Summary/Application

Applying Bird’s Ideas to Ceremony
Bird, Gloria. “Towards a Decolonization of the Mind and Text 1: Leslie Marmon Silko's ‘Ceremony’” Wicazo Sa Review, 9, 2 (Autumn, 1993): 1-8.
Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. New York: Penguin 1986

Part One: Summary
In Gloria Bird’s essay she reveals the concept of colonization through both personal examples as well as Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel Ceremony. By explaining the concept of colonization, through things like literature, education, and socialization she then tries to examine ways in which one can be decolonized: by literally unlearning ways of thinking. Gloria Bird explains colonization as the imposing of the beliefs of the majority (Whites) on the “Others” (those who are stigmatized as different) and their ability to hold that power structure by oppressing these others. American Indians have been oppressed through language and education in ways that they aren’t even realizing. Bird gives examples of these by holding herself and Tayo parallel. She explains the confusion of not having your own native language as an identity crisis in itself, but as Tayo felt “shame” he was embarrassed by his own language. Not allowing students to speak their own language in school would force them to assimilate to the white culture forcing their own to be looked as the minority. By using language to separate the “others” from those controlling them they are themselves unknowingly accepting that forced merge, explains Bird. In school even Bird as a teacher taught her children to be meek and indirect just as she was socialized by those who control the “others”. She acknowledges herself as a colonizer when she realizes what she was teaching ways that were not her people’s culture. Throughout her essay Bird constantly relates to Silko’s character Tayo as a window for those who are or have been colonized to find a way out. She notes Tayo’s realization of “the lie” and even how character Betonie works as an enforcer of pride without a need for shame. Bird also stresses the forced individualism on the Indian culture by whites. This tied in the Christianity aspect of Silko’s novel as well. Bird notes Silko’s unconventional writing to not only express her decolonization but also to “collapse time” in order to show how things are connected through the land not a timeline. Bird explains Tayo’s story as a step by step process that insists on realization, because it is only when you realize what is holding you back and making you feel bad that you can change it.

Part Two: Applying Bird’s Ideas to Ceremony
There are a few concepts of Bird’s argument that really connected me to Ceremony: oppression and realization. These ideas enabled me to think directly back to situations that Tayo and his family faced. Gloria Bird’s concept of oppression was the idea that those who are in power do an intense job of keeping their power by marking on those who are different from them in some way. Oppression by way of culture and race are the prominent ideas that both Bird and Silko note. The idea of time as mentioned by Bird is a very intricate used tool throughout Silko’s novel and it connects all aspects of life. Finally the idea of realization allows for a resolution in both Silko’s character Tayo and Bird’s idea of decolonization.
The idea of oppression runs rampant throughout Bird’s essay as well as Silko’s Ceremony. Bird states “As native writers we are, after all, walking the tightrope between the processes of colonization, and the simultaneous processes of our own decolonizations.” (Bird 3) Birds statement holds the idea that as a writer she must somewhat conform at a certain level, but also realize her oppression and try to remain aware concurrently. She goes on to explain how oppression in literature isn’t even something discussed because “we may not even be aware” of some of the oppressions that are taking place. (Bird 3) In Ceremony Tayo is aware of his oppressions. He not only realizes the way Auntie treats him but he understands the shame he brings to his family. He has always been the one that is shamed for an action he didn’t even commit. Tayo also realizes how the white men view him and his friends. He was always looked down upon before he went to war because he was an Indian, but once he and his friends were in uniform suddenly they were respected by all. Tayo says “They had the uniform and they didn’t look different no more. They got respect.” (Silko 38) What still oppressed Tayo’s friends was that they blamed themselves for no longer being respected where as Tayo knew it was all about who was benefiting; if the “majority” were going to keep power than they needed to keep those who were different down unless they were benefiting from it. Another point that really assimilated and oppressed the Indians in Ceremony was Christianity. Christianity was forced on those who wanted to have respected in the eyes of the white people. Christianity was also taught in schools and forced upon those who had different religious views. Auntie used Christianity to hide or disconnect herself from her clan because “Christianity separated people from themselves.” (Silko 62) Auntie tried to improve her status by being a devoted Christian regardless of her actions.
The idea of realization in both Bird’s essay and Silko’s novel acts as the resolution: once you figure out the problem you can ultimately find a solution. Gloria Bird states in her essay “only in the moments when we are able to name the source of our deepest pain can we truly be said to be free of the burdens they represent.” (Bird 2) By this Gloria quite clearly states that in order to not be oppressed you must realize you are oppressed. You must notice flaws in things that you have learned and focus on unlearning them in order to find a solution. In Ceremony, Silko leads us through a number of steps as Tayo starts to realize the lie that has been told to him. He thinks himself crazy once he has returned from war and as he realized the things he had learned and how he let himself get away from the land; he takes steps to reconnect himself.

Summary of Towards a Decolnization of the Mind and Text 1: Leslie Marmon Silko's "Ceremony" by Gloria Bird

Bird, Gloria. "Towards a Decolinization of the Mind and Text 1: Leslie Marmon Silko's 'Ceremony'. " Wicazo Sa Review 9 (1993): 1-8.

In Gloria Bird’s essay she attempts to examine how one is colonized through language by their education and socialization. She justifies her findings by giving first hand examples of her own life, family and friends as well as giving examples from Leslie Silko’s “Ceremony” to exemplify the way Tayo represents the process one makes through first their colonization and then their realization of that happening: decolonization. Bird gives the first view of her personal colonization when she shares her own lack of a “native language”. She then references Silko’s character Tayo due to his embarrassment for not knowing his culture’s language as well. Bird uses language as the easiest form of the colonization of the “Others”. She continues on about her colonization through childhood and how she was taught to be passive. Bird then notes herself as a “colonizer” teaching her own students to use that same voice. She places herself at a parallel with Tayo as they both take steps to undo what has been done to their minds. Through their process of decolonization both Bird and Tayo so “self-evaluations” to allow themselves to see things that weren’t able to before.

Ceremony (58-142)

We get poetic installments of the Hummingbird tale on p. 42-45, 49-50, 65-66, 76, 97, 104-105, 140 (to this point) How might you relate this story to Tayo’s?

The poetic installments of the Hummingbird tale relate to many aspects of the story Tayo tells. When Tayo and Josiah admire the spring Josiah explains that people curse droughts because then they have no food but every part of the drought is just as much a part of them "the wind and the dust, they are part of life too" so cursing those important aspects of life is just the same as cursing water and rain. Tayo relates this to the tale of the Hummingbird because the people forget to praise corn and mother nature because they are focusing on other insignificant things. I think Tayo relates these because people are so quick to blame anything but themselves for things that have gone wrong, but it's when you get outside of what is real that that starts to happen. Just as in the Hummingbird tale, the people don't show enough affection and praise to the things that are actually helping them live and instead they are spending time focusing on thigns that can amuse them.



P. 62-63 covers the theme of Christianity as a coercive force of assimilation. By what means does this occur and what feelings does it evoke?

Chrisianity was brought by the "fifth world" and "tried to crush the single clan name." The European world suddenly took over and everything had a different meaning and had a different way of being done. Instead of their being a mother where everyone was her children and they all held pieces of eachother, now their was a Jesus Christ who saved "only the individual soul." When people like Little Sister would go against the Catholic Priest everyone that was a part of her clan felt her falling away from them. This feeling was evoked because they were connected in a different way than just Christianity. They all had the same mother and were a part of eachother which made assimilation very difficult because those feelings don't just go away.





We learn of Josiah’s new cattle business and of the almost wild Mexican cattle he buys. What symbolic associations do the Mexican cattle carry? (Consider breeds and breeding, contrast with Herefords, where they go, and relation to nature, fences etc).

The Mexican cattle that Josiah buys are very symbolic. In the story Josiah says how their is nothing worse than scared cattle that don't move around because if you keep them together and pinned up they will remain scared and won't eat the right things or get the right feel for the land. Josiah says that the mexican cattle will roam, they aren't afraid, and they will eat much more food and grow bigger than the white mans cattle. This whole scction is very symbolic to views on the white man versus the Idians. The white men follow a strict social order, they conform out of fear. The Idians become a part of the land and are considered wild by the Europeans, they have more advantages because of their extending boundaries.

Ceremony

1)Explain why Tayo blames himself for the six year drought.


Throughout the story Tayo constantly notes observations about the rain and wind. During his time at war he remembers the type of rain he experienced there compared to the rain he was use to at home; a rain that was a nuisance versus a rain he relied on to live. Tayo blames himself for the six year drought because while at war "he had prayed the rain away, and for the sixth year it was dry." When Tayo was at war he experienced "jungle rain" which grew like foliage from the sky". Jungle rain was "unending" and really defeated Tayo's spirits when his cousin, and close companion, Rocky, became wounded by a Japanese grenade. While Tayo and the other marines were carrying Rocky back the jungle rain started making it nearly impossible to carry him back to safety. The rain swarmed throughout the island, "filled the tire ruts and made the mud so deep" that the troops were falling while still trying to save Rocky. This is when Tayo began to pray. Tayo prayed for "dry air, dry as a hundred years squeezed out of yellow sand, air to dry out the oozing wounds of Rocky's leg." Tayo blamed himself for this constant drought after the war and "could see the consequences of his praying."



2)Describe, as best as you can, Auntie’s attitudes about Tayo, mixed blood, and religion.


Aunties attitude toward Tayo ranges from annoyance to shame. She assumes the obligation of Tayo's guardian but criticizes everything he is. She is embarassed that he is a mixed blood and even brings it up when Old Grandma tells her to bring in the medicine man. Auntie is outwardly embarassed that her little sister had sex with a white man, but because she wants a good and charitable family name, she takes Tayo into her home. She also brings up mixed blood when one of her boys liked a mexican woman, pretty much showing her extreme disapproval.

Auntie takes care of Tayo after he gets home from war, but she does it in the most shameful way. It seems that she doesn't want a mixed blood in her family, but she wants something to be in control of. She is very concerned with how her town views her family and even is willingly to give up saving Tayo in order to avoid the town talking about her and her family name.

"She Had Some Horses" reflection

I thought this poem was very interesting and I took it to hold heavy internal emotions. It seems to me that Harjo's speaker uses these horses as a guard. She explains that "She had some horses who laughed too much" and "She had some horses who said they weren't afraid", maybe confessing some inner conflict or relationship. I view these horses as the speaker's way of admitting her inner feelings, which could simply reflect who she is. Each horse could reveal something about her, maybe something she dreams or something she is scared to admit. Even more so, the horses could be ways she entertained herself or represent part of her imagination. The conflict in the poem could be between the horses of the speaker's reality and the horses of her imagination. When she talks about how some of them lie and some of them tell the truth she could mean that while she knows the truth sometimes she cannot admit, sort of applying these horses to her own life. At the end of the poem the speaker says "She had some horses she loved" and "She had some horses she hated";I take this to mean that the speaker has parts of her she hates and parts of her she loves and she gets to choose what other people see but the horses or spirits of herself are still there whether they are shared with others or not.