English Class: How to Improve Your Thesis Statement

Silko's "Yellow Woman" and the Question of Consent

In my World Lit course, my students recently read "Yellow Woman" by Leslie Marmon Silko. It's a fascinatingly strange and enticing story.

It often leaves students baffled -- and I can't blame them. The story is rotted in the oral traditions of Laguna Pueblo and other Native American tribes. The myths of Native Americans are beautiful, complex, magical and oftentimes (at least by the the standards of modern, Western-civilization), they are vague and even anti-climactic.

Take for example the climax of "Yellow Woman." The Man (who seems to have abducted the female protagonist) is about to draw his gun on a rancher. The protagonist rides away on her horse, and we hear four gunshots -- but we never learn the outcome of that intense situation. Vagueness and the unknown abound within Native American stories -- just as the abound in our modern everyday lives (as much as we may not like it).

This is my third time reading this story, over the course of the last four years. Each time I approach it, I seem to focus on something new. This time I've been troubled over the issue of consent.

Is the protagonist held against her will? Is she a victim? Or has she, in a moment of disassociation, run away willingly with this mysterious stranger? There are times where she prepares to leave, but then continues to stay with him... Yet there are other times in which she is afraid of his ability to hurt her... It's very troublesome to say the least (which might well be the author's intention). It does make me think of various romance genres from the mid 20th century in which women are whisked away by a Barbarian, or Viking, or Scotsman, or some other such Fabio-type Alpha-Male -- and even though the heroine is swept away against her will, those stories are presented with a romantic gloss.

I found a great interview video from the late 1970s on YouTube. If you decide to watch it, you'll notice that Leslie Silko presents a series of narrative fragments, each quite similar to her "Yellow Woman" plot. She also relates a supposedly true story about a woman in her community who was being surrounded by a large number of men. The encounter, at face value, sounds very unnerving to me, and yet Leslie and her friends are quite light-hearted as they talk and listen. She follows up that story with her overall point: By sharing these experiences -- good, bad, and ugly -- you are adding your narrative to the collective, the story of humanity, and thereby others might hear your story some day and know that they are not alone.

Enjoy!

Book Give-Away at 2000 Subscribers!

I am beyond excited to announce that we have surpassed 1000 subscribers. Let's keep this party going. When we reach 2K I will give away four of my books to one lucky person. All you need to do:
1) Click on this video / Go to YouTube

2) Subscribe to my channel (if you have not already done so)

3) Leave a message in the comments section of the YouTube video. As soon as we hit 2000 subs, I will select a recipient and send him/her the following books (each one autographed and personalized): THERE'S A DINOSAUR ON THE 13th FLOOR PAPA BEAR'S PAGE FRIGHT AROUND THE WORLD IN A BATHTUB and CAMP OMIGOSH Thanks to all to have helped this channel grow!

Writing Experiment #1: Make a Map of Your Story's Setting

As I have often said, it took me a long time to become an avid reader. When I was a kid, I read Peanuts comics... and that was about it. I loved illustrations.

When I got a bit older, around eight or nine, I wanted to read The Lord of the Rings books because of the incredibly cool map at the beginning of Tolkien's epic...

Eventually... thanks to teachers reading me amazing books such as A Wrinkle in Time... I finally began to read on my own... And it was mainly because of that map you see up there. I wanted to find out what adventures were awaiting within the dense prose of the trilogy. And that leads us to today's experiment. #1: Make a map of your story's setting. It could be the entire continent, country, town... or simply the neighborhood or the layout of a home. Drawing a map of your setting will help you visualize the geography of your imagination. (And it will also help you tell your story.)

 Watch the YouTube video to find out more.... (Don't forget to subscribe!)

What is a Writing Experiment?

Think of it as a potential artistic activity (or an artistic challenge for those of you who are competitive). When I teach creative writing, I offer fifteen prompts to my college students. I expect them to develop at least five responses throughout the course of the semester. Most of the students do at least ten. These prompts / experiments get the creative electricity flowing.  I hope they do the same for you and your fellow writers. Have fun!