Through the Medicine Wheel, we are reminded of our lifelong journey that is continuous upon birth and living through youth, adulthood and senior years. In Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, the protagonist Saul experiences many obstacles which shape and develop his character. Saul’s life can be divided into more than the four stages of life to better understand his journey. Saul’s Life with His Family The time Saul was able to spend with his family was very short due to the effects of the white men. The time spend together was filled with pain and loss because of the firm hold of the residential schools. Saul was able to learn the history and beliefs of his people taught to him by his grandmother, Naomi, despite the lack of hope in his family. …show more content…
In Saul’s return, he is acceptant of his truth and past willing to forgive and continue the path towards wholeness. In his return, Saul experiences spiritual development. While visiting the place of his people, God’s Lake, Saul is visited by his family and Ojibway people. Saul says, “Benjamin. My grandmother, with my Grandfather Solomon. My Mother and father… I stood on the edge of the cliff with my pouch and eagle feather fan and my family stood around the fire in the trees looking up at me (205).” This encounter reminds Saul that he is not alone and will always be connected to his people through faith. Furthermore, the symbol of tobacco particles represents Saul and his forgiveness to the ones who have wronged him in life. Saul states, “I took a pinch of the tobacco from the pouch and held it up to the evening star… I cried in great heaving gasps. I let myself mourn (205).” This is Saul’s emotional development because after many years of rage and emptiness, he is able to express his true emotions such as sorrow. Saul has allowed his self to beginning the journey to wholeness and rebirth having confronted his past and made peace. Saul’s return ends the vicious hold the white men held on him for numerous
Introduction Garth Stein, author of the renowned The Art of Racing in the Rain has a capacity to engage readers from the beginning to the end of each novel. One might ask how what his writing is so appealing; numerous people believe that great novels are because of the who the author is as a person. However, the author has to allow the characters to take on their own personalities; the characters are very much different from the author in truly iconic novels. Garth Stein certainly subscribes to this idea, as he is known for his stories that seem authentic and natural, driven by his original characters, rather than characters based off of himself.
In a different part of the book, Vance transitions the mood by relaying another anecdote, this time with a completely different tone and diction. He discusses the sorrow he faced with losing his Mamaw, writing, “That was when I broke down and released the tears that I’d held back during the previous weeks” (172). Introducing a tone of despair adds variation to Vance’s writing and introduces an intimate side of the author, thus pulling the reader closer to the story. The different
With the younger children, it is not always possible for them to study in a different education surrounding and insist on their goal. Sherman Alexie’s “The absolutely time of a part-time Indian” describes an Indian boy Arnold Junior left his homeland and pursued his goal in Reardan where has many white people. In Reardan, he learns something new and makes some new friends like Penelope and Gordy. Finally, he satisfies with the new life and even fix the friendship with Rowdy. The passage compares the description of Junior’s life both in Rez and Reardan, and those differences have great impacts on him.
By learning about the severe beatings, sicknesses, fears and molestations occurring at the school, a sense devastation is created to the reader’s mind, though in Saul’s mind aside from the havoc he has encountered, there is something else he thinks of. Despite the fact Saul faces the most tragic adversities, he pulls himself aside from the fear and acts secure. Amazingly Saul spoke to himself, as he said, “When the tears threatened to erupt from me at night I vowed they would never hear me cry. I ached in solitude What I let them see was a quiet, withdrawn boy, void of feeling” (55). By remarking the fortitude Saul speaks of, it is exemplified that Saul has enough courage to accept the circumstances he is in and move on, showing the reader even though he has lost many things he has learned to show others he is fearless and strong.
But, near the end of the book, Kenan describes how he was able to see the sun through the gray skies when he heard the cellist. This symbols also help characterize the story’s setting by revealing the dark and frightening occurrences in war. Another symbol that is briefly mentioned is cigarettes. They symbolized wealth, cigarettes are very hard to come by and can be quite costly. It is said that some of Kenan’s neighbors have spent all of their savings to buy cigarettes, which can only provide temporary happiness.
This presents that David, Rosalind and Petra feared going to the Fringes because of what they have been told all their life about it. Even though, the Chrysalids certainly demonstrates the love towards a family and how deep it is, how important the friendship and loyalty of the people that care about you the most is and always protection them. But mainly, throughout the book, fear was definitely one of
There are five pendants thrown into the fire at the same time; each representing each status of the Sandolios which are Alpha, Beta, Warrior, Hunter, and Omega. The burning of the pendants together brings the tribe unity and strength to all. It is showing Anthenesic that all is well and they are still together as one. Anthenesic proves her presence to the Sandolios by putting out the great fire in the end with colorful wind.
Heroic Journey The book that was read was Andrew Smith’s “100 Hundred Sideways Miles”. This book describes the journey of Finn Easton, an epileptic teenager, and his struggles. The Heroic Journey is a pattern of narratives that tends to show up in stories and myths. It is seen in this book through Finn’s internal struggles trying to find meaning in life outside of his father’s book which had incorporated characteristics of him.
In his book the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie portrays a teenage boy, Arnold Spirit (junior) living in white man’s world, and he must struggle to overcome racism and stereotypes if he must achieve his dreams. In the book, Junior faces a myriad of misfortunes at his former school in ‘the rez’ (reservation), which occurs as he struggles to escape from racial and stereotypical expectations about Indians. For Junior he must weigh between accepting what is expected of him as an Indian or fight against those forces and proof his peers and teachers wrong. Therefore, from the time Junior is in school at reservation up to the time he decides to attend a neighboring school in Rearden, we see a teenager who is facing tough consequences for attempting to go against the racial stereotypes.
The devastating effects of war are being shown through young Naomi’s eyes. The first person point of view is from a child’s eyes. She does not understand much when she is younger. “The orders are to leave everyone in the Sick Bay behind. Is it a death sentence for the old ones’ Grandpa Nakane at Sick Bay?
The ability to rise above past difficulties and experiences and move forward is an underappreciated ability, that can ultimately lead to success in future situations. In Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road, a novel about three young indigenous people, Boyden displays the importance of rising above personal difficulties through the characters’ efforts to overcome the racist mindset in Canada at the time, as well as their struggles throughout the first World War . Though many attempt to bury their difficulties in the past, the inability to do so often contributes to a person losing connection with the real world and their loved ones. In this context, real world refers to the everyday life of a typical person in Canada, peacefully with their family
Laurie Halse Anderson’s historical fiction book, Fever 1793, takes place in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the story of Matilda Cook (Mattie) and her family, and the hardships they go through in the time period when Yellow Fever had struck. In the book, it teaches that during tough times, it is important to step up and take charge. This can be seen through the impact on the characters and author’s craft.
“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 the story “A Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson was an old African American women. She takes a small journey that can be an allegory of someone's whole life. The journey had hard and easy parts, beauty, danger, and confusion. But her quest was to get the medicine for her sick grandson who laid at home waiting for her return. Phoenix was a delusional yet heroic, caring grandmother who would stop at nothing to get what she needed.
These symbols are fire and ice. Fire is used as a symbol of desire. Desire is a strong feeling of wanting to have something. Desire can also be associated with greed. In lines three and four, “From what I 've tasted of desire/ I hold with those who favor fire.”, the emotions that the speaker evokes gives the idea that he has experienced desire.