Presentations

I thought Alexis's and my presentation went really well. I though we had great ideas. Our movie was really a great film, so it was easy to talk about. I think the class thought it was interesting too. It was weird how Emily and Erika's movie was similar to Eric's and Alex. I wonder why that is? I am interested to see the presentations today. I hope we get through all of them.

Essay 4 Paper Topic

I am not really sure about what I'm going to write about for this paper. I have been thinking about it, but nothing really has "spoken" to me. Maybe I could write about how this movie is a modern day western? I have supports for it too, but I just don't know if the topic is a good idea. I'm not sure if it's arguable. I'll ask Dr. Griffiths what she thinks tomorrow in class.

Movie Project

Today Alexis and I started and finished our presentation. We have a pretty good presentation, and we relate it to other western films we have watched. This week we are just going to add the finishing touches. If we think of any other ideas we'll add those too. All in all we are ready to present on Friday! I really liked our movie we watched too. Since it was a western and a thriller, the film gave me a different outlook on how I view western films. I also think it helped me understand what classifies as a western as well.

Group Project Monday & Wednesday

MONDAY:

Alexis and I were going to watch our movie Tuesday afternoon, but surprisingly we had a hard time finding the movie. By the time we did get ahold of the movie, it was too late to watch it. I was a little bummed about not getting to watch the movie. I had heard from many people that it is an excellent movie. We decided to watch it Wednesday morning before English class and then finish it after class.

WEDNESDAY:

We watched the movie today, and I really enjoyed it. However, I think I might need to watch it one more time to make sure I got all the details. It was actually a suspenseful movie. I am glad we watched it in a library during the day rather than at home at night. It was scary. Alexis and I noticed how this movie has A LOT of similarities to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. This is great because we can use these similarities in our presentation. I did not like the ending of the movie mainly because I did not understand it. That's why I might watch it again. It did not give me any closure. Maybe that is where the movie failed? Also, throughout the whole entire movie there is no music. At first I did not even notice that there was no background music until Alexis mentioned it. I think there are plenty ideas to talk about in our presentation for this film.

Essay 3 Topic

I have a few ideas about my topic for Essay 3. Here are my options:

1. In the article "Crimes against Humanity", I would argue that the Indian mascots are honoring Native American Indians rather than being discriminatory.

2. What gives one the right to write about something or someone when they themselves are not part of that culture. I would mention how Sherman Alexie writes about his culture and how Wendy Rose wrote "Truganinny", which was about a culture she was not apart of.

3. The stereotypes of Indians. Everyone thinks they are warriors, environmentalists, and like the famous character Tonto in "The Loan Ranger". However, Sherman Alexie mentions these ideas are false in his interview in the "Iowa Review" and in his movie "Smoke Signals". (I don't know if this idea has anything to argue about though. Plus, I feel like stereotypes have been already done too many times)

I'll pick which one I want to write about soon! These works and ideas that I mentioned are just the ones that have interested me in class. That's why I would want to write about it. I'm thinking I might lean more towards topic number 1.

Alexie Interview in Iowa Review

What struck me about this interview was how Alexie mentioned how Indians are not environmentalist. They are just as wasteful as any other American. Being an environmentalist is a luxury. I guess associating nature with Indians is a myth. I had this stereotype in my head, until I read this interview. Something else that caught my attention was when Alexie mentioned he would rather write about people than a tree. It was funny when he mentioned how poems about trees have been done a thousand times. When I thought of Indian writers, I imagined that they would write about trees and nature, so it was refreshing when Alexie said it does not interest him. Alexie also brought up the point that although there are many praised Indian writers, Indians still do not have their own Hemmingway, Dickens, or Shakespeare writers like white people do. Even though I am not familiar with Indian writers, I have not heard of any Indian writer famous enough to be compared to these great writers, thus I believe this to be true. Alexie hopes this will change, and I think in time it will too.

Ward Churchill of Native American Film

This was an interesting article. When I started reading about the different Indian films and the film industry, and when it mentioned how Indians always portray the same character in each film, I started to realize how I'm actually tired of watching western films, etc. It mentioned how the Indian always gives the white man something to shoot at, and I agree. I feel like it's the same in every piece we've read/watched. Since the film Smoke Signals was directed and written by an Indian (Sherman Alexie), it must be a better film. I know the article mentioned how critics did not like the film, but because it was written by an Indian it better in the sense that it from the viewpoint of an Indian rather than a white man. After all, most of these stories involve Indians, so wouldn't it make sense for an Indian to write it?

"This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona"

I liked this story. It was about an Indian man named Victor going to get his father's body who died in Arizona. He can't seem to get the funds for his trip, so he brings along his childhood friend Thomas. Thomas is a story teller, but nobody really talks to him on the reservations because they do not want to hear his same stories over and over again. What I noticed in this story was how there was much modernization on the reservation and how there was a loss of tradition. The story mentions cars and airplanes. Also, the reservation celebrates the Fourth of July. Also, one would think that Indians on the reservation would enjoy storytelling. It would seem like it is apart of Indian culture. However, in this story nobody wants to listen to the storyteller and completely ignores Thomas, the storyteller. Victor even mentions how there is a loss of community within the reservation.

Fleur

It was nice to read a story for a change. This story was narrated by a young girl named Pauline. She describes a woman at the beginning of the story named Fleur. Fleur was known for her beauty but also for drowning in the lake twice. When she drowned, the two men that saved her ended up dying. Many people believed she was married to the lake monster. One summer, Fleur goes to a town called Argus. Here, she plays cards with three men and a dog. Pauline's stepfather is one of the card players. In between working, Pauline watches the card games. One thing that I did not understand about the story was why Fleur left after playing a game? I know Lily followed her and was attacked by a pig, but what happened to Fleur? Shortly after, there was a tornado that destroyed everything. It took three days for the town to figure out that the three men who played cards where missing. They found them frozen to death near the table where they played cards. What this story trying to say how the men that get involved with Fleur always die?

Truganinny & Online Poems of Wendy Rose

“Truganinny” was sort of a sad poem. It was kind of eerie almost. It was about an Indian woman who was “the last one”. She was waiting to die or dying. She mentioned how she wanted to be taken away and compared it to nature and the earth.

I enjoyed reading For the White poets who would be Indian. I liked the use of words in this poem. For example, “to snap up the words fish-hooked from our tongues”. It gave me an interesting image for this poem and what it would be like to be an Indian.

Crime Against Humanity

This was an interesting article we had to read. Before English 102, I never really thought about the Indian names that our society uses, like names of sports teams, war paint, etc. Now, that I am learning more about Indian culture and after reading this article, I realize that it is not right. Just because this minority group is small, does not mean that it is okay to use these titles and such. I liked how this article related it to Jews, African Americans, and Hispanics. It showed how it's no different than relating these titles and depictions to these other larger ethnic groups. I am Jewish, so I can easily relate to what this article was talking about. I would find it offensive too. I do not see what's the difference is here. We should take into consideration all ethnic groups, and we should be respectful of their culture.

Note to a Culture Vulture

When I finished reading this, I thought it was sort of funny. It was almost like the writer, Louis, was afraid to complement the Native American writer. It was an interesting viewpoint to read. I enjoyed it.

Sherman Alexie, How to Write the Great American Indian Novel

This was very similar to "How to Play an Indian". It was literally making fun of Indians and there associations with the white man. I liked the final statement of this piece: "In the Great American Indian novel, when it is finally written, all of the white people will be Indians and all the Indians will be ghosts". I thought it was powerful. I think it meant that by the time the book is written there will be very few Indians left so they will be like "ghosts". Any other ideas?

The Cowboy

I liked this story even though I was confused at some parts. It wasn't like the other stories we've read. It was more about following the everyday life of man who worked on a farm for an old man and an old woman. I wonder why the old woman was so mean? Maybe it was because she used to be beautiful, but now she was not. After the old woman died, I figured the old man would be happy and feel freed, but to my surprise he didn't. I guess since his sister was his only family he felt lonely. Luckily, he and the handy man formed a close relationship over the years. Was there something more that these people did on their farm besides heard cattle? I was kind of confused here.

Brokeback Mountain

This was a really interesting story. It was obviously much different from the other western stories we've read, since these two cowboys were gay. One reason why it was interesting to me was because I think a gay cowboy is a subject and area in westerns that no author or director has ever gone. In fact, most of the stories we've read are about greed and money or about Indian tribes, but this story was actually about a romance between two cowboys.

McCarthy

Honestly, I had a hard time getting into and understanding this story. I did notice however that it is very descriptive. It mentions buzzards eating dead bodies, and a bat eating at Sproule's chest. Anyway, after I finished reading this story, I felt like I was completely lost about what I had just read. I decided to do a bit of research about the story and maybe that would help give me some background. I found out that the story is about a runaway teenage boy from Tennessee who winds up in Texas. He gets caught up with a gang that kills Indians. This is during the time of the Mexican War.

Sergio Leoni

It's hard to listen to one of these podcasts ( I think that's what this is called). You really have to pay attention! It was surprising when Frayling said that when Leoni went to the film industry most of the other directors said western movies were over and done with. Obviously Leoni didn't care. I thought it was funny when it mentions that Leoni didn't like the movies that had much talking. He preferred action and adventure instead. Frayling made an excellent point when he said he wanted to take the western back to its innocence because most westerns had become too sophisticated. I like this idea! Maybe I can use it in a future paper! Also, I'm not surprised that in the Italian film Once Upon a Time in the West, the main character shoots a whole family along with the child. Like Frayling said, that would not have been in an American film. I'm sure this western is much different then the ones we've been watching and studying about. I'd like to watch it one day. I thought it was strange when the interviewer said that in the U.S. the Yugoslavians (who typically played the roles of Indians) would be compared to the Jews?

The Beginning of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

At the beginning, I did not like this movie. I felt it was rather boring and wished it were more like The Searchers. However, soon I quickly changed my opinion. I've never seen a movie where they label each character like they have done in this movie. When we were told who "The Ugly" wasn't expecting it. I do not like "The Bad" character; he is pretty creepy to me - his smile and eyes are mischievous and unsettling. He obviously has no guilt when killing people. So far I love the "The Good" character. Not only is he handsome, but he's rather funny too. His little scheme to find "The Ugly", collect the reward, and then shoot the rope before he was hung to death was quite clever. I thought leaving "The Ugly" stranded in the desert was a good idea - even though we saw him find his way back to another town. I also really enjoy the music. I'm excited to see what happens next on Monday.

Frayling's, Once Upon a Time in the West

I liked watching Frayling’s Once Upon a Time in the West. It was interesting listening to his opinions about the movie and the making process. He mentioned that the movement and acting was choreographed to go with the music; I think the music being in sync with the acting occurs in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly as well. In this movie, as in most movies, everything is emphasized with music. It was also interesting how in the beginning of the movie there is a similar scene from High Noon – I wonder why the director wanted that to happen? Even though this movie was not popular at first, I actually would still like to watch this movie.

I am still having trouble about my thesis for this paper. I know I want to somehow incorporate The Searchers and How to Play an Indian in my paper, but I do not know how to make a thesis for it. I have a few ideas, but none seem good enough. The following quotations are the ones that have stuck with me from How to Play an Indian. I really hope I will be able to find some way to connect these two works soon. Hopefully, I will have a better direction for the paper tomorrow after my conference with Dr. Griffiths.

13. As you lack stirrups, manage somehow to entangle your feet in the reins, so that, when you are shot, you are dragged after your mount.

- The Indians in The Searchers do this when shot.

I think these quotations are stereotypical of Indians:

16. In preparing to attack an isolated farm, send only one man to spy on it at night. Approaching a lighted window, he must observe at length a white woman inside, until she has become aware of the Indian face pressed against the pane. Await the woman’s cry and the exit of the men before attempting to escape.

22. In the case of a sortie on the part of the whites, never steal the weapons of the slain enemy, only his watch. Wait in wonderment, listen to its tick, until another enemy arrives.

- In The Searchers, enemies take one another’s scalp instead of a watch.

25. In the event that the Indian village is attacked rush from the tents in total confusion. Run around every which way, trying to collect weapons previously left in places of difficult access.

- I do not remember if the Indians did this in The Searchers, but I think it is stereotypical. Even though it is stereotypical, when I imagine a movie about cowboys and Indians, this image seems very typical.

While I am still considering ideas for my paper, I am thinking about a comparison and contrast paper. I'd like to write a paper comparing and contrasting the handout that we read "How to Play Indian" to the movie, The Searchers. I could talk about how the movie followed the rules in "How to Play Indian" and how it did not follow the rules. I'm not sure if this is the right idea for our papers, but I sure hope so. Hopefully we will discuss this in class.

John Wayne Readings

While I am not entirely sure, I think Joshua Eckhardt and Jamie Burton wrote an analysis on a poem about a movie John Wayne was in. I think the poem had something to do with people watching the movie at a drive-in movie theater. Maybe Native Americans? I liked how it talked about when the movie was over, “back in our skins” I think it was saying that the movie connected everyone through history, but now they were back in reality and not connected anymore because of skin color, i.e. whites and Native Americans. I also liked the part where it said, “[Erdrich] does diagnose [John Wayne] with the disease of western expansion”. I think this means that like every other cowboy in a western movie, Wayne was determined to continue land out west. I just thought using the word “disease” was an interesting way of putting it.

I was thankful to read the short biography about John Wayne! Now I know much more about him. I also felt very stupid, when I read he was Ethan Edwards in The Searchers. I cannot believe I didn’t catch that! I did have small feeling when we were watching the movie that Ethan Edwards was John Wayne, but I was exactly sure. I’m glad I opened my eyes and realized that’s who he is. Wayne sure was in a lot of movies. He was also married three times and had 7 children. Wow. With such an impacting career, I think he is remembered as America’s cowboy.

John Wayne Playboy Interview

Honestly, I didn’t enjoy reading this interview. I have never heard of John Wayne before or anyone of his movies mentioned so it was hard to related and connect to much of what he said. In addition, this man is extremely honest. He definitely gave his opinions without the slightest care of what others may think of his judgment. I did not understand any of the parts when he mentioned communists in the interview. I thought they asked him strange questions in the interview like about drugs, but maybe he was into drugs at one point? I don’t know since this is the first time I am hearing about him. It was hard for me to read this interview since like I said I’m not familiar with John Wayne; however, from the looks of it, it seems like he is an honest man and is famous for portraying cowboys in western films.

How to Play Indian

Personally, I thought that the passage was a little weird. While reading it, I asked myself if the whole thing was a joke. It was almost like they were making fun of Indians. One thing that led me to believe it was a joke was when I read the part about only attacking in the daytime as an Indian tradition. However, in the movie The Searchers, the Indians attacked at night. Whatever the purpose of the passage - whether it be a joke or just common rules that people believe Indians follow - I did not like it.

The Loan Ranger and Alexie

After watching the first episode of the Loan Ranger, I realized how much I enjoyed the episode. In the end, it left me wondering if the Loan Ranger was going to fall of the cliff or not. I had a feeling Collins was bad guy from the start, and sure enough I found out he had tricked the loan rangers. After the men ambushed the loan rangers, it was disturbing how the leader of the attackers just easily shot Collins as a lesson for the other attackers. However, I guess it was just the time period and the fact that it was a television show. I did wonder after the attackers left, what happened to all of the Rangers’ horses? Maybe they ran away. I was glad that the Indian found the Loan Ranger and mended him back to health. It showed how thoughtful and thankful the Indian was. However, I thought it was interesting how the Indian had a nice saddle for his horse Scout. I would have though that Indians rode bareback. I want to know what happens in the second episode.

When I went to read Alexie, I typed the link word for word into the address bar, but it would not work; therefore, I was not able to read it.

Today in our group discussion, the most interesting idea we discussed was about the type of woman in the novel Calamity Jane. Another interesting idea that I discussed in another group was about comparisons between the Unknown and Deadwood Dick. This was an idea that I never crossed my mind. The Unknown and Deadwood Dick end up being the same character; however, one could describe the similarities of the two characters before the reader finds out these two characters are in fact one character. On the other hand, the type of woman in Calamity Jane would be another potential paper topic. At the beginning of the novel, the two women in the novel, Calamity Jane, and Virgie Verner, are very different. Calamity Jane is a tough cowgirl who would never let a man tell her what to do, while Virgie Verner is a polite and well-spoken lady. Virgie is the typical damsel in distress. However in the middle of the novel, we find that Calamity Jane changes and becomes more like Virgie by being the damsel in distress. She lets two men tell her what to do and acts helpless.

Chapter 12, 13, and 14

I finished reading Calamity Jane. Although it was the end of the novel and a few of my questions got answered, I still have a few that did not get answered. Mainly, my questions are dealing with the characters and how each is connected to the other. I think the best thing to do would be to go back reread the previous chapters. However despite this, I liked how the Unknown, or as I later found out Deadwood Dick, ran the Indians on horses to death notch and stop the auction. It was a good way for Myrtle to be rescued. I never had noticed Poker Jack, but now that he rescued Myrtle I really like him. As I am thinking about a paper topic for this novel, I think something to do with women would be a good idea. The woman always is the one that starts the drama and fighting in this story.

Chapters 9, 10, & 11

After reading these next few chapters, a few of my questions have gotten answered, but new questions have formed. I found out that Virgie Verner and Nic were taken to the Unknown’s cabin in the mountains. However, when Mrs. Morris and the “unknown” had gotten to the cabin, they found Nic dead. I did not understand the part between the discovery of Nic’s death and Shakespeare following the Old Scavenger. What happened in between that time? Also, I am glad that Shakespeare found and rescued Virgie Verner or Myrtle Morris. However, I am confused that if Virgie Verner is actually Myrtle Morris what does this mean? This story has so many characters that are all interconnected in some shape or form that I might need to go back a reread some of the chapters to fully comprehend the story.

Deadwood Dick's Doom;or, Calamity Jane's Last Adventure

When I first started reading, I was glad that this story had somewhat of a plot rather than the other chapters/stories we have been reading. However, for me, sometimes the story is difficult to read. The characters do not use proper English (which is expected for the time period) so at times it is hard to comprehend the story. Because of this, it makes it hard to follow where each character goes and who he or she meets. This story has many characters, each with their own story. After reading the first eight chapters, I am curious as to where Virginia Verner and Deadwood Dick went off too. I also want to know who abducted Virginia Verner. I hope Calamity Jane and Deadwood Dick get to be together at the end, but the title of the novel, “Calamity Jane’s Last Adventure” gives me doubts that Calamity will not even survive. I also want to know who this “unknown” character is.

He has Filled Graves with our Bones, Indians and Identities, and Baum's Editorial

I enjoyed reading He has Filled Graves with our Bones. It gave me a great sense on how the Indians viewed the white man. Since it was a speech, I felt the message was more powerful. Once again I learned about how unfairly the white men treated the Indians. Thus, at the beginning of the speech, I was not surprise when I read how the white man wanted to be paid again. However, I was surprised that when the Indians and whites first met, the Indians treated the whites with kindness and hospitality. I was not surprised about how the Indians acted, but after reading so much about how cruel the white men treated the Indians, I was surprised that after the whites were befriended by the Indians, they in turn betrayed the Indians. It made me wonder why did the white men hate the Indians so much? Why did they break their treaties so frequently? Why make a treaty if they knew they were not going to withhold their end? I liked when the chief called the white man “an unsatisfied beggar”; I like the truth of the statement. The white men were selfish, greedy, and entitled. Did they not realize the Indians claimed the land long before the whites did? Also, the murdering of the old man, daughter, and mother and robbing them of their possessions after the family had helped the white travelers proves that the whites were more “barbarian-like” than the Indians.

In American Indians and American Identities, I liked reading the short passage at the beginning about Benjamin Franklin. To me the passage had an excellent point; you can't just suddenly forget or leave your roots. It takes much time and experience for that to happen. Even so, it still never goes away. You'll always carry it with you in some form. As I read about the Boston Tea Party, I was curious as to why the raiders dressed up as Indians. It was interesting that still nobody even knows for sure why the raiders did dressed up as Indians besides the fact for disguise. I liked Lawrence's quote "wanting to have their cake and eat it too". It answered some of my other questions from our readings as to why the Americans wanted the Indians to go away. Americans wanted to have freedom, yet they wanted it in an ordered and civilized fashion. Also, his statement "The desire to extirpate [him]. And the contradictory desire to glorify him." - this reinforced another one of my questions in another reading. In Baum's Editorial about Native Americans, it said "We cannot honestly regret their extermination . . ." When I read Baum's statement, I was wondering why would they even "exterminate" the Indians if they liked some of their characteristics? When I read Baum's statement it was clear to me that my question was obviously an already known controversy.

In Frank L. Baum’s Editorials about Native Americans, I asked myself why did the whites hate the Indians so much? They had so much hate for the Indians. For someone to say, “ . . . better that they die than live the miserable wretches they are” proves how terrible and cruel one can possibly be. What could the Indians have possibly done to receive so much hate?

Helen Hunt Jackson, Zitkala Sa, Noble Savage

I really enjoyed reading Zitkala Sa's stories. Her descriptions about her every day life and surroundings interested me and helped me imagine what it would be like to grow up as a Native American Indian. Obviously, the white man had a huge impact on everyone, especially her mother. I felt bad for her mother because these people had taken away her family. In the last story, when the daughter went away to the east with the missionaries, I felt really bad for her mother. Even though the girl would get an education, these people had taken away almost everything from the mother that mattered most to her. I thought these stories were very informative about what it's like growing up in Indian tribe. It also gave a sense about the problems the Indians faced.

I had trouble reading Helen Hunt Jackson's story in the beginning, but soon it began to get a little easier. It was interesting to me in the beginning how it said the chief of the tribe deserved to be chief of a better tribe. As I later learned, the tribe he had now was in poverty. There were no buffalo to eat, and people were starving. His tribe was falling apart. I liked how he called 'alcohol' fire-water. I thought it was a creative name! When it got into the history of the Poncas tribe, it showed how unfair the tribe was treated by the white men. The Poncas did nothing wrong most of the time, but they were still treated unfairly. Near the end how the white men killed the mother and shot the children was disturbing to me and cruel.

I'm not sure what to think of the Noble Savage. After reading the beginning and pre-history, I think I understand and agree to what a noble savage is. I believe it is true that naturally and in our basic form humans are just barbarians. We are "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short". I really liked Michel de Montaigne metaphor when he said that people in Brazil eat the bodies of their enemies once they've defeated them. He said when people fight over religion it's even more barbarian like than the Brazilian tradition. I really liked how he stated, "One calls 'barbarism' whatever he is not accustomed to". This stuck with me.