Jacob Petrisko Mr. Topper English 11H 18 September 2015 The Grass Dancer Journal Throughout The Grass Dancer by Susan Power, Anna Thunder was depicted as the most unusual character. From immersing herself in a bathtub full of perfume to seducing men 50 years younger than her, she was different. Everyone fears Anna because of her powerful magic “inherited from her grandmothers sister, Red Dress” (164). Anna changed her name to Mercury Thunder after Charlene Thunder explained the periodic table to her, "An element is a substance that can't be split into smaller pieces." "That's my story," Mercury said, "I'm all of a piece” (13). Mercury uses her magic to get her way in any situation, usually to attract young men even though she is 70 years …show more content…
One night, Lydia’s husband, Calvin Wind Solider, took their son Duane out for a car ride to calm him down after crying non stop. D uane and Calvin had a car accident, claiming both of their lives. This left Lydia speechless for the rest of her life. Their other son, Harley, has never heard his mother speak until she sang at the powwow, “It was Harley’s mother, Lydia, who hadn’t spoken in seventeen years” (32). Her sister Evelyn said, “"People said she had the voice of a ghost. When she sang, women would carry their tape recorders to the drum to record her, and men would soften their voices to let Lydia's rise, above the dancers' heads, above the smoke of cigarettes and burning sage, some thought beyond the atmosphere to that dark place where the air is thin and Wanagi Tacanku, the Spirit Road, …show more content…
In the beginning of the story, Pumpkin was due to attend Stanford University. She was worried her Native American culture would dissipate from her life, “I sometimes feel I am risking my soul by leaving the Indian community” (17). To prevent this, she is determined to infuse as much “Indianness” into her body that summer by attending as many powwows as possible, “Pumpkin was determined to make the most of the summer, hitting as many northern powwows as possible before returning to Chicago” (17). While on her way to Fort Berthed Reservation to attend another powwow, her and her friends were killed in a car accident, “For the first time in her life, Pumpkin wasn’t afraid, because the moment was so terrible it was exhilarating. The car shot off the ledge, wheels rotating like propellers, and Pumpkin was flying across the Badlands… The car finally landed on its nose, collapsing like an accordion. But Pumpkin was still flying, shedding fears and insecurities like old skins, until she was distilled to a cool, cream vapor. Timpani melted into the sky, and so she never came down” (49). When her friends and family heard the news and came to visit the crash site, they witnessed Pumpkin dancing across the hills like a true grass
This essay is based on ‘Silent Dancing’ by Judith Ortiz Cofer and it is her memoirs of her childhood and the difficulties of growing up between two different cultures. The story looks back on her childhood and adolescence through the form of a video tape showing the movement between her hometown of Puerto Rico, and her New Jersey home, of which she spent six months of the year. The differences in culture, gender values, and racial profiling are prominent; as to is the symbolism between the images of the home movie being described and the silent undertones which only become clear when the home movie is focused upon in hindsight.
Laura’s repetition of “Look, Lizzie, look, Lizzie” betrays her restless longings. The consecutive commencements with the word “one” and the assonance on the vowel “O” in the lines describing the goblins set the tone of urgency: “One hauls a basket,/One bears a plate,/One lugs a golden dish/Of many pounds weight” (ll. 54-59). This technique, like a refrain, punctuates the entire poem and Laura, wi...
As thoughts were swimming in my head about the horrible possibilities that could happen to my sister, I saw him. Lizzie’s long-time crush, as well as mine. It was Mr. Morris’ son, Benjamin. Mr. Morris stood up, his back to me....
Since taking possession of North America, Europeans have colonized the continent and enforced their beliefs and practices. Now Native Americans are reclaiming their culture and heritage. Thomas King participates in this movement through the form that Helen Tiffin identifies as "the processes of artistic and literary decolonization [which] have involved a radical dismantling of European codes and a postcolonial subversion and appropriation of the dominant European discourses" (17) by publishing his postmodern novel Green Grass, Running Water (1993). The book creates certain conflicts between values and expectations and conventions for the non-Native Canadian reader. These are mainly composed of stereotypes, internal structure of the text and reoccurring ideas throughout it.
The Mother is among a family of four who lives on a small farm and takes immense pride in what interests her, however her passion does not particularly lie in her two children; James and David; nor in her husband and their interests; but instead lies within her chickens. Though chickens bring the most joy to the Mother, they are not the sole animals that live on the farm. The animal that draws the most interest from the father, James and David is their horse, Scott. At a young age, Scott was used as a working mule for the family and grew up alongside the Father and two Sons. To the father, Scott was like one of his own sons, and to James and David, Scott was like their brother; but according to the Mother, “He’s been worthless these last few years”(Macleod, 267). Ever since Scott was young, he was a burden on the Mother’s lifestyle; she never took a liking to the horse even when he served as a source of profit for the family. The Mother had never appreciated the sentimental value that Scott possessed because he had never been a particular interest to her. Once Scott had aged and was no longer able...
The seven minute long interval act during Dublin’s Eurovision’s Song Contest introduced not only Riverdance but all Irish dance forms to the public eye. The past twenty-two years have seen the Irish dance world rise and evolve dramatically. A traditional art form once enriched in culture and discipline has been renovated into today’s era where competitiveness is at its height. The debate lies whether this evolution has been for better or for worse. The rise of Irish Diaspora in the past two decades has seen an impact on style of dance, appearance, employment opportunities as well as the development of Irish national identity and fame. It is argued that Irish dance, as a consequence, has lost some of its valued principles including discipline,
Looking back on the death of Larissa’s son, Zebedee Breeze, Lorraine examines Larissa’s response to the passing of her child. Lorraine says, “I never saw her cry that day or any other. She never mentioned her sons.” (Senior 311). This statement from Lorraine shows how even though Larissa was devastated by the news of her son’s passing, she had to keep going. Women in Larissa’s position did not have the luxury of stopping everything to grieve. While someone in Lorraine’s position could take time to grieve and recover from the loss of a loved one, Larissa was expected to keep working despite the grief she felt. One of the saddest things about Zebedee’s passing, was that Larissa had to leave him and was not able to stay with her family because she had to take care of other families. Not only did Larissa have the strength to move on and keep working after her son’s passing, Larissa and other women like her also had no choice but to leave their families in order to find a way to support them. As a child, Lorraine did not understand the strength Larissa must have had to leave her family to take care of someone else’s
Like walking through a barren street in a crumbling ghost town, isolation can feel melancholy and hopeless. Yet, all it takes is something like one flower bud to show life really can exist anywhere. This is similar to Stephen’s journey in The Samurai’s Garden. This novel is about an ailing Chinese boy named Stephen who goes moves to a Japanese village during a time of war between Japan and China to recover from his disease. By forming bonds with several locals and listening to their stories, he quickly matures into a young adult. Throughout the novel, Gail Tsukiyama shows how disease forces Stephen into isolation; however, his relationship with Sachi and his time spent in Matsu’s garden lead him out of solitude.
Maribelle ran toward her house. Maribelle needed to explain this new information to Niall. She hoped that Niall was still willing to help her with everything. The minute she stepped back into her house, she heard his obnoxious voice. Her eyes about rolled into the back of her head. Zayn was in her living room, talking with the maidens. Her father must be with her mother, so Maribelle took this time to see what Zayn was babbling about. She turned the corner to find Zayn hunched over with a handkerchief held up to his mouth. His brown soulless eyes were red, his nose was running, and his hair was a
Nicky’s father took his son out with the intention of having him look for a pumpkin and bringing it back home. Not at all did he suspect to encounter anything more but indeed he did. Nicky and his father went looking for a pumpkin at as place that he describes as “a piece of land so devoid of life and interest that from January to October, I’m certain, no one sees it at all”.
power than many men do. For instance she is able to convince Zeus, ruler of
Staying calm and level headed really saved her life without having anyone else around. She did not let situation overwhelm her as she kept moving to higher ground from the table, to the kitchen counter and finally to the top shelf of her closet. Lydia’s strong will to survive was shown even more, as she watched the water rise up to seven feet inside her house for 5 days without food or potable water, just a photo album to keep her hopes alive. Getting a feel for what people like Lydia went through is not easy just by watching television. The detail of the story really makes you feel sorry for the people affected by these storms even ten years later knowing they will always carry the scars of this tragedy
Loss and isolation are easy, yet difficult to write about. They are easy because every human being can empathize with loneliness. If someone denies this, they are lying because loneliness is a common feeling, anyone can relate. It’s hard because we don’t discuss loneliness or loss publicly very often, and when we do, we forget about it quickly. These poems contrast each other by speaking of the different types of loneliness and isolation, distinguishing between the ones of loss, and isolation in a positive perspective.
The intricate and delicate choreography of Slip was daunting, yet relatable. Phillip Chbeeb and Renee Kester created the concept and the choreography and performed the dance beautifully. Everything about the setting, the music of choice and the moves blended ever so perfectly. From the beginning when they made contact with each other through their hands to the very end when he caressed her face very lightly and their eyes met, each part of the choreography was felt through the viewer.
One of Philip’s greatest tactics in this piece, to convey her intense grief and desolation, is her use of promising phrases about her son’s future, and her sheer joy about what it holds for him. In doing this she is able to build an emotional connection between herself and the reader, “Seaven years Childless Marriage past/ A Son, A Son is born at last…”(5,6), “As a long life promised,” (9), and “Full of good Spirits, Meen, and Aier,” (8). The emotional feelings that are withdrawn from these phrases all resonate with the reader, and allow us to become much more sensitive to not only her and what she is going through, but also her son and his lack of life. The repetition of “Son” is very effective in showing how elated she was, and actually makes the depressing realization that follows even darker and more troublesome.