• How does this poem combine the images of war with the ideas of birth and death?

The poem specifically talks about the death of an Iraqi solider.  The images of a burnt, dead body leave nothing to the imagination and give a sense of despair and for lack of a better term, death to the reader.  At the same time though, it is hard to imagine that life could be present as well.  In every death, there is a rebirth.  This is especially true when some form of religion is added into the equation.  The words wife, baby, and sperm all add to the same ideal that even though one life is ending, another is just about to start.

• Why does the author focus on the idea of sperm banks and procreation in the portrayal of the atrocities of war?

With war, there is always death.  The soldiers fighting in this war obviously had to of known that there would be the risk of death in the service.  As a precaution or maybe just to give their wives peace of mind, the went to a sperm bank and preserved the possibility for future offspring.  I think the author wanted to somehow make war seem like a ridiculous act that men would actually freeze their sperm to make sure they would be able to live on even if they did die.  It is almost like war couldn't kill them completely.

• Why is it important that the Iraqui soldier is talking to a poet rather than just a journalist?

A journalist would tell the facts or maybe exaggerate them for a more interesting story but the poet would show the many layers to the story.  There would be feeling, emotion, ideas, thoughts, and many other aspects that a journalist would not be able to portray especially through a straight article report.  It also is a matter of what side the journalist was on and if the article would turn out being biased or not.

With freedom to be who you are and what you are, it is a definition of individuality. People decide on a day to day basis how they want to be perceived. Although, my response to this reaction was not anything close to this one. I wasn't exactly sure on how to take the story when I first read it. I looked at the story as something that unidentified a person but not exactly was from the idea of freedom to decide and perception of self.

I think the author was effective in getting her point across. It makes sense to say that as one does wrong, they are stripped of their rights and in this case, name. It seems like such a little thing to do but in retrospect, it has a large effect on the individuality of that said person.

A lion is a large animal similar to a cat. They are one of the most dominant animals in the wild and you can find them often in Africa. They have large mains and are preditors. Basically, if you are a Lion, you are in charge.

A lioness is a female lion. They do not have as much hair as the male lion. They take care of the young and even though they are females, they have a strong influence of their societies.

The similarities between the two is that they are both from the same species. They eat the same food, the both reproduce, they both hunt, they both are intimidating.
The differences are, the gender of the lions, the behavior and how they act towards other lions is different, the hunting and gathering of food. The core differences would be their behaviors and their gender.

In the story, She Un-names them, it seemed very  much like the Adam and Eve story and at the same time, like the Noah's ark story.  There was obviously some biblical influence on the story.  It seemed odd that the Yak would be so secure in the title of the their names.  I didn't quite understand the part about a gift being re-gifted since I couldn't find the original gift.  Maybe the gift was the name that they were given.

In the story Journey of the Magi, it was another story influenced by the bible.  It almost showed the other side to the Magi's.  They were talking about drinking, and carrying on in a manner not familiar to those of which we normally think about when we think of Magi's.  The birth of Christ was also described from the perspective of someone in favor of the Magi's rather than solely focusing on Christ.

In the story, A Cold Coming, I think the title has a lot to do with the actual text.  Within the story, the author talks about the sex and reproducing.  And to be perfectly honest and crude, coming is another word used for ejaculating.  When saying cold coming, that's basically saying he is dead but his sperm is still being used.  It is a morbid thing to think about someone's life being continued from his sperm even after their death.

Christina Hoffecker
English 102--066
April 8, 2008SWA 10
I have decided to use “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” by Sherman Alexie. In this story, there are many cultural and historic aspects. The culture that is specifically talked about is one that as a society, we have somewhat overlooked. The speaker is a Native American living in Washington state recalling his life as the challenges he was faced with. He pulls in the racial and ethnic discrimination that was shown towards him and people of similar race into the story. There is also the mention of the land rewarded to the Indians in the 1900’s which clearly adds to the historical influences. I am not at all familiar with Native American culture. Although, even with this being said, I plan to argue that the speaker in this story has a distorted view on how Native American’s fit into today’s society.

Christina Hoffecker
English 102--066
April 8, 2008SWA 10
I have decided to use “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” by Sherman Alexie. In this story, there are many cultural and historic aspects. The culture that is specifically talked about is one that as a society, we have somewhat overlooked. The speaker is a Native American living in Washington state recalling his life as the challenges he was faced with. He pulls in the racial and ethnic discrimination that was shown towards him and people of similar race into the story. There is also the mention of the land rewarded to the Indians in the 1900’s which clearly adds to the historical influences. I am not at all familiar with Native American culture. Although, even with this being said, I plan to argue that the speaker in this story has a distorted view on how Native American’s fit into today’s society.

Christina Hoffecker
English 102-066
April 7, 2008
Annotated Bibliography-SWA 8 and 9
Boeck, Greg. “The Native American barrier; Few athletes make it to college; cultural forces hinder progress” USA Today, 22 Feb. 2007: pg 1CIn this article, the author talks about how Native American athletes are somewhat looked over and have to try much harder than their other raced counterparts to get noticed. It is funny that there should be an article talking about sports and college since in the story, the speaker mentioned that he was going to be the one to get away, to succeed in college and be really good at sports. I can use this article to argue that Native Americans do consider themselves different and will go to all lengths (in this articles case, moving to a different high school) to be noticed.
“A Tribal Question; Native American children should not be harmed by a law intended to preserve Indian families” The Washington Post 9 October 2007: pg A16
In this article, they talk about how social injustice and domestic violence can be somewhat overlooked due to the ethnicity of the individual, which in this case is Native American. In the story, the speaker stays close with his family and understand the importance of having one. Even in his situation where he lives at home, his mother still helps him out. I can use this article to back up the statement that within Native American culture, their idea of family is a bit different than ours which in turn, affects how they live their lives from day to day.
Miller, Jennifer. “Native Americans enlist for turf and tribe” Christian Science Monitor 20 August 2007: pg 20
With this article, the author talks about how important land is to Native Americans. It is no secret that much of their land was stripped from them and in replacement, second rate land was handed over with much consideration. The reservation was a place that the Speaker in the story knew he had a home. Even when things started to go sour with his girlfriend, he knew he’d always have a place to go at the reservation. In my paper, it would be very easy to say that with Native American’s associating a piece of shared land as their home, they are further isolating with the norms of society.
Davolt, Steve. “Wells Fargo makes inroads with minority outreach” Employee Benefit News, 1 July 2006
It is nothing out of the ordinary to understand that Native Americans are nowhere as well of as their non-Native American counterparts. With this being the case, many lack the sufficient resources needed to live a basic life. That is when companies come into play. By helping out, they are not only advertising to the Native American community but they are also showing the country that they care for the forgotten minority. This gives evidence that many Native Americans usually end up working at jobs that are less than desirable and still then, they can’t seem to get bye very well.
Genocchio, Ben. “Visions of Native Americans in Today's World” The New York Times 17 Sept. 2006: pg 10.
This article nicely describes the culture aspect and history found with Native Americans. It describes how art played a large role in describing everyday life, rituals, and customs. It is very important because these are the things that help set Native Americans apart from other ethnic groups. We look largely at how they conduct their lives and make judgments accordingly. I think it is important to know the historical and cultural background in arguing about this story. With out knowledge about their past, you wouldn’t have any clout in saying that Native American’s are able to isolate themselves due to their cultural practices.
Shaughnessy, Dan. “They've had some chief concerns” The Boston Globe 12 October 2007: SPORTS; Pg. C5
In this particular article, the subject of discrimination is a major concern. Many of us know that it has been a long standing tradition to name sports teams after characters with the Native American or “Indian” being one of them. The portrayed image separates the group further away from todays society and culture by showing a grotesque image supposed to be a Native American. It is not the Native American’s fault that they are treated differently especially when society wants to show them as one way when they are really something completely different.

In comparison to the different versions, I would have to say the big differences would be the actions are less clear in the first version compared to the second version. The language is a bit set in country slang. The stories are the same just the second one is simplified.

The draw backs to the first one would be: The language is not exactly clear when they are describing the situations. I had a hard time following the italicized parts. Another draw back would be keeping the characters straight from moving back and forth between the past and the present.

The pros to the first one would be: This is obviously the original so the story originated from this play. It gives us a sense of how the people talked and carried themselves in the day and age.


The Second one was a simpled version and it was easier to understand. Some of the dialect was lost due to a clarification in the language thus losing some of the character in the play. It was easier to follow and I didn't get confused at all.

I think the first one was better for cultural and historical analysis. The dialect and the setting was a direct link to the culture and historical background. In the second one, everything was watered down so they lost these aspects.

In historical themes, Anorexic pulls from the Salem witch trials that occurred during the 1700’s. This is a direct link to what had occurred in past accusations. For cultural background, all girls know about eating disorders. The diseases that are caused by the need to be thin are ingrained in a females mind from a very young age. I know some about the Salem Witch Trials from school but I know much more about eating disorders from person experiences with friends, family, and myself.

The clues from this story are the witch and the python. I think religion is being pulled into this poem. The context makes the poem sound like the Bible story of Adam and Eve. The sin of eating an apple was punishable by death. They are significant because that is the justification for starvation in this story. Eating is a sin and must be avoided at all costs.

I would like to have more information on the Salem Witch Trials. I think with that I’d be able to expand on the supposed sins committed by these people. It would also be useful to look over the Adam and Eve story again just for a refresher. My key words would be Heretic, python, claustrophobia, half-truths.