OK, the new round of blogs are here! Sorry for the delay; school is hectic for me, too. I want you all to pick one of these posts and really dig deep for some thoughtful and insightful answers. These are the kinds of questions I am really curious to investigate; these are the kinds of questions that really push your learning. So, please, think hard and respond with an answer that gets at the heart of the matter. As usual, I've tried to provide you with several angles into the conversation. If you still can't think of something 'good' to say, sleep on it. Or read through the other posts and respond to each other.
Keep an eye out on the blog; in the coming days, I will post the new schedule for reading and different activities that will take us through the remainder of the school year. We are almost there! But we also have a lot to cover. And perhaps, the most important stuff left to cover. Save the best for last, right? I think everyone will be able to really get involved and share their voices over the last month of school. I'm excited! OK, first blog option for this week:
OK, I want each of you to go back to your original posts about Aunt Ida. Remember those? The ones where we speculated on what kind of person Ida might be based on information presented to us from Ray and Christine? So take a minute, go back two weeks and look at the things you wrote. While you are there, feel free to look at what other students wrote as well.
How have things changed? Obviously we know that Christine isn’t Aunt Ida’s biological daughter. But what else did we learn about Aunt Ida? Re-read the very fist page of Aunt Ida’s section, the part where she talks about wearing resentment for forty years, the part where she regrets not saying the word ‘No’ to different people throughout her life. There’s a lot to say about Ida, for sure. I think her section is my favorite in the book and the most powerful, as well. So go ahead, weigh on with some final impressions of Aunt Ida. Or, maybe your perceptions of her children have changed. I know I don’t feel the same about Lee having read Ida’s thread of the story. This post is pretty open, so respond how you see fit. But be thoughtful; use the text to inform your opinions. What are some things that ‘struck’ you? What questions do you have left unanswered or unaddressed?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Gender roles...
In A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, we see two single mothers raising children—Christine raising Ray and Aunt Ida raising Lee and Christine. And I understand that both mothers took this on this role through their own volition, but I also can’t help but think that having women as the caretakers reinforces certain gender roles in society. I wonder, had the primary figures in this text been fathers, would things have been different? And we see this in the movie Smoke Signals, too. It is the dad who leaves the family behind, forcing the mother to raise a child on her own. So, I guess what I am trying to get at here is the idea of gender roles in our culture. The stereotype of mothers being the more nurturing parent, the more fit parent, to raise a child is something we see a lot of. Where do you all think this stereotype comes from? Do you think it is OK to always peg the mother as the caretaker? How do today’s families adhere to these gender roles? How do they differ? What has changed over the years? Consider this article, brought in by Kaitlyn Rogers in third period as an open mic. Read through some of the woman’s ‘duties.’
Pretty outrageous, huh? And comical, to say the least. But remember, that used to be the norm. Things are different now, obviously. I’m curious as to how the characters in A Yellow Raft in Blue Water fit the traditional roles and stereotypes of our society. Do you think the text perpetuates certain stereotypes? Or do you think it breaks free from those things? Weigh in, and think hard. We are going to talk about this one in class and these kinds of topics will be the basis of our next unit on gender roles and sexuality.
Pretty outrageous, huh? And comical, to say the least. But remember, that used to be the norm. Things are different now, obviously. I’m curious as to how the characters in A Yellow Raft in Blue Water fit the traditional roles and stereotypes of our society. Do you think the text perpetuates certain stereotypes? Or do you think it breaks free from those things? Weigh in, and think hard. We are going to talk about this one in class and these kinds of topics will be the basis of our next unit on gender roles and sexuality.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Pauline, Pauline...
OK, we are doing things a bit different with the blogs this week. I've asked students from my first and third period classes to come up with blog topics for the rest of us to respond to. It was tough to chose just three, but here is what I came up with.
Zach Vanaman in third period brought up some interesting questions regarding Pauline. While Annie, Lecon and Clara are discussing what do to about the pregnancy, Pauline and Ida are listening in the next room. Ida describes her emotions:
In my mind I imagined their eyes staring at our closed door, calling me to save them. I turned back the covers, shook off the hand Pauline grasped around my wrist (310).
This is a kind of touching moment between these two sisters. So Zach wants to know, do you think Ida is obligated to take Clara’s child? And why was Ida picked over Pauline? If you were Pauline, would you have let Ida go into that room alone, knowing what was happening? What do you think Pauline could have said or done differently to possibly change the outcome of Ida’s “burden?”
Zach Vanaman in third period brought up some interesting questions regarding Pauline. While Annie, Lecon and Clara are discussing what do to about the pregnancy, Pauline and Ida are listening in the next room. Ida describes her emotions:
In my mind I imagined their eyes staring at our closed door, calling me to save them. I turned back the covers, shook off the hand Pauline grasped around my wrist (310).
This is a kind of touching moment between these two sisters. So Zach wants to know, do you think Ida is obligated to take Clara’s child? And why was Ida picked over Pauline? If you were Pauline, would you have let Ida go into that room alone, knowing what was happening? What do you think Pauline could have said or done differently to possibly change the outcome of Ida’s “burden?”
What About Christine?
This one comes from Dara:
OK, so we know now that Aunt Ida is not Christine’s biological mother. So, do you think this is the underlying cause of tension between Aunt Ida and Christine? Or are there other things in play, too? Aunt Ida even says that she has worn resentment for 40 years. Do you think this is healthy? I think I would have to get over my feelings and see Christine as my own child because I know too many step-parents who have to take over the parent role and have no problem with it. Feel free to speak from personal experience here—if you are comfortable, of course. I understand that seeing a girl that is the result of your father having an affair with your aunt is hard, but is it fair to take it out on Christine? Do you think things could have been better between Christine and Ray had the truth been laid out for Christine in the beginning?
OK, so we know now that Aunt Ida is not Christine’s biological mother. So, do you think this is the underlying cause of tension between Aunt Ida and Christine? Or are there other things in play, too? Aunt Ida even says that she has worn resentment for 40 years. Do you think this is healthy? I think I would have to get over my feelings and see Christine as my own child because I know too many step-parents who have to take over the parent role and have no problem with it. Feel free to speak from personal experience here—if you are comfortable, of course. I understand that seeing a girl that is the result of your father having an affair with your aunt is hard, but is it fair to take it out on Christine? Do you think things could have been better between Christine and Ray had the truth been laid out for Christine in the beginning?
Taking the Blame...
This post is a combo from Stephen Gale in third period and Conner Turk in first period. We’ll start with Stephen.
Many times in life you can take the blame. I have covered for my friends in situations before. Have you ever covered for a friend so that they were able to avoid getting in trouble? Obviously, Ida is covering up and taking responsibility for something pretty big for Clara in the book. Would you ever cover a problem or situation of this magnitude for a friend? What things would you consider before covering or taking the blame for a friend? Again, feel free to speak from personal experience if you are comfortable doing so.
OK, and now for Conner’s:
Aunt Ida indicates in the beginning of the her section that “my life is like a ring of mountains, close together and separated by deep chasms” (297). What do you think Aunt Ida means by this? And what do you think is the significance of this passage? Consider ways you could change this metaphor to fit your own life.
Many times in life you can take the blame. I have covered for my friends in situations before. Have you ever covered for a friend so that they were able to avoid getting in trouble? Obviously, Ida is covering up and taking responsibility for something pretty big for Clara in the book. Would you ever cover a problem or situation of this magnitude for a friend? What things would you consider before covering or taking the blame for a friend? Again, feel free to speak from personal experience if you are comfortable doing so.
OK, and now for Conner’s:
Aunt Ida indicates in the beginning of the her section that “my life is like a ring of mountains, close together and separated by deep chasms” (297). What do you think Aunt Ida means by this? And what do you think is the significance of this passage? Consider ways you could change this metaphor to fit your own life.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
What's in a name (Part II)
One thing that interests me with respect to these three women is names. Ray doesn’t necessarily think that her name means anything more than some fabric from a hospital gown. But as we find out, Christine really had good intentions when she named Ray. Similarly, Christine hates the fact that she has to call her mom ‘Aunt Ida.’ At one point Christine remarks how she hates the fact that she has to call her Aunt Ida. Do you think maybe Aunt Ida has a good reason for this? I know we haven’t gotten to Aunt Ida’s section of the book yet, but I wonder if there might be some explanation.
OK, as I am writing this, I got to thinking: what is in name anyway? We talked about this in class before, but I’m interested to get some more feedback from you. I’m named after my dad; we are both Mark Anthony Jaworski. (This has caused much confusion in the world of credit cards, car insurance and other legalities) I was almost named after my grandfather. Sometimes I wonder if people are named randomly, based on something that sounds cool. Or if there is more thought put into it.
Last names, too. Mine is Polish. Jaworski. Something to do with a sycamore tree. Kind of cool I suppose. I think last names are pretty interesting, especially in other cultures where a last name comes before the first name (imagine that), like Ichiro Suzuki or Yao Ming. That's why his first name is actually the name on the back of his jersey. Cool, eh?
And sometimes I wonder if I were to ever change my name, what would I change it to? I want to name my son Vedder. (Laugh it up all you want guys—but don’t take my idea ;) Of course, this follows suit with my admiration of pearl?jam and their lead singer Eddie Vedder. Not that any of you are going to have kids anytime soon (and me either), but what are the criteria you would consider when naming your kids? I’ve told some of my friends that I want to name my eventual son Vedder and they respond by saying something along the lines of, “Well, what if he doesn’t even like pearl jam?” And I tell them that I really don’t care; he can name his kid whatever he wants. I’ve pulled another Seinfeld clip (go figure, right?) about names. I think it’s pretty funny. Check it out and let me know what you folks think about names…
OK, as I am writing this, I got to thinking: what is in name anyway? We talked about this in class before, but I’m interested to get some more feedback from you. I’m named after my dad; we are both Mark Anthony Jaworski. (This has caused much confusion in the world of credit cards, car insurance and other legalities) I was almost named after my grandfather. Sometimes I wonder if people are named randomly, based on something that sounds cool. Or if there is more thought put into it.
Last names, too. Mine is Polish. Jaworski. Something to do with a sycamore tree. Kind of cool I suppose. I think last names are pretty interesting, especially in other cultures where a last name comes before the first name (imagine that), like Ichiro Suzuki or Yao Ming. That's why his first name is actually the name on the back of his jersey. Cool, eh?
And sometimes I wonder if I were to ever change my name, what would I change it to? I want to name my son Vedder. (Laugh it up all you want guys—but don’t take my idea ;) Of course, this follows suit with my admiration of pearl?jam and their lead singer Eddie Vedder. Not that any of you are going to have kids anytime soon (and me either), but what are the criteria you would consider when naming your kids? I’ve told some of my friends that I want to name my eventual son Vedder and they respond by saying something along the lines of, “Well, what if he doesn’t even like pearl jam?” And I tell them that I really don’t care; he can name his kid whatever he wants. I’ve pulled another Seinfeld clip (go figure, right?) about names. I think it’s pretty funny. Check it out and let me know what you folks think about names…
Point of View Shift: Seeing It Through Your Mother's Eyes
In A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, we have spent time looking at events through the eyes of Ray and now through the eye’s of her mom, Christine. I think things become pretty interesting when action begins to overlap with respect to Ray and Christine’s respective sections.
Go back to pages 28-31 and notice the action how Ray sees it and then hit up pages 250-253. This is the same event but told through Christine’s point of view. I noticed a few things of interest. First, the dialogue is different. And there are a lot of little details that are different as well. There are other instances of this, too. The video store scene where Christine describes how she chose the tapes for instance (Ray 18-24;Christine 248-249), the scene in the hospital and the drive to Aunt Ida’s. So, I wonder why the author, Michael Dorris, does this. What do you all think? And how do these differences allow us to see Christine differently? By seeing her ‘side’ of the story, do you think she is a better or worse parent?
Go back to pages 28-31 and notice the action how Ray sees it and then hit up pages 250-253. This is the same event but told through Christine’s point of view. I noticed a few things of interest. First, the dialogue is different. And there are a lot of little details that are different as well. There are other instances of this, too. The video store scene where Christine describes how she chose the tapes for instance (Ray 18-24;Christine 248-249), the scene in the hospital and the drive to Aunt Ida’s. So, I wonder why the author, Michael Dorris, does this. What do you all think? And how do these differences allow us to see Christine differently? By seeing her ‘side’ of the story, do you think she is a better or worse parent?
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.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Native-Americans, Heritage, Pop-culture & Neil Young
Good work thus far guys and gals. I really enjoy how this forum is shaping up. In the posts, I try to include links to various items of interest, so look out for them; they will be either text in blue or red. These are just supplemental things that kind of help construct what I'm talking about.
OK, I'm interested to see how Native-Americans make connections to their heritage. If you think about it, we all do this in some way. I, being Polish, do so through a lot of different types of ethnic foods and what not. I also have a strange infatuation with Polka music. I also like going to different festivals-- Irish Festivals, German Festivals, etc-- and watch the folks get up in their old-time garb, listen to 'their' music and dance and do all of that fun stuff. Obviously, we don't see Irish or German people walk around in kilts or lederhosen all the time.
Still, I think, in a lot of ways, this is what we think of when we think of Native-Americans. We picture a culture that is static, stuck in the past as though it were something behind the glass wall in a museum. We think, head dress, war paint, feathers and so on. For instance, when we read the story about the Indian Princess, the foster family was surprised to see a 'real live Indian.' But Arletta was obviously appalled by this so-called Indian. So it seems as though the Rapiers connect to Native-American tradition and heritage one way while actual Native-Americans do so quite differently. Again, I'm interested in what you folks think. How does Arletta, or Ray, or any other Native-American character connect to their past? Is this so different then the way we do it? How? Don't be afraid to get personal and talk about your own family traditions and what not.
In a few of the classes, we also looked at ways pop-culture can experiment with these connections. I posted a video of the Neil Young song we listened to in class, 'Goin Home.' (This probably won't work inside school) The video quality isn't the best, but the audio is pretty good. You can see him wearing a Geronimo shirt. There are a lot of great close ups of Neil playing Old Black, his famous guitar.
Watching Neil play in concert is really cool--he plays with so much energy and enthusiasm and passion. It adds another dimension to his songs. OK, enough of me rambling about one of my heroes (he wouldn't like it anyway). How does pop-culture--music, movies, poetry, literature, etc--achieve or create identities for certain cultures, groups and communities? Is it effective? Does it enable people outside of those communities to connect with the respective cultures? In other words, can this stuff broaden our own perspectives and help us make connections to other cultures? Let me know how you feel.
OK, I'm interested to see how Native-Americans make connections to their heritage. If you think about it, we all do this in some way. I, being Polish, do so through a lot of different types of ethnic foods and what not. I also have a strange infatuation with Polka music. I also like going to different festivals-- Irish Festivals, German Festivals, etc-- and watch the folks get up in their old-time garb, listen to 'their' music and dance and do all of that fun stuff. Obviously, we don't see Irish or German people walk around in kilts or lederhosen all the time.
Still, I think, in a lot of ways, this is what we think of when we think of Native-Americans. We picture a culture that is static, stuck in the past as though it were something behind the glass wall in a museum. We think, head dress, war paint, feathers and so on. For instance, when we read the story about the Indian Princess, the foster family was surprised to see a 'real live Indian.' But Arletta was obviously appalled by this so-called Indian. So it seems as though the Rapiers connect to Native-American tradition and heritage one way while actual Native-Americans do so quite differently. Again, I'm interested in what you folks think. How does Arletta, or Ray, or any other Native-American character connect to their past? Is this so different then the way we do it? How? Don't be afraid to get personal and talk about your own family traditions and what not.
In a few of the classes, we also looked at ways pop-culture can experiment with these connections. I posted a video of the Neil Young song we listened to in class, 'Goin Home.' (This probably won't work inside school) The video quality isn't the best, but the audio is pretty good. You can see him wearing a Geronimo shirt. There are a lot of great close ups of Neil playing Old Black, his famous guitar.
Watching Neil play in concert is really cool--he plays with so much energy and enthusiasm and passion. It adds another dimension to his songs. OK, enough of me rambling about one of my heroes (he wouldn't like it anyway). How does pop-culture--music, movies, poetry, literature, etc--achieve or create identities for certain cultures, groups and communities? Is it effective? Does it enable people outside of those communities to connect with the respective cultures? In other words, can this stuff broaden our own perspectives and help us make connections to other cultures? Let me know how you feel.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Going to War & Responsibility
Why do you think Christine wants Lee to go to war so badly? I wonder if she wanted him killed or if she really had his best future interests in mind. On the other hand, Lee is vehemently opposed to the war, saying “I’m not going to fight a white man’s war” (163). Was Lee obligated to serve in the war? Do you think the United States deserved to have Lee fight for them? And I wonder what happened that made him change his mind. Why did he end up enlisting? How would you handle Lee's situation?
Double Consciousness
On page 186 in A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, there is a passage where Christine remarks, “My baby, not me, recorded the jokes Elgin's new friends made about his Indian squaw and how he had got himself scalped before his last stand." Christine continues to describe Ray's exposure to Elgin’s and his friends' comments. We talked a lot about the idea of ‘Double Consciousness’ and forming your identity based on others’ opinions of you. I’m interested with how you all feel about Elgin’s role in Ray’s identity. Re-read the first full paragraph on page 186 and let me know what you think. Do you think Elgin’s attitudes affected Ray’s identity? How do you think members of minority cultures internalize the views of the majority?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Native-Americans & Logos
OK, I have posted some pictures here of different sports teams that use Native-American names and/or mascots. I'm interested to see how you all feel about these. I know we touched on this in class, but I'm still torn. I absolutely love the Cleveland Indians. On one hand, they would never be the same without the tradition behind Chief Wahoo (their mascot). I'd hate to see him not be the face of my team. But on the other hand, I underatnd how extremely offensive the caraciture can be. And as a non Native-American, I wonder: Do I have the authority to speak on this in the first place? Because I am not Native-American, is my opinion on the whole thing authentic? Through the eyes of Native-Americans, does my opion matter? What do you think?
This is the current Chief Wahoo logo.
It was adapted from older versions in 1951.
And look how the logo has changed over the years. Has it gotten 'better' or 'worse?'
This Chief Wahoo logo appeared on the Indians Uniforms and hats in 1946 and was the first such logo for Cleveland's baseball team.
And what about some of these other logos. Are some more offensive than others?
This is the Florida St. Seminole logo, endorsed with with an official sanction from the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc. and the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
The Utah Utes have a similar a similar endorsment from area tribes.
The Illinois Fighting Illini also have used Native-American logos and mascots.
Chief Illiniwek, a Native-American figure, was the mascot/logo of Illinois athletics from 1926-2007.
Other popular sports teams that use Native-American names, logos or mascots include:
The Atlanta Braves, The Kansas City Chiefs and The Washington Redskins.
This is the current Chief Wahoo logo.
It was adapted from older versions in 1951.
And look how the logo has changed over the years. Has it gotten 'better' or 'worse?'
This Chief Wahoo logo appeared on the Indians Uniforms and hats in 1946 and was the first such logo for Cleveland's baseball team.
And what about some of these other logos. Are some more offensive than others?
This is the Florida St. Seminole logo, endorsed with with an official sanction from the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc. and the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.The Utah Utes have a similar a similar endorsment from area tribes.
The Illinois Fighting Illini also have used Native-American logos and mascots.
Chief Illiniwek, a Native-American figure, was the mascot/logo of Illinois athletics from 1926-2007.
Other popular sports teams that use Native-American names, logos or mascots include:
The Atlanta Braves, The Kansas City Chiefs and The Washington Redskins.
Stereotypes and Identity
Over the past few days, we have looked at Native American stereotypes in different forms of media. I'm interested to know what you folks think of Ray's character in A Yellow Raft In Blue Water: does she fit into some of these stereotypes? Would you identify her as 'Native American?' In a lot of ways, Ray seems like a normal kid trying to find her way, and doing so pretty much without the help of any of her parents. Still, I feel that there are elements of her Native American heritage that are in play.
I'm also interested with how Christine fits the Native American 'mold.'
For both characters, I'm intrigued how their respective connections to their heritage shape and influence their identity as Americans as well as Native-Americans. What do you guys think?
*Again, remember that in a blog community (or any community, really) it is super important to read and consider what other people are thinking and saying. Please, take the time to read through what your peers say and remember that you can respond to their ideas rather than to my questions. This is especially helpful if you are stuck or can't quite think of what to say.
I'm also interested with how Christine fits the Native American 'mold.'
For both characters, I'm intrigued how their respective connections to their heritage shape and influence their identity as Americans as well as Native-Americans. What do you guys think?
*Again, remember that in a blog community (or any community, really) it is super important to read and consider what other people are thinking and saying. Please, take the time to read through what your peers say and remember that you can respond to their ideas rather than to my questions. This is especially helpful if you are stuck or can't quite think of what to say.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Welcome!
This blog will be used by all three Multi-Cultural Lit. classes taught by Ms. Smith or student-taught by Mr. Jaworski. In this community, we will be responding to different questions, thoughts and ideas surrounding readings and other content discussed in class. This is an opportunity to get your voice out, especially if you are quiet in class. Please remember, the blog and your profile are visible to all users, so be conscious of the content you place online. Keep things 'school' appropriate. As Juniors and Seniors, you all know what 'school' appropriate is. And finally, always be respectful! While blogging on 'Perspective,' consider yourself in school. So keep it real.
For your first 'assignment,' I want everyone to take a few sentences and introduce introduce yourself. Simply respond to this post by clicking the title above. Once you respond, feel free to edit your profile and add photos and links and such.
For your first 'assignment,' I want everyone to take a few sentences and introduce introduce yourself. Simply respond to this post by clicking the title above. Once you respond, feel free to edit your profile and add photos and links and such.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)