Summary Of Lee Smith's Oral History

The power of stories manifests itself in literature, film, and more generally life. Stories inspire, provide hope, and bring understanding. Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel Ceremony permeates the strength of stories. Ceremony follows the story of Tayo, a half white Native American plagued by the invasion of European culture, as well as his own past of war and loss. However, through the folk stories of his Laguna culture, as well as the advice he has been given to embrace his past, Tayo is able to see the world more clearly.

Clemmie Sue Jarvis, sixty-three has spent her entire life on the eastern seaboard of Virginia in the rural community of Wrongberight. For years, she raised mules until the last one past two seasons ago. She told one neighbor that she had a mind to become a grit farmer but her eyesight was failing and she would have a difficult time harvesting the crop and she wanted to save what sight she had for reading the bible, making quits and painting by numbers. Her vivacious individuality keeps her from being down and

In 10 Little Indians, the poet turned extreme introvert is standoffish and rude, a product of his loneliness. A Spokane Indian who was adopted to a white family as a child, became a poet and used the name “Harlan Atwater” to sound more like a Spokane, as his white parents gave him a white name when they adopted him. His journey from childhood as an adopted son to a hermit is muddled in the book, as his story is more of a reflection of himself by himself than a profile such as the ones of Joshua Febres and Patrick Harris. Harlan Atwater was a poet and a sad man, and his journey was not a journey to be out on the water, or a journey to get away from a rough and tumble lifestyle. Atwater’s journey was simply one trying to find themselves in the midst of a life that really was not his.

In the foothills of the Putney Mountains located southwest of Charleston, West Virginia, is a little city, called Howardsville with a dark history. Ernest Cassidy, an elderly man lived in the two-story-house near the foothills was familiar with the myths, legends and lies, involving the city. The townspeople suspected him of being involved, but no one knew to what extent. The mysteries of Putney Mountain began years earlier when several strange and scary events happened and upset the residents of Howardsville leading to the legends, mysteries, and lies, which are still around to this day. For several years, Mr. Cassidy went outside the home only to collect cans and bottles using an old grocery cart.

“The saddest journey in the world is the one that follows a precise itinerary,” which has not been more so than for Phoenix Jackson whom every year due to her love for her grandson embarks on a dangerous one-day journey to the city of Natchez. In this 1941 short story, “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, protagonist Phoenix Jackson, an elderly African-American women, whom despite her visual impairment, old age, memory loss and senility determines to procure medicine for her sickly grandson. Regardless of Phoenix Jackson’s limitations and negative experiences, she continues her journey undeterred. In order to characterize Jackson, Welty utilizes symbolic and situational archetypes to portray her as a strong, persevering, courageous, and loving women throughout her journey.

Native American Literature In the distance the ground rumbles, the dirt flies, and the smell of sweat is strong. The Native American Literature time period covers 0-1400. Main events that were occurring during this stretch of time include, The Land Bridge crossing, the beginning of rock paintings and the bow and arrow were introduced. Although, Native American Literature was mainly oral tradition there are five characteristics used to tell stories which are, Hero Initiation, Trickster, Symbolic Landmarks, Oral Tradition, and Emergency Myths.

Lisa Bergren is the author of Claim a Colorado territory novel set in the late nineteenth century. After the passing of their well-to-do-father, the novel follows the lives of three siblings: two daughters and one brother. Each sibling was given an inheritance of one-third of the patriarch’s estate. With their inheritance and the memories of father’s last words of guidance and blessing, then each embark on a journey West. The journey’s goal is to find a place of healing for the oldest daughter’s lung disease.

Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma written by Camilla Townsend introduces the historical period of seventeenth century Native Americans and the journey of their survival. Townsend is known for her multiple books mostly focusing on the lives of indigenous people and their stories. This book, however, goes through the specific life of Pocahontas herself. The author uses not only tragedy but also romance when recapping Pocahontas’ life throughout the years. The book successfully teaches and emphasizes the struggles Pocahontas and her people went through and educates the audience of the real history behind this time period.

“Memoir, in some regard, became the voice of national policy,” so states John D’Agata in Joan Didion’s Formal Experience Of Confusion. He thus proclaims that memoirs and memories exist not only as personal experiences but that they can be remolded for public use. D’Agata’s essay supports the concept that memories are powerful tools which connect and inspire communities. Along with this, he warns that though memories and memorials can be helpful for the remembrance of people and events, they can also manipulate people’s perspectives and even erase certain memories from a narrative. D’Agata depicts memories, specifically through memoirs, as powerful and able to connect and inspire communities.

“The stories seem to be compounded of two elements, an idealized memory of preagricultural societies and idealized (male) childhood” (Ruether

The following essays are part of a portfolio for two books that have their roots in factual history, but are still works of fiction. Real-world examples were the basis for their creation. The two books assigned were My Antonia and All The King’s Men. My Antonia by Willa Cather is a story about an immigrant family from Bohemia struggling to find their place in Nebraska.

On a hot July evening of 1765 in Boston, Massachusetts, my friend Allison Porter, whom I had known for seven years, and her family arrived at my home. We had been friends ever since the first day we met. Although our friendship has lasted for such a long time, Allison has never come to my house before, for our parents did not understand how close we felt. After dinner, Allison and I wandered around the house. Seeing a newspaper on the table, I picked it up and started reading it, for I had always enjoyed reading.

Mountain Windsong by Robery J. Colney reflects upon the Indian Removal Act in 1830 through a love story between Oconeechee and Whipperpool. The story unfolds as LeRoy asks his grandfather about the “windsong” on the Carolina reservation where Cherokees descendants once lived. However, these Cherokees were forced to move West because of the laws that were passed by President Andrew Jackson. The tragic narrative gives insight to the historical text and culture of the Cherokees. As we walk along the Trail of Tears through Whipperpool’s narrative, it was clear that despite the removal of the Indian Act, President Andrew Jackson completely abused his power forcing the Cherokees out west undermining them as citizens of the United States.

“The Way to Rainy Mountain” is organized very well, it includes three narrative voices. Throughout this novel the first narrative voice is about the Kiowa legends. Then Momaday has a paragraph of contexts that relates to the legend. The author gives the reader a bit of his life by relating a family experience he had. Because some of the Kiowa legends and history go with Momadays own family history, then this three voice narration allows the author to have great detail about the Kiowa’s way of life in every way.

In this selection, Harte focused the dialect, history, manners, and habits of the characters to a small mining town in California in the 1850s because people could relate to the common people in the story. Traditionally people came to California in search of fortune and to make money quick, so there is no surprise that there are moral conflicts in the lifestyles of the people that live there. The dialect of the characters is fitting for the location and the time period. Reputation was a critical part of the society in America during the mid 1850s. The town’s sudden need to comply with their newfound moral righteousness in an attempt of a religious cleansing, conveys religious and moral beliefs that become apparent.