Summary

     We began class by discussing the differences in the poems of Sherman Alexie and Joy Harjo. We concluded that Joy Harjo had a more symbolic and poetic style that does not necessarily reveal that she was Native American. We also discussed  Alexie's "Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix play 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at Woodstock" and the irony of the father liking the song (but Alexie points this irony back to us as to why the father should be stereotyped). Throughout the story, the father became more white, while the mother went back to her roots, dancing again and attending powwows.  

     We also discussed the short story "Sexy" by Lahiri.  In this story, young woman Miranda was sexually involved with married man named Dev.  The story depicted the process of this woman coming to an understanding of the way in which language can be interpreted in many different ways. We delved into the meaning of words as we saw Dev call Miranda "sexy." For Miranda, the word meant that Dev loved her. The discovery of the different interpretations of language came when a young boy also called Miranda "sexy." We further discussed the process Miranda took in stepping outside of her comfort zone. Dev takes Miranda to places surpassing her Boston home and helps Miranda expand her world rather than just sticking with the same places and staying in her apartment. Croxall showed us all the places that Miranda and Dev went via Google Earth, and she truly broadened herhorizens by several miles with help from Dev.

     The last discussion consisted of the parallelism between the Indians, specifically Bengali men, that are in the stories.  Dev and Laxmi's husband are parallels because they are both having affairs. Rohin, Laxmi's cousin's son, and Dev are both very interested in geography; they talk to Miranda about it, but she does not know anything about geography.

Word Count: 321

Passages

     "I was conceived during one of those drunken nights, half of me formed by my father's whiskey sperm, the other half formed by my mother's vodka egg. I was born a goofy reservation mixed drink, and my father needed me just as much as he needed every other kind of drink" (Alexie 27).

     This excerpt illustrates and symbolizes a mixture of cultures. The hippies want to be like the Indians in the way of living more of a natural lifestyle and reconnecting with the earth. As a result, it seems ironic that his dad would like The Star-Spangled Banner, as much as he does, because Americans were the ones who threw the Native Americans off their land.

     "She watched his lips forming the words; at the same time she heard them so clearly that she felt them under her skin, under her winter coat, so near and full of warmth that she felt herself go hot...'You're sexy,' he whispered back." (Lahiri 3254)

     This passage is important because it is the basis of the entire story. Dev calls Miranda sexy, and from this point on, Miranda believes Dev is in love with her until Rohin tells Miranda what the actual definition of sexy is. For Miranda, it means that Dev is in love with her, causing her to buy various sexy things; however, the definition of the word means nothing but sex to Dev.

     "This is the eternal football game, / Indians versus Indians." (Alexie 3240).

This excerpt identifies the struggles that face the Native Americans: they have turned on their own people.  They fight each other over power. 

Key Terms

     Sexy -- loving someone you don't know. 

     Postmodern Multiculturization -- expanding one's culture and experiences. Miranda doesn't know much geography (eg. She believed Bengali was a religion rather than the people of Bangladesh.) and barely knows her way around Boston. Yet, after meeting Dev, her world is expanded, and she begins venturing farther out of her normal, comfortable boundaries. 

     Salad Bowl -- Comparing America to a salad bowl, this means that each culture is independently represented but still come together as a whole. 

     Melting Pot -- theory that America is comprised of various cultures all blended together.