Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Who is Aunt Ida, anyway? (Part I)
I like how A Yellow Raft in Blue Water is able to move across three generations of the same Native American family. Michael Dorris really uses point of view to describe these experiences by all three women—Ray, Christine and Ida—to bring us into their lives. We also see how each woman sees the other. I know we haven’t gotten to Aunt Ida’s section of the book yet, but I would like you guys and gals to start talking about your opinions of her. Based on Ray and Christine’s points of view, do you like Aunt Ida? Do you think she is a good parent? What do you think her childhood was like growing up Native American? Use what you know so far from Christine and Ray to form your opinions. But also consider some of the short stories, songs, poems and overhead slides that we have discussed in class to inform your opinion of Aunt Ida as well.
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I think that Aunt Ida is a woman who has been through a lot. The way that Christine and Ray have described her seems like she is an old woman who is just worn out and mad at the world and seems to have just given up. I can't help to think that the reasoning for that would be Lee's death. She still seems very mysterious and I can't really peg her as one thing. I don't really know what I think of her parenting yet just because the only information I know about it is from Christine who just says that she favored Lee because he was like her. It seems like Aunt Ida is very in touch with her Native American side though. From the way Christine described her at pow wows getting so into her dancing that she almost becomes another person really seems to show that she knows where she comes from and has no shame in it.
ReplyDeleteRight now I really dont like Aunt Ida. Everything I have learned about her seems so negative. The fact that she never supported Christine is weird for a mom. I think there must of been something big that has happened that we dont know about yet. I could never imagine my mom not supporting me or helping me when i need her. Maybe Aunt Ida really isnt her mom? Im not really sure?
ReplyDeleteI think Aunt Ida was a lot like Christine when she was younger. I think Aunt Ida wasn’t into her heritage that much and therefore her mom pushed her away. So that is why Aunt Ida now is very strict and old fashion, she is trying to make up her past. Then the reason why she treasured Lee so much was because she got to live her childhood the right way through him. And once Christine reminded her of herself and started acting out she just pushed Christine away because that is what her mom did to her. This is also why Lee and Christine never knew who their dad was because Aunt Ida never got married and had kids when she was really young because she acted just like Christine.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Ida treats Christine as she was brought up. It couldn't have been easy being born Native American. Ida probably just doesn't want Christine to make the wrong mistakes in life. So far I really dispise Ida. I feel like she ruined Christines life and that has taught Christine no life lessons at all. Christine pretty much takes after Ida, she is stubborn and does nothing good for Ray. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
ReplyDeleteFrom what Christine says about Aunt Ida so far makes me not like her. I feel that the only thing Aunt Ida cares about is living on the reservation. Maybe the way she was brought up focused on her carrying on the indian heritage and that requires her to live on the reservation. I'm not sure what i think of her parenting, but she has caused Christine a lot of pain in her time. Maybe Aunt Ida was stuck in her childhood and couldn't move on, which is why she isn't close with Christine.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion of Ida is full of strong distaste because she basically abondoned her own flesh and blood because she was a more modernistic than she. However this could be justified by the fact that she was apart of a very distraught household herself and she was not aware what to do as a mother. In so ways i think that Ida and Christine are exactly a like both are single parents with daughters that they try to leave behind both attempt to hide their age, both thing that they know what is best for everyone. So i guess my earlier statement is kinda cancelled out now because Aunt Ida are one in the same and i have to appreciate Christine more so i feel the same might happen with Aunt Ida.
ReplyDeleteThrough Christine's and Ray's point of veiw, Aunt Ida is distant and sorta uncaring. She gives more attention to Lee and when Ray shows up at her house she dosen't console her except for once. But if you read the rest of the book u will see a different. I won't give anything away. Aunt Ida seems very much the sterotypical American Indian. Stotic and unemotional. So that probably had something to do with how she acted.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing Ray and Christine's points of view on Aunt Ida, I don't really understand her standoffish personality. It seems as if Ida is very different from Ray and Christine in the way she lives her life. She seems very stubborn, stuck in her ways, and old fashion, such as using the native language to speak to people rather than English. I don't understand why she treats Christine so poorly? I makes me wonder if Ida had a bad childhood that made her act the way she does to Christine? I agree with Dana in that something big must have happened between Christine and Ida. Their relationship is so odd and hard to relate to that I would predict Ida and Christine may not even be related.
ReplyDeleteBased on Ray and Christine's sections i really don't like Aunt Ida. the main reason why is that when Christine came back from to the reservation she had to have reasons to take her own daughter back. You don't do that to your family. From this part i don't think she was a really good parent because you should always welcome back your family. Based on what we know i don't think she had a very good childhood because you base how you run your family on how you were raised. She rejected her child because she was a so-called "slut." No matter how your child turns out you are in charge of raising them.
ReplyDeleteto me Aunt Ida is an older woman whos been through it all. she seems to be really down to earth and knows where she comes from. She's not afraid to show thatshe's indian either, then again she houldnt be ashamed. From Ray' point of view, i get that she is a bitter old lady that just hates the world. and i didnt approve of the fact that she wouldnt take Christine in. she is her daughter, and no matter what has happened she should always welcome her, or atleast give Christine the chance to explain why she did what she did. I know there has been some tension in my family specially during this past year with my grandma's death. But if we have a problem, we talk it out with the person, we dont just ban them from our lives. I believe that Aunt Ida had a bad childhood, which is causing her to react to Chirstine the way she does. I still have yet to find something i like about her though.
ReplyDeleteI think Aunt Ida is a much better parent than Christine. She is very strict but the things she seems to have a good reason behind them. She seems to want to protect her family as much as she could. I think her life was very hard growing up on the plantation and she is still that way to this day. I think she worked very hard to give Christine a good life, however Christine took that freedom and abused the privilage.
ReplyDeletei agree with ctaylor in that christine and ray describe her as an old worn out women. maybe the reason why she is always tired and moody is do to the way people must have treated her while growing up. maybe she had a hard life and chritine wasn't that of a respectful daughter anyhow. she has too much pride on herself. i think Aunt Ida is just really traditional and expected her kids to do the same but they didnt. she's just an older women that has gone through a lot of troubles.
ReplyDeleteAunt Ida is a better parent than christine because she at least cared enough about her to take her in and be there when her mother wasnt.
ReplyDeletePersonal i dont like aunt Ida I think shes rude, crule, insencitave, and a bi***. she seems like she would be a good parent if she was able to conect with her child she loved lee anbd you could tell that she prefered him over christine. Her and christines constant figthing has many underlieing causes starting from when Ida was a kid and entering into rays life. The resin christine is the way she is was caused be the lack of posative attention she got from her mother and the desiring of attention from her brother or other men. It might also have to do with the fact that she dosn't have a father figure.
ReplyDeleteI THINK HER CHILDHOOD WAS MORE OF LIKE, A MORE STRICT AND TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIVING. BECAUSE IN THIS BOOK SHE IS PATRAYED AS A WOMAN WHO LOVES THE VALUES OF HER NATIVE AMERICAN BACKGROUND,AND AUNT IDA IS CHRISTINES MOM, SHE ALSO RAISED CHRISTINE AS A SINGLE MOM TOO.AND THATS THEY HAVE IN COMMON.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion,I dont really like Aunt Ida. She made herself very distant from Christine when she basically openly had Lee as her favorite child. This affected Christine greatly and in my opinion made Christine the person she is now. From Christine's point of view she comes off as a straight female dog. From Ray's point of view, an older lady who hates the world.
ReplyDeleteI believe Aunt Ida to be more traditional and thats why she had her children call her aunt instead of mom because of how society back then frowned upon unmarried women having children. I also think she is a complete B-word because of how she treated Christine when she was younger and she clearly favored Lee. I think Christine is the way to Aunt Ida because Aunt Ida clearly never showed her the love she showed Lee
ReplyDeletePersonally I do not like Aunt Ida, because she didn't seem to really love Christine as her child. Out of the Two children Aunt Ida seems to favor Lee over Christine. I don't think Ida is a very good parent because she "seperated" herself from Christine so to speak. She seems to not care about what is going on in Christines life. Her childhood may have been very difficult to experience. I think from ray's point of view she thinks that Aunt Ida is a bi***, but from Chritine's point of few she is a heartless person who doesn't care about her.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very good topic. I personally think Aunt Ida should be more loving to CHristine. She is too hard on her. She's mad that Christine got preganant early and kind of has a whore status going right now. A mother should love their child no matter what choices they make in life. As a child growing up, Aunt Ida didn't have it easy. They were probably treated like crap back then just like now and didn't have a very good life. On trhe other hand i can see that Aunt Ida is trying to tell Christine how life as an indian really is. Is the way it is until someone changes it.
ReplyDeleteI think Aunt Ida is a good person and parent she has just been through a lot. According to Ray and Christine, Aunt Ida isnt the best parent or grandparent but after reading Christines version of the story and how different it was compared to Rays, I think Ida has her side of the story. I think Aunt Ida is a loving person and maybe has personal issues rather than issues with Christine or Ray.
ReplyDeleteI really want to know what happened in Ida's past to make her act the way she does. She doesn't seem to act very compasionite towards Cristine and she is very traditional. Maybe she will be able to justify her actions and make us understand her as a person better. I really want to find out more about Ida, who is very mysterious to me.
ReplyDeleteI really like Aunt Ida because she seems like she is really tough and everything no matter what seems to be going on. I feel like even though Aunt Ida is really tough with Christine, that doesnt make her a bad parent.
ReplyDeleteI think that she is mad because Christine makes some really bad decisions and Aunt Ida seems like a really uptight person and into being a Native American, so she is a little bit more mean about her and Elgin.
I think that her childhood must have been really tough and everything just because of how she is in both Ray's and Christine's point of view. and the way they describe Aunt Ida apperance that must have made her childhood that much more worse because kids are cruel.
Aunt Ida seems mean and rude from the surface. Yet, once you look deeper and look at her heritage and how she grew up you will find sympathy for her. From the way Christine says she was raised it seems like Aunt Ida is strict. I believe that she is just looking out for her children. I do think it was bad on her part for favoring Lee though.
ReplyDeleteI see Aunt Ida as a sad and confused person. She accepts her heritage and just wants Christine to accept too. I think that Aunt Ida has a very hard time to show love, unless love is being given back to her. She's a very stubborn, solid woman. She knows her opinions and always sticks to them. She seems like someone who always has to be right, but somewhat humbling at the same time. I think its wrong that Christine feels unloved and that Lee is the favorite. I'm sure that Aunt Ida loves Christine, she just feels guilty about it and that guilt creates a distance between Christine and Aunt Ida. I think in a way Aunt Ida is envious towards Christine, because she is so free spirit and Aunt Ida seems so tired and tied down with who she is-so much that she can't change it. And because Lee accepts his heritage just like Aunt Ida does, they click more, with Christina and Aunt Ida just but heads.
ReplyDeleteI think Aunt Ida is a better parent in some aspects, like when she takes Rayona in when Christine deserts her. But I think she has some bad characteristics, like how she makes her kids and Ray call her Aunt Ida only because she wasn't married when she had kids. I can only imagine what Ida went through to make her so complicated now.
ReplyDeleteI think that Aunt Ida is real old school when it come to Native american heritage. She sounds like she is a hard strong firece women who has been sculped by her past. The problem is Christine doesnt want anything to do with her so soemthing about Ida must be bad or raised Christine the wrong way.
ReplyDeleteLike all Grandparents and Parents, Aunt Ida is definitely a person of tradition and history. You see this especially when Christine is growing up and Aunt Ida doesn't like what she is doing and wearing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Ida's life was more focused on the traditions and morals of the Native American culture. her upbringing was vastly different than either other girls. I think this is what makes Aunt Ida so interesting and different.
I'm excited to see her point of view on different key situations, like when Ray is dropped off and some of Christine's upbriging.
It seems like our perspective on who Ida is is very warped. For the most part, all we know has been twisted in a negative light by Christine and Ray, who has had her own view of Ida twisted by Christine's influence. I feel like Ida is a very private, strong-willed woman who has a personal vendetta against the destruction of her Native American heritage. A theme I see throughout the book is that all three women--Ray, Christine and Ida--are all searching for love. Ray was drawn to Father Tom because she craves the attention, just as Christine was drawn to Elgin. Ida, a single mother, probably follows this pattern. It will be interesting to see.
ReplyDeleteI agree with alot of comments that she's old and runner down so this may be why she's a mean evil person. She seems to be like christine when she was older, just evil and not wanting to be around people.
ReplyDeleteI think aunt ida was probably alot like Christin when she was younger and the reason she has her kids and grandkids call her aunt ida is because she was asamed to be a mother so young so she felt like if she were an aunt, that it wouldnt be as bad. I feel like Christine just wasn't meant to be for aunt ida.And Christine's more questionable behaviors just were just ultimate reminders of hwhy she shouldnt have had Christine.
ReplyDeleteIf I just went off of what I have heard from Ray and Christine I wouldn't like Aunt Ida. From their point of view Aunt Ida is a strict woman that favored her son and doesn't care about her daughter. But from my experience people aren't born that way. I think that she is like that because that is how she was treated as a little girl or something tragic happened and she doesn't want Christine or Ray to get close to her.
ReplyDeleteWEll we have just gottin to this section, and from reading what we know now i can see why she acts the way she does. ida i feel kinda has a reason to be mean to christine she does not follow the rules and she did kinda of persuade lee to go to war. Although christine is rude to her mother i do not feel it was right at all to talk to her mother like that after all she still is her mom! Ray and christine seem to hate her because she makes you fowllow the rules or tries to atleast. I feel that ida was raised up in a house hold that made her this way! And we find out that she is raised in a very disfunctional house hold?..
ReplyDeleteAunt ida to me doent seem like the mother type. I believe that she doesnt really support Christine in anyway shape or form...Honestly, if you ask me...I really think that aunt ida is the mother..????
ReplyDeleteSo far I have mixed feelings for her. I think she has good intentions with both of these girls, but can be mean at times. All in all she was a good parent. I would imagine her life growing up was very family oriented with good morals.
ReplyDeleteAunt ida seems very uptight, and deeply rooted into her culture, which I feel has made it seem as if there is a stick up her butt ahaah...losing lee was probably really hard for her, and it seems to me that she is just a worried parent that wants the best for their kid even when it isn't always evident..
ReplyDeleteLooking from their point of view i dont think Ida is being a good mother figure and supporting them the way she should be. I konw now that Christine wasnt her true child but raising her from birth she should have acted like one treated like her own, not asked for 3 reasons to let her into the house. Also the way she is harsh and almost mean to christine puts more tension on the two girls which they dont need at that time in their life. She just seems like something is always bugging her in the back of her mind.
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