Sunday, June 5, 2011

Zitkala-Sa. "Impressions of an Indian Childhood"

http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/ZitImpr.html

4 comments:

  1. My first impression when I began reading these stories was that they were going to, together, form a tale of colonialism. However, I was pleasantly surprised to instead be reminded of how similar the individuals who make up different cultures are to each other. Specifically, when reading "The Coffee Making," I was reminded that children are the same all over the world. The care-free qualities that we assign to childhood are universal. It would be very easy to replace the young Native American girl in the story with one from any other culture.

    "The Coffee Making" ties in with our talk of "The Angel in the House" as well with the speaker's display of domesticity. Already, at the speaker's young age (indicated in the story by her lack of height, for example, "I should not do much alone in quills until I was as tall as my cousin Warca-Ziwin") she is concerned with presenting herself as a "Suzie home-maker" type by making the coffee and providing a snack for her guest. Her child-like innocence is portrayed through her lack of cooking knowledge and her ignorance to the fact that what she served her guest was not quite fit for consumption. The guest, however, politely drinks the coffee and laughs about her displays of domesticity with her mother, which is something that would be done in our own culture as well. This story highlights the fact that whether we are Native American, Caucasian, African American, Asian, Russian, and on and on, we can find some sense of common ground. We can and should be humane with each other and not exploit other cultures we see as somehow inferior to our own.

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  2. I really enjoyed reading this narrative about Native American Life. I know that it was a collection of installments, but it read so clearly like a story that all came together. I found it very interesting how the writer idolized her mother. She seemed to really take into account everything that her mother says and take to heart the advice that she gives.
    The part that I most enjoyed was when she was chasing her shadow. It was almost like a metaphor of becoming aware of herself. I thought that it was funny that the other children tried to pin down her shadow.
    Overall this was a very interesting piece. I was surprised at the end when her mother let her go, but again I think that it was the "Mother knows best" mentality.

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  3. At first, I thought that I was going to be bored out of my mind reading this story but I ended up enjoying it. I loved how the I could see the similarities between the family interactions and the way the main character thought and acted in similar ways that I did at that age. Just because the story and our lives are a little different culturally, there are many similarities that bonds us. Another point that I enjoyed was that the mother was trying to pass down vital information to her daughter. I can relay that too my own parents and see the same similarities. I really enjoyed the story.

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  4. I really like the way Alia analyzed the story. I've read the collection several times and always come to the same conclusion, all children are the same--regardless of color, race, creed, or culture. All children experience a carefree life, an unexperienced existence. However, when Alia says: "Specifically, when reading "The Coffee Making," I was reminded that children are the same all over the world. The care-free qualities that we assign to childhood are universal. It would be very easy to replace the young Native American girl in the story with one from any other culture," she says it so eloquently that I think in more depth to the descriptions and vivid world that is created in the text. Alia has a very valid point, with the assertion that all childhood qualities are universal; that childhood is typically not something to be restrained by culture. Reading about Indian culture in the mix of American women's writing gives a more well rounded version of life in America and helps aid in the understanding of the formation of our culture.

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