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indians By Jane Tompkins: How Bias Affect Ones Concept Of History

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"Indians" By Jane Tompkins: How Bias Affect Ones Concept of History

Whenever you are in any educational situation, you are subject to perspectives and bias of the instructors. In an essay entitled "Indians," by
Jane Tompkins, it discusses how different biases may reflect upon one's concept of history. It is imperative to realize that when learning, which generally involves someone's concept of history, we are consequently subject to that person's perspectives that may be a result of their upbringing.

In the essay Tompkins regarding history, Tompkins says "it concerns the difference that point of view makes when people are giving accounts of events, whether at first or second hand. …show more content…

Tompkins discusses this problem and its relation to the European-Indian conflict of the 17th and 18th centuries. In doing so she quotes a particular source of puritan background who considers the Indians to be brutal savages who raped and tortured their captives. She then quotes someone who is favorable towards the Indians, said that Indians were a highly cultured group of people who helped the European settlers adapt to their new environment.

My point for addressing these two points of view is to illustrate how these two people can have such diverse opinions regarding the same topic. Both of these people are saying the truth, yet when trying to understand the broad point of view you can't accept either of them as the whole truth. Because of these two people's bias' they may have a tendency to neglect certain facts that may be detrimental to the image they where trying to portray. In order to obtain the most accurate "truth" you must take all the different points of view, and while putting aside your personal bias' and the bias' of those who are presenting the story, you must then decide for yourself what is believable and what may be lacking important information.

When trying to decipher the truth, there is a close parallel to the
"banking" theory. The

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