"Smoke Signals"

The movie "Smoke Signals" is a story focused around two young boys, Thomas Build-the-Fire and Victor Joseph, living on the Coer D'Alene Indian Reservation in Plummer, Idaho.  Thomas is a so-called "nerd" who enjoys telling stories and helping others.  On the other hand, Victor is a tough boy who likes to do things for himself without the help of others.  Although very different, both boys grew up with somewhat troubled pasts.  As a baby, Thomas lost his parents in fire, however, he was saved by the heroic act of Arnold Joseph, Victor's father.  As a child, Victor dealt with a life surrounded by parties, poverty and an alcoholic father who then left Victor and his mother.  Later, he would find out that his father had passed away.  With the help of Thomas, Victor is able to travel with him to Phoenix to get Arnold's remains.  
Although two completely different characters who both had no intentions whatsoever of being friends, I really enjoyed seeing how Victor and Thomas could work together to teach each other so much.  Thomas has nothing but good intentions, and is able to use these to help Victor heal after the death of his father.  Similar to Ceremony, Thomas is able to use his story-telling skills to help Victor heal.  He helps Victor realize that his dad only wanted the best for him.  In return, Victor helps Thomas by showing him how to be a "real-Indian."  After their trek to Phoenix, it is evident that Victor and Thomas have become something they never thought they could be, friends.  One of my favorite parts of the film was when Victor shares his father's ashes with Thomas.  I really enjoyed seeing how Victor and Thomas worked together to help one another and make each other better versions of themselves. 

In The End...

As Ceremony has come to an end, it has become evident that hope is a very prevalent theme throughout the book.  In the last section of the book, there are many different glimpses of hope that come from the stars.  "'It's for light.  The light of the stars, and the moon penetrating the night'" (Silko 211).  Hope is constantly reflected in the moon, stars, and nature in the book.  "...a shooting star arched from west to east, scattering light behind it like dust on a trail" (Silko 216).  Through the darkness, both literal and figurative, hope always seems to appear, to bring hope and light to every situation.  Also, besides the stars, the sunrise also brings a great sense of hope to many different situations throughout the book.  "Yet at that moment in the sunrise, it was all so beautiful, everything from all directions, evenly, perfectly balancing day with night, summer months with winter.  The valley was enclosing this totality like the mind holding all thoughts together in a single moment" (Silko 220).  Stars are a sense of hope, especially for Tayo as he is faced with difficult times.  Stars are hope, they are light in the darkness, and a guiding path for Tayo.

Along with the glimpses of hope, there are many moments that stand out throughout the book, especially towards the end.  Many people question Tayo's sanity, however it is Tayo that is right all along.  "He cried the relief he felt at finally seeing the pattern, the way all the stories fit toghether -- the old stories, the war stories, their stories -- to become the story that was still being told.  He was not crazy; he had never been crazy.  He had only seen and heard the world as it always was: no boundaries, only transitions through all distances and time" (Silko 229).  Tayo is finally accepting the fact that everything that has happened to him in the past is a part of him and has made him who he is.  He has realized that he doesn't want to change his past, but instead wants to learn from it.

Tayo's Character

Throughout reading and discussing Ceremony, the character traits that Tayo posses has become more and more evident.  Although Tayo is many times treated with disrespect because he is a "half-breed," he has a kind heart and treats others in a different manner than he is treated.  He chooses to treat people with complete respect and kindness.  Many times in the book, Tayo even treats the simplest little things, such as a grasshopper, with a caring heart.  He would never hurt a fly.  Although at first Tayo may be assumed to be a "tough-guy" because he has fought in war and has pushed past lots of traumatic experiences, Tayo has an unexpected soft side.
For Tayo, no matter how many times he is treated with disrespect, he precedes to treat others the exact opposite.  Even the simplest little things mean a lot to Tayo.  "He looked down at the booth into the weeds first to make sure the grasshoppers were gone before he set his foot down into the crackling leathery stalks of dead flowers" (Silko 143).  Tayo treats the most simple and smallest things with utmost kindness.  Another thing that is important to Tayo is being kind to nature.  "He slipped his gloves out of his jacket pocket and took hold of the boughs gently, remembering that it was an old tree and the limbs were brittle.  He shook the snow off carefully," (Silko 194).  Tayo truly does have a soft side and seems as if he is one of the most kind people one would ever meet.  He puts his kindness and care into everything he does, from treating people right to taking care of nature.  

  

Wise Words

This past week, our class was give the opportunity to hear the story of a Navy SEAL from a Navy SEAL himself.  He began by telling his story.  Beginning with where he came from to where he is now, he had many different stories about his journey.  One story that stuck out for me was the story about a young girl.  It was a very sad story, and even more sad to hear that Clay, the Navy SEAL, still sees her and feels her presence although this occurred many years ago.  He explained his story so well, that there was somewhat of a somber mood across the room.  It was truly amazing to hear his story and how he has overcome everything he has been through.
During Clay's presentation, he also talked about hard work.  Through his own personal story, he told us about his own experience about overcoming obstacles.  After being shot, he was put in a wheelchair and told by various doctors that he would never walk again.  He searched until he found a doctor that would tell him that there was hope for him to walk again.  One of the main points Clay made during his presentation was that if people tell you that you can't do something, it is all the more reason to show them you can.  
   

Ceremony Reflection

As we have continued to analyze and discuss Ceremony, things that may have not been noticed before have become evident.  Many times while reading this book, it is difficult to understand due to the stream of consciousness style of writing.  Therefore, it becomes much easier to understand when discussing the book with others.  Along with this, another benefit of discussing the book is being able to ask questions to be able to understand things that may not make sense.  Discussing the book is the best way to gain a better understanding.

While continuing to analyze the book Ceremony,  there were many parts of the book that have stood out and that have become evident thanks to discussions.  "He crawled deeper into the tamaric bushes and pulled his knees up to his belly.  He looked up at the stars, through the top branches of the willows" (Silko 104).  Before discussing the book, this was one thing that I did not notice.  The stars in this quote show how big, yet small that Tayo feels as well as a sense of hope.  "'You don't have to understand what is happening.  But remember this day.  You will recognize it later.  you are a part of it now'" (Silko 92).  Although difficult to understand, this quote really stood out when reading the book.  Also, while discussing the book as a class, we found important moments of being.  A moment of being is a vivid memory.  "He remembered when his mother died.  It had been dry then too.  The day they buried her the wind blew gusts of sand past the house and rattled the loose tin on the roof.  He never forgot that sound and the sand, stinging his face at the graveyard while he stood close to Josiah.  He kept his head down, staring at small round pebbles uncovered by the wind.  Josiah held his hand as they walked away from the graveyard.  He lifted him into the front seat of the truck and gave him a candy cane left over from Christmas.  He told him not to cry any more" (Silko 86).  This quote not only shows a moment of being, but also that Josiah is always there for Tayo and is a source of hope for Tayo.

Ceremony

Just about each and every page of Ceremony has a part that can be analyzed.  Last week, we spent time analyzing the parts of the book that we have read so far.  While analyzing it was very interesting to see how different people interpreted different meanings of parts of the book.  Although somewhat difficult to understand at some points due to the stream of consciousness style of writing.  Discussing the book with others was a great way to get rid of some confusion as well and discover new parts of the book that may not have been noticed before.

While analyzing the book so far, one theme that stuck out was a hope.  This seems to be a prevalent theme throughout the book.  Ceremony starts off on the first page with just one word, "Sunrise" (Silko 4).  In something as simple as just one word comes a sense of hope.  It is showing a new start not only to the day, but also a new start for Tayo.  Another quote we found representing hope was, "'Y volvere' were the only words Tayo could understand" (Silko 90).  The words "Y volvere were mentioned at the very beginning of the book.  Seeing it once again many pages later shows that despite the trauma and difficulties that Tayo continues to face, there is a sense of hope that thing will get better.  Just as this picture shows, although hope may be hard to find, it is always there.    

Also, while analyzing Ceremony and discussing the book, we were able to find many more quotes pertaining to healing via storytelling than when initially reading the book the first time.  "He made a story for all of them, a story to give them strength.  The words of the story poured out of his mouth as if they had substance," (Silko 10).  This quote shows the power of storytelling and the strength that can come from storytelling despite the trauma and hardships that the soldiers are going through during the war.  Another quote we found shows the power of storytelling.  "Everywhere he looked, he saw a world made of stories, the long ago, time immemorial stories, as old Grandma called them.  It was a world alive, always changing and moving ; and if you knew where to look, you could see it, sometimes almost imperceptible, like the motion of the stars across the sky" (Silko 88).  This quote really shows the power of storytelling.  

We Are All Human Beings

"Reel Injun" is a film that gives an interesting insight on how Native Americans have been portrayed in films throughout history.  The film explores many different decades of film, from the beginning when Natives were first introduced in silent films to recent films of today.  Throughout this film, the understandings and misunderstandings of Natives are further explored in attempt to bring better understanding to those who have a misconception about Native Americans.  Included in "Reel Injun" are many clips from various movies such as "Dances with Wolves," "Little Big Man," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and "Atanarjuat the Fast Runner."  These clips from these various films are used to show how the portrayal of Native Americans in Hollywood cinema has changed over time.
One of the most evident parts of "Reel Injun" is how Native Americans are not treated like human beings.  In films in the 1930s, instead of learning a Native language, instead English was recorded and run backwards.  Also, in many films during this era, actors who were not Native would play Native American roles.  As film evolved, Native Americans were put into films to play their true roles.  However, instead of translating their language, subtitles were added that were completely different than what was actually being said.  Soon after, films began to translate the actual Native American language.  Throughout films in history, Native Americans were not treated as human beings.  "Dances with Wolves" was one of the first films in history to more accurately portray Natives.  No matter who one is, we are all human, and one should always be treated as a human being.