Yellow Woman And A Beauty Of The Spirit Summary

The narrator is constantly thinking about what it means if she is a new Yellow Woman, and thinks about how her situation might be similar to the women in the old stories. She even thinks about

As a result of beginning this piece with the phrase “where I come from,” Silko immediately begins to build her credibility. Furthermore, the phrase “among the Pueblo people” reveals to the audience that Silko has a Pueblo Indian background. This fact allows the audience to have confidence that Silko knows exactly what she is talking about, since she has had personal experience with the culture of the Pueblo Indians.

This shines light upon her Native American roots and how it can be an inspiration for her Century Quilt, each square representing her family’s racial diversity and mixed roots. It is quite difficult to learn of all the harsh animosity they were enduring, such as Meema and her yellow sisters whose “grandfather’s white family nodding at them when they met” (24-27). The hostility is clear as the white relatives only register their presence; no “hello” or warm embrace as if they didn’t acknowledge them as true family. However, with descriptive imagery, the speaker’s sense of pride for having the best of both worlds is still present as she understands Meema’s past experiences and embraces her family’s complexity wholeheartedly; animosity and all.

‘Recitatif’ was certainly a masterpiece and one of the classic pieces of literature. The writer, through her art of storytelling, left out the races of the character. This was cleverly done to educate the people by reflecting on the time when the gender discrimination was prevalent. The story of ‘Recitatif’ focuses on women and how the gender biases affected them. Other than this, I found ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ quite interesting due to how the writer highlights mental illness with gender oppression. Both of these issues are still found in today’s society. Women are considered to behave according to a mold set by the people around her. This is why I would like to explore the issues of gender discrimination and oppression of women mentioned

Oftentimes when reading fictional texts with similar themes, readers will find themselves encountering similar characters. In the realm of modern literature, elderly Asian women are often portrayed with many similarities; they are seen as protective, caring people who possess great wisdom. Ayako Nakane, also known as Obasan, the title character of Joy Kogawa’s Obasan, and the character Poh-Poh in Wayson Choy’s novel The Jade Peony, are very similar in this regard. Both Obasan and Poh-Poh drive forwards their respective narratives with their strong personalities. They have each suffered through troublesome pasts and as a result have become very wise. Obasan and Poh-Poh share many similarities but they also have their differences. Both women

In the short story “Yellow Woman”, Leslie Marmon Silko uses characterization and symbolism to address personal and cultural identity.

In the beginning stages of his life Tayo lives with his mother who spends her time getting drunk and sleeping with various men. His mom did not care for his physical or mental health and eventually sends Tayo to live with his “Auntie.” Although Auntie takes care of Tayo physically she does not make an effort to provide a nurturing environment for him emotionally. Auntie fed Tayo and gave him a place to sleep, however, she also made it clear to him that he was excluded from the family, always keeping him close enough to watch but not including him. Silko proved Tayo’s alienation in this depiction of Auntie and Tayo’s relationship, “She wanted him close enough to feel excluded, to be aware of the distance between them.” Auntie was not true to herself or her roots. She was constantly torn between maintaining a pure image and staying true to her Indian roots. She was a devout Christian and looked down on Tayo for not being full Native American. Auntie and Tayo’s mom themselves were not stable and therefore they were unable to provide stability for Tayo. His mom left the reservation but instead of making a life for herself she ended up spending all her money on alcohol and sleeping with lots of men. Tayo did not know his dad but his dad was a white man, because of this Auntie looked down on

Sarah pulled down the visor mirror and peeked at Painted Girl in the backseat. Painted Girl stared gloomily at the landscape passing them by. Sarah could only guess at her thoughts. She is probably worried that Grandfather will pitch a fit when he learns about their change in arrangements. Sarah sighed. Painted Girl was a miniature version of Grandfather. Family, heritage, honor above all else. Sarah did not want traditions hindering her life, but she knew deep down that they were important to her family. Her father, however, never had time to teach her about life as a Native American before he died. She had grown up in an Anglo world; far from any reservations; only Grandfather and his community center connected her to her heritage.

Collectively, these literary images go to describe a young ethnic man, probably of Latin descent, who lives with his mother in a poverty stricken area. The careful recitation of instruction given to the younger man seems to demonstrate an intricate knowledge the narrators has accrued from both predecessors and experience. Singularly, this part of the story is very powerful in that it shows a young man having to hide who he is and where he comes from in an effort to seem appealing to women, and speaks volumes about the deception that both genders go through all in name of the chase.

A story's structure can help highlight certain points that the author wants to address. The structure can also enable the reader to develop an opinion on the issues being discussed understanding them in connection to the author; “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit” by Leslie Silko does this. As she goes into great depth explaining the differences from modern day society to that of the “old-time people” (par 3), she uses the structural forms of point of view, comparison and reflection to represent her stance on difference and beauty to the reader. The narrative by Silko is written in first person to signify that this tale of differences does affect her personally as she starts off stating that she is aware that she is different, “[f]rom the time I was a small child, I was aware that I was different…

Silko uses a unique structure in her essay “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit” to help her get her points across to the reader. She uses the effectiveness of the structure to make her points clear, convincing, but also engaging. She begins the essay by talking about how she is different.

Tapahonso’s novel is filled with poems and short stories that encompass her Native American tribe the Navajos. As you follow along the journey she takes you, you are able to learn about the importance of a child’s first laugh, the creation of her people, and even how in “Tune Up” children have to come home in order to feel at peace with themselves, their lives, and their culture. “The port presents her memories— ‘long time ago stories,’ as she calls them—as explanations of the Dine way of life to her grandchildren (Vasquez).” This novel is written more for her family and tribe then it is for an outsider. However, as a reader you feel that you are invited into a private world that rarely gets seen.

Another aspect of Silko’s storytelling that keeps the reader engaged and brings across her points is her interactions with her great-grandmother. These, along with interactions between Silko and her aunts, help to draw the reader into Silko’s life and explain how the Laguna thought process has affected her personally. These vivid memories allow Silko to connect to the readers on a personal level which makes them more open to her ideas and allows them to see the specifics of how different thinking can affect people throughout their

As the story opens up, Silko makes it a point for the reader to realize the

As continents, time periods, and ethnicities shifted so did the stories used to express each culture. Even with this being accounted for the personalities and depths behind the women depicted within each story is made obvious by the rhetoric used to express their importance. Ranging from India to America short stories of how women continuously contributed to the world and its creation is depicted. In each story it is told how women have shaped the history of many nations and affected the world in which we live in today through the use of their interconnecting facets. Their stories were vital, distinct, and worthy enough to be passed down and shared