History Rap?

So I was on Youtube and under the featured  section I saw this video. It's two guys rapping about "American Indians." They are trying to show that the Native Americans were here first and such but what I was wondering is will people watch this and actually want to know more about Native Americans or will they take it as a joke? Considering what people rap about today, history isn't normally the first priority. What do you all think of this video and do you think it will help get people's attention? 

Camp Gugelstein

In finishing Mona I was particularly struck by one scene in Book II. This scene comes after the scenes in which it is revealed that Evie and Alfred have been secretly seeing each other, and secretly holding get togethers with Alfred's friends at the house. Barbara feels she has been betrayed by this behavior, and even suggests calling in her parents to get back at Evie and Alfred for lying to her. Seth maintains she is just being a "fair-weather radical" and that she needs to not "let [her] ego get in the way of [her] politics," to which Barbara responds "I don't have any politics...I have feelings" (195).

What did you guys think about this? Is Barbara just being a "fair-weather radical"? Or does she have a right to be angry (think about, too, her behavior later on with the flask issue)?

Mona In the promised land

When reading this book I had to keep in mind that this was an immigrant telling the story. Everything she talked about sounded so Americanized whether it was the struggle to fit in with society, or the"defiance" against parental influences. But I wonder, was mona trying to be as American as possible because she wanted to be like eveyone else around her and join the fad, or did she because to an extent she didn't feel she fit in with the culture her ancestors came from?

Comparisons

The last part of this book made me think back to Bread Givers, especially in the moment when Mona leaves home.  However, this book gave me a lot more satisfaction.  To me Mona is stronger when the confrontation happens and ultimately seems more successful.  Her mother and the old way of thinking has been left behind, and I think that, much like Sarah still had love for her father, this same love is shown at the end of the epilogue.  But I thought it was beautiful how Jen gives us the image of Mona's mother and then replaced it with Mona's own happy child, which to me signifies a new beginning and opportunity for Mona to raise her child with acceptance and love.

Also even though the twist with Seth being Sherman was pretty expected, I was happy when Mona found that closure.  This childhood love that stayed with her throughout the book and was always sparked again when he would reappear was finally revealed to be someone that she could relate to and who ultimately accepted her which is something that Sherman was never willing to do.  I think Seth was demonstrating to Mona that she could be whoever she wanted to be.  I think it's funny that Seth was all about free thinking and Mona was kind of fighting against that throughout the novel, but ultimately he wins her back through free thought and acceptance.

So my question is what do you think about the switching theme?  Did your feelings about the novel and the ideas portrayed in it change once you got to the end?

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

In previous posts I have uploaded videos of modern advertisements with Native Americans.  Therefore, while I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, this performance intrigued me.  What image of Native Americans does this performance depict?  How does this image relate to the NativeVote video or the environmental protection commercial we watched in class?  Considering what we have studied in this class, was anyone else struck by this performance?

Epilogue

At first I thought the epilogue was very sad, but I did like that Mona's mother came to the wedding in the end.  I felt there was a lot of material in the epilogue.  What did you think?  Her sister adopted Chinese culture more than her parents, her father accepted his daughter's new culture and her mother finally came to see her.  Do you think it was a sad ending?  A good ending?  What do you think this says about the way cultures blend or distinguish themselves in America?

Mona and an add

Reading Mona really makes me want to read the first book about her parents. I want to see their relationship of settling in America and if they were as sarcastic as she is. I hope to read it someday because this book has really caught my attention and is very interesting.

I have seen on t.v. an ad for I think American Family Fitness with a white guy dressed as a Native American. In the add they justify it by the man liking the Redskins football team. Then at the end they have an African-American man dressed as a cowboy because he liked the Cowboy football team. I thought this interesting especially because of the No Doubt and Victoria Secrets debacle. How do you all feel about this being in an add that not only we, as adults see, but also when children watch it?

Also I know a lot of people didn't like the book at the beginning, now that we've read more have you all begun to enjoy it?

Honest Narration

What I really like about this book is how honest and straight forward it is. This is one of the few books that really puts it out there in plain language how it feels to be ethnic in America and how you see your ethnicity as an American. I also really like Mona's character. She strives so much for freedom and wants so much to be her own person. I am also suspicious that she is the narrator which makes the narration all the more compelling. The passage that really stuck out to me is when she's explaining to Rabbi Horowitz why she wants to be Jewish. When he questions her motives and implies she merely wants to be Jewish to rebel against her family she responds, "Maybe. But also I like it here at the temple. I like it that you tell everyone to ask, ask, instead of just obey, obey. I like it that people are supposed to be their rabbi, and do their business directly with G-d." (Also could not help but think of Kaplan here; banking vs. problem posing!) I thought this was a very honest, unique, and unexpected response, and it's a really understandable reason. From our class discussions it sounds like a lot of people aren't big fans of Mona, but I like her. She's got spunk!

The Cover

This is the cover on my edition of Mona. Every time I see it it grabs my attention. I think it’s really interesting because it’s basically a sea of American flags surrounding this one, small picture of a face. But it's not an actual face it's just eyes, specifically, eyes that are different to what is considered the norm by American mainstream society.

What do you think is the significance of focusing on this single feature? Why not show the entire face or entire body? Why all of the American flags?

Rhinoplasty and Ethnic Pride

 

                In the beginning of Chapter 7 “Social Action comes to the Pancakes House”, we find out that Barbara has received rhinoplasty to alter her nose. This brought to my mind the extent to which people belonging to different ethnic groups will go to make their appearances more fitting to western standards of beauty. From skin bleaching creams, hair straitening chemicals, to surgery on their eyelids, a lot of these methods can be extensive and sometimes even dangerous. Sometimes I wonder if this type of change could be considered a form of “Assimilation” in America. The majority culture impedes its standards on other cultures. The thought of the word assimilation has never been tied to positive thoughts in my mind. Do you agree with Barbara’s new bodily reconstruction? And what could this possibly say about Amercan’s standards of beauty?

VCU Undergraduate Research Symposium_April 2013

One possible motivation (for those who are not graduating this December)--You may consider submitting a Poster for the VCU Poster Symposium in April 2013 using your research for the final project in this class. I've had students who presented in the past and they report favorably. This may be a good opportunity to list a new accomplishment on your CV. If you're interested, keep in touch and I'm happy to advise you next semester. There will be a call for submissions in January and the deadline is sometimes in March. You can read about last year's symposium here:

http://wp.vcu.edu/sponsoredprograms/2012/01/09/call-for-abstracts-3rd-annual-poster-symposium-for-undergraduate-research-and-creativity/

"Hey...You're Not Chinese!"

I've worked at this one Chinese restaurant for almost 7 years....


One time, I brought a pot of tea to a table of two. A grown man, late 40s, exclaimed, "Hey! You're not Chinese!"
How astute. And, classy, too.
But...this is America, Sir. Maybe I am Chinese...at least maybe just a little bit Chinese.


"How did you get a job here?!"
"Equal Employment Opportunity."
...And, I happen to be a kick-ass server.


Two weeks ago...
     Me: "Good afternoon, how are you doing today?"
     Old female WASP: "Are you Chinese?"
     Me: "No ma'am, I am not."
     Old female WASP: "Oooh good!"
I don't know what that was about.
 

I'm not the kind of server who introduces herself; I don't care about you, you don't care about me--now, what do you want to eat? (You don't need to know my name in order for me to provide excellent service.) But sometimes, the patrons are nosey and start asking me dumb things like,

"Where are you from?"
"I grew up in New Jersey."
"No, I mean...where were you born?"

I always try to project a pleasant disposition in these situations, but I'm pretty sure the customer can sense that I'm not really smiling anymore...I'm baring my teeth.

"I was born in Los Angeles." I'm well aware that this is not the answer to the question they intended to ask. And, sometimes they just drop it.

Usually, however, they continue to pry.

"Are you from around here?"
"I've lived in Richmond since 2001."

"Are you Spanish?"
"No."

"Where are your parents from?"
"My mother is from the Philippines, and my father is from Chicago." Finally, an answer they're satisfied with; it's the key to understanding my complexion.

The question, "What are you?" still irks me, but at least the person is closer to saying what they mean to say. I believe the appropriate question is, "What is your ethnic background?"
Sometimes I feel like what they really want to say is, "Why don't your eyes look like those of everyone else in this restaurant? You don't fit in. I came here for an authentic Asian experience."

Margaret Cho_"Asian Problems"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6CjYy9EgHg&feature=related

Margaret Cho about Race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc6mLwOa2Ig

The "Model Minority" Myth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbfpD86mBbQ

Please Watch this Interview with Jen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv8pUSAjqfU

Mona

I really like this story so far. It's very interesting and I can't wait to find out what happens to Mona. I'm doing an opener tomorrow and if we don't have enough time to discuss this I thought of putting it here. What is the significance of having Sherman Matsumoto reappear out of the blue while Mona is doing the phone calls? Do you consider him a main character? Is he supposed to teach Mona to not be Americanized?

When is a pickle dish more than just a pickle dish?

Though it seems like a few people are having trouble with the narrative style of Mona, I actually have to agree with Chandra. I'm finding Mona very enjoyable - I don't find the narrator's voice jarring at all. Most of the time, in fact, the narrator's voice weaves pretty seamlessly into the action for me. However, there are particular times when it does stand out quite a bit, for instance in case of the quote for which this post is named: the beginning of chapter 2, "When is a pickle dish more than just a pickle dish?" (24) and also the beginning of chapter 3, "Religion? Confirmation? In this anti-establishment age?" (32). (There are actually many many other times, too - the more I look the more I find, actually.) I find this statement of presence really interesting.

What I want to ask you - which actually relates pretty closely to Heather's questions - is who you think this narrator might be? At this stage, do you think it's just a particularly opinionated narrator, or maybe someone actually in the story (my biggest nominee for that would be Mona herself)? Or even someone we haven't met yet?

Sherman and Barbara

I just wanted to bring up that as soon as I started reading Sherman's language I immediately thought of "The Education of Hyman Kaplan". On page thirteen he says "Fader bow to moder" (father bow to mother) which is just one of the examples of his broken English. Just like with Hyman Kaplan, people thought he wasn't smart just because he couldn't speak English well..but that wasn't true in either case. Secondly, I wanted to bring up Barbara's insensitivity. Barbara makes numerous comments that are insensitive towards basically non-white people but I don't think she intends to be cruel. She says a few times that different countries "invented" different things, like the Chinese inventing scalpels (which according to Google isn't true). I could see Barbara saying something like the Chinese invented laundromats and Hispanics invented lawn mowers or making some other racially biased statement about some country inventing something that really isn't true. However what I thought to be more rude was on page eleven when she said "First comes love. Then comes marriage, and then come Chappies in a baby carriage" and then explains that "Chappies" are Chinese-Japs...which is just rude. What do you all think about Barbara's mouth? Do you think she says these things with cruel intentions or is just talking without realizing how rude she's being?

writing style

This is turning out to be the most difficult book to read for me.  I'm not even sure if I really dislike the writing style, because sometimes it's funny, but something about it is making it seem a little less personal and therefore not as interesting as many of the other novels.  I feel like the narrator is kind of condescending and making fun of Mona, which makes sense since a lot of the stuff she says and does are a little iffy.  However, I can relate to falling into joking about stereotypes...and the voice of the narrator kind of reminds me of how I might talk about some of my past actions when contemplating what I've gone along with.

As you can probably tell I'm still conflicted with how I feel about this book, but I guess my question is, why do you think the narrator chose to write like this...do you like it or dislike it, and...do you think the story would be easier to relate to, or more accessible, if it was from Mona's point of view, or even from an unbiased narrator?

End of Section One

I am somewhat confused about the events that end section one of Mona in the Promised Land. Mona struggles with a man by van the Barbara gave her, but it is unclear what exactly happens. Does Seth save her from her assailant? Is Seth the man with whom she struggles? I am inclined to think the answer to the first question is "yes" and the second is "no," but it is not clear.  Hopefully, this will be illuminated with further reading.
Thoughts?

Grab the Popcorn (Potential extra credit event)

In honor of International Education week there will be a screening of a movie about Asian American immigration and experiences. This could be cool considering we're starting a unit this week. Also you could probably use this for an extra credit paper!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 - 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., OMSA

OMSA Diversity Film Series Presents:
Becoming American: The Chinese Experience.

The OMSA Diversity Film Series is designed to offer films that reflect the full spectrum of issues related to multiculturalism.

Conversion Confusion: Mona vs. Helen

Mona in the Promised Land is turning out to be a fantastic read, mostly as a result of the narrator's humor and style. I find the character of Helen to be an intriguing one, as she at times seems to be both stuck to tradition and at the same time embracing the American Way (TM). Her reaction to Mona's conversion is very interesting as result, as Helen previously explained that she and her husband Ralph were Buddhist Taoist Catholic. The image that struck me most during this scene was the cuckoo clock with the Statue of Liberty chiming as the secret was revealed, with the clock going "cuckoo, cuckoo", as if to say, "Yeah this is America, where ideas, ideology, and identity get confusing and crazy!"

Earlier in the novel, Mona questions why they moved to the neighborhood of Scarshill, understanding that they came here for the schools. Her mother instead states that they moved here for their daughters' education. What is the difference? What exactly do you think Mona is being educated in at this point in the novel?

Helen and Ralph

The relationship between Helen and Ralph (and the fact that they are referred to by their first names) is an interesting one. Helen takes on the familial load because Ralph isn't capable or won't. She works the hardest, both at home and in the restaurant. Mona notes the "crevasse" between them.

In what other works have we seen these types of issues between male and female characters? To what do we attribute it? Why do the women always seem stronger in their "new world"?

Mona in the Promise Land

To begin with, I guess I didn't quite expect the extensive amount of sarcasm that opened the novel.  In fact, it almost became irritating trying to read and messed up my reading flow.  I'm wondering if this happened with anyone else and what effect the extensive sarcasm has?  What do you think was Jen's intention by using this technique.
Also, I was very intrigued by the juxtaposition of Mona and Sherman.  Mona is deemed a Chinese-American and inspires interest in her peers due to her supposed 'foreignness'.  However, in fact, Mona is far removed from her heritage as is most of her family.  Even her mother admits to being unable to remember how to write Chinese characters.  On the other hand, Sherman is himself the immigrant.  He is from Japan and has ventured to the United States.  At first, Mona hesitates to accept Sherman.  But, Sherman mother chose his class based on the fact that there was another Asian, Mona.  Therefore, Sherman's mother actually echoes the sentiment of her peers.  Solely the fact that she is Chinese consoles her.  However, Sherman's presence highlights Mona's distance from her homeland and culture.  Just before Sherman leaves, Mona asks him to switch to American because the way he does things is weird.  How does this juxtaposition enhance or detract from our impressions of Mona and Sherman?  Would we feel the same way about each of the characters if it weren't for the presence of the other?  What do these characters say about the process of Americanization?

Victoria Secret Does it Again!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/karlie-kloss-victorias-secret-headdress-fashion-show_n_2091958.html

collection of stories vs novel

When we first started reading Drown, I was a little confused on why the work just cannot be considered a novel but rather a collection of stories.  More towards the end, I understood a little more but not entirely.  I don't know that I would call the structure much different from that of Love Medicine.  In both works, each chapter has a different subject and often a different narrator.  In both, the chapters are not chronological but more randomly presented.  In both, there is some disjunction from this structure.  I was hoping this question might be addressed in class but since it was not I decided to take to the blog.  I'm wondering what structurally is so different between these two works that one is deemed a novel while the other is just considered a collection of stories.  What defines a novel as opposed to a collection of stories?

Throughout the course of Drown by Junot Diaz, a multitude of characters use small phrases in Spanish or some even have their titles in spanish such as tio or tia  As a reader, why do you think Junot Diaz was considering when he decide to use such small pieces of another language in his novel?

Daiz's Intentions of The Instructional

“How to Date a Browngirl…” really stuck to me since the narrative form is unique and in an instructional style. It clearly, however, is also telling the story while instructing because the narrator names what to do in specific circumstances that clearly actually happened at some point and are not  just circumstantial instructions like when the narrator instructs, “Call her house and when her father picks up ask if she’s there. He’ll ask, Who is this? Hang up. He sounds like a principal or a police chief, the sort of dude with a big neck, who never has to watch his back” (145). The other part of this story that sticks it is how intentionally adheres to stereotypes. The narrator stereotypes by saying how either a white, black, or mixed girl will react in a circumstance and he also refers to how he expects others to stereotype when he states, “She’ll say, I like Spanish guys, and even though you’ve never been to Spain, say, I like you” (148). I thought this quote was interesting because it is also calling attention to a common problem that Dominicans face of people assuming they are Spanish just because they speak the language.

Do you think Diaz’s intention is to condemn stereotypes or simply imply they are a just a natural part of life? Why?

Why do you think the story is titled “How to Date a Browngirl…”? I ask this because it seems to be making a statement since it is instructing how to date a black, mixed, or white girl.

No Face

I especially like the short stories of the No Face as it builds on top of the Ysrael. Ysrael is first introduced as timid boy who was traumatized and carries emotional and physical scars. The development of character in Ysrael was very interesting because it was closely resembled the story of a Super Hero. How Ysrael change his identity to be "No Face" and how he shouts out his abilities (Flight, Strength, and Invisible)

Why do you think the author used a super hero to shift the character of Ysrael?

Racism & Scholarships

So I was reading comments about the No Doubt video that had been removed due to offending Native Americans. And one of the comments I read I found very interesting. This is the comment.

"I found nothing racist about the video. I don't get upset when African American rapper videos portray white people badly either.

Do you want to know what I find racist? The African American Scholarship Foundation. Why on Earth would you start an organization designed around providing a particular race with scholarships? That screams racism. Any scholarship that requires applicants to be of a certain race is, by definition, racist because it makes distinctions between the races."

I actually could really see this persons point. I remember filling out a lot of scholarships in high school and always remember feeling like there were so many that only targeted a certain race. Which I can understand to a degree because of that ethnicities history of racial segregation, but at the same time it can also at times seem unfair. I found this video which is a news story about a scholarship that was formed just for white males. It goes hand in hand with this post and thought it might seem appropriate. 

http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/01/white-only-scholarship/

What are your thoughts on scholarships formed just for a particular race? Is it not right to pass judgement on these organizations because of that ethnicities history of oppression? Or do you see it as unfair or racist? 

Yunior and Holden

In Drown, there were parts of the story I came across that were abrupt and disturbing. Usually troubling events whether fictional or in real life, creep up on you. Foreshadowing a negative situation typically includes an eerie feeling or dark descriptive words to decribe the setting. In the story of Yunior and the bus driver, the setting really gave me no indication of that molestation situation happening. It was almost as if it was meant to be mentioned, then "swept under the rug". Yunior's story reminded me of Holden Caulifield's character in the Catcher in the Rye.  Instances of exual molestation were mentioned in the Catcher in the Rye but after it was mentioned, it was no longer discussed in the book. Sexual molestations are uncomfortable to even think about, let alone write about. I often wonder if these mentionings are a way for the authors to divulge pieces of their lives in books without really using themselves.

Do you think that by using fictional stories, writers are masking troubling events that they have been apart of or witnessed in their own lives?

Boyfriend

In this chapter we sort of get an interpretation of a story from someone else. There are no names except of Loretta. He only says "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" even when he has a date with her we still do not get her name.

Why do you think this is? Is it on purpose as a literary device or he just didn't want to say her name?

Drown

I can't help but be a little confused at the end of Drown. I thought that the story, "Fiesta, 1980" was set in the United States once Yunior's father brought his family from the DR, but once I read the final story I was confused as to what must happened after he left Nilda. As I'm writing this I'm trying to tie the knots and I'm guessing that once he left Nilda, he went to DR to get his first family. Yet I'm slightly confused by this line at the very end, "[...] I like to think that he grabbed that first train, instead of what was more likely true, that he had gone out to Chuito's first, before flying south to get us (208)" Why does Yunior like to think or hope that his father took that first train? Maybe Yunior wants to believe that his father actually wanted to be with his original family because he loved them and longed to be with them, but instead his father was just looking for an out from his family with Nilda. I think, with this final chapter, we see who Ramon really is.  At first he struggled a lot in the United States and having horrible jobs that he put a lot of hours into but didn't make that much money. Then the lying and the cheating comes. I think I was always expecting Ramon to do something horrible and he did, he cheated multiple times and went as far as having children with another women, then leaving that women to go back to his first wife. Maybe this shows the cultural ways of the men from DR since they think they can do anything and always expect their wives to still be there next to them no matter what they do. Which, is very true because Yunior's mother still forgives him and moves to the United States with Ramon and sons and daughter. So no matter what Ramon did, his wife was still there because he is the man and she is the woman. I know my thoughts are a little scrambled but these are just my final views of this book. There were many interesting topics and I can't quite seem to explain just one.

So what are your thoughts on the final chapter of Drown and how do you see all these stories connecting?

*Drown*

jaivas
chinga
jarones
toto
pendejo
campo
tetas


In the preface, the quote by Gustavo Perez Firmat says "The fact that I am writing in English already falsifies what I wanted to tell you." Although majority of the text is in English, there are spanish words sprinkled here and there that let us know that the narrator is a genuine Latino. Nothing is the story he's trying to tell isn't untrue but perhaps the implications of language alters the meaning of the message. Should lamguage be considered a big part in validifying information about other cultures or should the information speak for itself?

Fathers and America

Throughout the reading I saw a link between absent fathers and America.  It was the most obvious with Yunior, even though the quote that made me think about this the most didn't really have anything obvious to do with his father, "when Abuelo was around (and awake) he talked to me about the good old days, when a man could still make a living from his finca, when the United States wasn't something folks planned on."  To me it seems like his Father went to America to try and make a better life, but he left his family behind, and his mother especially was forced to wait around for the Father to come back and "save" them, much like many of them viewed America as saving them.

This is seen again on 87 where Yunior and Rafa's dad is actually compared to Jesus.  There's a running emphasis about northamerican things making people better, and these boys expected their Father to come back with all of the riches that they think he's getting, but we already know that the Father isn't that great of a character.  ALSO, Ysrael's father and america are basically seen as the same thing in the first chapter, and Rafa is so convinced that Ysrael's face will never get fixed...

What do you think about the relationship between Fathers, America, and saving?  What is the author trying to do here?

Child Molestation in Marginalized groups

The episode on the autobus was very troubling when Yunior was molested by a stranger. It made me think of the countless children in marginalized groups that go through this everyday and don't have the power to do anything about it. What can a child like Yunior do when his brother calls him a pussy for crying about something he had a reason to cry about. He wasn't asked what's wrong and he didn't feel the need to tell anybody. He seemingly pushes it to the side, like it just something that happens. Unfortunately this is the reality many children face everyday. What can a child do in a culture that tells you to trust adults, respect your elders and that you're always wrong or don't know what you're talking about.

Do you think this episode and the continuing abuse from his father is what results in him becoming abusive and a drug addict? Do you think anyone would have listened to him?

Abuse

A recurring theme I kept noticing in this book was abuse.  There were abusive spouses, abusive boyfriends/girlfriends, abusive parents etc.  These were in one category, but that was not all the abuse.  The characters abused their siblings, their friends, and even people on the streets less fortunate than themselves.  The story of the boy whose face was eaten by the pig especially got to me.  Here is a young man who has had a terrible life, but these other kids, who have also had terrible lives, seek him out simply to be cruel to him.  Fathers are continuously abusive, both to their children and to their wives and friends seem to only be waiting for the other to let his guard down in order to exploit them as they did to Cut when he fell asleep.  

What did you make of all this recurring abuse?  Do you think it is just a way of striking out against the hard life they have or do you think it is something else?

Bilingual Reading of "Drown"

Junot Diaz's characters, particularly his narrator Lucero, use Spanish frequently in this novel. Though I could puzzle out the meanings of many words from context, I ultimately used an online Spanish dictionary during my reading. Diaz's use of Spanish slang makes the characters, and their world, more believable, and I didn't want to miss important aspects of the novel by my almost complete lack of Spanish vocabulary. Once I adjusted to his style and became comfortable with his language, I enjoyed the novel much more. Through his use of Spanish, Diaz forces his readers to engage with the text and confront the discomfort English-speaking readers may feel when facing an unfamiliar language. He places readers in the frustrating space between two languages, the space mentioned in the opening quote.

Did anyone else have this experience? Does this enrich the text or distract you?

Drowning in translation

I was wondering if anyone else was sort of thrown off by the Spanglish used in "Drown"? I've read his other book "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" which does the same thing as far as throwing random Spanish words in with English sentences and I was curious about it then as well. I am a Spanish major so I know what most of the words mean so it isn't a matter of not knowing what he's saying, in most cases, but it just seems to throw off the flow of reading the sentence to me. Also, I don't understand how he chose which words to use the Spanish of. Some I understand, like tio (uncle) and other family names...but then random words like barrio (neighborhood) and campo I don't understand why those words were chosen. I understand that a lot of Latin-Americans do use Spanish words in their regular conversations and doing so in his writing, I think, makes Diaz' characters seem more real but I'm curious about what you guys think about it. Is it helping or hindering your reading? Are you looking up what some of the words mean or just skimming over them and implying meaning from the rest of the sentence? Have you noticed any patterns among the words that Diaz chose to put in Spanish?

No Doubt apologize to Native Americans for Wild West video

The Pop band No Doubt was forced to remove a new Wild West-themed music video and issue an apology after getting complaints from the Native American community, saying its intention was "never to offend, hurt or trivialize" their culture or history.(Reuters)

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/11/03/no-doubt-pulls-looking-hot-video-and-issues-apology-143882

Fathers and Mothers

In both House on Mango Street and Drown, negligent men and fathers are heavily involved in the stories. Specifically in Drown, the men often physically abuse the females. For example, in "Aurora," the narrator recounts hitting the title character until her chest was black and blue. They also neglect their families, leaving the responsibility to the women. In "Aguantando," the mother works 12 hour days but can barely support her children. Worst of all, the father promises to come home but breaks it, disappointing her almost to the point of a nervous breakdown.

Do you think that Cisneros and Diaz put such emphasis on negligent male characters to send out a message to their respective communities? Or are they just purely portraying what happens?

Native Vote 2012

I found this video and found it interesting.  How do you think it compares and/or contrasts with the environmental public announcement?  Is this a more accurate image of Native Americans?

Home Sweet Home?

What I find interesting about the affect living on Mango Street has on Esperanza is that she goes from believing she does not belong to knowing she does and not being happy to accept it. When she talks to Alicia about how she is jealous of her home in Guadalajara and Alicia reminds her she has a home on Mango Street, Esperanza replies, "No, this isn’t my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I’ve lived here. I don’t belong. I don’t ever want to come from here." Although she still believes herself to be better than Mango Street she does seem to recognize that it is in fact her home weather she feels she belongs or not. This passion to be above Mango Street provides her with inspiration. She tells her story and writes poems and claims that one day she will leave Mango Street and have a beautiful house of her own where she takes in homeless people and helps her friends that are still on Mango Street to escape.

Towards the beginning of the story Esperanza expresses contempt about being Mexican. Do you think her unchanging hatred of Mango Street suggests she still feels this way in the end or is it just a separate hatred of the street itself? How do you think she will one day be able to escape the street? Or do you think she never will?

Writing as Freedom

"You must keep writing. It will keep you free, and I said yes, but at that time I didn't know what she meant (61)."

I keep coming across this theme of women should write in order to be free. bell hooks called it "talking back". Victorian women writers wrote in order to be free. Writing is a way for ethnic and women writers to free themselves from societal constraints. It's one of the many ways that they have found their voices.

Is Esperanza's writing keeping her free from the same constraints? What freedom was her aunt talking about? Does this sound more like the author's voice than the characters in the book?

Minerva Writes Poems

After Minerva lets her husband move back in at the end, she "comes over black and blue and asks what can she do?" to which Esperanza says, in the last sentence of the vignette, "There is nothing I can do" (85). This sentence is straightforward enough, but the emphasis on the "I" seems to imply something more complex: while Esperanza may not be able to do anything, in her opinion there is actually someone else who can. Perhaps the emphasis is intended to mean Minerva, since she could have told her husband he couldn't move back in. This seems problematic to me, though, since I doubt that someone willing to abuse their spouse would feel entirely compelled to stay away just because they were told to. It seems that the emphasis, therefore, is possibly pointing in another direction.

What do you think? Why is the "I" emphasized in the last sentence of this vignette?

Gender roles in "The House of Mango Street"

In a book "The House of Mango street", Sandra Cisneros talked about female identity and describing women as "voiceless" and "powerless". Esperanza narrates the story of Ruthie who got married and moved away to a pretty house outside the city. She was curious why does Ruthie is still living on Mango Street and sleeping on a coach in her mother's living room. Also the Ruthie's husband never showed up to pick her up. This means that the Chicano women don't have an ability to make decisions and a courage to speak up.  

Through the Esperanza's character, Cisneros tells the story of a girl who doesn't want to belong to the low expectation neighborhood. The author is comparing Esperanza to the four trees which grow despite concrete.

Do you think Cisneros is trying to convey her message that women and girls should speak up from themselves and think about their own empowerment? 

Mango Street

I loved that the end she realizes that even though she thinks she doesn't belong here it is a home. The red house is where she began to tell her stories. You find this out in the last chapter when she says "I like to tell stories. I tell them inside my head...I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes..She sets me free" (109-110). I felt a connection with her as I read this because I do the same thing. Ever since I was little I wanted to get out of the town I was from so I wrote stories of awesome far away places. It wasn't until I went to college I realized that I never wanted to leave. Esperanza has had one dream her whole life: to have a place of her own and now that she is getting older the dream is soon going to be reality.

Have you ever wanted something so bad that when you do you finally obtain it you have a feeling of bitter sweetness?

Esperanza's Own Home

I like how the final chapter kind of feels like the first chapter at the beginning when she says, "I am going to tell you a story about a girl who didn't want to belong." This is why this chapter feels like the beginning of the book, but at the same time, it is the beginning of her new view on belonging. She goes through all of these things throughout the stories, the feeling of belonging and not belonging, the feeling of wanting a home of her own, the feeling of loss as she goes through the troubled times with Sally. But in the end her main goal is to want to feel like she belongs and she actually accomplishes this through her writing. I really like where she says, "[...] Mango Street, sad red house, the house I belong but do not belong to. I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free." The only way that she feels like she belongs is when she writes about it and lets the house go, therefore the house lets her go. Her dream is to go away from Mango Street for good and have the house she has always dreamed about having.  I think through her writing she accomplishes the feeling of belonging and all her feelings come out that were making her so sad throughout the book.  I really enjoyed this book and there are so many different themes that  I feel it's so hard to choose just one.  I also wanted to talk about the "rape" scene because I'm not sure whether it was really rape or the guys were just touching her and kissing her.  But she kept saying that Sally was a liar and that all the books and magazines told everything wrong and "it" wasn't the same as she had expected it to be.  I think this gives it away that maybe "it" was rape and she struggles with those emotions as well.

What do you think about the chapter, "Red Clowns" and how did it come across for you? Do you agree with me that Esperanza was finally freed through her writing?

Coming Back

We were discussing the idea of community today in class. One of the three sisters says to Esperanza, "When you leave you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can't erase what you know. You can't forget who you are" (Cisneros 105). Esperanza is fighting against her community, constantly fighting to escape Mango Street because she doesn't belong. She doesn't want to belong to her rundown red house or her neighborhood that white people fear. Though she doesn't say it directly, as Esperanza holds the three sisters' hands, she makes a wish to leave and never return. The sisters force her to realize that Esperanza's community will always be a part of her and she has a responsibility to return and help those that could not escape the cycle of poverty and abuse.

How does this idea of coming back out of responsibility tie to other works we've read, such as Home to Harlem or Bread Givers? Can one ever escape the community in which he or she matured?

AmerRican

In Tato Laviera's poem AmeRican, a practically utopian society is portrayed alongside an image of completely open-minded immigration policy.  The narrator even describes the process as being supported by national anthems and there being a great new future in store for everybody.  As the reader, do you think that the author intended this poem as an ideology or possibly as an act of foreshadowing?

Vignette.

The House on Mango Street has given me my first experience in reading Vignettes. I sort of felt as though I was watching a play, viewing a slice of life. There are no quotations. Just writing which made it hard for me to follow at times. I think this writing technique by Sandra Cisneros makes the story very raw. Then again, it is as if she is feeding the reader very hard to swallow information on a sugar covered spoon. Something tells me that this is a new way of writing. I think I like it. I'll report back once the book is read and done to see if I still feel the same way.

Your turn, how do you all feel about the authors choice of no quotations?

Names

The topic of names was interesting to me in this book because it reminded me of past readings like Hyman Kaplan and Daniel La France.  Esperanza talks about how her sister gets a nickname, but she doesn't, and I was wondering why you think Esperanza felt like she couldn't have a nickname?

Also, the chapter about the snow was an amazing metaphor:  on one hand we have thirty different names for snow and on the other we have two different kinds.  I thought this was a good explanation of how these girls saw the people around them because there are billions of different names for people but a very generalized view is "clean" and "dirty."  I think this is a concept that follows Esperanza, especially surrounding the shame that she feels about her house or the clothes that she's comfortable wearing or being around.

Do you think there's any other significance to the snow and cloud metaphor?

A space of her own

This interview with Sandra Cisneros, especially in the first minute, reminded me of Bread Givers and Sara's quest for a room of her own. She desperately wants to find a room of her own so she could form her identity. Similarly, Esperanza wants to live in a house she isn't ashamed of. And in the end, both characters get what they want. Or at least, Sara does and Esperanza likely will. And both books emphasize neatness and quietness as good attributes for their house.

Does this desire for independence and a different way of life signify a break in ethnicity, a desire to escape racial identity? Or does it simply mean these characters want to gain independence to further their already present ethnicity?

Tucson's Mexican-American Studies Ban

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-april-2-2012/tucson-s-mexican-american-studies-ban

Sandra Cisneros_Inspiration

what's in a name?

I thought Esperanza's discussion of the two different meanings of her name definitely had some significance towards the overall theme of the story. She says that in English her name means hope but in Spanish it means sadness and waiting. The fact that her name means two completely opposite things in different languages is definitely symbolic for the fact that people of different cultures feel like they have to be one or the other, in this case white or Hispanic...not both. However, Esperanza does seem to play the role of both definitions of her name...she is always waiting for something better than what she's got, she's hoping for a better life and isn't happy with the one she has. Can you find any other significant differences or similarities between the Spanish and English significances of her name and her personality?

Hyphens

Mora seems to be unhappy with her life.  She admits in the poem that she is an outsider to both cultures,  that her hyphenated identity seems to make her separate form other Americans and that Mexicans do not view her as one of them either.  How do you feel about hyphenation?  Do you think it's a good idea?  A bad idea?  Do you think it makes us more aware of cultural differences and therefore causes us to learn more about people different from us or do you think it alienates people?

Love Medicine

I thought that this books was really good. I loved the parallel from the beginning to the end with June. She was probably my favorite character in the book because she was the first story and had a mystery to her. I was so happy that Lipsha found out who his father was and that there was a kind of peace at the end.

The other day in class we were talking about how Native Americans were portrayed in films and I remembered that The Lone Ranger was coming out soon and that Johnny Depp was in it. I thought that this was really weird because they could have had a real Native American playing Tonto. How does this make you feel? Was this appropriate? Would you still have seen it if Johnny Depp was maybe another character or not in it at all?

The Healer

The medicine man/healer is a commonly and frequently negatively stereotyped way for Native Americans to be portrayed. In thinking of our discussion about portrayals of Native Americans in pop culture I thought of the character John Redcorn in the animated TV series "King of The Hill". John Redcorn is a healer. Dale hires Redcorn to heal his wife Nancy's headaches on a weakly basis. He gets rid of her headaches, but not by ancient Native American healing techniques. Unbeknown to Dale, Nancy and Redcorn have an affair every week for over half the shows seasons. In this case the healer is not portrayed as a believeable character or in a positive light. In Love Medicine the healer is unintentionally the cause of the patients death. Instead of making Nector fall back in love with Marie he chokes on the heart that is meant to make him fall back in love with her when Marie slaps him on the back. This scene seems to poses a bit of dark humor. Lipshaw says to himself, "From time to time I heal a person all up good inside, however when it comes to the long shot I doubt that I got staying power,". Considering that love medicine is the title of the novel I think it's important to note the irony of what this medicine literally does in the novel.

Do you think Erdrich's intention is to portray healers as somewhat of a myth?
Is she poking fun at the idea by having a leader character choke to death on love medicine?

This brief clip shows the moment when the Hank, the shows main character, brings his wife(Peggy, who is a bit slow) to the realization that Dale's son with Nancy is actually Redcorn's son. Peggy is the last to realize what has been going on nextdoor that the rest of the neighborhood has known for years... Kind of a funny moment. Thought I'd share for those of you unfamiliar with the show and Redcorn's character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXlokoYQOWs

Flight and Love Medicine

Reading Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine brought to my mind Flight, a novel written by Native American author Sherman Alexie. In short, Flight was mostly a story about a young Native American boy dealing with being bi-racial, his history, and the universal teenage angst. Many of the themes such as alcoholism, abuse, family interconnectedness that are in n Love Medicine are similar to themes shown in Flight.  Utilizing specifically Love Medicine, if at all, how do you think this novel addresses the stereotypes of Native Americans?

Theme

This book covers a lot of material.  What do you think the central theme is?

Love Medicine

From finishing "Love Medicine" I feel that a great theme in this novel is the loss of a cultural identity and Native American spirituality. The two generations in this novel are characterized and separated by the sense of Americanization. For example, Albertine going to college to study western medicine, whereas her grandmother, Marie, is part of the generation where everything surrounding her environment was still pretty close to the Native American culture and rituals. I also find it somewhat ironic that this book is called "Love Medicine" mainly because of the chapter about Lipsha being the one the healing powers, but at the same time Albertine is studying to become a doctor. So in this chapter we learn that the entire family of Kashpaws/Pillagers/Nanapushes have special gifts of healing and insight. Lipsha Morrissey says that he's got the touch. But later we read that the Pillagers were members of the Midewiwin  which were medicine men and women who were blessed by the Higher Power to help others. So, even more of the irony is that this family already has the healing touch of being medicine people and of finding the cure to help others, yet earlier in the book Nector says that the Kashpaws die out pretty quickly and then we actually witness the death of Nector Kashpaw. Yet some how, with the final chapters we see the families comes together to help one another, and everyone's stories intertwined with one another, I think to emphasize the closeness of the tribe; although there were different families, it was still just one tribe and one community. 

How do you think the first generation is similar to the second one, and what do you think are the main differences? Do you think they all end up in the same manner the generation before them did?

Also from recent news__Russel Means, AIM leader, has died

You can read more about him here. Complicated figure, important legacy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/opinion/the-siege-of-wounded-knee.html?_r=0

butter?

This blog post isn't supposed to lead to a deep intellectual debate or spark meaningful contemplative thoughts. I figured if this blog is for discussing the readings, it can be for fun conversations from time to time to.
 I honestly just want to know that someone else in the class is confused as I am about Nector Kashpaw's chapter where he has sex with Lulu. Did really know one else go WHAT THE FUCK? when they broke out the butter? I had to reread it multiple times to myself and then once out loud to my girlfriend to make sure that it was real. Paula Dean will never be the same.

Faith in Love Medicine

Lipsha, as the one with "the healing touch," frequently discusses faith in his chapters. He believes in his healing powers, and after he goes to church with Nector and the old man yells his prayers, he asks, "Was there any sense relying on a God whose ears was stopped? Just like the government? I says then, right off, maybe we got nothing but ourselves. And that's not much, just personally speaking" (Erdrich 233). His faith in God parallels his faith in the government. Both ignore the pleas of those that are in need of help. Also, Lipsha has little faith in himself.

 Later, he seems to regain his faith, both in higher powers and, briefly, in the government. He says that "faith could be called belief against all odds and whether or not there's proof. How does that sound? I thought how we might have to yell to be heard by Higher Power, but that's not saying it's not there" (Erdrich 241).

Where else in the novel do you see faith? Which other characters discuss faith and how does their impression compare to Lipsha's?

:)) Forwarded to me by a friend in American Indian Studies

So what do you think?

Kateri Canonization

We talked about Kateri's recent canonization.Katherine Coig, can you please post a link to the info about the other "Indian saint"?

Debbie Reese has a great blog about American Indians in Chidlren's Literature. In the post below she discusses the coverage of Kateri's canonization recently and the problematic representation of American Indians in the media. Take a look!

http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

As many of you have mentioned, it is important to think about the role of Catholicism, and spirituality, in defining contemporary Indian identity (where many tribal members practice both tribally-specific religions and a form of Christianity).

Drink, Drank, Drunk

Alcoholism is one of the themes that sticks out to me in Love Medicine. Some scientists, like Dr. Ting-Kai Li, from Indiana University, believe that alcoholism is a result of both genetics and environment. He says, ""We have identified two genes that protect against heavy drinking, and these are particularly prevalent among Asians," Li says. "We have shown that Native Americans, who have a high rate of alcoholism, do not have these protective genes. The one that is particularly effective is a mutation of the gene for the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, which plays a major role in metabolizing alcohol. The mutation is found very frequently in Chinese and Japanese populations but is less common among other Asian groups, including Koreans, the Malayo-Polynesian group, and others native to the Pacific Rim. "We've also looked at Euro-Americans, Native Americans, and Eskimos, and they don't have that gene mutation," says Li. Thus, incidentally, the study of genetic mutations and alcoholism links native North-American populations to central Asian ancestors, not to those from China and Japan." (Genetic Influences on Alcohol Drinking and Alcoholism)

This book is depressing. The suggestions of incest are a little disturbing, and I get mad each time one of the characters cheats on their spouse.

West of Eden.

In the novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck, the relationship between brothers is used to show opposite personalities, or at least the difference between privilege and lack. Love Medicine also uses these sibling relationships to show two sides of a coin.

Nector Kashpaw is sent to school, while Eli remains at home, which shows a division between formal Euro-American schooling and native teachings. Similarly, Henry Lamartine Jr. joins the armed forces and is sent to Viet Nam, while Lyman stays home. These situations allow for characters of the same background to have completely different life experiences. Do these experiences with other cultures amount to a privilege for one brother? Or does staying home away from such exposure equal privilege?

Struggling with the outside world

So sar far we have read about a lot of the characters struggling to deal with their two worlds. The first being their life within their culture on the reservation and the second being the outside world off the reservation. You see it in the beginning with Albertine when she returns from college and with Henry Jr. with the war. I was really sad when I read about Henry's death. The war had such a strong impact on him that he was no longer the same person from when he left the reservation. So I guess my question for you guys is. Do you think it will ever, or has already in todays generation, become easier for Native Americans to balance their two worlds, the first being their own culture and the second being the world outside the reservation or do you think one will dominantly take over completely?

The War in Henry's Mind and the Mind of Native Americans

For some reason I can't find the page or the quote, but I do remember this line that went something like this, "The War was over, but it was still going in Henry's head." I feel like this line could go even further. Even though all of the atrocities that the Native Americans have suffered by the hands of white Americans and the government, they are still suffering from it when this book's timeline and even today. The "war" against Native Americans is "over" but it's still going on because some are still suffering from discrimination and the actions of people from the past.

Do you guys think that this interpretation of that line makes sense?

how a woman handles being left

I really liked Marie's chapter where she talks about how a woman and mother keeps going after something so tragic and keeps on doing her daily chores and keeping up with everything; her life doesn't stop because of her loss so she has to keep up with it. I thought where she says "Him loving her, him finding true love with her, was what drove me to peel all the potatoes in that house" shows her strong personality and her sarcasm. I don't know what it was about that passage but it really made me like Marie much more. There was also another passage I really liked a few pages later "I felt better, that's all I know, as I scrubbed off the tarnished wax and dirt. I felt better as I recognized myself in the woman who kept her floor clean even when left by her husband". I like that she is even acknowledging that many women probably would have tried to stop everything and lay in bed depressed but she couldn't and didn't which made her a stronger woman and empowered her. What do you think about Marie's character and how she handled being left?

Marie's story

I liked Marie's story the best but was confused about the last paragraph on page 162:

"He stood there looking at me over that long, shiny space.  It rolled and gleamed like a fine lake between us.  And it deepened.  I saw that he was about to take the first step, and I let him, but halfway into the roo, his eyes went dark.  He was afraid of how deep this was going to become.  So I did for Nector Kapshaw what I learned from the nun.  I put my hand through what scared him.  I held it out there for him.  And when he took it with all the strength of his arms, I pulled him in."

What do you think Marie is talking about?  I'm think there's a connection with Sister Leopolda but I'm not sure what Nector is afraid of.  Also with this story, why do you think Zelda might want to become a nun after seeing the altercation between Sister Leopolda and her mom?

Respond to Julie's post "Flight" by Sherman Alexie

Thanks Julie for this post. It also reminded me Sherman Alexie's novel "Flight". The main character -Zits had the madness on his own father, because his Indian father abandoned him. I want to read Zits’s embodiment as his father through the lens of Native trauma theory because American Indian historical grief is widely understood to be transmitted intergenerationally and this situation has a thematic relationship to Alexie’s recurring exploration of fathers and sons, abandonment, and the complexities of forgiveness.
Initially Zits does not know he is inside his father; he simply wakes up on the ground staring at a rat and vomiting blood. He realizes he is a street drunk, a loser whose belly is torn apart by booze. When a “pretty white” couple approach him and he asks them if he is white (he’d most recently inhabited the body of the white flight instructor), they tell him he is Indian: “I look down at my dirty T-shirt, emblazoned with a black-and-white photograph of the Apache warrior Geronimo and the ironed-on caption FIGHTING TERRORISM SINCE 1492” (Flight, 132). Appearing soon after the 9/11 attacks, this popular T-shirt expresses many American Indians’ perspective of having been invaded, terrorized, and colonized and the patriotism of American Indians in their struggle to retain their land, lives, and culture. But the grief and rage that result from Indians’ awareness of the ongoing reality of colonization and the dominant culture’s denial of it are registered in this man’s drunken state. Zits/the man is disgusted by the good Samaritans’ compassion and tells them “it’s all your fault” and “white people did this to Indians” (Flight, 136). Zits tells us, “I don’t even know if I believe that. But this fifty-year-old guy wants to blame someone for his pain and his hunger....This homeless guy’s anger is even stronger than my anger. And anger is never added to anger.
It multiplies”  (Flight, 136).
After being punched in the face by the woman’s partner, the man/Zits awakes, aware that he is in an alley in downtown Tacoma. As he “shambles” out of the alley, his bloody face horrifies the people on the street: “‘I want some respect,’ I say. I read this desire for respect and understanding as a direct expression of disenfranchised grief—the sense that no one recognizes or cares about the suffering of Native people.
After that, one man on the street was him a story about his family and pulled out a photo. Zits realizes, "It is me, the five-year-old me. The five-year-old Zits. The real me” (Flight,150). Confused, he looks into the side-view mirror of a nearby truck: “I stare at my bloody reflection. I am older than I used to be. I am battered, bruised and broken. But I know who I am. I am my father” (Flight, 150). Zits realizes he’s staring into the face of his betrayer—the man he should kill—but “what satisfaction is there in killing a man who wants to die?”(Flight, 151).Zits asks the questions he has always wanted to ask his father: “Why did you leave me, why did you want to carry a photograph of me but not me?” (Flight, 152). These are questions his father/the man doesn't want to answer: “I can feel him fighting me. He doesn't want to remember the day he left me” (Flight, 152). But Zits forces his father to remember and learns that his father was not only sexually molested but cruelly ridiculed by his own father to believe he was utterly worthless: “My father wants to weep. He wants to cry out for his father. He wants to be forgiven, to be loved. But if he speaks he will only be ridiculed again. He will only be diminished”  (Flight, 155). Now inside his father’s memories at the hospital where Zits’s mother is giving birth to him, he realizes, “My father cannot be a participant. He cannot be a witness. He cannot be a father” (Flight, 156). Zits understands that his father has been so damaged by abuse that he does not have the strength or confidence to raise his own son and perhaps fears that he will inflict the same abuse on him that he received from his father.Zits is now a witness to his father’s abuse and understands why he was abandoned, there is hope that he can forgive his father, perhaps find relief from his own suffering.

Forgive our Fathers

I think this scene in Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals encompasses much of the family strife in Love Medicine. We see many fathers - and mothers - in it who are a bit of a mess. And they perpetuate problems throughout the generations.

Diaz and Erdrich-received National Book Award nominations 2012

You can read more about their nominated books here: http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2012.html#.UH1hRltJmQI I do hope this helps you realize (even more) that you are reading some really fine writers this semester. :))

1970s "Keep America Beautiful" Campaign_Dave Chapelle hints at the "Crying Indian"

The guy who plays "the Indian" was, actually, Italian. You can research Iron Eyes Cody and learn more about him. Here is another appropriation by popular culture of "the Indian" (and, as usual before the 1970s), the "Indian" is played by a non-Indian actor.

Love Medicine

Of the chapters we've read, only two are not first person narrative.  These two are the opening with June and the last chapter that focuses on Beverly.  I understand that June's chapter would not be narrated by herself considering her death; however, I find Beverly's more interesting.  Does this perhaps foreshadow his death?  Is it because he is not really part of the family?  Does the third person narration effect us differently than if he had narrated this chapter?

Love Medicine

In the beginning chapters of Love Medicine, the reader is presented with a rather peculiar, and somewhat comical, love triangle between three character: Marie, Nector, and Lulu in the year 1934.  Nector had always been in love with Lulu, but instead he settled down with Marie for reasons that he himself cannot make sense of.  In the case of Lulu, she had always assumed that Nector would marry her, and once she found out about his engagement to Marie, she found a man named Moses but left him because he refused to leave the wilderness.  This love triangle is presented in a rather humorous and intriguing way, and when such a dramatic topic is a central part of a novel, why would the author make a less than serious presentation?

Love Medicine/ Comedy

I am still getting a grasp on this novel and thought instead of posting something pointless that I would share a comedy sketch I saw a few years ago that I thought was relevant to what we're learning right now. It's Dave Chappelle so it can be taken a little offensively by some. But I think that underneath the humor he's pointing out the stereotypes that we have put on Native Americans.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DROyY8xztEM

First Impressions

A narrative technique that I've always loved is when the reader is given a story, a chapter, or some other text without context, but then that context is slowly revealed throughout the rest of the story, such as in Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov or The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner.

In Love Medicine, the first chapter is not as inherently difficult to understand as a 999-line poem or a stream of consciousness from a mentally handicapped character, but I found I was having a lot of trouble keeping track of all the characters introduced, as well as their relations to one another. The advantage of introducing so many characters all at once, though, is that the author is then able to provide the reader with first impressions, but then later offer contrary impressions, such as with Nector, who is first introduced as a senile old man before his back story is introduced.

Do you feel that this is an effective tool in preventing the reader from making up his or her mind about a character too early on in the narrative? Or is this technique a recipe for inconsistent and unbelievable characters?

What's your love medicine?

I just wanted to discuss two quotes that I thought seemed really important (because honestly I'm not really sure where this story is going, if anywhere). I liked on page 70 when the narrator asked Nanapush "What's your love medicine?" and then goes on to say "She hates you but you drive her crazy." I like that the narrator is describing different kinds of love to be like medicine, like even if you are sick or dying love may keep you alive. I really like this idea of love as medicine but I'm not really sure what to do with it, what do you guys think? My second quote I really liked was "The greatest wisdom doesn't know itself. The richest plan is not to have one" on page 76. I thought this was in itself wise advice and I like the idea of the greatest plan you'll ever have for yourself won't compare to the one that was meant for you so it's best to stop planning and let life happen. What do you guys think about the way Native American elders passed down advice to younger generations?

Family Cycle

Family Cycle

                Loiuse Erdich’s novel, unlike any novel we have read to date, takes the reader on a whirlwind journey through the lives of members of these two families. I researched this particular novel and found that this book was favored among many Native Americans because of its traditional story telling technique.  I find it interesting to imagine older characters such as Grandma Marie and Albertine’s mother Zelda when they were younger. It made me think of the different phases in which we go through life. The trials and tribulations in which we go through life shape who we are. They say quite often that art imitates life. With that being said, in my mind, I attempted to parallel this novel into real life in relation to my own experiences. Imagining who my parents may have been when they were younger is something I cannot quite wrap my head around at times. We tend to pass (either purposefully or indirectly) our life experiences onto our children. Take for instance the character King. The pain he felt throughout his life was surely passed onto him. My question is, do you feel as though we may carry on some of our families burden?

Hope

I've really enjoyed this book so far even though it is filled with a series of characters that are struggling and seem broken.  It doesn't seem like any of the unities between these people really make any of them happy, especially since the main connecting character is shown in such a bleek situation right before her death.  But through all of that I've been trying to figure out the sense of hope that I think is underlying all of the depressing stuff.  The way that June's story ends still has hope in it, almost like even though we figure out that June has died, her soul is still very much alive.  When reading Marie Kashpaw's story, we also figure out that June was found in a situation that probably should have killed her, so the way that June entered the world and left it are both really connected to the environment and harsh situations.  To me it seems like these characters find happiness in situations that are ultimately really destructive, but in the end people seem to be at terms with it...the relationship between King and Lynette is something that I think really shows that, especially when the other relatives ignore their fighting and violence for so long and the thing that seems the most important to them is the pies.


Do you find any hope in this book and what do you think motivates the decisions of these characters?  I'm still not clear on what "Love Medicine" is or what the author is trying to do, but hopefully it will become clear soon!

Native American Lit.

I noticed some comparisons between Love Medicine and the poetry we read for last class, especially regarding education and the boarding schools. Erdrich writes, in the voice of Lulu, "I ran away from the government school...I ran away so often that my dress was always the hot-orange shame dress and my furious scrubbing thinned sidewalks..." In her poem "The Runaways," Edrich writes, "We scrub the sidewalk down because it's shameful work..."Also, Grandpa, the one in the set of brothers who was sent away to get an education, is described as soft and rather senile in his old age. While his brother, who grew up wandering the woods, is still hardy.

Obviously, Erdrich is making the point that the the outside culture, including the government education, has not been good for the Native Americans. As evidenced by the many self-destructive characters in the book, it has done them harm. What other instances of this do you see?

And the touchy mascot debate, Comedy Central (TheDaily Show)

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-2-2007/trail-of-cheers

Contemporary Native American Comedians

Charlie Hill, Oneida Comedian, on the Richard Pryor show in the 1970s

(Oneidas are part of the 6 Nations or Iroquois Confederacy).

Native-American poetry

Carlos Montezuma writes almost with rage; his infuriated tone inspires Indian pride and strength.  His parallel structure such as in "Steady, Indians, Steady" is reinforced by the repetition of such phrases as the title.  Like the tone, these elements inspire as well as fortify the Native-Americans and their culture.  Zitkala-Sa's tone is very different; in "The Indian's Awakening", the speaker opens with a somewhat defeatist tone.  However, through the Divine, the speaker is rejuvenated and inspired.  He/she discovers that though in the earthly world, the Indians may be persecuted, in the Spirit-world, their supremacy prevails.  Zitkala-Sa's tone inspires hope and in turn pride and strength.  Though the two poets take different avenues, the end game remains the same.  I was a little confused though in these readings; I was under the impression that the native-american religion focused on spirits of nature rather than really a god.  However, in the poems we read, God is a central element of hope and redemption.  Were the Native-Americans Christianized or did they always believe in God but with spirits in nature as well? 

Indian Boarding School

I couldn't help but think of the movie The Education of Little Tree when reading Louise Erdrich's poem "Indian Boarding School: The Runaways". The voice in the poem seems beaten and sad and the way the school is portrayed in the movie reflects the reason the voice in the poem would be so down trodden. The Indian boarding schools were a place Indian children were sent to be Americanized and stripped of the "savagery" of their ancestors and parents. It wasn't about education in the since the white people in the movie say to take the main character Little Tree from his grandparents but to make sure to enforce the idea of white capitalistic patriarchy was still in control. While in the movie Little Tree really does manage to run away the voice in the poem seems to run away mostly in their mind.

American are savages?

This poem was very heart felt. in the article American Indian Stores it talks about how Indians was mistreated and even though the U.S. government established an Indian Affairs bureau they did not accomplish anything that was helpful to the American Indians. There was such a racism and corruption in the government, even though there were the same people as the Americans, Indians were considered to be savage because of their culture. I especially like a quote from a Civilization poem, where it talks about who the real savages are, "Play-toys to modern weapons for fighting brother against brother." Indians suffered because of their savage like behavior, but Indians viewed the Americans as savages.

What do you think about American who were being savages? do you agree?

Death Race 2000

So, I mentioned Death Race 2000 in class the other day, and wanted to recap it a little bit - I realize it was near the end of class, and you were all probably wondering what on Earth I was rambling on about.

So basically, this movie was done in 1975 as a satire of American culture at the time. You've got all of America being super-hyped over an exceptionally brutal pastime - people drive cars cross-country, and aim to slaughter as many people with their cars as possible. But a small group of rebels - holders of the "true" American dream, plot to fight back and end the race by blowing up the racers' cars.

Specific things that stood out to me about this movie, and thus make it pertinent to this class, are:

-The stereotyping: While being an entirely Eurocentric movie, several characters seemed to play up to certain stereotypes: Sylvester Stallone's character, for example, is a womanizing mobster.

-The American need to blame someone: At one point, as the resistance starts blowing up cars, the American government orders a coverup. And when they can no longer manage a coverup, they start blaming the "terrorist" attacks on "[their] most hated of enemies, the French, who were responsible for ruining [their] economy and telephone network."

Now, consider this my trigger warning to you if you decide to look this movie up (which I think you should, honestly). As this was meant to satire certain aspects of American culture, such as predominantly the love of excessive violence, there are some particularly troublesome scenes and events, though actual gore is kept to a minimum. Also, at one point, Stallone nearly kills one of the lead female characters quite brutally, so if these kinds of things are things that you cannot deal with, then perhaps you should give the movie a wide berth. Or at least go and look up a plot summary and chuckle to yourself, anyway.

Red Man's America

"The Red Man's America" was definitely my favorite poem. I love how the poem parodies the original "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." I am a big fan of all kinds of parodies ranging from music to television and movies. I think parodying "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," adds a lighthearted feel to a serious topic. The author is clearly trying to show the mistreatment of the Indians at the time. The use of well known song about the liberties and freedom that American's have provides a great platform to comment on the injustice the Indians are face with. The poem shows how the original song has a completely different meaning to the Indians. The same liberties that white Americans were celebrating in the song were not afforded to the Indians. Parodies if executed well, and this poem is very good, can open the minds of the readers to things they may have never considered before, and this poem does that very well.

How well do you believe this poem parodies the original song. 

Looking in The Rearview Mirror

In this video, we revisit Professor Henry Louise Gates Jr.'s Faces of America. In this particular section, he is interviewing Louise Endrich. This interview brought me back to her poem Family Reunion. Also in retrospective, it made me think of our first family history essay. I thought of the journey of finding about family history, but I also thought of the relevance in discovering what comes before us.  I wondered if finding out about family history was important for everyone as it was for me as a first generation American.

So my question is  finding out about your cultural/familial history important or do you feel as though it is more salient to form your own path?