Digital Story

http://youtu.be/v2kVuTtkonk

Fictive Fragments of a Father and Son

Fictive Fragments of a Son

By David Mura

I enjoyed this story because it shows the difference in generations between father and son. You can see how as the years go by, some things may change while some things still may stay the same. The fact that the boy is growing up in America does change some things, however. For example, when he mentions discovering his sexuality, he also relates to the typical American boy. It seems as though he wants reassurance that he is fitting into the norm as everyone else in America.

            The speaker mentions the women that he views “must be more beautiful than Asian women, more prestigious.” This thought of his may be different then of his father or grandfather. However, you can see what the speaker has become adapted to. By being in America, he has new views on women, who are different then what his father or grandfather are used to.

            The speaker also mentions how he has it easier then his father had it: “the beating were no different from the long distances he had to walk to school or the work he performed in his father’s nursery. They were simply proof that my fathers childhood was harsher then mine.” This also shows the generation difference of growing up between his father and him.

            However, throughout this story, it is not guaranteed that some of these things occurred. Instead, the speaker is finding some of these things and making inferences. This also shows how a child can be curious about his or her parent’s lives of when they were younger. Overall, it amazes me to see the difference in generations between a father and son, and how growing up in America may have something to do with it.

Cats of Mirikitani

Cats of Mirikitani

I found the film Cats of Mirikitani to be amazingly powerful. I found it quite miraculous how Linda was able to find something in Jimmy to want to interview him and follow his story. It was nice to see one act of kindness do so much to someone. I was glad to see her offer her home to Jimmy in hopes that he would better himself. After seeing his potential in art, she knew that Jimmy meant well and after the 9/11 incident she could not bear to live with him living in the streets.

I noticed a parallel connection between Japanese Americans during the World War II and Muslims after 9/11. People are quick to assume and make insulting connections just from a person’s image. These stereotypes can be quite offensive, especially to innocent people. For Jimmy, he was told to “go back to his country” in which little did people know that he was actually born in San Francisco, California.

I never knew about the Japanese Concentration Camps and the conditions that these Japanese Americans were put in. Forcing them to give up their American citizenship and then returning it without notifying them was beyond cruel.

Jimmy continued to live the rest of his life hating the American government. He always thought that they were scheming to harm him in the long run. This caused him to be reluctant in having them help him find an apartment on his own.

I thought Jimmy was such a powerful man overall. Not only did he live through hell but was also able to remember every single memory from his younger years. I felt like the theme of memory played a major role throughout the story. He was able to cope with the pain of his memory through his paintings. I also felt as though visiting the Tule Lake was a sign of closure with Jimmy’s haunting past. By visiting such a devastating place, he was able to finally say goodbye to that chapter in his life and continue on with his life. I appreciated the fact that although Jimmy remembered everything in his life, he did not let that stop him from doing what he loved, which was painting.

At the end of the day, this made me realize that the American dream involves pursuing your destiny in life no matter obstacles may get in the way of that. Regardless of the harsh life Jimmy was given, he made sure painting stayed dear to him whether he made millions of dollars from it or not- do what you are passionate about and that is the American dream.

The Third and Final Continent

The Third and Final Continent

By: Jhumpa Lahiri

            I was profoundly interested in the loss of tradition that occurred throughout this story. The narrator is explains his journey from India to North London and then to America. It amazes me how he only changed his Indian traditions once he arrived to America. The narrator is able to adapt so well to America because of his keen sense of observing patterns throughout the area. Not only that, but he also reads in order to learn about American customs.

            In North London, the narrator stayed committed to his Indian customs. I believe this may have been because he was living with other Bengali bachelors and that is all they seemed to have known. One custom that seemed to stand out was how they ate egg curry with their hands. Another custom that continued in North England was how marriages were still being arranged considering the long distance between North England and Calcutta.

            I found it interesting how the narrator considers moving to America because of a job opportunity. This goes back to the idea of fulfilling the life of the “American Dream.” The main concern the narrative had was to ensure that the job was “generous enough to support a wife.” Having a wife was out of his control and since this was an arranged marriage, he had no choice but to marry this woman and take care of her.

            The narrator quickly learns about the American lifestyle by reading The Student Guide to North America. This tool helped the narrator learn about American ways and what certain phrases meant. This helped him maneuver his way into the new country. One of the advices that I found interesting from this guidebook was: “The pace of life in North America is different from Britain as you will soon discover. Everybody feels he must get to the top.” I felt as though he quickly caught on to this idea. For example, he wanted to show up on time for his ‘interview’ for the apartment with Mrs. Croft. Not only that, but he made sure he wore a coat and tie and even mentions his fresh breath of Listerine. He definitely made sure he had a lasting impression on Mrs. Croft for the apartment. I feel as though in America, everyone is always fighting for one certain position- and people would do anything in the world to get it.

            I also noticed how a Catholic-based religion seemed to be quite important from the minute the narrator got on the plane. Once the pilot announced the news of the man landing on the moon, a passenger hollered “God Bless America” and the narrator noticed a woman praying. The fact that the narrator noticed these acts shows that he may have felt like an outcast since he was from India. He also mentions “a small wooden cross on one wall” in the YMCA room. This religion seems to be everywhere and seems to help with an acceptance of breaking some of his religious views. For example, the narrator first shows complete worry in making sure Mala does not encounter an issue with her sari like the woman he witnessed with the dog. However, in a following scene, he tells her, “There is no need to cover your head. I don’t mind. It doesn’t matter here.” This showed the transition into the “American” side of him.

            He also states all the things he was now no longer “used to.” He begins to learn that while living in Mrs. Croft’s building, he had adapted into a new routine, a new tradition. Once Mala came, he had to get used to an entirely new culture, a culture in which he had lost because he was already “Americanized.” He states, “Unlike Mala, I was used to it all by then: used to cornflakes and milk, Helen’s visits, used to sitting on the bench with Mrs. Croft. The only thing I was not used to was Mala.”

            I found it interesting how he was not originally happy with Mala until Mrs. Croft meets her. It seemed as though he needed Mrs. Croft’s approval of her in order for him to give her a chance. Mrs. Croft states, “She is a perfect lady!” It was through Mrs. Croft that finally a connection was then made between Mala and the narrator.

            Overall, this story showed that routines could form by sticking to the pattern faithfully. Although both the narrator and Mala had been reluctant to a new lifestyle, they finally put effort into working together towards a new routine and it ended up working out. The narrator was able to move from India to North England to America and had to adjust to a different routine each time. Eventually, they both lived based off the “American routine” where “Mala no longer drapes the end of her sari over her head, or weeps at night for her parents.” Although they were able to live an “American lifestyle,” they made sure the culture was not completely lost with their son. The narrator explains how once in a while they bring their son back home to Cambridge, “so that he can eat rice with us with his hands, and speak in Bengali.”

            Overall, one tradition that never died with the narrator was how he always remembered the street that he first lived when he moved to America. He first took Mala there and he made it his own routine to drive by Massachusetts Avenue and think about his first experiences in America and ponder on how far he has come since.

Smoke Signals

 Smoke Signals

Directed and co-produced by: Chris Eyre

Screenplay by: Sherman Alexie

The movie, Smoke Signals included a theme of the "American road trip" and discovering the truth behind a father's past. All within these themes, you also realize a deeper irony with the history of Native Americans. Throughout the movie, there are also many signs of symbolism as Victor unfolds the truth within this journey with Thomas. 

            In the beginning of the film, the opening fire seems to frame the film. This fire immediately draws you in to where the story begins: asks you questions like "How did this fire start? Who is responsible for this fire?" Of course, the audience does not get the answers to these questions immediately. As this fire is taking place, Arnold Joseph seems like the ideal Native American hero that rescues the baby from the fire. It is ironic how the man that saves the baby, is also the man that started the fire and is the reason why Thomas' parents die in the fire that night. That same night, you get a sense that a little bit of Arnold Joseph also dies in the fire that night. 

I found this movie to have irony or symbolism in almost every scene. The inclusion of magic in the movie symbolizes the manipulation of perception and illusion that is portrayed throughout the movie. Within a magic trick, it all depends on how the magician follows through with the act and how well the audience perceives the trick. In this case, Arnold Joseph is the magician, and he is always playing tricks on Victor. I believe this shows how Victor was always blinded by the truth of the night of the fire, whereas Thomas seemed to the know the truth this entire time. I found it interesting how Victor explained how his father was always doing magic tricks where he would make things disappear until he vanished for good, meaning he left them and never returned.

I also found it ironic at the fact that Victor seemed like such a warrior and tough guy compared to Thomas. He seemed like he knew it all, especially during the bus ride scene with Thomas. He tells Thomas, "Don't you know how to be a real Indian?" He explains to Thomas how you have to look mean- like you just hunted a buffalo. He also tells Thomas that he has to know how to use his hair- "an Indian isn't anything without his hair." -This part was extremely ironic because Victor is the one that ends up cutting his hair towards the end of the movie. It seemed as though Victor knew how to be Indian and yet at the same time, he was oblivious to the truth.

The significance of storytelling also played a huge role throughout the movie. It was interesting how Thomas was constantly making up stories and yet knew the truth about Arnold Joseph the entire time. I also found it ironic during the flashback scene of Arnold Joseph telling Suzy about the basketball game with Victor. He lied about the ending of the game; he had told Suzy how Victor had made the winning shot and "for at least one day, the Indians won." This was a powerful quote from the movie. Arnold Joseph's statement related back to history. Indians were always inferior to everyone else; they lost their land and many have lost their tribes. I found it interesting how even in something as simple as a basketball game, the Indians still could not win and Arnold Joseph had to make the story up as if it was something he always wished would someday come true. It was overall a crushing reality that they were always the underdogs- in history and during that basketball game.

One metaphor that occurred in the movie that I did not understand until class discussion was the meaning of the car going backwards. After our discussion, I was explained how the car going backwards was a metaphor for the quote, "you have to go backwards in order to go forward." This overall explains how Victor reminisced about his own life and relationship with his father and learned to accept his father's actions. Although it seemed as if he had complete anger towards him in the beginning, especially when he reflected back when his father hit him, he somewhat understood towards the end of the movie to forgive his father.

The closing fire in the movie seemed to signify the removal or cleansing of negativity. Now the truth was revealed about the first fire and now this fire was an actual smoke signal of the truth. This fire was the acceptance of the truth and letting go of all the bad and embracing a positive attitude of the truth.

My Name

"My Name" 

by Sandra Cisneros

            “My Name” by Sandra Cisneros is a chapter from her famous novel, The House on Mango Street. This chapter from her novel explains how a name related to the identity of a person. The narrator explains how in English, it means hope, a positive meaning. However, in Spanish, her name means the opposite; “it means sadness, it means waiting.” The way the narrator begins to compare the English definition of her name with the Spanish meaning shows that she seems stuck in the middle. The narrator does not seem sure to know which meaning she should follow through with.

            In the next paragraph, the narrator explains how her great-grandmother had the same name as her. She begins to compare herself to her great-grandmother. She begins by saying they were both born in the Chinese year of the horse. By saying that both the Chinese and Mexicans do not like their women strong shows that immediately being born into this year would mean that she was meant to be a ‘weak’ individual.

            In the following paragraph, the narrator explains how she never actually met her great-grandmother. However, her thoughts about her name come from information she was told about her great-grandmother. Her great-grandmother spent her whole life looking out a window. She wonders if her great-grandmother made the best of what she had or pitied her life. I think the narrator deep down feels as though her great-grandmother always ‘hoped’ for a better life. In this paragraph, Cisneros finally gives the audience the name of the narrator: Esperanza. Cisneros writes, “I don’t want to inherit her place by the window.” The narrator seems to think that the significance of her name being the same as her great-grandmother would mean that she would have the same outcome as her great-grandmother. The entire time, the narrator is afraid that her destiny would be to always ‘hope’ for a better life.

            In the following paragraph, the narrator explains how the students at school say her name “funny.” This shows the reader that although her name is authentic, from her Spanish culture, she does not feel confident about it. There seems to be a loss of connection with her father’s culture and how she does not feel comfortable with her name.

            The final paragraph explains how she needs a new name that represents “the real me.” This made me think beyond the text. When we are born, our parents name us according to the significance of the name. Some parents name their child after their idol, or after a word that means something and they hope that their child would fill the shoes of that name proudly. Perhaps Esperanza’s father was proud of his grandmother and who she was overall. However, Esperanza thought otherwise. She was more concerned with who she was and wanted a different name to represent her character. She did not want her name to define her but yet her character to define her name. She wanted to be reborn into perhaps a new ‘destiny’ for herself. She did not want her great-grandmother's life to represent the life she would have to live. At the end of the day, this chapter makes you think about your name and how meaningful it may mean to you or not. Some people may be embarrassed of their name because they do not feel comfortable with it. However, do not let the history of your name define you, but rather you define your name, without having to change it.