A Man Called Horse

1
A Man Called Horse

• By Dorothy M. Johnson
• English I Literature
• East Clarendon High School
• C. Edge

2
Summary

• In 1845, a young man from Boston, unhappy with
  his comfortable and safe life, travels west to
  the fringes of the American frontier. He is
  taken captive by Crow warriors and brought to
  their camp as a slave. He tries to retain some
  dignity by thinking of himself as a horse, a
  docile and patient bearer of burdens. Adopting
  the name Horse, he learns the Crow language,
  learns to hunt, acquires five horses, and marries
  (and falls in love with) a young Crow woman.
  Over time, he recognizes the humanity of the Crow
  and learns to appreciate his life with them.
  When his wife dies in childbirth, he voluntarily
  stays for a while to care for his mother-in-law,
  who has humbly begged him to stay by calling him
  Son. The man accepts by calling her Mother.

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Vocabulary

• Restive adj. restless unsettled
• Synonyms agitated, contrary, edgy, fidgety,
  fretful, jittery, nervous, on edge, restless,
  tense, uneasy, unruly
• Antonyms calm, patient

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Vocabulary

• Piteously adv. in a way that arouses pity or
  compassion
• Synonyms commiserable, distressing,
  heart-rending, heartbreaking, miserable,
  mournful, moving, pitiful, ruined, sad, sorrowful

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Vocabulary

• Detractor n. one who makes something seem less
  important or valuable
• Synonyms belittler, defamer, disparager,
  disputer, doubter, maligner, nitpicker
• Antonyms advocate, champion, supporter

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Vocabulary

• Forestalled v. prevented by doing something
  ahead of time
• Synonyms avoid, deter, frustrate, halt, prevent,
  ward off
• Antonyms cause, help

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Vocabulary

• Docile adj. easy to manage submissive
• Synonyms accommodating, agreeable, amenable,
  compliant, easygoing, humble, laid back,
  obedient, orderly, quiet, teachable, willing
• Antonyms defiant, stubborn, uncooperative, unruly

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Elements of LiteratureSetting Compare the
settings of Boston and the West in 1845.

• BOSTON
• One of the largest and most developed American
  cities
• Center of education and culture

• THE WEST OF 1845
• Open, free, and, in some places, uncharted
• A dangerous place
• Make your own rules
• Choose your own course

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Critical Thinking

• After the young man is captured by the Native
  Americans, how has his status changed?
• He goes from being a wealthy and cultured
  gentleman, to being naked and tethered, and
  reduced to the level of an animal.

10
Cause and Effect, p. 170

• Why does the man pretend to be a horse?
• It gives him an identity as something useful to
  the Crow
• It is a status that is below the Crow, and since
  he is a captive, that is how he is viewed
• This identity allows him to bury his pride, not
  rebel, and therefore survive

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Drawing Conclusions, p. 171

• When the man asks three small boys to teach him
  how to shoot the bow and arrow, this shows that a
  change has occurred in him. What is now
  different?
• He has begun to take action, and to assert his
  will.
• He has begun to be a man again.

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Elements of LiteratureSettingp. 171

• How does the setting help determine the mans
  actions?
• The setting isolates the man, acting almost like
  a prison without walls
• It limits his choicesbecause he cannot survive
  in this setting without resources
• He must remain with the Crow to live

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Elements of LiteratureSettingp. 173

• Why are horses so important in this time and
  place?
• The distances are vast and cannot be traveled on
  foot
• To get home, Horse needs a horse for
  transportation
• The horse is important to the Crow
  culturewithout it, the buffalo hunt, on which
  the Crow depend for survival, is much more
  difficult

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Critical Thinking, p. 174

• Why does Horse refer to his wife as Freedom?
• Horse plans to use his wife as a way to get what
  he wantshis freedom

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Elements of LiteratureSettingp. 177

• How do the items that are sacrificed relate
  directly to life in this setting?
• Nearly all of the items come from animal life in
  this place
• Nearly all are necessary to human survival in
  this place

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Cultural Connection, p. 177

• When Greasy Hand and Pretty Calf sacrifice their
  belongings, Horse fails to understand the values
  of the Crow. Why do the women act as they do?
• It is the way people in their culture express
  their grief

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Critical Thinking, p. 178

• Think back to the beginning of the story. What
  is the significance of Horses calling Greasy
  Hand Mother?
• He has accepted responsibility for her
• He never knew his own mother and now unselfishly
  allows someone to take her place

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Critical Thinking, p. 178

• Is this an appropriate ending to the story?
• YES, because the ending completes the young mans
  quest for a feeling of worth and belonging
• NO, because it would have seemed more complete to
  know about his return to Boston

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Question 1, p. 179

• Did you want Horse to get home to Boston or stay
  with the Crows? Why?
• To stay with the Crows, where he has learned his
  worth and strength
• To return home to prove to himself that he has
  grown

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Question 2, p. 179

• By the end of the story, Horse has changed. In
  your own words, explain what he discovers about
  himselfand other peoplein his years with the
  Crow. How do you think becoming a horse helped
  him become a man?
• He learns that he is equal to any human and can
  survive great hardship
• He learns new ideas about respect and status
• Being a horse gave him time to heal, to see
  things from a new point of view, and to learn new
  customs.

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Question 3, p. 179

• Name at least two incidents in the story that
  remind us that all people, no matter what their
  culture, share certain feelings.
• Pretty Calf falling in love and enjoying Horses
  attention
• Pretty Calf and Greasy Hand mourn the death of
  Yellow Robe
• Greasy hand mourns the death of her dauther and
  grandchild

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Question 4, p. 179

• Which character showed you most forcefully what
  the human spirit is capable of? Explain.
• Horse, because he survives
• Greasy Hand, because she wants to go on living
  even after everyone she loves dies

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Question 5, p. 179

• How did you respond to the ways the Crows
  counted coup and to how a grieving mother
  chopped off a joint of one of her fingers for
  each dead child? How do you think the writer
  wants you to feel about the Crows?
• Some may express horror at the violence
• Some may see the deep emotion expressed by the
  acts of mourning or the necessity of killing for
  survival
• The writer may want readers to sympathize with
  the Crows harsh struggle to survive and their
  heartfelt observations of old customs