In this passage, George has come to the Sun Dance and has been caught taking pictures. Lionel returns his jacket when Eli grabs the camera that George was using to take pictures of the Sun Dance...
"You can't believe in this shit!" George shouted after Eli. "This is ice age crap!" Lionel moved forward, and George fell back several steps. "Probably time to go," said Lionel. "Come on," said George. "Come on! It's the twentieth century. Nobody cares about your little powwow. A bunch of old people and drunks sitting around in tents in the middle of nowhere. Nobody cares about any of this." "Go away, George," said Latisha. "Just go away." "You're a joke!" George's lips were wet with spit. "You all act like this is important, like it's going to change your lives. Christ, you guys are born stupid and you die stupid." Lionel picked up the case and set it on its feet. "There's nothing for you here" (386). George leaves as the old Indians question Lionel about how he feels and the difficulty of fixing even the little things. Happy birthday's are said to Lionel as Eli begins to dance and the old Indians disappear. I've sat here for hours wondering what to write and link. I have to admit that I was pretty lost so I apologize for the much delayed posts. This is definitely more time consuming and complex than I originally thought, but I hope I'm on the right track! In this story, Eli returns and decides to live in his mother's house, but finds that the house is situated where a dam is being built. Eli stands to fight against the construction...
There was the matter of their mother's house, Norma told him. No one could live in it because it was right in the middle of the proposed spillway for the Grand Baleen Dam... (112) It was always the same argument. Always the same topic. Stands Alone v. Duplessis International Associates... "Charlie, how can you work for Duplessis? You know that the tribe isn't going to make a cent off that dam. And what about all that waterfront property on the new lake - " "Parliament Lake." ...Eli had fought Duplessis from the beginning, producing a steady stream of injunctions that Duplessis countered (116-7). ..."Emmett over at Brocket figures that the dam is killing the river." "Not doing it any good." "He was on the radio the other day. Said if the river doesn't flood like it does every year, the cottonwoods will die." "Hadn't heard that." "That's what he said. When the river floods, it brings the cottonwoods... you know..." "Nutrients?" "That's it. No flood. No nutrients. No cottonwoods." "Emmett ought to know." "And if the cottonwoods die, where are we going to get the Sun Dance tree? You see what I mean?" (375-6) "Eli's going to dance," (388) ...[Eli] heard the sound of thunder rolling down the valley. (409) ...[T]he waters swelled and the cars were thrown into the dam, hard, insistent...[A]nd in that instant the water rose out of the lake like a mountain, sucking the cars under and pitching them high in the air, sending them at the dam in an awful rush. And the dam gave way and the water and the cars tumbled over the edge of the world. ...Below, in the valley, the water rolled on as it had for eternity (414-5). The dam is no more and although Eli sacrifices his life, the cottonwoods and the Sun Dance can continue to stay. Plans to build a new cabin with the logs from the old cabin are made as the rest of the characters move on with their own individual stories. Maybe I'm going a bit far with this idea but in the Sun Dance Legend in my previous post, the main prayer was for rain to give life again to the land. In terms of GGRW, I feel that the dam was holding up water that was naturally meant to flow freely and so metaphorically I see it as a method of trying to break and hold back Native ways and assimilation. Without the water there will be no cottonwood trees and without them there will be no Sun Dance. After Eli dances at the Sun Dance, it seems that Manitow does respond. In the legend, the Thunderbird throws Wi-sa-ke-cahk violently to the ground which through misfortune frees him from the buffalo skull and it is also through the Thunderbird that Manitow waters the land. Before the dam breaks, Eli hears thunder and although he sacrifices his life, the breaking of the dam allows the water to give life to the cottonwood trees again and in the bigger picture, free the Natives from a white culture. Also the way King describes how the water falls 'over the edge of the world' reminds me of the creation story of Falling Woman. Perhaps this is symbolizing the rebirth and renewal of Native traditions, a new beginning to fix mistakes. Since my group has decided to do the topic of the Sun Dance, I've decided to do a post for people to get a just of what exactly it is. Please excuse any mistakes I make, as there is a lot of different information coming from different sources. How the Sun Dance came to be starts with a legend with Wi-sa-ke-cahk. The Sun Dance consists of usually 4 to 8 days (8 days is an older way). It is an annual festival that takes place outdoors in the summer. A cottonwood tree is chosen, cut, replanted and becomes the center of a circle. This circle will be where all ritual action and dancing will take place. Many times this circle can be referred to as the sacred hoop and represents a model of the universe. The dancers also draw a 'sacred center' onto themselves, where a black circle is drawn on the face with lines on the cheek, chin and forehead. Traditions for the Ceremony are that there must be no alcohol or pictures/video that will be taken during the Ceremony. Long ago, the dancers would go through a process called piercing. This involved slitting the area above the nipples and opening the wound enough to put pegs in. He then takes a rope and ties it around the pegs and another piece of rope that is tied to the tree (Y-shaped). The dancer resumes dancing while others encourage him until he rips the pegs out and another dancer takes his place. These practices help strengthen the mind and body of the individual for life's hardships and are also a form of sacrifice. In today's ceremonies, it begins with prayers and then followed by dancers who look only at one spot on the center pole while bending their knees to the beat and blowing a whistle. The dancers are not allowed to drink or eat in the time of the dance. The purpose of the Sun Dance is multifaceted and has changed over the years and could be for victory in war, buffalo hunts, overcoming illness, a redistribution of wealth and most importantly to confirm their values and culture of their society. There were several videos on the Sun Dance on YouTube, but to keep to traditions I think these observations from a spectator are much more appropriate. I'm not sure how I'm going to go about this project and what exactly I'm supposed to do, but our group has decided on the theme of the Sun Dance. Not only is it an intriguing cultural tradition but it is also something that none of us have ever heard of before. To me, I feel that in Green Grass Running Water, the Sun Dance seems to be in the center of everything and has brought everyone together. We see characters such as Alberta, Charlie, Lionel, Dr. Hovaugh and Babo journeying towards the Sun Dance and even George appears. The Sun Dance also frequently appears in the memories of the characters and hopefully through more research and discussion we'll be able to have a better understanding of the Sun Dance and it's importance in not only Green Grass Running Water, but also in Aboriginal culture.
My group members are: Alluding and Extending Just Saying When I first started reading Green Grass Running Water, I found it interesting but hard to understand. The story seemed to jump around and things didn't seem to connect at all, sometimes I had to re-read some pages to remember who was who and what had happened. In fact, the characters themselves seemed to communicate in strange ways. Many times, when the characters are in a conversation, there seems to be two going on, with neither paying attention or listening to other. This was slightly frustrating, but I'm sure there is some sort of symbolization behind this.
I was impressed by King's writing style after my first read, I has half expecting a heavy and depressing story about the history of First Nations but found the opposite as King incorporated humor throughout the novel. Although I haven't read Moby Dick and don't know much about Christian religion, I was still able to get some of the allusions, such as A.A. Gabriel, Dr. Joseph Hovaugh, Noah's Ark, Ahdamn and First Woman's garden. It seems like mistakes plays a large role in the story and I really liked how Lionel's mistakes could lead him to such uncontrollable situations and sometimes I wondered if anyone could really be so unlucky. There also seems to be a LOT of water throughout the book and to me it seems to represent story telling and the flow of a story. I'm still a bit confused at the puddles of water when the cars are taken though. I knew that in First Nation's stories the Coyote tends to be the 'trickster' and in Green Grass Running Water I saw his personality one that reflected a curious child that didn't know the damage he was doing. However, when Coyote exclaims "EARTHQUAKE, EARTHQUAKE! Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee" (411), it completely changes my perspective of him. It is clear that Coyote knows exactly what he is doing and thinks the damage is funny, this was one of my favourite scenes (a bit strange, I know) because I could actually picture it happening. On Monday's class I was really surprised at the Louie, Ray and Al alluding to Louie Riel. I've studied Louie Riel in high school but didn't even notice the allusion. I also didn't catch on to the DOG/GOD joke, so I'm hoping that as we explore the novel more in depth I will be able to expand my understanding more (and I really want to get all the jokes!). When I saw that the blog entry was favourite Canadian authors, I have to admit I was a bit stumped. Much of the Canadian literature I've encountered has been through required readings for academic reasons. I hate to say this, but Canadian literature has somehow formed a reputation of being dry and boring compared to the popular European or American literature. Or rather than that, no one really talked about Canadian literature, so it was just this unknown and hidden thing that I never bothered to find out more about. Sometimes I didn't even know that the author was Canadian, until further research. Luckily, the few Canadians books that I've encountered have been great reads.
1. David Chariandy: Soucouyant I absolutely loved this book. It is a story about a woman who suffers from dementia and the relationship with her son who is burdened by her physical disabilities and disappearing memories. I really enjoyed the writing style and the whole perspective on how the past can really impact the future generations and their struggles with their own history. Chariandy is also a SFU professor and this was his first book. It always amazes me when I read books by local authors, because it feels like they are so close. It gives me a sense of familiarity, like I can relate and that the authors are just normal people 2. Ashok Mathur: Into Skin This is a short story telling the life of an immigrant and his/her struggle with a different language and everything that comes with beginning a new life in an unfamiliar place. This was a really compelling piece of literature because of the way the author uses sound and how the protagonist is never really identified. I really enjoyed how language could transform into so many different forms and could even be used as an identifier. This is a short read but I would definitely recommend it. I think many people can relate to this, as we are all 'immigrants' to Canada. Although it isn't evident in the later generations (I'm first generation), for my parents I know their experience with the English language must be somewhat similar to the protagonist (although probably not so violent). It just makes me think how the way we communicate can have so much power. Side Note: I mentioned I was second generation earlier and that made me remember a conference by Roy Kiyooka titled "We Asian North Americanos: An unhistorical 'take' on growing up yellow in a white world". He talks about being caught in between two cultures, the difficulty in seeing who we are and the stereotypes that we have internalized. Being of Chinese ethnicity but being the only one in my family born in Canada, I remember times when I struggled to keep up with Chinese traditions, language and history. I felt as if I needed to know them but that I couldn't live up to the standards of being "Chinese". My appearance didn't match up with what was inside. 3. Joy Kogawa: Obasan I first encountered this book in high school, not as a novel study but in a reading credits program (we read books, get tested on them and get credits) in one of my English classes. In the beginning, the book is pretty dry but as the story moved on it definitely became much more appealing. It's a short novel, but the themes throughout the literature, the fact that it is based on a true story and that it happened in places that are in some of my fondest memories (the PNE) definitely created an impact on me. I guess because I've lived in Vancouver most of my life, but didn't learn about the Japanese internment in Canada it not only shocked me, but also opened my eyes to how important history was to understand why both sides acted the way they acted and how it shapes the world of today through current events, stereotypes, and literature. 4. Eden Robinson: Monkey Beach A tragic First Nations story set in Kitamaat, British Columbia about a sister and her brother who goes missing on a boating trip. It unfolds into a rather complex situation where what occurs is a result in the histories of the forced Christian religion, residential schools, violence, alcohol and much more that was brought upon First Nations people. It is a story of finding identity and coming to terms with what has happened. I won't say anymore because I think it is fairly easy to give away spoilers. This is definitely a must read if anyone wants to learn more about First Nations, but it is also a very enjoyable novel for a rainy day. First off, welcome! This is a blog for my English 222: Literature in Canada: allusion and extension class. Throughout high school, I have never really studied Canadian history or literature in class and I find that I do not actually know much about the place I have been living in all my life. However, as a Canadian, I feel that I should be knowledgeable in the stories of Canada whether they are something to be proud of or not. This said, my main expectation is to learn about Canada, First Nations, traditions and how literature is affected by events that have occurred. Also, in my first year at UBC, I experienced a bit of Canadian Literature in my English 110 class and felt intrigued to learn more. I was surprised while looking at the course schedule and assignments, as it was mostly based on a digital environment. I have never experienced this type of teaching method and to be honest, I am a bit scared, but also interested as to how well it will work out for me. This course also seems to be more discussion oriented and I am generally a more shy person, so I am eager to learn how to get over my shyness and express my thoughts. What I am really looking forward to is the in-class storytelling and I am also starting to enjoy Green Grass Running Water, even though it is a bit confusing at the moment. From what I have read about from past evaluations, I am hoping that this course will be a fun, inspiring and creative course where I can not only improve my reading and writing skills, but also learn about Canada and find my own definition of what it is to be Canadian. “What defines a Canadian best? It must be the lurking fear that somewhere, somehow, you might have offended someone.”
—Margaret Wente This quote kind of sums up what my viewpoint on being Canadian is, it applies to me because many times I go through past events and wonder if I was being rude or offensive. Since I was little, Canada was always the peaceful country that just followed along or the excessively polite one that was always in the shadows (or maybe I just don't pay attention to current events enough). Now, don't get the wrong idea. I love living in Vancouver and being Canadian, it's the perfect mix of nature and urban, plus it has such a diverse community. My Canada looks a bit like this: |
Recycling Words |
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