Three Day Road

Now that I have finally finished my ISU, I can finally blog about my novel. The book I chose to read was Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road. To give a synopsis, Xavier and his childhood friend Elijah have both enlisted in World War I. They are both Cree Native Americans from the Hudson Bay area. Because of their heightened hunting senses, they become very skilled and famous snipers. This story is very interesting in the way that it is written. It starts of with Niska, Xavier's aunt, picking him up at the train station after he had been sent home. When she finds him, he is missing a leg, addicted to morphine and clearly dying. The first chapter is narrated by her, and the second chapter is narrated by Xavier and continues like this for most of the book. As a reader this is very entertaining because Xavier shares his stories of the war and Niska retells stories about Xavier's past. Ultimately the most entertaining part of the book was watching the character of Elijah and how he is transformed during the war and what happens to him at the end.

5 Word Wall Word Definitons

Qur'an- The Qur'an is the central religious text of the Islamic faith. It is mentioned quite often in the beginning of The Book of Negroes but as Aminata's story develops, she begins to lose her faith.

Prejudice- Prejudice is a preconceived idea about something or someone that is not based on reason or ones actual experiences. It's no secret that prejudice is a heavily involved theme in The Book of Negroes. Aminata must deal with prejudice on almost every step of her seemingly never ending journey.

Loyalists-  Loyalists were American Colonists that that had varied ethnic backgrounds and supported the British cause during the American Revolution.

Dehumanization- Dehumanization means to treat someone as though they are not a human being. This is another theme that can be easily found in The Book of Negroes. A good example of when we can see this theme is when Aminata is on the ship from Africa to the US, and the conditions in which she had to live in.

Boston Tea Party- This was a demonstration in 1773 by American Colonists who boarded a vessel in Boston and threw over a cargo flu of tea. This protest was directed towards the imposition of a tax on tea by the British Parliament.

Oedipus Complex

The Oedipus Complex is a psychoanalytic theory that was developed by Sigmund Freud. What it is, is a sexual desire for a parent of the opposite sex, sparking a sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex. For example, a young boy who has a desire for his mother and, as a result, feels a sense of jealousy, competition or general rivalry with his father. The term Oedipus Complex was derived from the Greek legend Oedipus, who unknowingly murdered his father and married his mother, whom he had children with.

This theory may sound crazy, but to me it makes sense. Although I wouldn't see this theory being very plausible to the extent that a child would have a sexual desire for one of their parents, but I can see it however, being applied on a smaller scale. A child may crave the attention of one of their parents so it makes sense that they would feel jealous of the other parent if they were receiving more attention then them.

ISU Novel

The book, Three Day Road, tells the story of two Cree natives, Elijah and Xavier, who become famous snipers in the Canadian army during the first World War. When Xavier returns home, missing a leg, addicted to morphine and clearly dying, his auntie Niska picks him up at the train station and they begin their three day canoe trip home. This suggests the title and relates to death. Niska tries to sustain Xavier on their trip home by telling her stories of Elijah's and Xavier's childhood and in return, Xavier tells stories of what happened in the Front and Elijah's descent into madness.

My Story Waits Like a Restful Beast

During this seminar, many people threw around the idea that the Abolitionists are using Aminata and do not respect her. I could not agree with this more. To me it feels like the Abolitionists are just using Aminata for their cause. This puts Aminata in a tough situation because she needs them, and without them, she could be sold back into a life of slavery.

I like them name of this chapter because throughout the novel we learn that Aminata wants to become a Djeli (a storyteller). This relates to the title of the chapter because she wants to tell her story, but so far, her story is not finished. I think the term "Restful Beast" refers to the fact that her story is still developing, but when she releases it, it will become a "Beast".

A Streetcar Named Desire

The discussion questions about the play A Streetcar Named Desire were very engaging. We covered topics that include music, set, light, themes, symbols. The question about the use of music and what its presence indicates was very interesting to me because I thought that music was very skillfully woven into this play. There are certain types of music that play during certain situations and conflicts. For example, the Varsouvianna music plays when Blanche is referring to her past. It is a symbol of how Blanche is trying to escape from her past. Also, the blue piano music begins to play when Blanche is feeling lonely. It also represents the spirit of life in New Orleans because that is the music that plays during all the poker games and bowling scenes.

5 Quotes

Blog Post 7

Quote 1- “One of these people will find my story and pass it along. And then, I believe, I will have lived for a reason” (Hill, 118)

            I believe this quote is very significant to the novel because it describes Aminatas character very well. It gives the reader the sense that she really wants to become a djeli (Storyteller). It also tells the reader that she is selfless because she just wants someone to know her story and that it would give her peace if someone knew what she had to endure throughout her entire lifetime.

Quote 2- “They called me Blue Glass Gal when they saw me coming, and the bottles that I traded changed hands among other buyers and sellers” (Hill 247)

            This is another important quote because it builds a sense of identity for Aminata. This quote is located just after we discover that many of Aminatas friends have passed away, so when people start calling her by this name it adds to the motif of, someone knows my name.

Quote 3- ““Aminata?” It was a man’s voice, whispering.

I stopped. When had someone last called me by my African name?

As Chekura reached the top step, I flew into his arms. When my hands pressed against his back and my toes rested above his, I felt my childhood in his flesh and my homeland in his voice.” (Hill 247)

            This quote is important to the story because it develops the love between Chekura and Aminata. The fact that they can go nine years without seeing each other and they still have the same passion says a lot about their relationship and how much they love each other. Another reason why this quote is important is because it also develops the motif of someone knows my name. this is because nobody calls her by her African name anymore so when Chekura says her real name she automatically knows who is talking to her.

Quote 4- - “I had not thought about where to sleep or eat when I was first brought to St. Helena, Charles Town or even New York. Here, I had nothing and knew no one to ask for assistance. But I had chosen freedom, with all its insecurities, and nothing in the world would make me turn away from it.” (Hill 352)

            This is another significant quote because it demonstrates how even though she had no idea what she was going to do when she was freed; Aminata still chose freedom, with all its insecurities. When she arrives in Nova Scotia she learns that she is free but is treated very unequally, but the conditions are still better than when she was enslaved.

Quote 5- “Some people will give you the cold shoulder in Shelbourne, but I believe in treating each person on his merits” (Hill 321)

            Theo, a man that Aminata first meets in this chapter, said this quote and it is important because, in my opinion, this quote has traits of Soloman Lindo. This is my thought because Lindo had the same kind of thinking, in that, he believed in treating everyone the same and with dignity. Therefore, this may be dangerous for Aminata getting tangled up with someone possibly like Soloman Lindo.