As with your previous posts, I want you to feel free to respond a specific passage from There, There that strikes you. Equally, I invite you to help me think through an image that has caught my attention. In my own reading, I have been reflecting on some of the interrelated issues raised in the last prompt – the role of storytelling, the negotiation of a Native identity – in light of one of the novel’s recurring symbols: the spider. When Orvil leaves Opal a message about pulling three spider legs out of his leg, for example, this leads Opal to reflect that her own mother had “said spiders carry miles of web in their bodies, miles of story, miles of potential home and trap.” (163). When I first read this sentence, I half-expected it to resolve into “clean,” clear metaphors: web-weaving equals storytelling; discovering a spider in oneself equals discovering one’s own identity. Orange complicates this, though. He implies that the “web” of stories can be alternately – or simultaneously – both “home and trap.” Several pages later, Opal similarly reminds us that the Cheyenne name, “Veho,” means “spider and trickster and white man” (169). In a novel that refers to “spider” some twenty-eight separate times – and, indeed, sometimes embeds the spider image in or on its characters’ bodies – what are we to make of its meaning? Does the figure and function of the “trickster” help us understand Opal’s link between “home and trap?” To return to last session’s questions, how does Orange’s use of the spider-figure provide us a way for think about the difficulties and contradictions involved in negotiating identities? In finding meaning in our lives through storytelling?   

Part II, “Reclaim,” brings with it additional narrative lines and a progression of some of the initial concepts that we encountered in the first part.  As with the first discussion prompt, you certainly are welcome to comment on particular passages (or characters, etc.) that you find particularly compelling outside of what this prompt highlights–feel free to comment on passages and concepts that the following prompt does not address.  However, to start, what I’d like to offer initially is a consideration of the way(s) that Part II returns repeatedly to the idea of stories and storytelling—and how these reflections on storytelling ultimately intertwine with conceptualizations of each individual’s identity and what it means to be Native. Dene Oxendene is developing an oral history, and the conversation he has with Calvin Johnson is quite compelling.  On page 148 Calvin states that “My dad never talked about being Native and shit to the point that we don’t even know what tribe we are on his side. Our mom has Native blood on her Mexican side too, but she doesn’t know much about that either…So I don’t know, I feel bad sometimes even saying I’m Native.  Mostly I just feel like I’m from Oakland.”  Dene reflects upon Calvin’s thoughts and thinks, “Sometimes not having a story is the story” (148).  Of course there is a lot more to Dene and Calvin’s discussion in the chapter, but this excerpt is one of several points in Part II where the idea of storytelling arises.  In your reading of the text up to this point, what do you feel the narrative suggests about storytelling?  What does it suggest about the relationship between storytelling and self-identification?  About Native identity?  Now that we’re halfway through the narrative, it’s an appropriate point to think carefully about what the text has conveyed to us–to consider the foundation that the second half of the text will either reinforce or complicate. 

Since this is your first venture into examining a novel this term, it’s interesting to consider the different ways that Tommy Orange establishes a foundation for his narrative in Part 1.  We of course encounter myriad characters in this first part—many of whom are not only “characters” per se, but also serve as narrators. These differing narrative perspectives and voices certainly are a unique element within There There.  Likewise these first 80 pages or so establish the context for our narrative—we encounter urban Oakland; we encounter individuals who speak in colloquial terms; we encounter the individual and collective issues that these individuals struggle with.  Accordingly, for this initial discussion on There There let’s think about this beginning and the framework that Orange develops. 

You are free to reference excerpts on your own, but I’d like to highlight two in particular. First, before “Part I: Remain” we actually encounter the Prologue.  How would you characterize the 9 pages of the Prologue?  How does the Prologue influence our reading Part 1 (and of course, beyond)?  What is the narrative effect of it? 

Second, in Dene Oxendene’s first chapter we encounter a reference to the title of the text, as Dene reflects upon Gertrude Stein’s description of Oakland—“there is no there there” (38).  How do you interpret Dene’s exposition on Stein’s quote?  What is the significance of the quote with regard to Native culture and history?  Similar to the questions posed above regarding the Prologue, how does Dene’s reflection on “there is no there there” influence our reading of the narrative as a whole? 

Again, you certainly are welcome to reference other passages from Part 1; I offer these two particular elements to get our discussion started. 

Additionally, since you all normally respond to each other’s presentations, you also are welcome to reflect upon the biographies of Tommy Orange that your peers have generated for this particular lesson.

Hello! Your new instructor(s) will post a discussion question shortly; apologies for any confusion if you saw the earlier post. Happy Easter, BTW!

Take care,

LTC Markley

“Weakened by his wound and the long summer day of fasting and watching on the roof, he revolted from the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy. His teeth chattered, he began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody.” In “The Sniper,” Liam O’Flaherty depicts war as a dark, deadly endeavor. Foreign nations often clash over ideological and cultural differences, but civil war like the one that provides the backdrop for this short story is considered particularly gruesome. Why is this so? Are there any political motives worth dying for? Worth sacrificing family ties over? What is the purpose of the sniper’s insistence upon referring to his subject as “the enemy”? Consider what the irony at the end of the story says about the nature of armed conflict as a means of resolving national dissension. I encourage you to use biographical information and O’Flaherty’s personal experiences from your classmates’ presentations in your response. (250-300 words, due NLT 11 April)

In Alexie’s “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” Jackson Jackson gives a detailed account of his Spokane Indian Heritage. He also expresses that Indians are “great storytellers and liars and mythmakers” (2) when he gives an account of one of his other homeless acquaintances who claimed to be the father of an editor to a famous newspaper, but Jackson holds a mistrust in his generic “Plains Indian” affiliation as opposed to a specific tribe. “Do any of us know exactly what we are?” was his friend’s response (2).
Alexie himself is a Spokane/Coeur d’ Alene Indian who, much like Jackson, left the reservation to attend college and later moving to Seattle. His distinctive brand of “storytelling” usually involves themes of displaced Native American heritage, often aloof in a western postcolonial context and often hued with dark, biting humor. When Jackson wakes up on the railroad tracks and jokes about almost being a “double Indian pepperoni with extra cheese,” the white policeman that found him is perplexed at how “you guys” can laugh in the face of extreme adversity (18). Referring to your classmates’ presentations, in what ways is this short story both an allegory for plight of Native Americans and a reflection of Alexie’s own struggles with his identity? What did Jackson’s grandmother’s regalia represent? Specifically, how does the regalia relate to the storytelling and mythmaking (think back to our very first reading and class discussion) so prevalent in Native American heritage? In this regard, what do you make of his interactions with the three Aleuts? The ending? (250-300 words, due lesson 24)

In one of Eve’s early diary entries, she expresses her own perspective on creation, deciding that “I am the main part of it” and that her instincts told her that in spite of this, “eternal vigilance is the price of supremacy” (6).  As readers, we bear witness to creation through this feminine lens as opposed to male-centric biblical accounts. But we must remember this perspective is also filtered through yet another lens: that of Twain himself, a male writer at turn of the 20th century famous for his sense of humor and parody–even involving sensitive topics like religion. With this in mind, what are some of the male and female stereotypes that are perpetuated in this short story? Which are parodied to imply the opposite? How have things changed regarding these stereotypes today? Is eternal vigilance still the price of supremacy? NOTE: In the spirit of collegial debate for this post, I encourage you to respond to one another’s comments as an alternative to a new response to the question. Replies will still count for your points (250-300 words, due lesson 23).

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines the word recitatif as a French variation of recitative, which is “a style of musical declamation intermediate between singing and ordinary speech, used esp. in the dialogue and narrative parts of an opera or oratorio.”   If we think about Roberta and Twyla’s multiple reunions as rhythmic interludes in an opera performance, how does the term relate to the way that Twyla’s protest sign “didn’t make any sense without Roberta’s” (209)?  How does this relationship apply to the way Morrison presents race in the story? 250-300 words, due lesson 20.

After listing the play, character, act, scene and lines you will be reciting, provide some background information about your interpretation of the scene and how you will portray your character for your dramatic performance. What is the shape of the speech? any transitions? Tonal considerations? Don’t be afraid to be creative as you design the delivery, and try to “set the stage” visually as well as contextually in your response. Finally, how might your vision for of this character play into the larger context of your understanding of the play as a whole? 250-300 words, due lesson 14 (24/25 February)

Shakespeare’s genius has made a magnanimous mark upon the world in terms of history, humanities, theatrical performance and even the English language itself, but his authorship has been scrutinized on more than one occasion. As early as the 1800s the allegation that Francis Bacon (and others) had actually penned the plays went to trial and was never truly resolved. More recently, scholars and even a movie titled Anonymous suggest that Shakespeare was merely a drunken actor and that The Earl of Oxford wrote the plays anonymously for political reasons. In Washington Irving’s (see “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, “Rip Van Winkle”) essay “Stratford on Avon,” he romanticizes—perhaps even mythologizes—the “Shakespeare-verse” with adoration for the lore, hinted by quotes like “[t]here is nothing like resolute good-humoured credulity in these matters, and on this occasion I went even so far at willingly to believe the claims of mine hostess to a lineal descent from the poet” (4), regarding the keeper of Shakespeare’s purported home.

So is Shakespeare the “real deal” or what? Most scholars say he is. Referring to passages from Irving’s essay, dubbed by his contemporaries as “the best bit of Shakespeare ever penned”, what motives would there be for fabricating such a conspiracy? What difference does it make if Shakespeare is who we believe he is? Does the mystery surrounding Shakespeare add or detract from his body of work? Do you think Shakespeare would be as popular if it came about somehow that he had nothing to do with the plays? Why or why not? 250-300 words, due before class lesson 10 (10/11 Feb).

*Note: in lieu of responding directly, you may dispute or endorse a peer comment if you so desire.