Blue Winds Dancing Character Analysis

Richard Wagamese, the award-winning author of the novel Keeper’n Me (2006) as well as various other literary pieces such as Dream Wheels (2006), Medicine Walk (2014), and Indian Horse (2012), was born in 1955 in Northwestern Ontario and is from the Wabaseemoong First Nation. Through the combination of Wagamese’s fictional writing blended with components of his personal life in Keeper’n Me specifically, the fifty-nine year old author has been recognized for this and other phenomenal works through a variety of diverse awards in his years of writing including being the recipient of the 2012 National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Media and Communications. His debut novel allows audiences to get a glimpse of what this writer is capable of and furthermore his personal life as he incorporates many fascinating concepts into it while keeping it a light read.

Where and when do the stories take place (remember to include such details as geographic location, time of year, time period, if the setting is rural or urban, etc.)?

The first aspect both stories have in common is the fact that both of the women are oppressed by a man in their life.“The

The End of FIRPO in the World is a short story written by George Saunders in which a boy named Cody is bullied by his peers. However, it gets to a point where he starts making elaborate plans in order to get revenge on them. Born of Man and Woman is a short science-fiction story in which we see a child who is abused by the parents. The story is written in the form of a ry. Over time, however, the child changes its behavior and decides to lash out against them. Both these stories share a common theme; those who are abused will eventually become the ones who harm others.

“We live the Old Way” are the words that author, Catherine Knutsson, uses to introduce readers to the fascinating culture of the Métis Indians in her intriguing book, Shadows Cast by Stars (1). Set in an unspecified future, sixteen year old protagonist, Cassandra Mercredi, finds herself and her family fleeing from the mainland of UA and going to find refuge on “The Island” (Knutsson 21). They have been targeted because they are “marked by the precious Plague antibodies in [their Native American] blood” (Knutsson 1). According to Essentials of Young Adult Literature, Knutsson’s book is categorized as American Indian and Indigenous Literature (Short, Tomlinson, Lynch-Brown, and Johnson 177). After analyzing the text, the categorization is correct because the story is told from the perspective of the protagonist, Cassandra, who provides readers are given insight into the cultural beliefs and values of the Métis tribe. Additionally, her character communicates the traditional roles of men and women within the tribe, while integrating cultural details that provide authenticity to the story.

To expand on the intricacy of the speaker’s life, symbolism is applied to showcase the oppression her ancestors etched on her quilt were facing for their “burnt umber pride” and “ochre gentleness” (39-40). Once again, the theme of absence is introduced as there is a sense of separation among the Native American culture as their innocent souls are forced onto reservations and taken away from their families. This prolonged cruelty and unjust treatment can be advocated when the speaker explains how her Meema “must have dreamed about Mama when the dancing was over: a lanky girl trailing after her father through his Oklahoma

• Where and when do the stories take place? (Remember to include such details as geographic location, time of year, time period, if the setting is rural or urban, etc.)

In the short stories, “The Destructors” by Graham Greene and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, these stories though have drastically different settings and time frames, the character’s deal with similar inner turmoil from their exterior circumstances. Each short story seems to reveal an interesting outcome and turn of events as the character’s personalities unfold. Not only does one see the personalities of the characters unfold, but the settings are revealed, to set the stage for what drives the plot.

The short stories “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, and “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier, are all meaningfully connected through peices and feelings that are felt while reading the stories. Each is unique, but they have the same point behind them. All three of the ‘main’ characters in these stories have all destroyed something. Rather it be important to them or someone else.

Lives for Native Americans on reservations have never quite been easy. There are many struggles that most outsiders are completely oblivious about. In her book The Roundhouse, Louise Erdrich brings those problems to light. She gives her readers a feel of what it is like to be Native American by illustrating the struggles through the life of Joe, a 13-year-old Native American boy living on a North Dakota reservation. This book explores an avenue of advocacy against social injustices. The most observable plight Joe suffers is figuring out how to deal with the injustice acted against his mother, which has caused strife within his entire family and within

Many were forced to evacuate to other regions within the country and endure the infamous Trail of Tears. While Native Americans are not forcibly removed from their homes anymore, this story shows a modern-day example of mistreatment or borders that Native Americans deal with. While the mother faced many different conflicts, externally and internally, she readily accepts the challenge and is not willing to step down. She displays the pride of the Blackfoot Indians and is not willing to let the government tell her who she is and let them define her. She sets an example for Native Americans, standing up against a government that has held them down for so long. That they should always have pride in who they are, and where they came

Jealousy is a powerful human emotion that lies dormant within everyone. As one goes through multiple conflicts and hardships, jealousy becomes more prominent and troublesome. Esi Edugyan’s Half-Blood Blues portrays the life of Sid Griffiths, a half black jazz musician, who is working with other black musicians to record an unforgettable album. During his journey, he meets Hiero Falk. a talented trumpet player, who Sid envies for his skill, with minimal effort. Titanic by James Cameron is a tragic story set in 1912, during the final voyage of the marvelous passenger liner, RMS Titanic. Caledon, a wealthy man plays a crucial part in this movie by having multiple conflicts, including jealousy, with the main character, Jack. First, Sid from

Over the course of the semester, we have read many short stories that have shared very similar themes. The two stories that stood out the most to me were You Want Me White and The Youngest Doll. Not only were the stories both very compelling they share parallel themes such a social issues concerning women and form of gender disparity. Both authors Alfosina Storni and Rosario Ferre wrote during a time male dominance was an issue, women were looked at as objects that needed to devote themselves to their men.

In Leanne Simpson’s short story “it takes an ocean not to break,” (“Islands of Decolonial Love” 2015), the author, through the continuing change of tone, paints a portrait of the depths of trauma that is persistent in indigenous society and one of its central issues, suicide. The “therapy-lady” is portrayed as the “other” when put into contact with Indigenous problems and her words come off as almost foreign to the speaker. She can be seen as an allegorical character that represents “white” ideology, or even our current government as a whole, who tries to help the Indigenous people but ultimately fails, not only due to lack of caring but in reality a lack of understanding.

of the most expressive and meaningful stories that have lots of great deep meanings. These stories