Translations

We discussed in class whether or not a person could fully claim to be a part of a culture if they do mot speak the language. I think no. I think you can't be fully a part of a certain culture unless you speak the language--fluently. This is because, as each of us who fluently speaks english knows, there are little phrases that mean certain things, that when literally translated, are changed. In the play, Yolland knows this because he is trying to learn to speak Irish. My thought is that, if Lancy knew Irish, he would not have ordered so many  of the names to be changed into English because he would have appreciated the history that accompanied the Irish names. The lack of language knowledge made him think that there was no significance in the names.  

Jamie Soto

Turns out she did know where the panther was! Ok, so what I don't understand, and what I also don't think Omishto understood, was why Jamie Soto was so keen on banishing Ama if she knew all along where the panther was? She seems to be an accomplice in the whole thing.

Another thing I don't understand is why Omishto doesn't feel more resentment toward the clan for banishing Ama, the person that she may love most in the world. She's never going to see her again, which would make me blame the elders. But in the end, Omishto goes and joins them! I don't understand how she can be ok with joining the people that sent away her beloved Ama.

I also thought, maybe Ama had a plan all along. She knew that the clan was dying out. Omishto would be a natural choice of someone to carry one the traditions. Perhaps Ama sacrificed herself so that Omishto would join the traditional way of the clan and therefore give new life to the dying tribe. That's just a theory, im still unsure of what really happened in the end of this story.

Does anyone else think its unsettling the way that Ama dissapears forever and Omishto joins the people who bannished her?

The Panther

I would like to make a prediction. After reading today I think there is something weird going on with the whereabouts of the Panther. I mean, where could it be? I think Janie Soto knows where it is. Here's why. When Dona picks Omishto up after the storm and after Ama had been taken away by the police, Omishto learns that Dona and Mama gave Janie Soto a ride because for some reason she was down near town, away from Kili. The first time I suspected that something was going on was when Dona says, "And her bag. She was carrying a bag that seemed a little heavy. She didn't say anything except when we asked if she'd seen you and she just smiled at us. Something like a smile. . . I offered to help her or carry the bag but she wouldn't have it" (88). For some reason this bag she was carrying reminded me of the bag Ama had the panther in. It could be this, or even part of the panther, like the head.

Then, I suspected more when Omishto is being questioned by the elders. The old man says "Did you know you were to bring it to us if one was killed?" Ama says yes and "Janie Soto and Annie Hide exchange a glance. The oldest, Janie, shifts her weight. She is the woman who told Ama about the cat, the stories. This is the woman who has watched Ama all her life" (166). This secret glance between Janie and Annie seems uncomfortable, as if they know something the old man doesn't. Maybe im just making my own story here, but it could be. Since Janie has known Ama so long, maybe she felt like she needed to help her hide the panther, or protect her in some way.

What do you think?

Another quick thing i found that was interesting is a video from YouTube that shows pictures of the Florida Panthers wearing the tracking collars. I imagined the panther as black in the book! But these panthers it shows are more brown. Interesting. (The video wont load right now there's an error so i'll try again later).

Omishto's relationship with Ama

By reading the first part of Power, we see that Omishto has a strong relationship with Ama. But what we also find is that she has an internal struggle with herself between the old, tribal, magical ways and the new, American ways. Because she goes to school, she knows things like logic and reason. She learns not to believe in magic. But I still think she's holding onto the old ways. This is where her relationship with Ama comes in. Ama never went to high school, so she wasn't taught things like reason that is forced on Omishto. But Ama is not completely "old world" either. Omishto says that Ama claims there needs to be a balance in between the old ways and the new ways. I think this is part of the connection that Omishto feels with Ama. She is not ready to completely give up the ways of her tribe, and Ama represents a way to be in the middle. Omishto also says how her mother is completely Americanized even to the point that she converted to Christianity. Omishto seems to resent this and says that she doesn not want to be like her mother. Maybe her connection to Ama is that Ama has not completely let go of her culture, and Omishto respects that because it is different from her mother. Ama becomes a new mother figure because Omishto has a strained relationship with her own.

Lucy's relationship with Peggy

From what can tell from the reading, Lucy is attracted to Peggy as a friend because she is different. Peggy is the polar opposite of Mariah in the way that she looks and acts. This leads me to think that there is a connection between Lucy's past relationships and the new ones she decides to make in the United States. From what we get in the novel from Lucy about her past, her relationship with her mother has caused her a lot of pain and frustration. Then, when she meets Mariah, she sees her as a mother figure. She notes that Mariah is very different from the women in her country, but she recognizes the same motherly qualities in her. I think this is one of the biggest things about Mariah that make her reject getting close with her for most of the novel. Therefore, I feel like this is part of the reason she gets along with Peggy. Peggy is not anything like either of the motherly figures in her life. Lucy even says they have nothing in common, so it must be something else that keeps them together as friends. Does anyone else think that Lucy has some type of obsession with anything that is outside of the ordinary?

The 'Other' Veil

The most interesting idea that came out of the talk given at the Diverse Student's Leadership Conference on muslim women covering for religious reasons is how it changed my idea of the oppression of women. I will admit that I had considered the fact that muslim women cover themselves a shame. I have been taught, in western culture, that women should be proud of themselves and have confidence, and that beauty should be shown to the world. Because I was brought up that way, I wrongly assumed it was the best way. I assumed it was the preferred way, and that only women who were oppressed and didn't have a choice wore veils to cover their heads and sometimes faces. An interesting point that the speaker brought up is that it is a silly question to ask if muslim women are oppressed. The better question to ask is, are WOMEN oppressed. Because we can't only think of oppression as a symbol such as a veil, visible to the outside world. Women are oppressed all over the world, even here in the United States, whether they wear a certain dress or not. The speaker emphasized that the majority of muslim women wear the veil out of choice so that they can feel more religious. She then showed us pictures that served to contrast the western view of the muslim woman, to stop generalizations. I know it is true that some muslim women are oppressed, but so are many Christian women. Do these women look oppressed? 

let me just add one more input. . . I still have a hard time believing that the veil is USUALLY not a sign of oppression. Ok, I know that the speaker has more authority on the subject than I do and she did influence me to change my stereotypes. However, one of her arguments is that the women wear it so that they can feel comfortable, and like they belong in their society. They would feel discriminated against if they did not cover (by bad looks if nothing else). To me, this is a clear sign of society oppressing them, because how much of it can we surely say is really their choice, and how much is what they think they should do so therefore it is their choice? 

LUCY

Lucy was an interesting story to me. First of all, it was nice that it was such a quick read. Secondly, Lucy's character isn't boring. I thought Sanjeev's character was dry, and Lucy's is a nice contrast to his. I just keep wondering what her background is. It seems like her mother loves her because she keeps sending her letters. I wonder what could have happened to make Lucy not open any of them. I hope the book ends by telling us a little about her background. Or I at least hope that we keep getting glimpses into her past thorough the story to explain some of her mannerisms. Isn't it interesting that in our culture we need an explanation of why someone is the way that they are? I remember we had this discussion about Othello and Iago. We were wondering why Iago does what he does. What is his motivation? Is there something more that jealousy? But Shakespeare didn't give us a background on Iago, nor on why Othello was so prone to jealousy as well. I think the author has given us a few hints as to why Lucy is cynical so far, but I know I want more information. Overall, it was an interesting story so far and I enjoyed it.