PeterEmanuel

ENG181

Project1,Part2,FinalDraft

February22nd,2016
ArtistsStatement

OriginallyasIwascreatingmyhistoricalfictionadditiontoFlight,Iwantedto
trytoblendZitssconfusionintoJacksonsbodybutatthesametimemakesurethatZits
didnothavephysicalcontroloverJackson.However,afterreadingmoreaboutthe
historicalcontext,itseemsthatAndrewJacksonsopiniontowardsremovingtheIndians
wasmuchstrongerthanIhadthought.IusedtothinkthathewasjustpassingtheIndian
RemovalActbecausethatwaswhatthepeoplewanted(inhisshortbiographyon
whitehouse.gov,theyclaimedhewasapeoplesman),butafterreadingAndrew
JacksonssectionsinAnIndigenousPeoples'HistoryoftheUnitedStates,Irealizedthat
hewasmuchmorepassionateaboutremovingtheIndians,asifhehadapersonal
vendettaagainstthem.Uponreadingthisbook,IknewIhadtoeditpartsofmyhistorical
fictionadditionastoreflectthischangeinunderstanding.InsteadofportrayingJacksons
attitudetowardsgivinghisspeechasambivalent,Ichangedhisattitudetothatofpride
andhatred,whichZitsdeemscompletelyandutterlyunfair.Thebooksource(andthe
editsImadetomypieceinresponsetoreadingit)helpedmeestablishthecontrast
betweenwhatJacksonissaying(inmyhistoricalfictionaddition,thiswasquoteddirectly
fromtheprimarydocument)andwhatZitsisthinking.
InJacksonsactualdeliverytoCongress,Iwaslookingfortwospecificthingsto
drivehome.First,IwantedtofindaportionofthedocumentwhereJacksoncomesoffas
lyingand/ortryingtomakethesituationsoundbetterthanitactuallyistogainpolitical
support.JacksonstatingthattheremovaloftheIndiansbeyondthewhitesettlementsis
approachingtoahappyconsummation(Jackson)filledthatvoidsincetherewasactually
tensionbetweenpartiesonthisnegotiation,contrarytowhatJacksonsaid.Thefactthat
theIndianRemovalActtookalmostayeartopass(IlearnedthisfromtheLibraryof
Congresstimelineofdocuments)alsoprovesthatnegotiationscouldnthavebeen

smooth,again,contrarytowhatJacksonsaid.Ialsowantedtofindaportionofthe
documentwhereJacksonsayssomethingselfish,justtoreiteratehisfeelingstowardthe
IndianRemovalActandhowheismakingpolicytobenefitwhiteSoutherners.Jackson
comesoffthiswaywhenhesaystheIndianRemovalActwillenablethoseStates
[MississippiandAlabama]toadvancerapidlyinpopulation,wealth,and
power(Jackson).Whatabouttheotherstates?WhatabouttheIndiansthemselves?It
seemedtomeliketherewasunequalgainfromthepassingofthisAct,whichisexactly
thepointIwantedtodrivehomeinJacksonsspeech.
Finally,IwantedtoresearchaboutthosewhoopposedJacksonspolicyastogive
Zitsarealizationthattherearepeoplewhodoagreewithhisthoughts.Theonlyproblem
is,itisnttheIndians.IfoundmorereferencestoIndiansufferingthanIndianresilience,
leadingme(andZits)toquestiontheirdignity.Lookingattheoverviewsourceaswellas
theebookEncyclopediaofMediaandPropagandainWartimeAmerica,itbecameclear
tomethattheWhigPartyopposedthispolicy,howeversinceJacksonwasincontrol
therewasnotmuchtheycoulddoaboutit.ZitscannotcontrolJacksonsbodyeitherso
therewasnotmuchhecoulddoaboutiteither.IwantedtoincludetheWhigsasa
potentialopponenttoJacksoninmypiece,aswellasuseprotestersasawayofincluding
thepieceofpropaganda,AndrewJacksonasGreatFather,thatthebookmade
referenceto.Thisway,Icouldclearlydemonstratebothsidesofthecointhatwasthe
IndianRemovalAct.WhenZitsmentallysidesagainstJacksonandBigRed,heknows
heisntaloneandthathecansympathizewiththeprotestersandtheWhigParty.
ThethreemainwaysinwhichItriedtomimicAlexiesstyleandZitsscharacter
wasthroughcomposingshortersentencestructure,havingZitsuseprofanity,andhaving
Zitsgooffontangentseveryonceandawhile,alltoemulateZitssreactionstocertain
situationsasaccuratelyaspossible.Mywritingstylealreadyconsistsofshortersentences
sothiswasnotaproblem,howeverinpersonalworksItendtousealotofparenthesis
(whichAlexieseldomutilizesforZitsscharacter)soImadeanefforttoremovethose
fromthehistoricalfictionaddition.MyuseofprofanitywastoemphasizeeitherZitss
inabilitytocontrolJacksonswordsoractionsortoillustrateZitssdisgustataparticular
event.Fortheformer,anexampleofthiswaswhenIsaidIwishoneofthemwould

assassinateme,thePresident,soIdontfuckovertheIndiansanymore(Emanuel),
implyingthatZitscannotbeassassinatedbecausehedoesnothavethepowerorcontrol
overthesituationtocausesuchanevent.Forthelatter,whenIsayFuck.ImAndrew
Jackson.ImtheguywhoapparentlyscrewedovereveryIndian(Emanuel),thisisthe
wayZitsreactstohisinitialrealizationthathesAndrewJackson,afigureinhistorywith
whomtheIndiansdidnotgetalong.ThisimmediatelyestablishestensionbecauseZits,of
course,isanIndian.Atthesametime,IwantedtomakeZitssexperiencesinAndrew
Jacksonsbodyviolencefree,unlikehisotheradventuresinFlight.Toseethebutlernot
careaboutwhatwashappeningtohiscultureandtoseetheprotestersandWhigsoppose
JacksonservedasguilttripsforZits,causinghimtothinkaboutwhatisgoingonoutside
ofthesituationthathecannotsee.Ibelievethissendsastrongermessagethanhaving
Zitssimplyseethehorrorandthenleavetogotoanothertimeperiod,hismindalready
forgettingwhathadhappenedpreviously.
InFlight,IdonotthinkthatZitsreflectsenoughonIndianresponsetovarious
historicalcircumstances,whichiswhyIwantedtoaddthischapterin.SinceIhadZits
referencehisfatherinanegativelight,thatimpliesthatheknowsenoughabouthisfather
tomakethatclaim,soIfeltthatitwouldbelogicaltoplacemyadditionafterChapter18,
whereZitslearnsforafactthathisfatherisjustaweakmanashamedofhis
weakness(Alexie153),butbeforeChapter19,whereZitscomesbacktohisownbody.
NowthatZitsknowshisfatherwasacoward,hehasreasontobeevenangrierwhenhe
seesotherIndians,suchasBigRed,actingsimilarly.Ifthischaptercameearlierinthe
chronologyofthebook,IcouldnotseehowZitscouldlogicallyreactinthismanner,as
hedoesnothaveamemoryofhisfathertorelatetoyet.Furthermore,havingZitscallhis
butlerBigRedwasanodtoearlierinthebookwhenZitswasGus,callingoneofhis
comradesSmallSaint.Forthisreferencetomakesenseandthenicknametonotjust
appearoutoftheblue,IhadtoplacethisadditioninachapterafterZitswasGusanyway.
IwasconfusedthatZitsstimetravelingescapadesendafterChapter18andthoughtthat
therehadtobeonemorestorytoexplainhowZitsfeelsabouthisownpeople,andthus,
hisownidentityasanIndian,soChapter18.5servesasanextensiontoZitsscrazy
journey.

Works Cited
Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States.
Boston, MA: Beacon, 2014. Print.
Jackson, Andrew. "To Gales and Seaton's Register." Indian Removal Act.
Washington, D.C. 6 Dec. 1830. The Library of Congress. Web. 01 Feb.
2016. <https://www.loc.gov>.
"Primary Documents in American History." Indian Removal Act: (Virtual
Programs & Services, Library of Congress). The Library of Congress, 5
Nov. 2015. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
"The Presidents: Andrew Jackson." The White House. The White House, Web.
10 Feb. 2016. <https://www.whitehouse.gov >. Web
Wyatt, Clarence R. Encyclopedia of Media and Propaganda in Wartime America.
Ed. Martin J. Manning. Vol. I. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 01
Feb 2016.