Blog #15: Interrogation Addiction

I definitely found myself agreeing with Ms. Silko even before I began reading her essay. I have heard so many horror stories about Border Patrol and I have experienced and seen them in action. I do agree that Border Patrol puts people into stereotypes and immediately jumps on those who match it or even those who don’t. It’s this “dehumanizing” and “demonizing” that is striking fear into people. I know that the Border Patrol officers probably are more prone to asking colored people to “step out” or strip down for the officers or to have dogs search their trunks. When Silko talked about the patrol’s dog and the dog’s expressions and how “it was if she were embarrassed to be associated with them” made me feel like this dog was a way of dehumanizing Silko. She feels so violated of her human rights by the officers that the only thing she can connect and find sympathy with is an animal, not a human. The part about the patrollers allowing white people to just be waved through the checkpoint is true from my understanding. Last Spring, I went to a dance convention called ACDFA in Las Cruses, New Mexico with some dancers in the TCU Dance department. We were in a huge charter bus that TCU paid for and the bus driver was a middle aged, clean cut, white man. As the bus neared the Border Patrol station my heart sank as I feared a patrol man would come onto the bus and inspect all that was inside. Luckily, the driver just rolled down the window he told the men where we from, where we were going and we went right through without any problem. On the other hand, as we sitting there, I noticed a green, old, beat up, van with the trunk open and patrol men gathered around. We departed before anything interesting happened, but I could only imagine what the people inside the car were thinking and what happened to them. When thinking about this image I instantly clicked with Silko’s story about her and Gus and the old man who were pulled over and had his car searched. I’ve always found this issue so dehumanizing and a violation of human rights. Yes we live in a free country, but are we really “free?” This even happens at airports now as the TSA can search anyone for no reason just as Border Patrol. My dad is ALWAYS picked to be searched and I suspect it’s because he is very tall, domineering looking, and German, you wouldn’t want to make him mad, but he’s no convict. This frustrates him more than anything especially since he is an upper class, white male, which I guess all comes back around to Silko’s finding that “ no person, no citizen, is free to travel without the scrutiny of the Border Patrol.”

Blog #14: The Things I'd Carry

If I were in Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s army I wouldn’t want to bring much since I know I would not want to carry much, but it’s difficult for me to say what I’d carry. I have often though about what few things I’d take from my house if it were burning down and I can never give a straight forward answer. However, if I had had to pick a few tangible items for this army situation I probably carry letters, pictures, gum, soap, knife, gun, lighter, nylon-covered flak jacket, ammunition, water container, chapstick, some form of a good luck charm, and an iPod or music device. I’d carry gum because it would help my breath and I chew gum when I am nervous. I’d carry soap because I am a very clean and hygienic person. I’d carry a knife, gun, and ammunition for protection as well as the flak jacket because O’Brien said everyone had to carry one of these due to booby-traps and mines. I’d carry a lighter to make a fire or light up a dark place. I’d carry a water container because everyone needs water to stay hydrated. As for the letters, pictures, and good luck charm it would be for sentimental reasons. I love pictures, they allow me escape the moment and remember back to when the picture took place and it fills me up with joy and hope. I also love reading old text messages and letters would be a form of a text that I could reminisce over, and it would allow me to feel like that person was with me. The good luck charm (whatever it may be) would also allow me to escape the world in which I was in and transport to the other world where I wanted to be with that person. Lastly, I’d carry and iPod or music device because music calms me, and has a way to help me cope with any situation I am in or whatever emotion I am dealing with at the time. However, along with these tangible items I’d carry some intangible things as well such as fear, terror, love, longing, my life, and other emotional baggage that O’Brien mentioned. The thought of fighting in a war fills me with terror beyond anything in this world, and I would constantly be afraid that something would happen to me. Then, like Lt. Cross I’d get distracted from the war by daydreaming and floating into limbo about the pictures, letters, and music I was carrying.  

Blog #13: To Achieve or Not to Achieve

In Zitkala-Sa’s story The School Days Of An India Girl I interpreted that at the beginning of her story she was living the American Dream, but didn’t want to partake in it. Throughout parts I-VI she seemed to be resisting her education and she wanted no part in the assimilation of the white culture. She admits, “I had arrived in the wonderful land of rosy skies, but I was not happy, as I thought I should be” (430). The way the “palefaces” cut off all the Indian girl’s hair felt like they were dehumanizing her and taking away her culture forcing her to submit to the white culture. She says, “Our mothers had taught us that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy” (431). This dehumanization forces her to “loose her spirit” and she feels like “one of many animals driven by a herder” (431). Although she is receiving an education, which is a huge part of achieving the American Dream, I don’t think being forced into an education qualifies “living the American Dream.” She says multiple times how this new school is affecting her in negative ways. She refers to “chains which tightly bound [her] individuality like a mummy for burial” (434). I think the American Dream is something that people made a conscience decision to achieve, they knew what they wanted, and knew how to achieve it whereas Zitkala-Sa is being forced into education and what the white man views as the American Dream while sacrificing her beliefs, culture, and ways of life. However, I think this changes in part VII as she receives a diploma and is in college about to compete in a competition for which her mother is against. This time Zitkala-Sa wants to achieve the American Dream and is even willing to go against her mother’s will to achieve it. She even ends up winning prizes in both competitions even though some audience members show prejudice against her. I think that in this part of her story the American Dream is prevalent as she is fighting against all odds to achieve her dream.    

Blog #12: Favorite Sentence

My favorite sentence in Hawaii’s Story is, “Shakespeare has said it is excellent to have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.” This quote reminded me of the picture of McKinley washing the Philippine baby and the concept of imperialism that we talked about in class on Tuesday. America is this large, dominating, super power and they were constantly trying to get people and nations to change their ways and cultures so that they would become American like. Instead of trying to use American influence, technology, and knowledge as power and use it as an opportunity to help educate these Hawaiians, the American government instead forced them to change their way of life and government, thus creating this “tyrannous” image to the native Hawaiians.