Chapter 5: Ceremony and Healing Twentieth-Century America

     As I approach the end of the book, I realize that often times my perception of the book is sometimes misguided.  I often feel frustrated that what the author Bruce Goebel discusses is irrelevant to my needs.  He presents how to incorporate Native American literature to non-Native students.  In my frustration, I missed the overall value of the activities that he describes.

     In this chapter he maps out a read, paired selection, reread activity based around the novel Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.  Unlike some of the other pieces of literature described in the book, this novel is set in modern times.  “Haunted by the sterile logic of Western society and tempted by the drunken escape of his fellow veterans [military], Tayo instead chooses to carry out his late uncle’s dreams of raising cattle that are crossbred or survival in the harsh Southwest” (p. 100).

     By blending historical and modern aspects, students are given a glimpse into real world issues that many Native American students face today.  Goebel makes a point that is so valuable, that I felt silly for not picking up on it before.  He stresses that along with the historical pieces of literature, teachers should also include these modern stories to show the balance between traditional and contemporary ways of life.

     Just when I think that I am getting the hang of this teaching thing…