Reading Recall
"I hear the Indians themselves say that kinship matters more than blood and isn't that quaint. I'm sure that's why they have blood quantum rules and ancestor rolls"
Which story is this quote from?
"White Hills" (Roanhorse 32)
Monsters are made through one's perspectives. Can you think of an example from the stories that supports this claim?
e.g. The protagonist's baby in "Salt Slow" is seen as a threatening monster by its father, but is viewed with empathy and recognition by its mother
Krisztina: What is one aspect of this character's identity that is central to the story?
Young girl on the cusp of adulthood -> the lack of access to information about changes to her body
"I swam out to the centre of the lake, then spiralled up to the surface--looked across to see where the cluster of men now poked at the water with long sticks and hooks."
Which story is this quote from?
"Krisztina" (Demchuk 66-67)
How does emotional/mental transformation lead to external transformation? Give an example from one of the stories.
e.g. Krisztina's experience of betrayal by her mother prompts her physical transformation in the water
Della - "Eulogy": What is one aspect of this character's identity that is central to the story?
Christian belief vs Edisto spirituality: existing between 2 belief systems, shifting from 1 to another/both
"My brother took me into the cramped engine room with its wheezing motor and used his pocketknife to slash my long hair into the short, jagged boy's cut I still wore. 'Don't speak," he said."
"Black-Eyed Women" (Nguyen 10)
Boundaries between the dead and the living are determined through cultural belief systems. Can you think of an example from the stories that support this claim?
"Eulogy" - The resurrection of the brother can be interpreted symbolically to convey that Edisto belief that our living bodies are connected to our loved ones who have died.
Narrator - "Black-Eyed Women": What is one aspect of this character's identity that is central to the story?
"From his corner of the boat, he does what he seems capable of doing; parcels her off the larger half of whatever food they come across, rows always in the direction of more equable weather."
"Salt Slow" (Armfield 6)
In what way might catastrophe reshape social behaviour or relationships? Give an example from one of the stories.
"I've tried to forget."
"But you haven't." (Nguyen 10)
After surviving the attacks on the boat, the narrator is unable to let go of the memories of the catastrophe. Her loved ones intrude on her present-day life in their old forms.
Marissa - "White Hills": What is one aspect of this character's identity that is central to the story?
Marissa's obsession with appearance and commitment to manufacturing her own identity: physical appearance, social media, brand names; White Hills residence as marker of social success
"Our language has never come easy to me, though. My folks never spoke it, could never give it to me, but there are pieces of it I must learn."
"Eulogy for a Brother, Resurrected" (Faust 314)
How is the loss of bodily autonomy tied to the experience of social rejection? Discuss with an example from one of the stories.
"White Hills": When Marissa is forced to lose her baby, the decision is made without her consent by Elayne. This process also alienates her from her family and community through their intolerance.
Narrator - "Salt Slow": What is one aspect of this character's identity that is central to the story?
Isolation and disconnection: removed from civilization, drifting at sea, drifting apart with her partner through her 2 pregnancies (in contrast to connection with her child)