t sure any more what to believe� He wasn�t sure.� His Native American side showed enthusiasm for learning its ways but his minimal knowledge of it would turn into hesitance and he is unable to practice it. Old Betonie, a...
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