Responses to Presentation #5

I found many of the presentations on Native American cultures very interesting. However, I found the hunting presentation very disturbing. I am aware that I had an already biased opinion against hunting, therefore I do not make a very receptive audience to this presentation. Nevertheless, I thought that many of the things said in this presentation were apalling regardless of whether or not someone advocates hunting. For example, the presenter said that there used to be a lot of deer and he thinks it is very sad because now there are not as many. I could not help but think that if people such as himself were not killing the deer, there probably would be more deer alive. I also found that hearing about how "graceful" the deer are, and then hearing the presenter say and "then we shoot them" very upsetting. What really bothered me the most about the presentation was that the presenter was trying to make a parallel between his family killing deer and Native American's killing deer. This correlation does not exist! The Native American's killed deer because they had to in order to survive, the presenter and his family kill deer because they think it is fun.

Nicole Carter

I felt the most effective presentation was Roberts "Hero". It was probably mostly due to his demeanor. He seemed a little nervous almost selfconcious and this made it all the more real. He seemed very honest and conected to the subject of his Uncle and accordingly he was solem. I think he captured everyones attention with his soft but clear speach. His subject was very relevent and touching. He did a wonderful job. I believe he reached most the class with the proper respect his subject deserved.

Neiel Norheim

The presentations on Wednesday were very entertaining. Jennifer's essay was very-well written and included a lot of detailed information. Shauna's painting was extremely creative. I enjoyed hearing what each item meant to the Indian culture. Brian's autobiographical experience was unique and extremely interesting.

Jodi Cheri Geno

Once again, all of the presentations were very good. I enjoyed Robert's autobiographical essay about his uncle. He did a good job of relating his uncle's experiences with Tayo's. It made the traumatic effects of war even more clear and real. I also thought that the information Matt gave about the Santa Inez Reservation was beneficial in understanding the hostility Tayo and Emo feel about the white people taking their land. I also enjoyed Shauna's presentation. I thought she did a good job of tying in the picture with the book. I didn't know that the color turquoise meant all of those wonderful things. That explains why we see so much turquoise in Indian jewelry.

Kristin Gerhard

I really enjoyed the presentation made by Robert about his uncle's recollection of the Vietnam War. Hearing stories such as this one is heartbreaking. I can't even imagine dealing with that kind of trauma and pain. My mom told me a story about an experience she had with my uncle after he returned from Vietnam. She said they were shopping in a toy store when a little kid began firing a toy gun. She said that my uncle immediately hit the ground while covering his ears with his hands. He had a flashback and though he was back in Vietnam. These stories help us to appreciate what these Vets did for our country. They are all heros to me.

Shawna Smith

The presentations were really informative this time around, about the native americans. I enjoyed Robert's essay about his uncle because it reminded me of my father talking about the war. I personally haven't asked him about it but I know he has many memories. Shawna's drawing was good too. I'm not an artist myself, but she did a good job. I liked the colors that she used and how well she recreated the mural. Matt's report on the history of the native americans was nice. Very informative and well explained about issues that are so close to us. The rest of the presentations were ok, but Robert's, Shawna's, and Matt's stood out the most for me.

Arlana Estes

I really enjoyed the presentations last Wednesday. I thought Robert's paper about his uncle was really good. As students we often hear about different wars and why they were fought, but we really don't hear how the war effected the people who fought in them. I cannot imagine what it would be like to fight in a distant country and seeing your friends being wounded or even dying. I think both Robert's presentation and the book let me see how war is seldom over for those who fought in it, even if the fighting stopped years ago.

Erika Soriano

I thought we left the quarter with some pretty interesting presentations! Two presentations that I thoroughly enjoyed were Jennifer's and Robert's. Jennifer's essay on how broken individuals don't only affect themselves, but their community was very insightful. I thought she tied in good examples of Tayo's mother and Tayo's army buddies to prove her statement. The tone and language she used in her essay was very sophisticated and it was easy to follow her points as she read it. Robert's autobiography was very touching. We have all had encounters of some kind dealing with war and it's aftereffects. His encounter with his uncle seemed at first innocently curious, but then by his uncle's reaction I could tell from his story that he felt so badly about bringing it up. From that Thanksgiving, Robert seems to have learned what it takes to be a soldier and how honored we should be to have people like his uncle to fight for all of us. It was interesting to see how Robert tied in his uncle's post traumatic recollection of the war with Tayo's. I am glad he shared his story with us. -

Lauren Herrmann

I was very impressed with the presentations on Wed. The paper by Robert on his uncle who was in Vietnam was powerful. Every story I have ever heard regarding the war makes me stop and think. The presentation on the Chumash Indians was very well done. I did not know much about the tribe before. It was interesting to learn more about the Laguna tribe from John since this was the tribe talked about in the book. Overall, all the presenters did a good job.

Wes Horner

As usual all the presentations were interesting and informative. I was especially touched by Robert's essay "Hero." It is a poignant reflection on the aftermath of the Viet Nam War. Robert has successfully tied his uncle's experience to Silko's book Ceremony. He has been able to parallel his response to his uncle's story with Maxine Hong Kingston's response to her aunt's story in "No Name Woman." Overall, it is a nicely written piece.

Jocelyn Knowlton

I very much enjoyed Roberts story of his Uncle Danny. I was glad to see that I am not the only person that has done this. I have asked my dad questions about Vietnam, and soon after wished that I hadn't. I remember the look on his face, and I too, quickly changed the subject. I couldn't believe that one question could cause such pain in such a large, strong man.

Mandy Ruth

Robert's autobiographical essay on his personal "Hero" touched me on a personal level. As I have shared before, my father is also a Vietnam vet. Robert's interpretation of his uncle's distress paralels how I view my father's experiences. My dad still has flashbacks and becomes rather upset at times, yet I still feel that if I asked, he would share some experiences. I feel that during these times that I have been able to communicate with my father, I have been the closest to him. I also feel that it is important for people of my generation to talk with someone that was there, it opens ones mind to new ideas and feelings about war. Shawna's visual interpretation of Native American Art was really great. I was impressed with her personal analysis of this artwork. I found each aspect of the piece of art very interesting. Especially since I love butterflies, I learned that they represent fertility. I guess you learn something new every day! Overall, everyone did an excellent job!

Megan Allen

I really enjoyed the mural which Shawna presented in class. Many times I see murals but never stop to understand the significance or symbols in the murals. For the most part, Indian murals are always symbolic of Indian culture of experiences or fairytales past from generation to generation. All the details in the murals including the colors, animal figures, and human figures represent aspects of the Indian culture. What I find really interesting in the murals is how each object on the murals individually is symbolic of something, but then also ties into a bigger picture with another meaning.

Noemi Zendejas

The diversity among class members is really incredible, given a white majority. People can stereotype Cal Poly as a mono-culture community visually, but I don't think they're taking the time to get to know others individually. Different family values and backgrounds result in unique individuals even though they're the same ethnicity. These differnces ought to be celebrated to create richer lives, rather than hidden to create acceptance as they are in our society. The experiences of Robert's uncle were something I could never imagine. It seems like a horror movie. Your enjoying your life, get a draft notice, and within two months sent to another world you could care less about. I almost had a nervous breakdown the couple of times I've played paint ball. I could never fight for something I don't care about! Matt's presentation made me sympathize with the Chumash because I feel there way of life makes much more sense than ours. I think Spanish explorers really feared the natives because they were different. Spanish explorers felt threatened by the unknown, and instead of trying to understand they resulted to mass slaughter. Brian's presentation was from a different viewpoint than the one I'm used to. I saw hunting as a way of family bonding and a worthwhile way to get back to nature and enjoy wilderness. Some hunters do try to honor the animal by taking a moment to praise it for sacrificing it's life. However I think guns should be forbidden in hunting because there unfair for the animal. If a hunter truly wants to show their dominance and skill, they should only kill within range of feeling the animals fear. I wonder if hunters would be cold enough to still take a life, or if they would be more understanding and accept a animals life for what it brings to Earth.

Ben Harrold

I found the presentations delightful. Yet one of the autobiographies really moved me and I felt the author of "Heroes" deserves a thumbs up. Sorry, I lost the list of presenters. The emotions of war veterans still effects my family. My grandfather survived a few gunshot wounds as a Marine core man in WWII, he was left with half of one lung, spent nine years in different hospitals and was only supposed to live until his late twenties or thirties. Needless to say, his living testimony brings with it, a lot of terrible tales much like the memories of the author's uncle. Although my grandfather has these horrible memories of losing ALL of his friends, he still shares with me; I believe he does this because his friends died fighting the greatest evil on earth. I have two uncles who also faught in Vietnam and remain quiet about their stories to this day. Again, when he read his essay, I thought to myself, "Wow, that sounds just like my family." I felt like I could have said the same thing to my own uncles. Surely many people my age would agree that they've seen the effects of war that are similar to those of Tayo and the authors uncle. But I'm glad he chose to share his story, because I too consider all veterans heroes.

Chris Williams

Everyone did a great job on Wednesday. I especially enjoyed Robert's essay about his uncle. All of the feelings and details you added were brillant. It really caught my attention and made me feel like I was experiencing the story just as you were. I was very impressed that you were able to put such deep feelings into words and then read it in front of the class. Great job. God Bless you Robert and your uncle.

Jenae Cardoza

I really enjoyed all the presentations on the book Ceremony by Leslie Silko. The presentation that captured my attention, however was Shawna's beautiful mural. I like the way she explained her picture in great detail and how it tied in with the book. Indians, like the one in the story really give importance to all living creatures. Looking at the entire picture, there is a bond between man and universe. The tadpoles respresent the nourishment to crops and because of this they are important. The butterflies mean fratility, the cornstalks means staff of life, the deer represents the path leading from the man to the deer, and the color turquoise means happiness, welath and comfort. The deer and the color blue were both mentioned quite a lot in Ceremony. The picture that Shawna drew captured a lot of important meaning that connected with the story

. -Melanie J. Salvador