Just Once

This story saddens me. These guys were friends growing up, then one of them got a little “weird” and no one talked to him anymore. This makes me sad because you shouldn't stop talking to someone you like just because other people think they are weird or crazy. So what if he tells stories and talks to himself? These guys should have stayed friends. Friends fight. That is not unique to this story. Sometimes they get over it and move on, sometimes they don't.
The fight these guys had was because one of them was drunk. It should have been alright soon after, but it wasn't, ever.
Then when the other guy needs help, money or otherwise to get his father's remains from Phoenix, the weird guy was the only one who could help him. Isn't it funny how things happen like that?
The story goes back ad forth between stories from their past and the trip they are taking. I like that a lot actually. It keeps things interesting.
There are stories of themselves and his father-- how his father helped the other man when he was younger. He was his vision.
I think the story should have ended with them being friends. Like I said, so what if he talks to himself a little and rambles stories? Stories are fun. I think I'd be his friend. I'd listen to his stories, more than just once, and I'd most likely enjoy them as well.

Americanization of the Indian Novel

Who really should write an Indian novel? Should this be reserved for those who are themselves Native American, or at least those who have lived long in their culture? I thin this is the only way to properly represent a culture, with the exception of those who have done long extensive research. There are always exceptions, but few. (note to Dr. G: I omitted “very”)
This poem is full of satire. All of the tragedy and half-breeds show this. Alexie paints a picture that most of us have already seen. It's a picture of alcohol-ridden Indians, copper-skinned females, and paper white males the women love.
This represents how the novels have been written for years. It is silly. There's no need for all the stereotypical falsehoods in this poem, is there? Would people still read them if they were omitted, and is that actually the point behind it?
I think I would prefer to read something more based on fact than the silliness represented in this poem.

Truganini

We discussed in class whether or not it is alright to put yourself in another person's or people's shoes and write about their culture. No one can really answer that, because it is a matter of opinion. The discussion was brought on by “Truganini”, a poem.
The poet puts herself in the shoes of an Aborigine, the last one to be specific. Should a Native American person, who did not live that life, put herself in those shoes? I think it's o.k.
This is because these people are no longer around, there could only be a limited amount of research done. She couldn't have lived among the people to get a better grasp on it, so I think she did what she could with what she had, and she ran with it.
I don't think it's a bad thing to get out your feelings, and obviously, she had some feelings about this people, or the poem wouldn't have been written. Maybe she related to them. You can't deny that there are certain similarities in the way they lived/were treated.
I stand on the “it's o.k.” side of this debate.

Fleur

I'm not sure what to think of this story.
Did Fleur breed with a god? Who is her offspring? What happened the night before the tornado? Was it Fleur who caused it?

I'd like to think so. She exacted her revenge. She took refuge in the company of a young awkward girl. Beauty if a powerful thing, but apparently the ability to play poker is more powerful. She took what was hers, no matter how she came about obtaining it.

This story makes me kind of happy because a strong, misunderstood woman made her mark, and people knew it. They didn't know how they knew it, but they did.

Slacker... well not really.

I admittedly did not read Blood Meridian, and I don't want to. I have a really weak stomach, and I have a feeling it would make me sick. My imagination runs off with me sometimes, and weird things happen. I probably would even have nightmares.
I can't make myself read it. I heard it was gory, violent, and gross, before we were supposed to have it read. I thought I'd wait and listen to the discussion, before reading it. That way I'd have an idea of what I was about to read, yes that is very slacker of me. However, when I heard the discussion, I knew I did not want to read it. I did sit down several times to read it, but I could not get past the first few sentences.

Hmmmm

I'm not quite sure the point to this story... other than “there's always an opening for a cowboy.” We've read a lot of things for this class, moth of which I got the point. This one was just kind of silly to me. The man gets old working for who I thought to be an old couple, but they are siblings. The lady hits on him and gets mad when he isn't into her like that, and she stops making him pies, except on his birthday.
The old sumbitch doesn't care what happened in the hand's past, and that is rare these days. Most people judge you based on you past and the stupid decisions you've made. Lord knows I've made my fair share and have been judged based on them. I don't think this is fair at all, so I kind of admire the old sumbitch in the story for being able to ignore the past and trust someone who has never wronged him.

Brokeback Western

A lot of people want to say that BBM is not a Western, simply because it is about homosexuals. This is not a reason to just up-and-say that a media does not fit into a genre. That's like saying Family Matters isn't a sitcom because it's about an African American family. Are you offended? You should be. That statement is no more correct than saying BBM is not a Western. They wrangled, fished, loved, faught, and believed... in my opinion that is indeed a Western, no matter the orientation of its characters.