“Because My Father Always Said He was the only Indian who saw Jimi Hendrix play ‘The star-spangled banner’ at Woodstock”
Look- Fors
Directions: Explain the importance of the items on this list. They are given in the order they are found in the story. This is practice doing analysis.
(You can find the story at http://picard.montclair.edu/~lorenzj/unisinos/alexie-jimi.pdf
1. “Although his prison sentence effectively kept him our of the war, my father went through a different kind of war behind bars.” (Alexie, 25)
2. “We’d dream together until the sun came up.” (Alexie, 26)
3. “Somehow my father’s memories of my mother grew more beautiful as their relationship became more hostile.”
4. “But she loved him, too, with a ferocity that eventually forced her to leave him. They fought each other with the kind of graceful anger that only love can create.”
5. Near –blizzard conditions
6. Learning to play the guitar
7. War
8. Fighting for this country
9. Explain what the following statement means in the context of the story:
“Music turned my father into a reservation philosopher. Music had powerful
medicine.” (Alexie, p. 29)
10. Find a quotable passage from page 29 and copy is down here, including citation.
11. Jimi Hendrix’s grave
12. “Only the good die young.” (p.32)
13. Survival
14. Motorcycle
15. “When he didn’t need her anymore, she went back to the life she had created.” (Alexie, p.33)
16. “Instead of remembering the bad things, remember what happened immediately before.” (Alexie, p. 34)
17. Christmas and my birthday
18. Indian men who abandon their children
19. Robert Johnson
20. “I was dreaming it all but I let it be real for a moment.” (Alexie, p. 35)
21. “…she wrapped me in her favorite quilt…” (p. 36)
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“Because My Father Always Said He was the only Indian who saw Jimi Hendrix play ‘The star-spangled banner’ at Woodstock”
“What’s real? I ain’t interested in what’s real. I’m interested in how things should be.” (Alexie, 33)
Creating Connections Between Literary Elements and Themes
Directions: In order to complete this assignment you will need to be in a team of three people. Each person within the team will be responsible for specific parts of the assignment. You will create a presentation of your findings to share with the class.
Person 1 – The Power of Music and Personification
Person 2 – Reservation Relationships, Survival and Point of View
Person 3 – War in Many Forms and Settings as a Catalyst for Developing a Theme
Person 1 – The Power of Music and Personification
• Define Personification
• Look back through the story and copy down passages that exemplify how the music of Jimi Hendrix is personified throughout the story.
• Explain how music develops into a character or important driving force within the story.
• Explain what the purpose is for the personification of the music.
• Take note of the words Alexie uses in his writings related to music.
• Explain why the personification of music in this story is important in crafting the story.
Person 2 – Reservation Relationships, Survival and Point of View
• Define point of view (POV) and explain the different kinds there are.
• Explain what kind of reader response and impact each POV style has.
• Look back through the story and copy down passages that exemplify dialogue is effectively used throughout the story. Explain why some parts are quoted while others conversations are simply reported or summarized
• Explain how the first person point of view used in the story impacts how we react to the story. Explain how the reader’s response would be different if the POV was different.
• Look closely at the words used in the story. Is there any sort of shift between when he is talking about someone else versus when he is talking about himself? What patterns do you notice?
• Explain why the POV in this story is important in crafting the story.
Person 3 – War in Many Forms and Settings as a Catalyst for
Developing a Theme
• Define setting and theme.
• Look back through the story and copy down passages that describe the setting.
• Explain how the shifts from one setting to another helps highlight or bring focus to specific events, emotional responses, etc.
• Explain what a literary theme is.
• Skim back over the story and look for passages from the text that help develop the idea of war as one of the main themes in this story. Why is this theme important?
• Develop a statement that explains the theme of war in this story and what the message might be and/or why it is important.
Notes of Personification in Literature:
Sometimes a writer will give human characteristics to nonhuman things. Objects, ideas, places or animals may be given human qualities. They may perform human actions. This type of figurative language is called personification. It helps the writer create an exciting picture in the reader’s mind.
• The sailboat danced gracefully past us.
• The flames ate hungrily at the burning house.
• The once-proud trees bent meekly before the storm.
• The broad, flat rock lay sunning itself by the stream.
• Sometimes a writer will give human characteristics to nonhuman things.
• Objects, ideas, places, or animals may be given human qualities.
• They may perform human actions.
• This type of figurative language is called personification.
Notes on Point of View:
Types of Point of View
Objective Point of View
With the objective point of view, the writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.
Third Person Point of View
Here the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside voice.
First Person Point of View
In the first person point of view, the narrator does participate in the action of the story. When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. We should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.
Omniscient and Limited Omniscient Points of View
A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient.
A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, has a limited omniscient point of view.
As you read a piece of fiction think about these things:
How does the point of view affect your responses to the characters? How is your response influenced by how much the narrator knows and how objective he or she is? First person narrators are not always trustworthy. It is up to you to determine what is the truth and what is not.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=teaching+literature+of+point+of+view&page=1&qsrc=2352&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.learner.org%2Fexhibits%2Fliterature%2Fread%2Fpov1.html
In short fiction, who tells the story and how it is told are critical issues for an author to decide. The tone and feel of the story, and even its meaning, can change radically depending on who is telling the story.
We should remember that someone is always between the reader and the action of the story , that someone is telling the story from his or her own point of view. This angle of vision, the point of view from which the people, events, and details of a story are viewed, is important to consider when reading a story.
Here are some Questions we should Ask Ourselves when we Read a Story :
1. Who is telling the story?
2. How much does the narrator know?
3. To what extent does the author reveal the inner thoughts and feelings of characters?
AND
4. What is the amount of time lapsed between event and telling: as events occur or after they occur ( which is more likely )?
5. Which are the mental processes of the narrator i.e. the attitude that underlies the telling, e.g. feminist, Marxist, existential ?
6. What are the narrator's character and behavior ? For example, a narrator may be revealing a changed attitude through reflection or maturity as in a story of childhood told by an adult looking back , or story of loss of innocence told by the mature person.
AND
7. How does the point of view affect our responses to the characters?
8. How is our response influenced by how much the narrator knows and how objective he or she is?
TYPES of Point of View :
A- First Person
1. He is recognizable by use of first person pronoun, generally "I" but sometimes "we"
2. He offers a singularity of perspective
3. He asks reader to take into account the character of the storyteller
4. He may be a participant, a character involved in the events, or a non-participant, an observer-character not actually involved and therefore closely resembles third person .
When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. We should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.
B- Third Person
An outside force without any clear identity tells the story [described elsewhere as like the eye of God]
1- Omniscient: narrator moves freely about in time and space and into characters’ thoughts and feelings . He knows everything about them , interprets and comments on their behavior, and even comments on the significance or meaning of the story.
2- Limited omniscient: Like omniscient, the story is told in third person, but the author tells it from the viewpoint of only one character. The author looks at events through the eyes, mind and emotions of that one character. The writer moves inside and outside the character and knows what that character sees, hears, feels, and thinks. However, nothing is revealed about the other characters except for what his chosen character knows or infers. This point of view is closer to the conditions of real life and may serve to unify the story since all details are seen through the eyes and experience of one person.
3- Objective : narrator refrains from any editorial commentary . He can go anywhere, but can only record what is seen and heard . He tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from the story's action and dialogue. He never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel, remaining a detached observer.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=teaching+literature+of+point+of+view&page=1&qsrc=2352&ab=2&u=http%3A%2F%2Fmembers.fortunecity.com%2Fnadabs%2Fliterature-pointview.html
Strengths of First Person Point of View - “I”
psychological insight of narrator
psychological insight into narrator
feels personal, confessional, intimate
reader must be involved in assessing
the motivation and purpose of the 1st person narrator, assessing whether the narrator is reliable, unreliable, stable, unstable, sincere, insincere, etc.
Strengths of Third Person Point of View - He, She, It
A feeling of Objectivity - Outer world over the inner world (for the most part)
Power of description, scene, dialog, and action
Transparency of narrative and author’s hand in the story (usually)
Access to knowledge and sensibility of multiple characters is possible
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=teaching+literature+of+point+of+view&page=1&qsrc=2352&ab=3&u=http%3A%2F%2Fla.gulfcoast.edu%2Feng2111%2FPresentations%2Fpov-lit.htm
Notes on Setting:
Setting and Meaning
People exist in a particular time and place. Where we live may contribute not only to our personality, but also to our values, attitudes, and even our problems. In literature, setting (time and place) can also influence characters and what they do.
Time
We need to consider four kinds of time that may carry particular associations with them:
• Clock time: this can be used to provide suspense or create certain moods or feelings.
• Calendar time: the day, month, year, or more generally a day of the week or time of the month may provide an understanding of what takes place in a piece of literature.
• Seasonal time: the seasons or a span of time associated with a particular activity may be important.
• Historical time: this can establish a psychological or sociological understanding of behaviors and attitudes.
Place
We may find significance in the actual location where the action occurs, but we need to pay attention to the nonphysical as well as the physical environment.
The physical environment, including weather conditions, may be specifically described.
The nonphysical environment includes cultural influences such as education, social standing, economic class, and religious belief. These may be revealed by physical properties in the scene or through the characters' dialogue, thoughts, statements, and behaviors.
Uses of setting
The setting may be nothing more than the backdrop for what occurs; however, it may be directly linked to mood or meaning.
• It can create an atmosphere that affects our response to the work.
• It may have a direct effect on a character's motivation.
• An external force may enter the setting and change it, causing conflict for the characters.
• The setting itself may be an antagonist.
• Two settings may come into conflict with each other, causing conflict in the characters who must live in them and perhaps have to choose between them.
Reading for setting
Sometimes the setting is clearly described by the narrator. However, some works will require you to search for clues, especially with regard to the nonphysical environment.
• Learn about the author and the time and place of writing.
• Note suggestive details.
• Note unique uses of language and, perhaps, hidden references to the historical or cultural environment.
From:
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Teaching+Literature+of+Setting&page=1&qsrc=6&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Faliscot.com%2Fensenanza%2F1302%2Fsetting.htm
Notes on Literary Themes:
The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. A theme may be stated or implied. Theme differs from the subject or topic of a literary work in that it involves a statement or opinion about the topic. Not every literary work has a theme. Themes may be major or minor. A major theme is an idea the author returns to time and again. It becomes one of the most important ideas in the story. Minor themes are ideas that may appear from time to time.
It is important to recognize the difference between the theme of a literary work and the subject of a literary work. The subject is the topic on which an author has chosen to write. The theme, however, makes some statement about or expresses some opinion on that topic. For example, the subject of a story might be war while the theme might be the idea that war is useless.
Four ways in which an author can express themes are as follows:
1. Themes are expressed and emphasized by the way the author makes us feel.. By sharing feelings of the main character you also share the ideas that go through his mind.
2. Themes are presented in thoughts and conversations. Authors put words in their character’s mouths only for good reasons. One of these is to develop a story’s themes. The things a person says are much on their mind. Look for thoughts that are repeated throughout the story.
3. Themes are suggested through the characters. The main character usually illustrates the most important theme of the story. A good way to get at this theme is to ask yourself the question, what does the main character learn in the course of the story?
4. The actions or events in the story are used to suggest theme. People naturally express ideas and feelings through their actions. One thing authors think about is what an action will "say". In other words, how will the action express an idea or theme?
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Literary+Term+Theme&page=1&qsrc=6&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.orangeusd.k12.ca.us%2Fyorba%2Fliterary_elements.htm
