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.