Introduction
The Collections 1 Theme deals with culture and belonging. Most of these stories discuss people immigrating to America and how they adjust to their new lives. In this WebQuest, we will be identifying the author's purpose for "The Powwow at the End of the World" and "The Latehomecomer". We will distinguish the two selections in terms of their figurative language and theme. These selections are different because one is a poem and the other is a memoir, but they both put their own spin on the theme of culture and belonging.
Task
Choose two selections from Collections 1 Theme: Culture/Belonging. Our components that we have to include are:
-Author's Purpose for both selections
-Discuss how both authors connect theme- Culture/Belonging (cite and make reflections)
-Include and explain figurative language utilized in both selections.
-Create images to represent both authors' message.
Process
From this point, we need to first read and annotate both selections. This is helpful because then we can analyze the figurative language used and draw the authors' main idea from the passages. In addition, annotating can help us identify the author's purpose and theme. Finally, using all of this information, we create a visual image for each story that represents each author's message.
Evaluation
"The Powwow at the End of the World" and "The Latehomecomer" are different because they're two different styles of writing. The author's purpose of "The Powwow at the End of the World" was to explain how the Natives are being told by people to forgive them for destroying their land, but they will not. Natives wish to bring back their cultures and traditions. The author's purpose of "The Latehomecomer" was to describe the hardships of Kao Kalia Yang's transition from Hmong to America. In Sherman Alexie's poem, he connects the theme of culture and belonging by talking about his culture. He describes in his poem how he wants his culture to come back after the dam destroyed his land. The text states,"I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall". The author makes this statement sarcastically because he can not forgive the people that destroyed his culture and livelihood. This shows a tie to the Collections 1 theme of culture because his poem is stating that he can't forgive and wants their culture and old way of living back. In Kao Kalia Yang's memoir, she connects the theme by sharing her real life experience of trying to belong in America. According to the text, "A new chapter of our lives unfolded as we strived to become Americans. We sank our roots deep into the land, took stake in the ground, and prayed to the moon that one day the wind would carry us away from our old moldy house, into a new stronger home that could not be taken away, that would not fall down on us, that would hold us safe and warm." The author compares her family to plants. This is supposed to be a representation of their strong desire to adjust to American culture. The selection, "The Powwow at the End of the World" utilizes figurative language vividly. On example of figurative language used is personifications. The poem states,"that salmon leaps into the night air above the water, throws a lightning bolt at the brush near my feet, and starts the fire which will lead all of the lost Indians home." This serves as an example of personification because the salmon can't actually throw lightning bolts at his feet. Another example used in Sherman's poem is "after an Indian woman puts her shoulder to the Grand Coulee Dam and topples it." This can be classified as an idiom because it does not mean what it says. "The Latehomecomer" also uses figurative language to tie together the theme of culture and belonging. For example, imagery is used in the memoir. This helps the reader to sense what's happening in the story. The text states, "...the scent of jasmine rice and fish steamed with ginger mingled heavily with the scent of freshly booked pepperoni pizza." This description uses the sense of smell. It represents the mixing of Hmong and American cultures. Kao Kalia Yang also uses similes to help the reader visualize the events that happened. The memoir states, "I could hear the pounding of my heart in my ears, very loud and deep, like a hollow cry from my chest." The comparison suggest the author's pain and implies a warning that it is serious. Figurative language in "The Latehomecomer" added meaning to the memoir. It played a big role in tying the storyline together. Although the two stories have different characterizations, they both revolve around the theme of culture and belonging.
Conclusion
Overall, we found the connection between "The Latehomecomer" and "The Powwow at the End of the World" and how they relate to culture and belonging. First, we annotated both of the selections to get a better understanding of the main idea and "hidden messages". Using the annotations, we identified the author's purpose, the connection to culture and belonging, and the different uses of figurative language in both of the passages. Finally, we created a visual image for each selection to represent the authors' message. We did this using power point and combined multiple images into one for each text. The poem and the memoir describe culture and belonging in two different ways.
Credits
"The Powwow at the End of the World" by Sherman Alexie
"The Latehomecomer" by Kao Kalia Yang