Group Project Blog Draft

For my portion I'd like to first have the link to Thomas' myspace page followed by the video of Thomas followed by the text on Thomas, then the video of John Wayne's Teeth followed by the text on JWT. Here's are my revised texts.

Thomas

In the film, Thomas is portrayed as a nerdy, eccentric, smiling young man. In the text, he seems to be more somber and stoic. There is an interesting scene in the film where Victor implores Thomas to “get stoic.” In this scene Victor is for good or ill perpetuating an American Indian stereotype. We get these stereotypes from a variety of sources, the television show “The Lone Ranger” is one. In this show Tonto is a generic representation of the Indian warrior stereotype. It is this image that Victor is trying to invoke when he tells Thomas to undo his braids and “lose the suit.” In his article “Smoke or Signals? American Popular Culture and the Challenge to Hegemonic Images of American Indians in Native American Film” John Mihelich argues that the film Smoke Signals attempts to humanize the American Indian by “developing a complex human portrayal of contemporary Indians.” Thomas is a complex character, he embodies a blend of traditional American Indian traits and contemporary American ones. This is evident when he unties his braids and puts on the “Frybread Power” T-shirt. This shirt itself represents the nature of the contemporary American Indian as being a hybrid of old and new. The shirt also seems to be a playful statement about the difficulty associated with this hybrid identity. In both the text and the film Thomas serves as a kind of spiritual guide for Victor. His storytelling frustrates Victor more in the movie than in the text, but in both cases Thomas’ stories help Victor come to terms with his identity. In the story “The Trial of Thomas Builds-The-Fire” Thomas is described as being a threat to the BIA and white culture in general. He is described as having “A storytelling fetish accompanied by an extreme need to tell the truth. Dangerous.” We do not get this same sense of Thomas being a direct threat to the hegemony in the film. However, in the film Thomas does indirectly undermine the hegemonic images of American Indians.

JWT

"John Wayne's Teeth" Alexie mocks the "greatest" cowboy of all-time. According to Jim Charles' essay "Contemporary American Indian Life in 'The Owl's Song' and 'Smoke Signals" "John Wayne's Teeth" is a humorous "49" song, this style of song comes from the Kiowa Indians but has spread throughout American Indian culture. The 49 refers to 1849, a time which is thought of fondly as the "good old days." These songs are traditionally sung at social Pow-Wow dances. Daniel Gelo's article "Powwow Patter: Indian Emcee Discourse on Power and Identity" provides further historical information about the "49" song's origins. At the 1911 Caddo County Fair there was a side-show titled "Girls of 49" this song was a tribute to the gold rush of 1849. The Kiowa Indians were not allowed to attend these "49" side-shows, so they started their own "49's." Rather than focusing on the gold rush, these songs covered a wide range of topics from war journeys to nonsense humorous powwow songs.

Thomas Links

http://www.myspace.com/thomasbornof_flameandash
thomas' myspace page (fictional)

Dr. evan adams youtube video on Thomas builds the fire

Group Project

I'd like to go with option C. We could use various multi-media sources to create a website that would provide a contextual background for the two texts. For my part of the assignment I would like to focus on Post-colonial theory. I'd like to apply the writings of Homi Bhabha and Frantz Fanon to discuss these two texts and American Indian literature in general. And if there's a way to implement a power-point slide show I'd like to do that as well.

Alexie Summary Application

David Lyon

Eng 254

Alexie Summary Application

May 13, 2009


Summary:

Coulombe argues that Alexie uses humor as an all-purpose multi-tool. The multiple uses of this humor manifest themselves in Alexie’s characters. In a single moment a character will be using humor to accomplish several objectives. The characters use humor to assert themselves amidst prejudice and ignorance. At the same time they may be using humor to mask their insecurities. They may also use humor to simultaneously unite and divide groups of people. At times he uses the humor to challenge the assumptions of the reader. He forces the reader to rethink the American Indian - White dynamic. By using humor Alexie does not allow the reader to ever be comfortable, his humor creates a sense of tension and instability which mirrors reality. He quotes Bahtkin as saying that humor "demolishes fear and piety." Coulombe argues that Alexie does not want his reader to fear American Indian issues nor does he want the reader to be moved to silence by piety. He argues that Alexie's humor creates a space where people of different backgrounds and races can come together and think about the nature of the American Indian - White relationship. According to Coulombe Alexie’s often irreverent humor allows the reader to approach difficult issues with a sense of ease in that they do not feel the need to be politically correct. Continuing the theme of simultaneity, Alexie’s humor also creates a sense of uneasiness within the reader.
Coulombe also notices that Alexie's humor sometimes alienates him as a writer and his characters from their loved ones. This alienation is one characteristic of the Trickster character in American Indian folklore. Coulombe argues that Alexie, in many ways embodies the characteristics of the Trickster character. However, he also asserts that Alexie departs from the Trickster tradition in that he offers viable examples of how the world can be better. Through the character of Victor the reader sees an example of an American Indian who manages to achieve a certain degree of enlightenment. The classic Trickster character is exclusively devious, and does not aim for cultural improvement the way that Alexie does. He wraps up this essay by asserting that humor ultimately shows us how we are alike, and helps us to be playful about our differences.

Application:

Coulombe argues that Alexie's characters use humor to hide their own pain both physical (The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor) and emotional (Every Little Hurricane). In The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor Jimmy uses humor to cope with his large cancerous tumor. He compares the tumor to a baseball and goes on to make many jokes using this premise. This joking upsets Jimmy’s girlfriend Norma so much that the couple temporarily break up. Although Jimmy seems to be aloof, we as readers understand that he is using his humor to lighten the burden of his disease. His humor is the only weapon Jimmy has to fight the pain of his tumor. His characters also use humor as a way to respond to racism without rage, this is evident when James and Norma are stopped by the police officer and they both playfully tease him with humor rather than getting upset.
Coulombe says that Alexie’s humor is used to create a space within which cultural exchange is possible. This space is both safe and dangerous simultaneously. The space is safe because it is without taboo, meaning that both sides need not fear reprisal for speaking their mind. The space is dangerous because it is the contact point between two different paradigms, this will inevitably result in some conflict. In the title story The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven the narrator plays with this zone of contact. The narrator finds himself in a 7-11 late at night. In this closed space he is forced to exchange words with the white clerk. Through his thoughts and actions we see how the narrator eventually uses humor to first disturb and then to put the clerk at ease. The narrator initially playfully toys with the clerks apparent prejudice against young Indian men. He subtly embodies the stereotype which has been placed on him. Eventually though, he calms the clerk by making a joke about the Brady Bunch television program. In this instance the narrator is the protagonist, he initiates the action, he controls the situation, and he understands the relationship between himself and the clerk. The clerk on the other hand remains purely reactionary throughout the story. The clerk does not initiate action, he is manipulated by the narrator, and he is ignorant of the narrator’s intentions. This seems to show how Alexie uses humor to take control of the dynamic between American Indians and Whites. Alexie and the narrator both initiate contact, they establish the zone of contact, and they both seem to have an oversight of the nature of the relationship. This relationship seems to illustrate why Alexie uses his irreverent humor. The onus is on Alexie to open the hearts and minds of his readers, he must take the lead and antagonize the reader. Alexie must assume that his readers will be passive in the same way as the clerk of the seven eleven. Humor is the vehicle chosen by Alexie to break through the potential complacency and ignorance of his readers.















Works Cited

Coulombe, Joseph. “The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie’s Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” American Indian Quarterly 26 (winter 2002) : p. 94-115. Project Muse. Ohio University Lib. Athens, OH.

Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. 2nd. New York: Grove Atlantic Press, 2005. Print.

Coulombe Summary

Coulombe argues that Alexie uses humor as an all-purpose multi-tool. At times he uses the humor to challenge the assumptions of the reader. He forces the reader to rethink the American Indian - White dynamic. By using humor Alexie does not allow the reader to ever be comfortable, his humor creates a sense of tension and instability which mirrors reality. He quotes Bahtkin as saying that humor "demolishes fear and piety." Coulombe argues that Alexie does not want his reader to fear American Indian issues nor does he want the reader to be moved to silence by piety. He argues that Alexie's humor creates a space where people of different backgrounds and races can come together and think about the nature of the American Indian - White relationship. Coulombe also argues that Alexie's characters use humor to hide their own pain both physical (The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor) and emotional (Every Little Hurricane). His characters also use humor as a way to respond to racism without rage, this is evident when Victor and Sadie are stopped by the police officer and they both playfully tease him with humor rather than getting upset. Coulombe also notices that Alexie's humor sometimes alientates him as a writer and his characters from their loved ones. He wraps up this essay by asserting that humor ultimately shows us how we are alike, and helps us laugh at our differences.

Alexie Response 2

The jimi hendrix story deals with the idea of colonization of the mind of American Indians. The narrator's father was arrested for anti-war protests. At woodstock he loved Hendrix's rendition of the star-spangled banner. This would seem like evidence that he loved America and was patriotic. However, Hendrix's version is a distorted psychadelic interpretation of the national anthem. His song seems like a satirical statement about America in light of the Vietnam War. I would argue that Victor's father has never been completely colonized. He refused to fight in the war, protested against it, and loves Hendrix's satirical anthem.

Alexie Response 1

Alexie's self-assessment is extremely accurate. He definitely charms the reader with humor frequently and then hits them on the head with dark politics. As I read more and more of his stories I notice myself anticipating the darker side so for me his humor doesn't have as much of a sedating effect. I still found myself laughing out loud at times. In the hurricane story the humor is pretty dark, if you find alcoholism humorous as I do then this story is a knee-slapper. He juxtaposes a wild party, with an innocent child experiencing all the debauchery. The two uncles fighting in the snow was pretty humorous, the fact that they always fight for no apparent reason. If this story had been told from the perspective of an adult it would be more humorous, but since it is through the eyes of a child we feel sorry for the little kid. This seems to be one of the ways that Alexie makes his points, by telling us the story from the perspective of innocents.