Marc's experience waiting for winter break

 Two more weeks, fourteen more days, three hundred and thirty six hours left until fall quarter ends and winter break begins. If you couldn't tell, I'm ecstatic for winter break to begin. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my first quarter in college and had a lot of fun meeting many wonderful new people in my classes, but I can't deny that my desire to sleep-in and do nothing is quite big. My motivation to get through with finals and begin break is through the roof.

For my finals I luckily just have two exam based finals, Calculus and business 70 :( , my other two classes, Cultures and Ideas and Critical thinking and writing, instead have written assignments for their respective finals. There isn't much I can do but study until the day of my calculus and business final, but for my other classes I've been working on their final daily so that I can get it out of my plate quickly. I still have quite a bit of work left on those finals but I'm getting there.

My motivation to persevere through these stressful times is having the ability to visit my friends, taking precautions of course, and spending time with them without worrying about any classwork after exams. Right now my friends and I decided to cancel our plans for the following weekend to allow one another to destress and prepare themselves for the respective finals. The testing environment is in the air, and many of us are ready to get it over with.

I hope that all of you finish your finals strong and end with the grade you desired. If you don't get the grade you desire though, don't sweat it -- you don't need a letter grade for me to think you're smart. I believe each and everyone one of you are a genius in your own way.

Good Luck!!!

Marc's experience with the final question on the microlecture

For the final microlecture, my peers and I were prompted with the questions, "What are the ongoing effects of settler colonialism? Where do you see this in Tommy Orange's novel?" and were asked to reflect on it in our blog post for this week. After some thinking and reflecting on my personal experiences, I believe I can list a few of the negative ongoing effects of settler colonialism.

I can see the ongoing effect in the present through my viewing of Shannon Rivers’s experience as a Native American that Santa Clara University hosted on October 12, 2020. On that day, students, faculty, and myself connected to a zoom call that Shannon River's led to talk about his experience as an indigenous person. In his call it was awful to hear about the restrictive zoning that was placed on his native lands and the inability for his tribespeople to economically support themselves. Shannon Rivers discussed how that the land they were zoned to was infertile and didn't allow the people to cultivate off the land. As a response to the need for food, the American government delivered shipments of unhealthy food that lacked the necessary vitamins for people to remain healthy.  As a result, Shannon Rivers told us that many of his tribespeople became diabetic with a lack of nutrients.

In There There I can see the long term effects of this colonialism as seen in the lack of knowledge certain characters in the text exhibit towards their native roots. Many characters such as Edwin, Dene, Orvil, and others in the story wish to learn more about their culture, but don't have the information readily available to them. In an effort to colonize the Native Americans, American's didn't inform the public very well about the history of the indigenous people. In the text ─ seen with Dene trying to record and gather whatever information he has ─ in real life ─ with tales twisting the past such as Disney's Pocahontas.

Marc's Experience with the There There Quote

 On page 279 of Tommy Orange's There There, there's an excerpt that connects the themes of performing arts with historical reality. This excerpt is "for a second Jacquie thinks it might be some kind of performance-art piece. All these people in regalia on the ground like it's a massacre. She remembers what her mom told her and Opal about Alcatraz, how a small group of Indians first took over Alcatraz, just five or six of them, took it over as a piece of performance art five years before it really happened." (Orange 279). I believe the connection brought between performance arts with historical reality is that the arts mimic human nature and the events of the past.

I came to this understanding through my prior knowledge of the Occupation of Alcatraz. As for this book, I decided to pursue my research excursion on the occupation of Alcatraz that Jacquie, Opal, and her mother partake in earlier in the book. Without delving too deep into the subject, I learned that this occupation was a form of protest to show to American's how Native American's were being treated as prisoners of their own country. I wanted to bring up this knowledge of the occupation to discuss how it ended and the American's response to this form of protest. After a few months, United States federal troops infiltrated the land and used armed force to end the protest of people. I believe that it is this reference to the use of violence in the quote that Jacquie is making. 

When Jacquie sees the events transpiring within the powwow, I believe that she sees it in the form of a theatrical tragedy. Jacquie bares witness to the suffering of Native American's once again with her own eyes and sees the events of history repeat itself. In my opinion, this quote ties into the bigger theme of the story showing how mistreatment of Native American's continue to linger in modern day society.

Marc's Experience with micro lecture 2

 View microlecture 2 on There There and share your thoughts. What did you learn and how did it make you think differently about There There or indigenous literature?

As I viewed the third micro lecture on There There it was really interesting to read about the land Santa Clara University sits on and the home I reside in. I live in the Bay Area, so I too reside on the Ohlone tribe's land. My knowledge on the subject before this micro lecture was limited, so I found it fascinating to learn more about my home land.

The first part of the micro lecture focused on how Santa Clara University arrived to the point it is. Viewing how much the land changed before it became the university all of us are attending was crazy, especially given the such a short time frame. The land was once under the Mexican government before America took over the land, then became a place of livestock and agriculture, before becoming the university we reside in now that lies within one of the most revolutionary places in the world: the Bay Area. This land has passed through so many hands to get to this point, it was really interesting to see which hands and why.

Kelci continued with the micro lecture to discuss how and where we can further our knowledge in this subject. She told us about the school's mission in recording the history and of the museum on campus that has items for students to see of the past. Once campus opens up again it'll be really interesting to enter the archives and museums to learn more about the Ohlone tribe's land. 

I've actually chatted with Kelci about this outside of class and learned about Tommy Orange's visit to the campus and conference he held here. Since Tommy Orange is familiar with the area I'm interested to see how my conception of the land differs from his in There There.

Marc's Experience with Micro Lecture 1 part B

 View microlecture 1, part B on There There and share your thoughts. What did you learn and how did it make you think differently about There There or indigenous literature?

As I viewed this micro lecture I often thought of the story we read earlier in the quarter, Hayy bin Yaqzan and thought of its message that human beings, no matter how far apart or disconnected with modern society, will always come together to one common truth. My rather odd connection to this text came through the examples of the indigenous objects showcased in the micro lecture.

The most prominent item to me that was discussed was the star maps that were discussed in the micro lecture. This example reminded me of the protagonist in Hayy ibn Yaqzan finding his own understanding of astronomy while being isolated on the island. When looking at the Native American side of this perspective, it made me think of how similar their society was to the European society that invaded their lands. Both groups were coming to their own understanding of the world, with Europeans looking towards Galileo's knowledge of the world and the Native Americans looking at the star map. Another example that helped me view this interconnectedness between the two societies was the writing within Lone Dog's Buffalo Robe and how it connected to the European's side of storing knowledge and stories.

This message of interconnectedness that arrived from this micro lecture is going to be interesting to apply in Tommy Orange's There There. I believe I'll be able to see it in how the separate characters in the story converge within the big powwow event in the story.

Marc's Experience with Micro lecture 1 Part A

 View microlecture 1, part A on There There and share your thoughts. What did you learn and how did it make you think differently about There There or indigenous literature?

As I was watching part A of the first micro lecture, my foundation of Native American literature strengthened beyond my previous "John Smith" knowledge. Before the micro lecture I knew very little about Native American literature. My only experience in this field would come from stories I was told when younger. These stories are sadly ones that the mainstream media tells, which ignores the actual history and events that occurred in the past. The stories include: the Disney adaptation of Pocahontas, the story of the first thanksgiving, and many other childhood tales. Watching this lecture opened my previously narrow eyes on the subject.

The actual story of Pocahontas, as discussed in the micro lecture, was much more brutal than what the story lets off. Smith's actual idea of helping the natives is barbaric and isn't what is actually reported on in many of the childhood stories. According to the quick google search I just did, Pocahontas was around the age of eleven years old when she came into contact with John Smith. The story after that wasn't one of romance, but one of kidnapping and brutality. 

The misreporting of stories don't just end with the Pocahontas, as this micro lecture pointed out many cases in which the story shared isn't the one that occurred. It's sad to hear that the stories many of us grow up with are false and are based on rather tragic events. My interest in this discrepancy in the story and shared and what actually occurred has peaked my interest and I plan to look for other stories in which the story told was twisted. It'll be interesting to see how There There reports on the events of the past, unlike the previous examples, this text takes pity on the Native Americans. So it'll be interesting to see how my experience in this literature expands. 

Marc's experience with "The Team" -- Decameron Project

This week our Decameron Project story is by Tommy Orange, who also wrote There There. Think about the idea of a "team" (the title of the story, in the sense of a collective whose purpose and actions are about the whole rather than the individual parts). How does this idea add to your understanding of the novel?

After having Thursday's group discussion on "team" and spending a little bit more time delving into the deeper messages of There There, I believe "team" adds to my understanding of the character's relationship. In this Decameron short story, the narrator discusses with the readers, in second person, the aspects of a team. The narrator talks about the ups and downs in the beginning and the necessity for teams to exist.

In the start of the short story, the narrator discusses their experience in the running team. They go into depth, talking about the ups of having a healthier lifestyle and people to support you, then the downs of having to work hard to achieve said peak. After a little bit on the team aspect of running, the events of covid-19 occur, as with all the Decameron projects, and displace the running team. Even though this team has come to a pause while the virus runs its course, the narrator discusses the formation of a new team -- the front line workers who risk their safety everyday to tend to the needs of others. It wraps up this story by showing that no matter the situation, teams are always necessary to help one another.

When comparing this to the story There There this can be seen in the interactions of the many characters. For Jacquie Red Feather's character, she needs the support of her younger sister Opal to help look after her grandkids. For the character Dene, he helps out his uncle carry out his dream when he becomes sick and passes away. The necessity of teams continues to impact all the characters within the story of There There.

Marc's Experience with the Context of There There

After doing the There There reading and reviewing the 3 Context links, write a blog post about what you learned at the link (article or map or game). How did that learning affect your response to or understanding of the novel?

After reading a little bit of There There and navigated through a few of the context links, I became intrigued towards the commonalities we share. As I was reading the text and learning of the many characters that inhabit the story, I noticed the strong commonality of native Americans and was intrigued to pursue it for myself. I wanted to find a way I could identify with the characters in the story, as when I feel a strong connection to the characters of a story I more often enjoy said story.

The link I visited was the geographic map of Native American territories. I wanted to see who the land I resided in belonged to. In my research I discovered that the land I reside in is the Muwekma Tamyen Ohlone -- the same land that Santa Clara University resides in. It was interesting to see just how big and expansive the Native American lands were.

I wanted to research more about this tribe and actually found information on Santa Clara University’s webpage. If you go there, there’s a wealth of information about the tribe. My biggest takeaway from this was seeing how many tribes people were, it is said on the website that, “there were an estimated 300,000 native peoples living in California” before the colonists and Europeans discovered this land.

Marc's "favorite" tv show

 Now for something completely different. What's your favorite tv show or series, past or present? Or, what's your "guilty pleasure" tv show or series?

My favorite tv show... this is going to be a tough blog post. I'm not the type of person to say I have a favorite thing. There are many things I love, but nothing I love above all. For instance when it comes to friends, I wouldn't say I have a best friend but I have a set of very close friends. I prefer this method as I feel I have the benefit of having a favorite thing split up into multiple things, so I can share the love. Rambling aside, for the sake of this blog, a show that is very memorable to me is the show LOST. This show is my favorite due to the way I watched it, the interesting concept, and the deeper meaning.

My introduction to this show came from my sister posing it as a family watch show. When covid first hit and we were under quarantine, the family and I needed an escape from reality. This escape was either watching  movies or tv shows. In which everyday we'd all spend an hour or two watching a new movie or continuing a show. Watching the show in short bits everyday with my family led to some really interesting conversations and debates among my siblings.

The premise interested me when I was first pitched the story from my sister. This story is a modern castaway story, with the survivors looking for a way to survive in the stranded island. It was fascinating to see the means the characters in the story went to survive.

The final point I loved which is a big contention for many is the theme of the story. Without delving too deep into spoiler territory, the story's more than just escaping an island. It's about the need to connect to people and help them in "passing on", but I won't say anymore. If you guys have free time during the thanksgiving break, I recommend the show it's really good.

Marc's Experience With Reading From Writer's All Over The World

 3. This week's Decameron Project stories are both by South American writers. You have your choice here of writing a blog post either about one or both of these stories (choice A) or of writing a blog post about why it's important to read writers from all over the world, about the difference it makes to you to learn about other places and histories through fiction (choice B).

Having grown up in America, I'm thankful for all the opportunities I'm given. I'm able to have a full education without having to worry about other important matters such as fear of famine, war, or an economic crisis. However, one thing that I lacked having grown up in an American society is an understanding of international text. In the United States, domestic matter's take importance, it's because of this that many are unaware of what lies outside their home nation. I believe that the reading of historical fiction is an appealing way to teach many, including I, about the history of others' land.

A text I've read that's opened my eyes to the matter is The Book Thief. Before reading the text I had the mindset that everyone in Nazi Germany was evil. Don't get me wrong, those that were partaking in those inhumane actions are by no means good. What I mean is that I hadn't taken into consideration how the civilians felt and acted at the time. I was blinded by the American perspective I had yet to open my eyes. Reading this book made me feel sympathy for the poor civilians that had to accept the monstrosity of their nation's leader otherwise suffer a gruesome death.

Another text I've read was The Kite Runner, which elaborated more on the Taliban. As I read this text I was able to learn about the prevalence of the Taliban and how it was formed due to the conflict between Soviet Russia.

I believe reading historical fiction is a fun way to immerse oneself in the history of other nations.

Marc's experience with the election

 As of now, it is the morning of November fourth and no results have been made. Many, including I, are in a state of worry for how this election is going to pan out. I tried to limit my news on the election as much as I could yesterday, as I know once I go on the news channel I probably won't be able to get off for my own good. Today however, I thought I should just take a slight glance to see how close it was and what I saw surprised me. I'm still in awe to see both candidates garner so much support--apparently this year's election had the most voters yet. This standstill with candidates however, has led to a lot of civil unrest.

    It was sad to turn on the news and see buildings boarded up, violence looming on the street, and people begging for justice. When I see the pain on the faces of people protesting injustice, it puts a dent in my heart. I hope those protesting against the corruption within our society are able to get their voice across, I know they have my support.

    The thing that interested me the most today however was the Stockmarket. Even though there's no clear winner and there is high levels of civil unrest, the economy is doing really well today -- jumping up nearly five hundred points. This kind of puts to perspective this discrepancy between the common citizen and the wealthy in the Stock Market.

    Whatever happens in the future, I hope that whoever is going to be president in the future can help America. Rather than letting injustice stay unattended, service places in need of help and help everyone besides a certain class.

Marc's experience planning his final project

    When looking at the final project for my cultures and Ideas class, I feel unsure about how this final project is going to go. I have somewhat of an idea at the earliest stage, but need some more consideration and the opinion from both Michelle and Kelci. From what I’ve gathered though, I’d like my final project to discuss the intertexualtity of fictional responses to terrorism.

    I want to do this concept as, when looking back at the texts we’ve read in this class so far, Home Fire has stuck with me the most. Maybe because it was the first text, or perhaps because it was taken in the modern era, but the story stuck with me the most when looking at this class. I therefore want to incorporate it in my project.

    When looking at the themes used in this text, I believe a prominent theme that I’ll be able to discuss is the use of terrorism in literature. In the text Home Fire, I’ll be able to respond to this theme by discussing Parvaiz's experience first handedly joining a group of terror. I can elaborate on the inhumane aspect of terror, and how intertextuality brings text together to show that groups of terror bring hurt rather than justice.

The other texts I can use to further this point would be: The Kite Runner, The Book Thief, and other stories I need to research. I plan to use The Kite Runner by showing how the protagonist in the story has someone he loves in a group of terror and needs to go through the terror group to save his family. I believe this story really hits on the idea of intertextuality by showing another protagonist’s challenges in the group. On the other hand, I planned to use The Book Thief to show the perspective of those within groups of terror. As the story follows a protagonist within Nazi Germany. I can use this text to show the horror that lies even within the group, as the protagonist faces many ordeals throughout her journey in the text.

I’m unsure about the other texts I plan to use, but this is my raw idea about how I plan to direct my final project. It’s still in the early stages and needs opinions of others, but I look forward to creating this project to show you guys.