11.3.16+and+11.7.16

Warm-up: When I say the word…

__Write or draw responses to the following prompts:__

When I say the phrase “wild west” what comes to mind?

When I use the phrase “Cowboys and Indians,” what comes to mind?

When I say the phrase “manifest destiny” what comes to mind?

When I say the word “extinction” what comes to mind?

Allusion: Add this to the section on academic vocabulary in your writing journal.

When an author references another work of literature, historical event, historical figure, or a specific place without explanation or detail. The goal of allusion is to provide additional meaning/context to their work through the comparison the reference creates.

EX: “Chocolate was his Achilles’ heel.” “She was being a total Scrooge.” “He/she’s the Lebron James of his/her generation.” “He/she was straight out of a Portlandia skit.” “They could have walked right out of the pages of The Great Gatsby.”

Read "Struggle" by Jozy Belay --As we read through once, mark any possible allusions. --In small groups, we researched the following allusions. Get these notes form a classmate.


 * Christopher Colombus: ||
 * Chicago Blackhawks (Redskins, Chief Wahoo): ||
 * Leonard Peltier: ||
 * 500 natives who occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs for a week in DC: ||
 * American Indian Movement: ||
 * Indian Removal Act: ||
 * Flint: ||
 * Standing Rock Pipeline Protest: ||

Read poem again and annotate:

As you read the poem on your own, annotate for the following: > > >
 * 1)  Underline allusions--comment on your knowledge of what is being alluded to
 * 1)  Highlight literary devices: imagery, metaphor, symbolism, repetition--comment on impact for each example you note
 * 1)  Circle “muscle verbs”--comment on their connotations
 * 1)  Identify and make comments about examples of single stories, stereotypes, discrimination, internalized oppression, and/or institutionalized oppression.

“Struggle” Jozy Belay

When you remember us, you remember the Indians of yesteryear; those discovered by Christopher Columbus, those pushed to near genocide, those that the cowboys defeat in old western movies, those who __used__ to live here.

I want to know what pops into your head when you think of us, is it the Natives with traditional clothing, headdresses, and teepees? Maybe you think of the cute logos of the Chicago Blackhawks, the Cleveland Indians and their cheeky tomato red mascot--Chief “Wahoo,” or the Washington Redskins. And yes, “Redskin” is a racial slur, but go to a D.C. sports bar in the fall and no one notices they’re getting rowdy over a derogatory word.

We have been pushed behind the shadows of the mountains and deep into the heat of the desert where the mirages blend our skin into the sand, to the land that was not deemed profitable by the government, And if the government later finds the land they promised us to be profitable, it’s sold out from under our feet.

Out on those reservations, we are kept out of sight, out of mind. And we are, because you do not hear of us. our issues are not popularized, our movements and protests are not covered by Fox or CNN or any major news corporation. Right along the “highway of America,” Route 66, Navajos receive water worse than that of Flint. We have been erased from today and only remembered in yesterday. You know our ancestors, but you do not know us. Our History is suffocated by American History. In history class, you do not hear of the wrongfully imprisoned man Leonard Peltier, or of the 500 natives who occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs for a week in DC, or of the American Indian Movement, which is the native equivalent of the NAACP,

We discovered the Europeans at the same time they discovered us. We fought for our civil rights along with Malcolm X and MLK.

I’ve seen people be baffled at the sight of my father and tell him: “Wow! You’re a real Native American! I thought they were all dead!” Now I know none of you here would do something like that, But I want you to remember that We are alive and dancing, alive and celebrating, alive and fighting, alive and labeled extinct.

Discussion questions: > > > > > > >
 * 1)  What does the author of this piece want her readers to “remember”?
 * 1)  Who is her audience? How do you know? Why is she addressing this audience in particular? What themes does she explore in her writing?
 * 1)  How does this tie back to our warm-up prompts?
 * 1)  What is the impact of her use of repetition, visually and metaphorically?
 * 1)  What historical and current events does she directly allude to?
 * 1)  How does Belay talk back to single stories, racial stereotypes, discrimination, institutionalized oppression, and institutionalized oppression?
 * 1)  Does this remind you of anything we have studied about Native cultures thus far?

Collect: What are your favorite phrases, images, or patterns that Belay uses? List them below, and for each one, comment on why it’s effective “Our History is suffocated by American History”
 * Phrase/Image/Pattern: || Effect on the reader: ||
 * #1:

Line: 29 || This is a strong, but violent image. I think it connects to the idea that Native American voices have been silenced like when they weren’t allowed to speak their native languages in schools. By saying “Our History” is suffocated by “American History” Belay is equating the two by capitalizing both, but shows how one has been given more power and dominance and stamped out the sound of the other. ||
 * #2:

Line: || ||
 * #3:

Line: || ||
 * #4:

Line: || ||
 * #5:

Line || ||

HW: Fill out the Collection table above to prep for next class. In addition, read the following article. You just need to read this and be ready to talk about it next class. Article: http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/02/20/why-native-american-art-doesnt-belong-american-museum-natural-history-147792