Black Swan Evaluation

Destiny palmer Professor Vicki Schwab 10/26/2012 English 101 Evaluation Essay The Black Swan Evaluation Essay Perfection is a dream chased by many, but only a few ever achieve it. More often than not, reaching that level of flawlessness requires great sacrifice. â€Å"The Black Swan†, directed by Darren Aronfsky, is a captivating psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet. The Movie received high ratings and Natalie Portman, who played the lead role of Nina, received praise for performing a majority of the dance scenes herself without much help from a stunt double.The real controversy comes a week after the movie is available on DVD when Portman’s stunt double, Sarah Lane, claims that it was actually she who did the majority of the dancing. According to Lane, Portman’s dramatic transformation into a ballerina – a story firmly at the center of her successful Oscar campaign- was not as impressive as the public was led to believe. â€Å" I mean, from a professional dancer’s standpoint, she doesn’t look like a professional ballet dancer at all and she can’t dance in pointe shoe. And she cannot move her body; she’s very stiff,† says Lane. Katrandjian) She claims that they [the directors and producers] only wanted for Portman to win an Oscar, and that’s their reason for falsely claiming that Portman danced. Otherwise it would not have been that effective of a movie. Others claim that it is not the dancing that won Portman an Oscar, but the way she portrayed an innocent, fragile, and sheltered adult-child who morphs into something perfect and unrecognizable at a fatale expense. â€Å"Black Swan† stars Natalie Portman as Nina Seyers, a featured dancer who is casted as the Swan Queen in the production â€Å"Swan Lake†.Nina is a quiet girl with an innocent demeanor, but also has hallucinations which are why her mother keeps her confined. She strives for perfection, but in order to get the part as the swan queen, she must show herself capable of playing the black swan. The black swan part requires her to not only â€Å"losing herself† but to be â€Å"seductive† in the dance. The audience is able to see the transformation of Nina throughout the movie. Nina’s life is a parallel to the production in which she is dancing. She is pure like the white swan, but later transforms into the polar opposite.She becomes the black swan towards the end of the movie and achieves perfection but only in death. Nina has a thirst for perfection, and it is this thirst that takes her to the edge and ultimately out of her innocence and into adulthood. Jen Chaney, a publisher for the Washington Post, noted â€Å"What impressed me the most about Portman’s work in â€Å"Black Swan†- and, I, suspect, most critics and Oscar voters- was the way she convincingly portrayed a fragile young woman descending into madness. The dance part of it nev er factored into my assessment of her performance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Chaney).Elizabeth Vargas, an anchor on Good Morning America, hosted an interview with Sarah Lane and others concerning the controversy. Vargas asked Jess Cagle, managing editor of entertainment weekly, â€Å"Do you think that any of the people that voted for Natalie for best actor for the Oscars would not have voted for her had they known that she didn’t do all the dancing for the movie? † Cagle replied â€Å"I can guarantee that it would definitely hurt Natalie Portman, and there was a lot of great dancing that Sarah Lane did that enhanced this performance and helped Portman win an Oscar. (Natalie). The way that a stunt double works is that the director would cast someone of similar height and weight and they would dance in that scene, and later they would digitally graft the face of the actor/actress onto the body. Portman’s face was superimposed onto Lanes body through special effects called â €Å"face replacement† in crucial dance scenes to make it appear as if it were Portman performing the sophisticated moves. The stunt double signs a contract that explains that she might not be featured in the credits. I am unable to say if Lane completely understood the contract.It is possible that lane is unfamiliar with the film industry but slandering the film and actors in it could prevent her from ever being casted as a stunt double in any future major films. It was unprofessional and Lane was told when casted that she wouldn’t receive out right credit. Others feel differently, they feel that Lane should defend the honor and hard work that dancers put into their line of work. Nikol Klein, a professional Ballet dancer, coach, and blogger wrote on her website â€Å"Whoever did the dancing in the movie is not the reason it won anOscar. I understand {as a dancer] that some in the dance community feel that Natalie Portman won the Oscar for her â€Å"Upper Body† portrayal of a dancer, but if you truly watch the film you will see that it is far more than that. Natalie Portman received a much deserved Oscar for her work as an Actress, not as a dancer. In fact, if you watch the movie again you will see that there really isn’t much dancing in the movie at all. Has Lane seen the movie? So why the controversy? One thing that we dancers have is pride.Our profession feeds off of acknowledgement and acceptance. † A lot of what Lane is upset about is how she feels that Portman is claiming that you can become a ballerina in a year in a half. Although this is untrue and was never stated by Portman, actors and actresses do go through intense training for their part. For example, the movie â€Å"Walk the Line†, a film about the life and career about Johnny Cash, Reese Witherspoon actually had to learn to sing like June Carter Cash. Oscars like these are often handed out for full artist transformations.It is part of what acting involve s, which is why the audience saw Reese Witherspoon win an Oscar for â€Å"Walk the Line†. Anytime an actor can mold them into something they’re not, real talent is shown and Oscars are given. It’s been done time and time again. It has been said repeatedly that if Natalie had been honest about her lack of actual dancing, she probably would not have won. When did she ever lie though? In countless interviews I watched, Natalie has always acknowledged the fact that there was indeed a stunt double; they all had one. Needless to say, it was about the transformation that took place.Portman spent year and a half training for this part and had lost a significant amount of weight in order to show the actuality of a ballerina. Lanes statement were followed by a rebuttal in a March 23 2011 L. A Times article in which Portman’s then fiance (now husband), and Black Swan dance choreographer, Benjamin Millepied said Lane’s work in the film was far less significant . â€Å"There are articles now talking about her dance double that are making it sound like [lane] did a lot of the work, but really, she just did the footwork, and the fouett? , and one diagonal [phrase] in the studio,† he said, â€Å"honestly, 85% of that movie is Natalie. † â€Å"Black Swan† editor Andy Weisblum agreed to take a closer look for â€Å"20/20. † â€Å"There are about 35 shots that are full body shots in the movie. Of those 35 shots, 12 are Natalie, and then the rest are Sarah,† Weisblum said. â€Å"But over the overall film, Natalie did a lot more than that. I mean, she did most of the other shots. It was sometimes hard for me to tell the difference as the editor, it was so close. † (Zakarin).As I researched the background history, I came across this statement from Darren Aronofsky, â€Å"Here is the reality; I had my editor count the shots. There are 139 dance shots in the film – 111 are Natalie Portman untouched,â €  he said â€Å"28 are her dance double Sarah Lane. If you do the math, that’s 80% Natalie Portman. † (Zakarin). The point is this movie is one hour and 48 minutes long. Regardless of how many shots were of Lane or Portman, we all know for a fact that 100% of the acting was Portman which Is what makes â€Å"Black Swan† an Oscar winner.

The Crisis Of Mexico And The United States - 1484 Words

Once every 12 years there is a unique opportunity to reinforce the bonds between Mexico and the United States, when our presidential election cycles coincide. For Mexico, the July 1 elections will be a crucial moment that will set the tone for our future and define the US-Mexico relationship for generations to come. Undoubtedly, one of the main concerns that has caused social unrest today is that of security. At this time, violence has made an impact in Mexico and threatens to escalate and surpass the US border. This challenge transcends my country and could have far-reaching consequences for Central and North American security. Unless we act now to solve these common issues, we are placing the future competitiveness and prosperity of†¦show more content†¦In the last decade we have seen dismal economic growth of less than 2 percent per year on average. This is the worst record for Mexico in 70 years, particularly shocking when compared to double-digit growth in other developing countries. We need to quickly move onto a path of sustained growth that will increase investor confidence and provide stability for an eager workforce. The next step in furthering our agenda is to reform the judiciary process. We have to fight impunity and corruption by expediting the judicial process. It is imperative to give individuals and companies confidence in our legal system, which is now slow, unorganized, and unable to deliver justice impartially. This can be accomplished through a more professional investigative service that increases the state’s ability to mete out justice, and by accelerating the switch to a system based on oral trials in order to have an efficient and transparent judiciary. Furthermore, we must professionalize our police forces. We require well trained and equipped police, capable of investigating proficiently and using information and intelligence to perform surgical strikes against the organized mafias, tackling their structures from the top down. It is very telling that over the past 12 years, the corruption perception index in Mexico has worsened from 3.3 to 3 according to Transparency International. In order to fight corruption, we need to unify the

Science Reflection - 711 Words

In the past week, I have had an opportunity in our class to explore past, current, and future views on science curriculum and programming in the early childhood setting. Through our different readings, class discussions, and activities I have also gained some new insights to my own understanding about â€Å"science† as student and educator. For example, the readings from Worth and Grollman (2003) enhanced my perspective me about moving away from a narrow focus when thinking about teaching science. Worth and Grollman (2003) state, â€Å"Given the importance of community and family, and the individuality of each teacher and child, there is no single best science curriculum or program† (p. 3). What I took from this, is educators should avoid thinking†¦show more content†¦I found these suggestions by Worth and Grollman informative because I was previously unaware of these strategies in helping to create and structure science lessons. As someone who struggles with s cience content, this provides me with some helpful suggestions for my practice. I recognize it is tools and strategies like the ones offered by Worth and Grollman that can make a difference in my future science curriculum development. I understand I need to continue to develop my science content knowledge through searching out reading like Worth and Grollman. In addition, I also found two interesting points in the reading by White and Stoecklin (2008), I believe will inform my teaching of science to children. First, I found intriguing White and Stoecklin’s (2008) introduction of the concepts of biophilia and biophobia. These two concepts were completely foreign ideas to me. In other words, students have an inability to find comfort or pleasure in natural environments, experiences, wonders or things unless they are exposed to nature. I recognize this issue may have a more significant influence with the use of technology to teach science. More and more, students are using the smartphones, computers, and IPads to learn science. Yet, I agree with White and Stoecklin’s idea that students need to learn sciences in natural environments. I recognize that as an educator I need to engageShow MoreRelatedReflection Paper On Science And Science906 Words   |  4 PagesReflection Statement Before taking this course, I had never questioned how to characterize science. In elementary school I was taught that â€Å"good† science experiments use the scientific method so that they are replicable. I had always seen science as a source of reliable information. I certainly questioned certain findings, but I held the belief that there was such a thing as â€Å"good science.† I thought that â€Å"good science† transcended any subjectivity and was indisputable. These notions I had wereRead MoreReflections On Gender On Science1544 Words   |  7 PagesScience is ultimate. It is unwavering, and it is the truth. 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However, in Evelyn Fox Keller’s novel Reflections on Gender onRead MoreReflection Paper On Math And Science2185 Words   |  9 Pages1. In the autobiographical statement that I completed at the beginning of this semester, I wrote about the mostly positive experiences that I have had throughout my schooling and the importance of math and science. I was lucky enough to have some science and math teachers that really seemed to care about our success, and made sure to make themselves accessible for help. The experiences that I have had that were negative in school were typically in middle and high school with teachers that simplyRead MoreReflections On Gender And Science By Evelyn Fox Keller1405 Words   |  6 PagesIn Reflections on Gender and Science by Evelyn Fox Keller, Keller writes about the presence of masculinity, rather than femininity, in science. Ke ller begins makes it clear that, although there are significantly more men than women in the field, the issue at hand is not the lack of women working in science, but the â€Å"attribution of masculinity to science as an intellectual domain† (76). This means the language, tone, and overall dominance. Keller states that this stems from the myth that masculinityRead MoreReflection On Science Model Reflection763 Words   |  4 PagesScience Model Lesson Reflection For our science model lesson, Sarah and I tackled the 5th grade topic of matter, and our goal was that by the end of our twenty-minute lesson, our students would understand that all matter is made up of particles that cannot be created or destroyed, that matter may change but it still exists, and that although though we cannot see the particles that make up matter, we can still see evidence of their existence. Looking back at the data we have collected from our class’sRead MoreScience Reflection1204 Words   |  5 Pagesall conversations, where science documentaries were more common than cartoons. I saw science as the ultimate form of human thought. Data built the words of my language and to comprehend data was to understand the world around me. This, in turn, constructed the notion that the best way to change policy and opinions of others was to produce data. However, entering college following the most tumultuous presidential race in American history forced me to see the f ailings of science as I witnessed the utterRead MoreReflection On Science Lesson845 Words   |  4 Pageson November 1, 2017, I taught my second science lesson at Maverick Elementary School. It took place during my Kindergarten class’ usually scheduled science lesson. This week my class was going over the 5 senses, so my lesson fit perfectly into their curriculum. My lesson was about using the 5 senses to predict what an unknown object was in a closed bag. I chose to do this lesson because my students were learning how to â€Å"use senses as a tool of observation to identify properties and patterns of organismsRead MoreScience Reflection Paper967 Words   |  4 Pagesthis unit is called â€Å"What is Science?† and the first thing that brings to my mind is that â€Å"It’s everywhere!†. I also remember that the word science comes from the Latin word â€Å"scientia† which means â€Å"to know†. From computers to plants to cells to outer spac e, science is found everywhere. It has different branches, from medicine, to biology, to physics. The list goes on and on and on. But what exactly is science? How does science affect humanity? How does philosophy, science and religion relate to eachRead MoreScience Lesson Reflection1279 Words   |  6 PagesThis science lesson was taught as a stand alone lesson because Ms. Bell’s classroom is currently studying the regions in social studies. However, we decided science would be a nice change of pace for a day. The goal was for students to construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. Specifically, we focused on being able to recognize how camouflage helps certain animals survive and to interpret

Theme Of Ambition In Macbeth - 1213 Words

Ambition, a trait which underlines success, but while unchecked can lead to self or societal corruption. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, â€Å"Macbeth†, a brave general falls into tyranny and paranoia after he acts immorally upon the witches prophecies. Macbeth’s pursuit of long lasting power reveals the consequences of hubris and unchecked ambition, which ultimately leads to the the deterioration of his human nature and the corruption of the kingdom. Through the use of thematic motif, the theme of Macbeth’s unchecked ambition and hubris is examined through his struggle to alter and actuate fate, his haunting hallucinations, and the apparitions. Macbeth’s attempt to determine his fate illustrates his overarching self-confidence and the†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, the deterioration of his human nature is shown whilst learning of Fleance’s health. The apparition of Banquo’s eight heirs and a last who bears a glass proves to Macbeth that his attempt to change fate has failed. Macbeth declares, â€Å"Horrible sight! Now I see ‘tis true; For blood-bolter’d Banquo smiles upon me, And points at them for his† (4.1.120-122). Macbeth’s inability to accept his unfortunate fate, further drags his mind into chaos. His ambition and hubris acts lead to the death of Banquo and his own struggles with accepting his fruitless crown. Ultimately, fate leads to the downfall of Macbeth by unleashing his ambition, supporting the theme. Moreover, Macbeth’s constant paranoia forms hallucinations, illustrating the thesis of how unchecked ambition can lead to madness. His burden with killing is holy king is overpowered by Lady Macbeth’s insults of Macbeth’s manhood. While preparing for Duncan’s murder, Macbeth’s guilty conscience is represented through a dagger as he states, â€Å"Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? [...] thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There’s no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes.† (2.1.33-49). Covered with blood, the dagger displays the wicked course of action Macbeth has decided to take. The hallucination underlines the juvenile stages of Macbeth’s decline into tyranny. Macbeth’s ambitionShow MoreRelatedThemes Of Ambition In Macbeth1038 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeares Macbeth, means that the blood of the victim will seek out the blood of the murderer; in this case, that is Macbeth. This play is full of many central themes that display the different sides of the characters. Although Macbeth proves to be very power hungry; greed, ambition, and also revenge fuel the individuals in this play, whether it be for the right or wrong reasons. Ambition, a strong desire to do or achieve something, is a theme that shows throughout all of Macbeth. 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However, as we read through the play we begin to see effects of each character’s desires on themselves as well as those who surround them. We see some characters follow their ambition through violent ways while some achieve it through manipulation. Three characters in particularRead MoreTheme Of Ambition In Macbeth917 Words   |  4 PagesMacbeth Essay In the play Macbeth, there are several different themes used by the author (Shakespeare). Some of the themes that are used in the play are ambition, guilt, things are not what they seem, and natural vs unnatural. Every theme used in the play is very important to the story. Ambition is one of the themes that is used in the play that are very important to the story. Most of the characters are shown to have ambition towards something at some point or another throughout Macbeth. OneRead MoreTheme Of Ambition In Macbeth876 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare’s 17th century play Macbeth, is a timeless tale of fate, power, and the consequences of ambition. Despite vastly different interpretations across the centuries due to different cultural and historical contexts, the story remains powerful and relevant today because of its universal themes. Since the play was essentially written for King James I, Shakespeare heavily reinforces the king’s own beliefs and values. Although we do not follow these doctrines in the present day, the literary techniquesRead MoreTheme Of Ambition In Macbeth754 Words   |  4 PagesOne theme in Macbeth is ambition. We see all different types of ambition through out the story. The first instance is when Macbeth sends a letter to his wife tell her what the weird sisters said. He told Lady Macbeth that they said he would become king after becoming Thane of Cowdar. He also told him wife that he would to anything to make sure that comes true. After Lady Macbeth read this she wanted to make sure her husband would become king. She has a few concerns though, To catch the nearest way:Read MoreTheme Ambition In Macbeth985 Words   |  4 Pagesconsequences. Macbeth was written in 1606 by Shakespeare. It is important that you understand the text in order for you to know what is going on in the play. Federigo’s Falcon was written in the 14th Century after the Black Plague. The story was told the 5th day of the journey. Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that has 3182 long lines. It is important because it is written in Old English and is the oldest poem. It was written in the time between the 8th and the 11th century. The theme ambition is seenRead MoreThe Themes Of Ambition In Shakespeares Macbeth85 3 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent themes displayed in Shakespeares famous play Macbeth. Many of these themes play with nature, the supernatural, and fate. 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Ultimately, Macbeth is a play that explores and reiterates theRead MoreThe Theme Of Ambition In Macbeth And Enders Game880 Words   |  4 PagesAmbition in human nature is so powerful that it can blind one’s vision of achieving success. Both Lady Macbeth’s ambition from Shakespeare’s MacBeth and Peter’s ambition from Card’s Ender’s Game blinds judgement and logic, and they eventually end up more harming than succeeding. In the play MacBeth by Shakespeare, MacBeth is strangely met by three witches, who declares his prophecy of being king, but later losing the crown. Lady MacBeth ambitious goal for MacBeth remain king results in her going

Chapter 20 Problem 1 Free Essays

Week 5 – Financing Strategy Problem Problem 1 – Chapter 20 Firm A has $10,000 in assets entirely financed with equity. Firm B also has $10,000 in assets, but these assets are financed by $5,000 in debt (with a 10 percent rate of interest) and $5,000 in equity. Both firms sell 10,000 units of output at $2. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter 20 Problem 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now 50 per unit. The variable costs of production are $1, and fixed production costs are $12,000. (To ease the calculation, assume no income tax. ) A. What if the operating income (EBIT) for both firms? Sales/Revenue: 10000 * 2. 50 = 25000 Variable Cost: 10000 * 1 = 10000 Fixed Production Cost: 12000 EBIT = sales/revenue – variable cost – fixed production cost = 25000 – 10000 – 12000 = $3000 B. What are the earnings after interest? InterestEarnings after interest Firm A: 0 3000 – 0 = $3000 Firm B:5000 * 10% = 500 3000 – 500 = $2500 C. If sales increase by 10 percent to 11,000 units, by what percentage will each firm’s earnings after interest increase? To answer the question, determine the earnings after taxes and compute the percentage increase in these earnings from the answers you derived in part b. Sales/Revenue: 11000 * 2. 50 = 27500 Variable Cost: 11000 * 1 = 11000 Fixed Production Cost: 12000 EBIT = sales/revenue – variable cost – fixed production cost = 27500 – 11000 – 12000 = 4500 Firm A Firm B Interest 05000 * 10% = 500 Earnings after interest (prior) 3000 – 0 = 3000 3000 – 500 = 2500 Earnings after interest (after) 4500 – 0 = 4500 4500 – 500 = 4000 Increase/decrease % 50% 60% D. Why are the percentage changes different? Firm B had a higher increase in profit because they had a higher net % change and lowered their interest income through their debt financing. How to cite Chapter 20 Problem 1, Papers

Enriching a Culture free essay sample

Every year I wait for it to roll around. It’s one week I never forget. I look at the calendar in my head and see that week in bold face letters with gold stars next to each day. I get to travel the nation and see things I didn’t know existed. I go beneath the surface and dive into the core of our nation. My mind begins to smooth out. An entire community is laid out before me and the power is in my hands. Having the means to make a visible difference in this world is nothing short of incredible. Group is an organization that puts on mission trips, Workcamps, all around America. Every summer, thousands of teens and adult leaders join hands to accomplish what otherwise could not have been. People can’t believe I pay money to attend these Workcamps. I spend countless hours fundraising so I can spend a week repairing someone else’s home. We will write a custom essay sample on Enriching a Culture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I am part of a group of young adults hustling, knuckling-down, and driving to complete the job we were assigned. Everyone comes back annually to go through the same grueling effort we have already endured. When we aren’t working on our resident’s home we are socializing, making new friends, playing and praying. We are usually stationed at a local college, high school, or middle school. When we get there, we spend some time with our youth group and are then split into our crews. This crew is composed of six complete strangers: five kids and one adult. These six people are teammates, working to complete a job. The first night is the introduction night. We meet our crew and then perform a task in order to begin team building. Some kids are shy, but by completing this task, they get to each person’s personality and their characteristics. After that, we pick jobs. In four years, I have yet to be chosen for a job other than Work Director. I’m the one to take charge during our first exercise, take initiative, lead and make a good team captain. I evaluate every person so I can get to know who they are. I want to see if Rachel has the motivation to let go of her phone and pick up a paint brush. I want to know if John can get his face out the book he hasn’t put down since we met to break a bag of concrete. I want to know if our adult leader is a leader, or merely another worked bee. I try to learn what I can about them and tell them everything they want to know about me. By the time I’m halfway through the day, I realize we’re becoming a family. Then I stop and I look around. I notice the new faces: the eyes peering through windows, the people walking down the sidewalks and cars driving down the street. Everyone wants to know who we are and what we are doing. In these small communities, everyone knows everyone. And if something is happening out of the status quo, the neighborhood knows within a few hours. Throughout the week, I meet a hundred more people than I anticipated. These people prove it doesn’t take a college degree, a big house, or a fabulous job to make a good person. To see all of these teens and adults giving up their time to selflessly help their fellow Americans is a spectacular sight. Each day, neighbors come out to see what we are working on and end up joining in and working alongside us. They jump at the opportunity to help others. They’re so quick to offer up anything they can whether it be tools, food, a helping hand, or even just company. And when I step back at the end of the week and see the job completed, there’s nothing in the world that can match that feeling. My first year, when we were finally done completely priming and painting a single woman’s house, we showed her what we had done. Her eyes began to well up and she could barely speak. After seeing her newly revamped home, she had to sit down. She looked at all of us with tears in her e yes and said, â€Å"Thank you so much. I’ve never been so proud to live where I do, and I feel so blessed to have you all here.† What was funny was, it wasn’t all the walls we rolled, or the trim we slaved over that made the difference. Instead, it was the time we spent talking and bonding that made her so overjoyed. When we were packing up our things, she called me over. I stood in front of my new Hispanic mother who had taken such good care of me all week. She gave me a huge hug and told me, â€Å"This has been the most amazing week I’ve had in a long time and you have been the answer to my prayers.† By taking my time each year and devoting it to the benefit of someone else’s livelihood, I am able to give to a community an experience that will never be forgotten. The work may have been arduous and the days may have been long and daunting, but to look back on everything that occurred, it’s always worth every last second.

Relations between Native Americans and British colonist an Example of the Topic History Essays by

Relations between Native Americans and British colonists In the latter half of the eighteenth century, relations between Native Americans and British colonists (and later Americans) steadily worsened due to a variety of factors. Not only did white settlers increasingly encroach upon Indian lands after the Seven Years War, but the legacy of that war and Indians desire to retain their territory and sovereignty made peace impossible and long-term conflict inevitable. Need essay sample on "Relations between Native Americans and British colonists" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Students Very Often Tell EssayLab support: I'm not in the mood to write my assignment. But I want to spend time with my boyfriend Essay writers propose: We are willing to help Before the American Revolution began in 1775, relations between the two groups were at times peaceful, though the growing white populations demands for more land west of the Appalachian Mountains brought conflict. The British established both the Proclamation Line (1763) and the Stanwix line (1768) but did not enforce either, letting whites settle on fertile lands in the Ohio River valley. According to Delaware chief John Killbuck, whites and Indians lived in great friendship together and often met to strengthen the chain of [their] friendship, but as white settlement accelerated, tensions mounted and he warned white leaders that unless you can fall upon some method of governing your people . . . it will be out of the Indians power to govern their young men (Calloway, 1994, p. 111). The British and French had spent a century competing for the Indians allegiance, mainly in order to gain political and commercial advantages over their rivals; Indians were more or less pawns in this situation. White-Indian relations had long been affected by competition between the major European empires, who cultivated relations with Indians as a means of gaining allies and leverage against their rivals. The Seven Years War of 1756-63 worsened relations between Indians and British colonists. Indians were divided between Britain and France, and when the latter lost the war and its North American possessions, the British felt little need to conciliate the allies of their defeated foe . . . [and] ignored longstanding traditions of dealing with Indian nations (Calloway, 1994, p. 116). The British behaved in a heavy-handed, disdainful manner toward Indians in general, regarding them universally as savages and causing Pontiacs War almost immediately after the Seven Years War ended. After 1763, white-Indian relations deteriorated steadily and whites encroached in even greater numbers on Indian lands to the west. When the Revolution began in 1775, Native Americans became as divided as whites, whose loyalties were split between the ruling British and the uprising American colonists. Indians allegiances were split according to what they believed they could gain, particularly where trade and political advantages were concerned. Indeed, Calloway writes that not only did alliances like the Iroquois Confederation dissolve over the question, but also individual tribes themselves divided among themselves. As he claims, Even in tribes that allied with the British, there were pro-American factions and plenty of people who just wanted to keep out of it (Calloway, 1994, p. 147). Some Indian nations sided with the British rather than the Americans, mainly because the British were much richer commercially and could better provide the goods Indians needed; also, the British had their own bureaucracy designed to handle Indian relations and make an effort to halt white encroachment. In addition, white Americans tended to use violence more frequently against Indians, even murdering peacemakers like White Eyes and Cornstalk (Calloway, 1994, p. 148). This, in addition to the hope they could regain some of their lands, drove this Indian faction tended to help British troops raid frontier settlements. Others, especially in New England and the Deep South, sided with the Americans. To a degree, they believed that the Americans could bring peace and friendship if they won the war; also, some reacted to the poor treatment they received from the British in the wake of the French defeat in 1763. Some members of these divided nations even enlisted in the Continental Army, hoping for vengeance against the British. (However, Americans took advantage of their Indian allies and often betrayed them after using Indians to their advantage. For example, Delaware leader White Eyes was murdered in 1779 while leading American troops through hostile territory.) Despite this, Americans during the Revolution waged war almost as fervently against Native Americans as they did against their former colonial rulers. Calloway points out that the Declaration of Independence labels all Native peoples merciless Indian savages who indiscriminately murdered and pillaged frontier whites as directed by the British . Though this was grossly incorrect, it struck the proper chord among white Patriots, and both Washington and Jefferson ordered militias to destroy Indian settlements and even exterminate as many Indians as possible. After the United States came into existence, Native Peoples found themselves even more under siege as even nominal barriers to white settlement disappeared. The Stanwix line had been a British creation, which Americans quickly disregarded by migrating west in increasing numbers. In addition, Native nations suddenly found themselves without allies and in the midst of a hostile, newly independent people eager to punish Indian savagery. Very quickly, they found themselves without leverage or defenses against white hostility, which has only increased during the Revolution and would continue to accelerate. Very quickly, they found themselves without leverage or defenses against white hostility, which has only increased during the Revolution and would continue to accelerate. Native Americans were forced to make peace as a last hope of freedom. For example, the Chickasaw lost much-needed trade relations with the British and had to make friendly gestures toward the American government in order to salvage their own precarious political and economic status. Also, the Cherokees, who had sided with the British, found themselves in equally uncertain straits. Despite the fact that many Indians were loyal to Britain, the Treaty of Paris (1783) contained no provisions pertaining to Native Americans sovereignty or well-being; essentially, they were abandoned. In the first years of American independence, Indians found themselves increasingly isolated and besieged by American demands for their territory, and they had nothing with which to bargain. Native peoples lost their hunting grounds to white farmers and were forced to sign away much of their land without fair compensation. The American government also freely broke the treaties it signed; Creek leader Alexander McGillivray complained that while [whites] are addressing us by the flattering appellations of Friends and Brothers they are Stripping us of our natural rights (Calloway, 1994, p. 173). They also found their culture under attack as well. Some, like the Cherokees, adopted farming and Christianity, but even these gestures meant little as the pace of Indian dispossession increased. Others unified and resisted, fighting frontier wars that extended into the early nineteenth century, but these ended in defeat. Indian-white relations between the Seven Years War and the end of the eighteenth century worsened as land hunger drove white Americans westward into lands that Native Americans considered rightly theirs. The British had a bureaucracy devoted to Indian relations and made some effort at preserving Indian sovereignty west of Appalachia, though they enforced it poorly and treated Indian nations who had sided with the French unjustly. When the Revolution arrived, white Americans (who had chafed at the prohibitions against western settlement) branded all Indians as savages and tools of the British, using these claims as justification for appropriating their lands and dispossessing Native Americans in general. Though independence was a boon for white Americans, it was a disaster for the Indians. References Calloway, C.G. (1994). The World Turned Upside Down. Boston: Bedford.