I can read! ...sorta

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Although the post below is relatively informal, it shows how I have begun to read more carefully by reading more slowly and pausing to evaluate how well I am understanding the text. Previously when asked to discuss readings, I have tended to give brief summaries instead of being able to actually explain what I read, such as where I point out that Vizenor's purpose is to "ridicule" and am able to identify that Silko elaborates on "power struggles" and "lack of allegiance." My approach of reading more carefully has allowed me to better discern the author's message and possibly apply it to other assignments when tasked with comparing works and the author's purposes, such as in the RA assignment.

 

From Discussion 4: History in Vizenor and Silko:

"In “Storm Puppets” Vizenor’s attempts to alter my perceptions of Columbus seem to occur in the narrative of Columbus’s “clubbed penis” and his gratitude toward the hand talker for relieving him of his pain (31). This narrative instead of glorifying Columbus for his “discovery” of the Americas ridicules him for having a defect in what many associate with “being a man.” Almanac of the Dead gives a much more brutal view of what occurred to the Native Americans and does not gloss over the fact that these people were robbed of their land and their desire to regain it. Silko’s view that a large part of what led to the Europeans being able to take control over the natives was their lack of allegiance to one another and power struggles instead. Almanac of the Dead has made me realize that it is unlikely the Europeans would have succeeded without help from natives as they did not know the land and would have been lost without a tour guide of sorts. Personally I am enjoying Silko’s writing more as it is more straightforward and discusses Native Americans working to regain the land and life that was taken from them, a topic that has always interested me."


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