I Will Fight No More Forever - Analysis

The speech "I Will Fight No More Forever" was given by the Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph. After his father's death in 1871, Joseph became the chief of the tribe (Joseph 531). The tribe was very aggressive and prone to war, but they kept peace with the white men for a great deal of time. Following the gold rush, however, the government reclaimed a great deal of the Nez Perce's land. Chief Joseph was very angered by the outcome, but he and his tribe were forced to march towards Canada (Joseph 531). Joseph and his tribesmen were allowed to return to their home, but not for a great deal of time.

Chief Joseph's speech basically summed up that he did not want to fight anymore, hinting at the name of the speech (Joseph 533). Joseph discussed how people of great importance had died and that he did not want to keep up the fighting and death. His speech also told of the children and women who were forced out of their homes and had to travel, with no food or blankets (Joseph 533). Joseph also assumed that they might be dead. He ended the speech with the final line "I will fight no more forever" (Joseph 533). Joseph's speech represents Realism writing in many ways. Realism is the "attempt to depict life as it actually exists" (Werlock). Joseph's speech was a very brutally honest depiction of the lives of the members of his tribe. Realism writing will contain details that help depict the events as clearly as possible, such as the events included about the deaths of the members of the tribe (Werlock). Joseph's speech shows slight parallels to Romanticism writing because of its Native American background. The Native Americans were very in touch with the spirit of nature, which was a very prominent focus of Romanticism writing. Overall, however, this speech by Chief Joseph is a clear example of Realism writing. Realism became prominent after the Civil War, which was the time period in which this speech was given.

Chief Joseph. "I Will Fight No More Forever." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 531-533. Print.


Werlock, Abby H. P. "realism." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= Gamshrtsty0575&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 2, 2012).