When I was told we would be maintaining a blog for this class, I must say I was actually suprised. I have read other people's blogs before, but never kept my own. Plus, I was really nervous because that meant that everybody else in class would be writing everything I was writing and I wasn't too comfortable with that. After a couple of postings though, I learned by having other people read them I was becoming a better writer.
My weakness as a writer is that I am very unorganized, and by having so many people go over my posts a couple of days a week, it made me more aware of what i was writing and paid greater detail to it. I think blogging is a great way to make students more comfortable with their writing because it is a less formal way to do the same things you would be printing out on white paper.
I also learned a lot from reading other people's posts about their thoughts and views of what we would be reading about. Sometimes, if I would be confused about something, reading what other people would comment about would help me to understand things more. For example; while first reading Ceremony I would not really get the different ideas of time and exactly what was going on with the main character Tayo at times, and it would be a comfort to know that I was not the only one. And sometimes, reading others thoughts on the novel would broaden my ideas about it as well. So overall, I really did enjoy the class and felt like I learned a lot from Dr. Rouzie, and from my fellow students as well.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Which Sends the Better Message?
After reading Alexie's composition of short stories and watching the movie that is based off of them, it is easy to see from a critical standpoint the differences between the two and what kind of ideas they are giving to the readers/viewer. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven shows a realistic and almost disturbing view of life on the reservation centered around the problems many people face and alcoholism. Smoke Signals on the other hand shows a journey between two different young men who develop a comradship and the healing Victor must accomplish to forgive his father.
In an article written by Gordon E. Slethaug titled "Hurricanes and Fires: Chaotics in Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, he discusses some interesting differences between the film and fiction. He argues that Alexie is almost too critical of Native Americans in this book and he mainly beleives that the message the author is trying to send is that no matter what has happened to them, Native Americans always survive on their own and will continue to do so. Slethaug also says that in the book the chaos is centered around Victor's life, and in the movie it is around Thomas's life. We also get a very different view of specific characters which will also be discussed in this blog.
In an article written by Gordon E. Slethaug titled "Hurricanes and Fires: Chaotics in Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, he discusses some interesting differences between the film and fiction. He argues that Alexie is almost too critical of Native Americans in this book and he mainly beleives that the message the author is trying to send is that no matter what has happened to them, Native Americans always survive on their own and will continue to do so. Slethaug also says that in the book the chaos is centered around Victor's life, and in the movie it is around Thomas's life. We also get a very different view of specific characters which will also be discussed in this blog.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
group project thoughts
I think my favorite group project option is B (comparing/contrasting the fiction and the film). From what I had already seen of the movie I am very interested in watching the rest of it and see how it compares to Alexie's work. I have already read a couple of articles discussing both of them and there have been some very interesting ideas brought up about both of them and I would like to explore them further. I think there could be many different resources to use to find information with the movie and book.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Coulombe Summary/Application
SUMMARY
In his essay, Joseph Coulombe is arguing against critics of Sherman Alexie’s writings and the meanings of his texts, more specifically The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Critics believe that Alexie is indeed a skillful writer, but he avoids trying to inform his white readers and almost makes his Indian readers feel ashamed of their culture. They also believe that Alexie just goes along with the clichés of Native Americans in his writings and make them susceptible figures to be laughed at. Coulombe disagrees entirely with critics for many reasons, mostly focusing on the element of humor used by Alexie and how he writes with a purpose. The humor that he uses in his short stories is seen by Coulombe as honesty; he exposes social awareness without being too serious. By writing in this way, Alexie helps his readers reassess what they may believe about certain stereotypes that they have been taught by society to believe. Though his readers may just prefer what is definite, he does not write in the way people expect which is what makes readers and critics uncomfortable. Coulombe points out that Alexie’s characters can be real people who have actual problems and that they sometimes use humor to hide from their own realities. Sometimes hiding from one event or problem brings out the importance of another. The humor Alexie uses in his characters aims for their independence. What Alexie has done in this collection of short stories is show how the world is realistically by creating real tribulations within his fictional characters. Coulombe argues that though this humor and these events may seem harsh to some people, Alexie tries to show what is important in a happy life. He also argues that Alexie does indeed write with a purpose and tries to show that all people are connected no matter what race we may be. He does this by saying humor is something that all humans have in common and can therefore relate to each other this way.
APPLICATION
In the essay “The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor”, Coulombe tells us several reasons why he believes that Alexie uses humor in his book. A couple of the theories that I agree with are that humor is all that some of the characters have in common, and that a sense of humor helps them escape the trials and hardships that they have to deal with in their life. Not only that, but it makes the truth easier for them. By making fun of real things they go though, it helps give it the feeling that their problems really are not real. Throughout Alexie’s book many of the stories are sad, but in several of the stories you can find traces of the humor Coulombe discusses in his essay. He even points out a couple of the stories where he provides his own evidence for believing these things, but there are many more examples that could tie into Alexie and the element of humor.
In “A Drug Called Tradition”, a few of the boys on the reservation all decide to take this drug together. Though doing something like this seems like an activity many teenagers would experience, it is actually stated later in the book that all the kids on the reservation are born as adults. These kids really do have to grow up fast because many of their parents are alcoholics and the responsibilities they have are much greater than children their age should have to deal with. After taking the drug individually, they all start hallucinating different things and the other kids find the images that they see hilarious. By doing this, sitting around and joking with each other, it is one of the few chances they get to act their age and forget about the rest of the things happening in their lives. Another great example of the characters using humor in this manner is in the story “Amusements”. While Sadie and Victor must deal with the embarrassment of the very drunk Dirty Joe, they decide to do what they can to take themselves of out their lives for the moment and get a good a good laugh. While doing this they both “laughed until tears fell” and not only that but there was a “crowd [that] had gathered and joined in on the laughter” (Alexie 56). Though after laughing for a while, they realize the seriousness of the situation and find that they have to leave. Still, finding something that makes the characters laugh takes them out of their element for a while.
Another way that Coulombe says Alexie uses humor is to help the characters connect together; actually giving them something in common. This happens many times in different short stories, and Coulombe actually uses many examples from the story “The Approximate Size of his Favorite Tumor”. Coulombe states that “in this story more than any other, [Alexie] demonstrates the power of humor both to bring people together and to tear people apart” (Coulombe 98). This occurs in the story about Victor and his father and how Jimi Hendrix played a big part in his life. Victor talks about how his father and his grandfathers before him have all fought in a war and all he has is “video games” (Alexie 28). Throughout this story Victor just tells the readers about all the difference between him and his father and in this scene where they are in the car together laughing shows one of the rare times in his life that he and his father can connect by laughing over Victor’s statement. A way that humor tears the characters apart happens in “This is what is Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” when Victor and Thomas are on the plane next to a woman named Cathy. They get to talking and for most of the flight “Cathy the gymnast complained about the government, how they screwed the 1980 Olympic team by boycotting” and Thomas replies trying to be funny by saying, “Sounds like you all got a lot in common with Indians” (Alexie 67). By actually telling the truth but trying to use humor, like Alexie does continuously, Thomas creates an awkward moment between the three of them and they stop talking. So overall, it is easy to see how Coulombe’s essay about Alexie’s humor does indeed connect the book to it and you can see the evidence of how the humor is used in many different ways.
Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven. New York: Grove Press, 2005.
Coulombe, Joseph. “The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie’s Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” American Indian Quarterly 26 (winter 2002) : p. 94-115. Project Muse. Ohio University Lib. Athens, OH.
In his essay, Joseph Coulombe is arguing against critics of Sherman Alexie’s writings and the meanings of his texts, more specifically The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Critics believe that Alexie is indeed a skillful writer, but he avoids trying to inform his white readers and almost makes his Indian readers feel ashamed of their culture. They also believe that Alexie just goes along with the clichés of Native Americans in his writings and make them susceptible figures to be laughed at. Coulombe disagrees entirely with critics for many reasons, mostly focusing on the element of humor used by Alexie and how he writes with a purpose. The humor that he uses in his short stories is seen by Coulombe as honesty; he exposes social awareness without being too serious. By writing in this way, Alexie helps his readers reassess what they may believe about certain stereotypes that they have been taught by society to believe. Though his readers may just prefer what is definite, he does not write in the way people expect which is what makes readers and critics uncomfortable. Coulombe points out that Alexie’s characters can be real people who have actual problems and that they sometimes use humor to hide from their own realities. Sometimes hiding from one event or problem brings out the importance of another. The humor Alexie uses in his characters aims for their independence. What Alexie has done in this collection of short stories is show how the world is realistically by creating real tribulations within his fictional characters. Coulombe argues that though this humor and these events may seem harsh to some people, Alexie tries to show what is important in a happy life. He also argues that Alexie does indeed write with a purpose and tries to show that all people are connected no matter what race we may be. He does this by saying humor is something that all humans have in common and can therefore relate to each other this way.
APPLICATION
In the essay “The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor”, Coulombe tells us several reasons why he believes that Alexie uses humor in his book. A couple of the theories that I agree with are that humor is all that some of the characters have in common, and that a sense of humor helps them escape the trials and hardships that they have to deal with in their life. Not only that, but it makes the truth easier for them. By making fun of real things they go though, it helps give it the feeling that their problems really are not real. Throughout Alexie’s book many of the stories are sad, but in several of the stories you can find traces of the humor Coulombe discusses in his essay. He even points out a couple of the stories where he provides his own evidence for believing these things, but there are many more examples that could tie into Alexie and the element of humor.
In “A Drug Called Tradition”, a few of the boys on the reservation all decide to take this drug together. Though doing something like this seems like an activity many teenagers would experience, it is actually stated later in the book that all the kids on the reservation are born as adults. These kids really do have to grow up fast because many of their parents are alcoholics and the responsibilities they have are much greater than children their age should have to deal with. After taking the drug individually, they all start hallucinating different things and the other kids find the images that they see hilarious. By doing this, sitting around and joking with each other, it is one of the few chances they get to act their age and forget about the rest of the things happening in their lives. Another great example of the characters using humor in this manner is in the story “Amusements”. While Sadie and Victor must deal with the embarrassment of the very drunk Dirty Joe, they decide to do what they can to take themselves of out their lives for the moment and get a good a good laugh. While doing this they both “laughed until tears fell” and not only that but there was a “crowd [that] had gathered and joined in on the laughter” (Alexie 56). Though after laughing for a while, they realize the seriousness of the situation and find that they have to leave. Still, finding something that makes the characters laugh takes them out of their element for a while.
Another way that Coulombe says Alexie uses humor is to help the characters connect together; actually giving them something in common. This happens many times in different short stories, and Coulombe actually uses many examples from the story “The Approximate Size of his Favorite Tumor”. Coulombe states that “in this story more than any other, [Alexie] demonstrates the power of humor both to bring people together and to tear people apart” (Coulombe 98). This occurs in the story about Victor and his father and how Jimi Hendrix played a big part in his life. Victor talks about how his father and his grandfathers before him have all fought in a war and all he has is “video games” (Alexie 28). Throughout this story Victor just tells the readers about all the difference between him and his father and in this scene where they are in the car together laughing shows one of the rare times in his life that he and his father can connect by laughing over Victor’s statement. A way that humor tears the characters apart happens in “This is what is Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” when Victor and Thomas are on the plane next to a woman named Cathy. They get to talking and for most of the flight “Cathy the gymnast complained about the government, how they screwed the 1980 Olympic team by boycotting” and Thomas replies trying to be funny by saying, “Sounds like you all got a lot in common with Indians” (Alexie 67). By actually telling the truth but trying to use humor, like Alexie does continuously, Thomas creates an awkward moment between the three of them and they stop talking. So overall, it is easy to see how Coulombe’s essay about Alexie’s humor does indeed connect the book to it and you can see the evidence of how the humor is used in many different ways.
Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven. New York: Grove Press, 2005.
Coulombe, Joseph. “The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie’s Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” American Indian Quarterly 26 (winter 2002) : p. 94-115. Project Muse. Ohio University Lib. Athens, OH.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Coulombe Essay Summary
In his essay, Joseph Coulombe is arguing against critics of Sherman Alexie’s writings and the meanings of his texts, more specifically The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Critics believe that Alexie is indeed a skillful writer, but he avoids trying to inform his white readers and almost makes his Indian readers feel ashamed of their culture. They also believe that Alexie just goes along with the clichés of Native Americans in his writings and make them susceptible figures to be laughed at. Coulombe disagrees entirely with critics for many reasons, mostly focusing on the element of humor used by Alexie and how he writes with a purpose. The humor that he uses in his short stories is seen by Coulombe as honesty; he exposes social awareness without being too serious. By writing in this way, Alexie helps his readers reassess what they may believe about certain stereotypes that they have been taught by society to believe. Though his readers may just prefer what is definite, he does not write in the way people expect which is what makes readers and critics uncomfortable. Coulombe points out that Alexie’s characters can be real people who have actual problems and that they sometimes use humor to hide from their own realities. Sometimes hiding from one event or problem brings out the importance of another. The humor Alexie uses in his characters aims for their independence. What Alexie has done in this collection of short stories is show how the world is realistically by creating real tribulations within his fictional characters. Coulombe argues that though this humor and these events may seem harsh to some people, Alexie tries to show what is important in a happy life. He also argues that Alexie does indeed write with a purpose and tries to show that all people are connected no matter what race we may be. He does this by saying humor is something that all humans have in common and can therefore relate to each other this way.
ExTrA CrEdIT: "Before Tomorrow"
At the film festival that was here in Athens, I went to see the movie "Before Tomorrow" which was about an Inuit Tribe and the trials one specific woman and her grandson must face. The movie starts off with Ningiuq and her Grandson who have been traveling for a long time and she tells him many stories. Then there is a flashback to the entire tribe after a successful fishing season. The women of the tribe leave their husbands/brothers/friends to go dry the fish since it is there job. Among all the women is Maniq, Ningiuq's grandson, who wants to go along to help his grandmother. After some time, they return to the tribe where they have found that everyone there has died from needles they had gotten from strangers. Their tent and everything they owned was destroyed as well. This is why the Grandmother and Maniq are traveling. Their destination is a far place that is prosperous to all. The film ends by flashbacks of the tribes and what they do.
Though it was hard to understand what was going on sometimes during the film, I believed the story was very powerful and showed a completely different way of living life. This film represented Native Americans as very powerful and resourceful people who find family and their families histories as very important. They do not need all the petty things that we have in life that we feel like we need to survive, the only have what is necessary and are happy living that way. The way the story was told was very interesting because while there was dialogue in the film, all of it was in their language and we relied on subtitles to know what was going on. The people told many stories which related to the events happening in their life and told to people that needed to hear them. I am glad I went to see this film because it was unlike anything I have ever seen before and gave me a true inside perspective on the Inuit Tribe.
Though it was hard to understand what was going on sometimes during the film, I believed the story was very powerful and showed a completely different way of living life. This film represented Native Americans as very powerful and resourceful people who find family and their families histories as very important. They do not need all the petty things that we have in life that we feel like we need to survive, the only have what is necessary and are happy living that way. The way the story was told was very interesting because while there was dialogue in the film, all of it was in their language and we relied on subtitles to know what was going on. The people told many stories which related to the events happening in their life and told to people that needed to hear them. I am glad I went to see this film because it was unlike anything I have ever seen before and gave me a true inside perspective on the Inuit Tribe.
Revised Summary/Application
Part One: Summary
In her essay “Towards a Decolonization of the Mind and Text 1”, Gloria Bird essentially discusses the thoughts, morals, and treatment of Native Americans and how they have changed over time in society. The author believes that there are many concerns addressed within Ceremony and discusses language, the narrative strategies done by Silko, and the general outcome of colonization. Bird believes that the language is a good way for Native Americans to remember some of their important cultural characteristics. Colonization has taught natives to be embarrassed about speaking their native language because English is the most common language that is spoken. The narrative strategy done by Silko is very interesting and without Bird’s specific examples found in Ceremony it would have been hard to identify with it. By speaking in many fragments and using different speech, you must rely on the previous sentences in the novel to understand the meaning of the story. This also goes along with the element of time and how Tayo’s life centers around the many stories he has been told throughout it. All of these examples return to the interconnectedness of all things, which Bird discusses exceptionally well throughout her essay. It is pretty apparent that Gloria Bird is disapproving of what she believes colonization has not only done to Native Americans, but to us as readers as well. She says that we must be open minded to what we take in so we can form our own opinions about what we experience in life.
Part Two: Application
Something in Bird’s essay that really stood out was her mentioning of “the hegemonic phase” which means that “natives accept a version of the colonizers entire system of values, attitudes, morality”, etc (Bird 3). We see a lot of this happening in Ceremony throughout it. Bird shows us how it has happened through language, but Silko shows us how it is adapted into their lifestyles in the novel. Tayo’s brother Rocky, at one point in the story, is talking to his Uncle Josiah about how to care for cattle. When Josiah mentions that they will raise the cattle their own way through Indian traditions not through the help books, Rocky states that “those books are written by scientists…That’s the trouble with the way people around here have always done things—they never knew what they were doing (Silko 69 - 70). Rocky’s education has taught him to move away from the Native American traditions and adapt to what he has learned in school. Even Tayo starts to believe this as well when he states that “in school the science teacher had explained what superstition was…He had studied those books, and he had no reasons to believe the stories any more. The science books explained the causes and effects” (87). It is easy to see that through the school system, both Rocky and Tayo have started to distrust their native stories and believe what they had been taught by the colonizers.
One issue that was not directly discussed in Gloria Bird’s essay but relates to stereotyping is racism. It does indeed occur throughout the novel in several different ways. In the novel, Silko tells us about the “lie” that white people believe and where the racism towards Native Americans begins: “If the white people never looked beyond the lie, to see that theirs was a nation built on stolen land, then they would never be able to understand how they had been used by the witchery; they would never know how to stir the ingredients together; white thievery and injustice boiling up the anger that would finally destroy the world: the starving against the fat, the colored against the white” (191). There are many examples of how racism is shown through Silko’s novel.
Tayo goes to find Josiah’s cattle he is stopped by a great fence built by a white man, Floyd Lee. Floyd Lee called it a “wolf-proof fence” even though there were no more wolves left in the area because of him but the “people knew what the fence was for; a thousand dollars a mile to keep Indians and Mexicans out” (174). In this story Tayo knows the reality of how white people obviously act towards Native Americans and even though it is sad, they have to deal with it. It continues in that same scene where the armed cowboys have almost found Tayo trespassing on the grounds and while he is waiting for them he hopes that they will realize that “it was a lot of trouble just for an Indian; maybe it would be too much trouble, and they would let him go (186). After reading both Ceremony and Gloria Bird’s article, it was easier for me to understand the novel and the hidden messages within it.
Bird, Gloria.
"Towards a Decolonization of the Mind and Text 1: Leslie Marmon Silko's "Ceremony"" Wicazo Sa Review, Vol 9, No. 2 Autumn 1993. University of Minnesota Press. 04 Jan. 2009 .
Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition). New York: Penguin Books, 2006.
In her essay “Towards a Decolonization of the Mind and Text 1”, Gloria Bird essentially discusses the thoughts, morals, and treatment of Native Americans and how they have changed over time in society. The author believes that there are many concerns addressed within Ceremony and discusses language, the narrative strategies done by Silko, and the general outcome of colonization. Bird believes that the language is a good way for Native Americans to remember some of their important cultural characteristics. Colonization has taught natives to be embarrassed about speaking their native language because English is the most common language that is spoken. The narrative strategy done by Silko is very interesting and without Bird’s specific examples found in Ceremony it would have been hard to identify with it. By speaking in many fragments and using different speech, you must rely on the previous sentences in the novel to understand the meaning of the story. This also goes along with the element of time and how Tayo’s life centers around the many stories he has been told throughout it. All of these examples return to the interconnectedness of all things, which Bird discusses exceptionally well throughout her essay. It is pretty apparent that Gloria Bird is disapproving of what she believes colonization has not only done to Native Americans, but to us as readers as well. She says that we must be open minded to what we take in so we can form our own opinions about what we experience in life.
Part Two: Application
Something in Bird’s essay that really stood out was her mentioning of “the hegemonic phase” which means that “natives accept a version of the colonizers entire system of values, attitudes, morality”, etc (Bird 3). We see a lot of this happening in Ceremony throughout it. Bird shows us how it has happened through language, but Silko shows us how it is adapted into their lifestyles in the novel. Tayo’s brother Rocky, at one point in the story, is talking to his Uncle Josiah about how to care for cattle. When Josiah mentions that they will raise the cattle their own way through Indian traditions not through the help books, Rocky states that “those books are written by scientists…That’s the trouble with the way people around here have always done things—they never knew what they were doing (Silko 69 - 70). Rocky’s education has taught him to move away from the Native American traditions and adapt to what he has learned in school. Even Tayo starts to believe this as well when he states that “in school the science teacher had explained what superstition was…He had studied those books, and he had no reasons to believe the stories any more. The science books explained the causes and effects” (87). It is easy to see that through the school system, both Rocky and Tayo have started to distrust their native stories and believe what they had been taught by the colonizers.
One issue that was not directly discussed in Gloria Bird’s essay but relates to stereotyping is racism. It does indeed occur throughout the novel in several different ways. In the novel, Silko tells us about the “lie” that white people believe and where the racism towards Native Americans begins: “If the white people never looked beyond the lie, to see that theirs was a nation built on stolen land, then they would never be able to understand how they had been used by the witchery; they would never know how to stir the ingredients together; white thievery and injustice boiling up the anger that would finally destroy the world: the starving against the fat, the colored against the white” (191). There are many examples of how racism is shown through Silko’s novel.
Tayo goes to find Josiah’s cattle he is stopped by a great fence built by a white man, Floyd Lee. Floyd Lee called it a “wolf-proof fence” even though there were no more wolves left in the area because of him but the “people knew what the fence was for; a thousand dollars a mile to keep Indians and Mexicans out” (174). In this story Tayo knows the reality of how white people obviously act towards Native Americans and even though it is sad, they have to deal with it. It continues in that same scene where the armed cowboys have almost found Tayo trespassing on the grounds and while he is waiting for them he hopes that they will realize that “it was a lot of trouble just for an Indian; maybe it would be too much trouble, and they would let him go (186). After reading both Ceremony and Gloria Bird’s article, it was easier for me to understand the novel and the hidden messages within it.
Bird, Gloria.
"Towards a Decolonization of the Mind and Text 1: Leslie Marmon Silko's "Ceremony"" Wicazo Sa Review, Vol 9, No. 2 Autumn 1993. University of Minnesota Press. 04 Jan. 2009 .
Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition). New York: Penguin Books, 2006.
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