A multi-paragraph writing on the film Rabbit Proof Fence and American Indian Boarding Schools

By /

Boarding School Articles and Rabbit Proof Fence Assignment

Homework is a multi-paragraph writing on the film Rabbit Proof Fence and American Indian Boarding Schools: Write a 1 1/2 to 2 page multi-paragraph summary (600-650 words) about the main events in the film AND the American Indian Boarding Schools (Carlisle and Cushman schools), including a conclusion that tells me what you thought of the Boarding School Era, both in the US and Australia (you may use "I" in the conclusion). Your link to the film Rabbit Proof Fence is at the end of this page.

Follow the sandwich pattern when writing bringing in evidence from the film or readings to support your points. Citation information on the articles is in the link "Learn About American Indian Boarding Schools."

In other words, you are writing correlations between the Rabbit Proof Fence film story and the American Indian Boarding Schools information in your paragraphs. 

The short 10 min video Schooling the World: The White Man’s Last Burden should help you see an overview of this topic of assimilation through education.
You are not writing a summary of Rabbit Proof Fence (I have seen it!), but using specific scenes to write out the correlations in this time of white man’s efforts to assimilate native people, both in Australia and the U.S.

Film citation example: Mr. Neville’s goal is to “civilize” the half-caste children and eventually “breed out” the aboriginal’s color (Rabbit-Proof Fence 13:11). 

This film Rabbit Proof Fence takes place in Australia, but but Americans made the same effort here of assimilation through forcing children into the government boarding schools, discussed in the Carlisle and Cushman school information. White people removed Native children from their homes and families and put them in those and many other schools. The story in Rabbit Proof Fence of the journey by three innocent children is a powerful one of courage and endurance. Also, notice in this film the values and reasons given by the white folks at to why the children were removed; In America as well as in Australia, taking the children was seen, at the time, as for "their own good." 

Don’t miss the interviews with the actual aboriginal girls at the end of Rabbit Proof Fence!

Australia, until 1960s (think about how recent that really is), Aboriginal Australians came under the Flora And Fauna Act, which classified their indigenous people as animals, not as human beings.

Citation: Cite this film same way you cited the film Smoke Signals with the title and timestamp: "Quote" or paraphrase (Rabbit Proof Fence timestamp).