A Sense of Hope

This week we began reading Ceremony.  This book, written by Leslie Marmon Silko, follows the journey and struggles of Tayo, a half-white, half-Laguna man who is suffering from post traumatic stress after fighting in World War II.  Throughout the book so far, Tayo's post traumatic stress is constantly a major struggle for him.  There are many parts where it seems as if he will never heal, however, there are also many instances where there seems to be a sense of hope.  In the very beginning of the book Tayo is having trouble sleeping due to his post traumatic stress.  "He tossed in the old iron bed, and the coiled spring kept squeaking even after he lay still again, calling up humid dreams of black night and loud voices rolling him over and over like the debris caught in a flood.  Tonight the singing had come first, squeaking out of the iron bed, a man singing in Spanish, the melody of a familiar love song, two words again and again, 'Y volvere'" (Silko 5).  Despite the post traumatic stress that Tayo is suffering in this part of the book, there is a sense of hope in the words "Y volvere" which mean "end returning."  A great sense of hope also occurs when Tayo is passed out on the ground of a train station from his post traumatic stress.  As he lay on the ground people gather around Tayo seeking help and making sure he is okay.  Among these people is a small boy with his mother.  "A child stared back at him, holding a hand but walking twisted around so that he could see Tayo.  The little boy was wearing an Army hat that was too big for him, and when he say Tayo looking he smiled;" (Silko 16).  Out of all of the book so far, this part has stood out the most to me.  This one little boy brought a sense of hope, kindness, and compassion to Tayo.  Also, the family that helped Tayo was Japanese, making this part of the book stand out even more.  It is amazing that despite the past, people will go out of their way to help a stranger.  Overall, although the book is somewhat confusing and hard to follow, I have enjoyed reading it so far.  

Dances With Wolves Reflection #2

As we have continued to watch Dances With Wolves, one thing stuck out to me the most was the language barrier.  In the beginning of the film, the Sioux tribe found Lieutenant John Dunbar to be a threat.  However, as the film progressed on, they became much closer, and in the end, the Sioux even considered John Dunbar one of them.  I found it amazing that they could overcome such a large language barrier and by the end were able to communicate with each other extremely well.  Within this part of the film, John Dunbar is also given the name "Dances with Wolves" by the Sioux.  Throughout the film, it is evident that John Dunbar spends a majority of his time with the Sioux.  When he returns to the soldier fort, there are cobwebs covering many of his belongings.  Also, when he returns to the soldier fort, he writes in his journal that he is lonely without his new friends, the Sioux tribe.  

During the second half of the film, John Dunbar joins the Sioux side in a battle against the Pawnee.  It is after this battle that John Dunbar says that he now knows who he really is, and that is part of the Sioux.  Soon after, he is held hostage and beaten by American soldiers who had taken over his soldier fort.  Once the Sioux realize that he has not returned, they adventure to find him back.  It is after this battle in which Ten Bears tells John Dunbar that is considered part of the Sioux.  It is absolutely amazing that these two completely different people could start off being threats to one another, to becoming part of one another.  

  

Native Study

Cherokee

The Cherokee tribe is originally from the Great Lakes region of the United States, but eventually settled closer to the east coast.  The tribe came from Iroquoian descent.  In 1928, gold was discovered on their land and they were forced to leave.  From this they began a journey in which many lives were lost that is known as the "Trail of Tears."  Today, Cherokee take great pride in their heritage.      

Carrie Busyhead-  She was a Trail of Tears survivor and became a prominent Indian Territory educator.  

Charles Hicks- He was the Vice Chief on the Trail of Tears and Principal Chief briefly in 1927.  He was one of the most influential leaders in the Nation at one point in time.  

Kanagagota-  He was Major Chief of the Cherokee.  He was known as "Old Hope of Chote" to the British.  

Sioux

The Sioux came to the United States from Asia.  The name "Sioux" was given to them by the Chippewa and means "little snake."  The Sioux tribe stand out because of their long, black, and straight hair.  They were a nomadic tribe meaning they moved around a lot, typically following the path of the buffalo.  Today, there are around 30,000 Sioux living in South Dakota and many more living in Nebraska, Montana, and Canada.     

Chief Red Cloud-   He was a great leader of the Sioux tribe and was known for his wisdom and bravery.  He led is people in what is known as "Red Cloud's War."  

Sitting Bull-  He was a medicine man and chief of the Sioux.  He is most famous for his major victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn.  Today, he is one of the most famous Native Americans ever.  

Crazy Horse-  He was one of the main battle leaders and chiefs during the Sioux attacks during the Battle of Little Bighorn.  He was also one of the main antagonists of the U.S. Army during Sioux war of 1876-1877.

  

Dances With Wolves Reflection #1

Recently, we have been studying Dances With Wolves. This film takes place in 1863 and shows the relationship between native people and an American soldier during the Civil War.  Despite the fact that the film is a Hollywood representation of the situation, there is a great amount of accuracy.  The main focus of the film is the growing relationship between the Sioux tribe and Lieutenant John Dunbar.  As John Dunbar adventures across the frontier, he encounters many different challenges as well as triumphs.  Dances With Wolves explores these from the view of John Dunbar.

Among the Sioux and John Dunbar lies a huge language barrier.  At first, the Sioux are terrified of the white soldier.  However, they come to realized that John Dunbar has no intent to hurt anyone and decide to attempt to communicate with him.  Despite the inability of communication, both the Sioux and John Dunbar put in a tremendous amount of effort to communicate with one another.  With things such as actions, John Dunbar is able to communicate the word "buffalo" to the Sioux.  Later, he is able to let them know of a herd of buffalo near by.  

Throughout this movie, I have found it amazing that despite the humongous language barrier, they are still able to communicate with one another.  The Sioux tribe even picked up on a wave in which John Dunbar had showed them.  Also, I really enjoyed the part of Dances With Wolves where John Dunbar offers the Sioux food and coffee, as well as when the Sioux give John Dunbar a gift.  Another one of my favorite parts so far has been when John Dunbar approaches the Sioux  to tell them about a herd of buffalo.  The relationship that has been developing throughout the film has been very wonderful to watch.  

Looking Back On A Wonderful Semester

It is absolutely crazy to think that I am already done with one semester of my senior year.  It has been crazy, busy, stressful, and fun.  The class that I have enjoyed the most this year has definitely been SLCC.  At the beginning of the year, I really did not know what to expect.  In the past, English class has always been the one class that I would dread going to every day, however, this year, I look forward to SLCC each and every day.  Looking back and reflecting on this past semester in SLCC, I have realized that I have grown immensely as a writer, student, and have found a passion for writing that I never thought I had.
As a senior, of course college applications have been a huge part of my year so far.  Although I had my sights set on one school, Gustavus Adolphus College, I decided to apply to thirteen schools.  Of course along with a long list of colleges come a large amount of essays.  Between all of the colleges I applied to, I wrote a total of eleven essays, not including my scholarship essays!  Even though I wrote a ton of essays, I enjoyed it much more that I expected.  I loved being able to write essays about something I enjoy.  I was able to write about my passions such as Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp and figure skating.  Also, I found it very helpful to receive feedback on my essays as well as advice on how to improve them.  Thanks to the helpful feedback on my essays, I have been accepted to ten of my thirteen schools so far!  Overall, the college essays were one of my favorite assignments of the semester.

Looking back on the memoir unit, I realize how much I thoroughly enjoyed it.  First of all, I really liked the fact that we were able to pick a book that interested us.  I read Two Kisses For Maddy by Matthew Logelin.  Normally, I am not one who enjoys reading, however, after reading the first page of this book, I did not want to put it down.  Also, with this unit, I really enjoyed creating a presentation and writing an essay to go along with it.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed this unit much more than I expected.
The unit I struggled with most this semester was The Laramie Project.  Out of all parts of this unit, I enjoyed the in-class discussions the most.  These discussions really helped me see a new and different perspective on certain aspects of the book.  Hearing the opinions and perspectives of others helped me to better understand the book and all of the different sides.  However, one thing I really struggled with was The Laramie Project essay.  First of all, I found it somewhat difficult to try and put every aspect of the prompt within my essay, but I liked how the prompt made me think about many different parts of the book.  Also, I struggled with writing the essay after I was faced with a difficult situation.  After processing this however, I was able to use the situation as a way to add passion to my essay.  Overall, I enjoyed the thought provoking questions and perspectives that were a part of this unit.
Reflecting on the most recent project of this year, the final debate, the thing that stood out to me the most is how much a perspective can change because of something as simple as research.  For this project I was pro Standardized Testing.    Before doing research, I believed that although standardized testing was not the most fun thing, it is effective and necessary.  However, after researching the topic, my opinion changed.  I realized that although there are many pros to standardized testing, there are also many cons.  My opinion changed from pro to in the middle.  I enjoyed all aspects of this project including; the research, the essay, and the presentation.
Overall, this semester in SLCC has been wonderful!  I have learned SO much.  Although there have been many essays, assignments, and books, I enjoy working hard and improving for college and beyond.  Thanks to SLCC, I feel that by the end of the year I will be well-prepared for college.  It is crazy to think that in just five months I will be graduating and how far I have come in the past seventeen years.

Then...

and now.

"He had one more friend with him, he had God."

At the end of The Laramie Project, Dennis Shepard, Matthew Shepard's father, gave an emotional statement about the death of his son.  It is difficult to not only listen to, but even to read.  He reads this statement during the trail of Aaron McKinney, one of the accused.  In his statement, Dennis Shepard says, "I would like nothing better than to see you die, Mr. McKinney.  however, this is the time to begin the healing process.  To show mercy to someone who refused to show any mercy.  Mr. McKinney, I am going to grant you life, as hard as it is for me to do so, because of Matthew" (Kaufman.III 96).  Although Judy, Dennis, and Matthew Shepard all believed in the death penalty and despite a difficult decision, Aaron McKinney was granted life.  Dennis Shepard then says, "Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, the Fourth of July, remember that Matt isn't.  Every time you wake up in your prison cell, remember that you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night.  You robbed me of something very precious, and I will never forgive you for that.  Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives.  May you have a long life and may you thank Matthew every day for it" (Kaufman.III 96).  Aaron McKinney committed a crime that affected the lives of many not only in the town of Laramie or the state of Wyoming, but a crime that affected the whole world.  He was granted life in memory of Matthew.

"The last thing he saw on this earth was the sparkling lights" (Kaufman.III 99).

One of the most powerful words in the play The Laramie Project came from the statement of Dennis Shepard.  In his statement he talked about not just his son, but his hero.  Dennis Shepard says, "On October 12, 1998, my firstborn son and my hero lost.  On October 12, 1998, my firstborn son and my hero died, fifty days before his twenty-second birthday.  I keep wondering the same thing that I did when I first saw him in the hospital.  What would he have become?  How could he have changed his piece of the work to make it better?" (Kaufman.III 95).  Dennis and Judy Shepard did not just lose their son, they lost their hero.  The part of the book that stood out the most was when Dennis Shepard says, "You, Mr. McKinney, with your friend Mr. Henderson left him out there by himself , but he wasn't alone.  There was his lifelong friends with him, friends that he had grown up with.  You're probably wondering who these friends were.  First, he had the beautiful night sky and the same stars and moon that we used to see through a telescope.  Then he had the daylight and the sun to shine on him.  And through it all he was breathing in the scent of pine trees form the snowy range.  He heard the wind, the ever-present Wyoming wind, for the last time.  He had one more friend with him, he had God.  And I feel better knowing that he wasn't along" (Kaufman.III 95).  He was alone, yet not alone.  "He had God."

H-O-P-E

Hope is defined as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.  Despite the devastating tragedy of the murder of Matthew Shepard that defined the town of Laramie, it seems as if there was a sense of hope.  Throughout Act II and Act III of The Laramie Project, hope is prevalent among overbearing sadness.  Doc O'Conner said, "I'll tell you what, if they put those two boys to death, that would defeat everything Matt would be thinking about on them.  Because Matt would not want those two to die.  He'd want to leave them with hope.  H-O-P-E.  Just like the whole world hoped that Matt would survive.  The whole thing, you see, the whole thing, ropes around hope, H-O-P-E" (Kaufman.II 72).  It is crazy to think that within such an awful crime, that hope could come out of it.  During Matthew's funeral, Matthew's father, Dennis Shepard, said, "First he had the beautiful night sky and the same stars and the moon that we used to see through a telescope.  Then he had the daylight and the sun to shine on him.  And through it all he was breathing in the scent of pine trees from the snowy range.  He heard the wind, the ever present Wyoming wind, for the last time.  He had one more friend with him, he had God.  And I feel better knowing that wasn't alone" (Kaufman.III 95).  Almost unimaginable, it is amazing to realize that hope could come out of such a horrific crime.  There was hope in a time of darkness.