Tuesday, 4 June 2013

NOVEL QUESTIONS - Truth and Bright Water
















“At first, I thought the answer to the dead animals along the side of the road was that some were faster than others.” (90)

Novel Questions
Erin Williams

























One
  • Allusion – “An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.”
  • An allusion does not work if readers do not understand the reference, because they are missing significant background information. For instance, in the novel, Truth and Bright Water, author Thomas King makes reference to Tom Longboat. While I was reading and saw this allusion, I did not know what he was comparing the character, Lum, to. However, after research I learned that Longboat was an exceptional Aboriginal runner who won the Boston Marathon, as well as delivered messages during World War One. Without this knowledge, I did not know that Lum, was also a very fast runner.
  • I believe that not many people know about Tom Longboat because Alberta is not known for being competitive at running events, as well as the fact that he was excelled at his sport in the early 1900’s. The fact that he is Aboriginal probably made his achievements less acknowledged at the time, but now he is honored in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
Two
  • First Nations peoples value oral tradition. Through stories, a connection is made between elders and children and bind a community with its past and future. First Nations interpret animals, plants, trees and inanimate objects and their relation to the earth, sky, and water. They believe in a certain order that exists, which values balance and harmony with these forces.
  • Keeping their language and culture alive is very important. They practice traditional ceremonies and believe that each plant or animal has a special gift to share with humans; however they do partake in modern aspects as well, such as shopping at local grocery stores. Although they only see buffalo in National Parks, the buffalo used to give Aboriginals food, clothing and shelter. They believe that the government damaged their culture so they should be compensated for their loss by having their education and health care paid for. However, First Nations are developing their own schools so children can learn their traditions and history.
Three
  • Distortion of reality through the reflection off of the water
  • When water freezes, you can't see through it as clearly
  • Refraction of things when looking through water
  • The more light you shine on the surface of water, the darker it gets
  • When things are calm, the reflection is perfect
  • Water is easy to find, sometimes the truth isn’t
  • There are many versions of water, just like the truth
  • Water can look calm on the surface, when it isn’t in reality
  • Water symbolizes life. Without truth life is hard
  • Water can also be the cause of major destruction, just like the truth can be.

Four
a) “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for its not the same river and he’s not the same man.” Every time that Tecumseh visits the river, he is a different person. The first time they visit, they find the woman going over the edge of the Horns. By the end of the novel, Tecumseh has lost Lum, discovered that it was Monroe that night, made assumptions about Mia, and grown as an individual.
b) “I never let the facts get in the way of the truth!” The facts don't always portray the whole picture.  Aunt Cassie’s hand says AIM, fact, however, the truth is that she carved the letters MIA into the back of her hand.
c) “There are no truths, only stories” The night of “The Switch”. Although it was a real event, if you asked each of the four people who were present, Helen, Cassie, Franklin and Elvin, they would all have different perspectives of it. Even though it really happened, there is no one truth, but four different stories about it.
d) “There are two kinds of art, man art and woman art. They are two different kinds of people, so the art comes out differently.” Elvin’s art is the pieces he creates, the mirrors, the coyotes. His art is realistic. Simple and truthful. Helen’s artwork is her quilt. It is powerful, meaningful and symbolic. It represents her struggles in life and her perception of it.

Five
  • pieced together
  • pieces don't always match (fabric, size, texture etc)
  • different types of quilts (stitched, fabric, size etc)
  • offer protection
  • sometimes received as gifts
  • meaningful
  • comfort, usually made by mothers or grandmothers
  • very time consuming
Although it appeared to be just another object in Truth and Bright Water, Helen’s quilt was extremely symbolic of her life. With features such as “washers” (63), “feathers” (63) , “needles” (63), and “fish hooks” (63), it is clear that the quilt does not necessarily reflect only the positive aspects of her life, but rather her whole journey through life. As we all know, life is not always pretty. It has it’s hard times, good times and in between times, however we also know, that without the collection of these times, we would not be who we are today. Although Helen’s quilt “started off simple enough” (63) as she began to struggle in life, she represented it in her quilt with objects that did not seem to fit with the rest of the quilt. However, as she continued to struggle, she continued to work on the quilt and by the end of the book, the quilt made sense. Even though Helen struggled in her life, by looking at all the different pieces and aspects of her life that were united on her quilt, she formed a new reality for herself. Instead of trying to forget about all the hurt that she had endured, Helen wanted to embrace it, because she realized that she would not be the same person without her battles in life. Her quilt would never be of any monetary value, but because it represented experiences that she had tolerated, she kept it to comfort herself.




Six

The East
  • represents the woman spirit
  • prairie buffalo sage
  • marks the beginning of all life
  • how mothers and fathers must make connection to the spirit before child is born
The South
  • it is the time of summer
  • physical life is represented
  • direction of young people, youth, lots of energy
  • spirit always takes in information
  • youth may not hear everything, but will hear what they need, when they need it
  • important to head teachings from all
The West
  • adulthood, responsibility
  • parenthood
  • bond with child from east direction
  • adulthood is never an easy journey
  • emotion is also in the West
  • time to let go of anger
  • if need to get rid of anything, the west, or adulthood, is usually the time to do it
The North
  • life journey
  • mental part of journey
  • know what is needed in community
  • not so rushed, not so physical
  • thinking part of community
  • youth look up to those in the North
  • return to spirit world of infants
Different tribes have different meaning to colors, however these are common symbols of color
  • Black - death, disease, male, night
  • Yellow - day, sun
  • Red  - blood, war, wounds
  • White - winter, death
  • Green - life, earth, summer
Blackfoot culture believes that
  • Black represents bravery
  • Red represents the spirit of the creator, as well as blood
  • Yellow represents the power of the creator, as well as the power of the sun
  • White represents winter, old age, wisdom, and clarity
  • Green represents the season of spring, as well as growth

Seven
  • Coyote - after Napi created the men, the coyote helped create the women. Because coyotes are so noisy, it is said that’s why women talk all the time
“Coyotes come out of hiding and range the coulees chasing rabbits and the moon” (2)
“but if anyone knows about coyotes, its my father” (245)
  • Buffalo - is known for  being able to give something power to change form
“the last of the buffalo” (208)
  • Duck - Falcon and the Duck - moral “Do not exult too soon; nor is it wise to tell of your brave deeds within the hearing of your enemy.”
“looking for a duck” (114)
  • Seagulls - people would not give gulls any food because they were so loud and would often hurt each other when fighting for scraps of food, it made people uncomfortable
“Seagulls crowd the tops of the coulees, thrown up into the air like kites” (2)
  • Chickens - represent fertility and sacrifice, can escape from danger quickly,and are often very sensitive, are empathetic creatures
“some of the chickens come alive” (60)
  • Whale - represents a traveller as well as a historical record keeper (narrator’s grandmother)
“makes a noise like a whale coming up for air” (243)
  • Bear - symbolizes gentle strength, as well as reflection (narrator’s grandmother)
“she can do things such as turn herself into a bear” (56)
  • Wolf - represents wisdom, is known as a teacher, as well as the balance between loyalty and independence
“she can do things such as turn herself into a bear or a wolf” (56)

Eight
I do not think that the narrator’s real name is Tecumseh. Although there are many similarities between the two characters, like the fact that Truth and Bright Water are on the Canadian/American border and how Tecumseh fought in a battle between Canada and the United States, the information comes from an unreliable source and I have a hard time accepting it. Instead of calling him by him actual name, I believe that Tecumseh is a nickname that Aunt Cassie calls the narrator of the book. The nickname certainly reflects characteristics of Tecumseh in the narrator, as a person who tried to bridge gaps between opposing forces, (narrator; between Elvin and Helen, Monroe and his goal, Aunt Cassie and her mystery as well as Tecumseh; Canadians and Americans in the War of 1812), as well as being a strong warrior who never gives up. Tecumseh could be a very symbolic name, however because the narrator’s parents have such common names, it is unlikely that this is his true name.







Nine

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0A2

Dear Mr. Harper,

Although you may be too busy to read, it would be very beneficial to your knowledge if you were to pick up the novel Truth and Bright Water by Thomas King. Rich in Albertan culture, Truth and Bright Water  is a story about relationships, struggles, and the ability to overcome. In addition to being a fiction novel, King weaves in reality by connecting certain characters to the colonization of native culture and the affects that it had on their nation. One of the more interesting aspects of this story is how it was written from the perspective of a Cherokee Aboriginal. Often, novels such as these are written by those who colonized this land which can lead to a certain tone of the story, however, King does a wonderful job of lacing his perspective into the words of the characters. Although Truth and Bright Water is not by any means action packed, the value of the message of the book far outweighs any suspenseful or fast-moving novel. On that note, I truly hope that you take the time to read the imaginative, yet culturally relevant work of Thomas King.

Yours truly,
Erin Williams








1 comment:

  1. This assignment really reinforced my understanding of the novel "Truth and Bright Water". I would have found it beneficial to complete throughout the novel instead of leaving it until we had completed the book, however that was my own fault. This met Outcomes 1.2.1 Consider new perspectives, 2.3.3 Appreciate the effectiveness and artistry of print and non print texts, 3.2.3 Form generalizations and conclusions, 4.1.1 Asses text creation context, and 5.2.1 Cooperate with others and contribute to group processes.

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