World On The Turtle's Back

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“The World on the Turtle’s Back is such a much more symbolic story than one might think. The story selection shows Man vs.Man conflict, Allusions, Juxtaposition, Creation Myths, Plot Twists, Foil Characterism, Protagonist and Antagonist characterism, etc. This story is very unpredictable, but in the end, it has a meaning that can show the younger Iroquois generation so much in life. The purpose of this story selection is to educate the young Iroquois children on what they can and can’t do.

The Iroquois used allusions to Native American traditional gender roles in order to teach the younger generation how to be a proper Iroquois husband and wife. For instance, the Iroquois warn that if young girls have “curiosity” or nag, their husbands will …show more content…
For instance, the “creatures of the sea came to her and said that they would try to help her, and asked her what they could do.” The Iroquois use this personification to educate their young ones to respect and live in a balance with nature because only then will nature be able to save and provide for them.

The symbolism that is introduced in the story is for the purpose of telling young Iroquois girls that they have little or no control over Iroquois men taking advantage of them. For example, when “she fainted dead away… the man reached into his quiver and took out his arrows and he laid them across the body of the girl… after a while [she] didn’t know it but the girl was to bear twins.” The Iroquois portray symbolism to the younger generation about gender roles and what women were used and needed for in the past.

The foil characterism that is used in the story selections is used to let the younger generation know how there are two versions of mankind in everyone. For instance, “the right handed twin was the one who did everything just as he should. He said what he meant and meant what he said. He always told the truth and he always tried to accomplished what seemed to be right and reasonable. The left handed twin never said what he meant or meant what he said. He always lied and he always did things backwards”. The Iroquois use this Foil Characterism to let their young
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