I was very impressed at the level of discussion on Tuesday. I believe
that we really started to get at the essence of what the book is really
about, why Silko wrote it, and why most of us are really affected by
it.
Sadly, I must report that even though I made my interlibrary loan
request a few months ago, USD has without warning denied the request
and not sent the two Silko films we were going to watch Thursday
and Tuesday. I have to conclude that one of my colleagues at USD
is also teaching Silko, and needed the films. But, I had a backup
in mind, just in case. I don't know if any of you have seen the
film _Thunderheart_ yet, but it shares some similar themes with
_Ceremony_, namely the tension between traditional and technological
beliefs, and the issue of US companies mining uranium on Indian land.
So I would like you to watch _Thunderheart_ and in your next post,
due before Thanksgiving, to give an honest response to _Thunderheart_
and compare it to _Ceremony_. What do we learn from it? How much of
the movie is Hollywood hype and stereotypes of Indians, and how much
is a good story, that has something to teach us? (After reading Tim
Gallego's recent editorial about why we should use the word "American
Indian" instead of "Native American," I feel that it's OK to use the
word Indian. Do any of you have an opinion on that?)
So, for your next post, in about a page (two e-mail screens) please
compare the movie and the book, and be as honest as you can. As I hope
you understand, there are no right answers in this discussion, only
our personal feelings about what we read and see, and how we back
these up with examples from the text and movie.
As _Thunderheart_ is a full two hours long, you will need to get to class
early both days, and be prepared to stay until 1. If you have other
commitments, you may leave.
I want you to know that I will be thinking of our class even as I
am running an exhibit, meetings, and giving talks in Detroit. This
class and this subject mean a lot to me, and I thank you for making
it so worthwhile to teach it.
Best,
Dr. Day
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