So yesterday I finished the first 29 pages of Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko and I have to say I am very confused. It is very hard to understand when it is actually the present or just a flashback of the past. So what I did understand so far is Tayo is mentally traumatized by his combat experiences during World War II and this triggers some other stuff in his childhood. One thing I really enjoy and is very different is how the author only gives just enough detail and information about was is going on. This writing style lets the reader create the rest of the image from his or her own perspective. It is interesting to read because it makes me think and use my imagination to fill in the blanks.
So Far my favorite quote in the story is "...Rocky was the one who was alive, buying Grandma her heater with the round dial on front; Rocky was there in the college game scores on the sports page of the Albuquerque Journal. It was him, Tayo, who had died, but somehow there had been a mistake with the corpses, and somehow he was still unburied." Pg 28. I picked this quote because it reflects that Tayo is truly feeling that he should not be alive and Rocky should be the one to be alive not him. I think this reflects that Tayo feels he is not providing for “grandma” and Rocky is doing a better job even though he is dead. This quote is a great example of the twisted feelings Tayo is feeling.
Some dominate literary elements I have seen so far in the reading is Similes, metaphors and personifications. A great example of a personification is “…inside the belly of the wind.” pg. 27. The wind can’t have a “belly” because it is only a human or animal characteristic. With all the different literary elements used in the book it definitely makes the book a little more bearable to read.
Hopefully the further I get along in the story I will enjoy the book a little more :D
I agree with what you said about the confusion. I was confused for about the first twenty pages when I figured out that unless he was with Harley then it was a flashback.
ReplyDeleteI chose the same quote as you, and we both had the same idea of what it meant, which is a good sign.
I hope you start to like the book more, because I do.
Do you like having to fill in the blanks because she leaves out some details? I do! But it DOES get a little confusing sometimes. Do you not like the story line or is it just all of the flashbacks and things?
ReplyDeleteSo I'm agreeing with you on the whole flashback issue it's pretty confusing. I think in order to understand you have to really pay attention to what you're reading, which is a little hard because I find the book a little boring. I hope it get's better though.
ReplyDeleteI like your quote also. Nichole picked the same one.
Thanks for the Post Tasha...I agree that the flashbacks can get a bit confusing, but good readers can navigate and use strategies to figure things out. It's actually a simple story, but the way she tells it makes it challenging.
ReplyDeleteWhoops I got mixed up...thanks for the post Natalie.
ReplyDeleteI like it when you say "fill in the blanks"; I've never been to the southwest before, but I think of pictures I've seen of the Moab in Utah. I mean, eroded sandstone everywhere, with giant tabletop mesas and spires and canyons like cracks through the earth.
ReplyDeleteAH! Natalie I agree with you on the flashback parts. Those are crazy! I also like your response to the quote it was very nice.
ReplyDeleteHey Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your favorite quote (I forgot to put it in my blog) it gives Tayo a good reason to be the way he is.