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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page essay that contrasts Leslie M. Silko's Ceremony and Russell Banks's Continental Drift, novel in which the authors craft tales in which the cultural perception of "otherness" and ethnic identity play a role. In Ceremony, Tayo (Silko's protagonist) eventually comes to terms with his identity through reconciliation of his ethnic identity to mainstream cultural expectations. In Continental Drift, while the theme of immigrant as "other" is addressed in the subplot, the journey of working man Bob Dubois toward self-realization and meaning is never fully realized, which suggests that identity grounded in mainstream ideals, such as the "American Dream," are ultimately false and spiritually unfulfilling. In both novels, sex is seen as redemptive, but, here again, its redemptive powers work for Tayo, but not for Bob Dubois. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khcercd.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Ceremony, Tayo (Silkos protagonist) eventually comes to terms with his identity through reconciliation of his ethnic identity to mainstream cultural expectations. In Continental Drift, while the theme of immigrant as
"other" is addressed in the subplot, the journey of working man Bob Dubois toward self-realization and meaning is never fully realized, which suggests that identity grounded in mainstream ideals, such
as the "American Dream," are ultimately false and spiritually unfulfilling. In both novels, sex is seen as redemptive, but, here again, its redemptive powers work for Tayo, but not for
Bob Dubois. Tayo has returned home after World War II to the Laguna Pueblo seriously ill. However, like many other veterans in numerous conflicts, his trauma is not of
the body, but of the mind. Periodically, he is disoriented and cannot distinguish between the present physical reality, memories of childhood, or the war. Profoundly unhappy, Tayo is also disconnected
from his own feelings and disassociated from his own body and environment. Silko makes a point that Tayo is alienated, not only from himself, but also from the earth. This
is indicated by the fact that he cursed the jungle rain that "grew like foliage from the sky" (11). The violence and grief of the war have emptied Tayo
complete of his sense of self - everything within his environment has the feeling of being "other." Tayo is literally the walking dead. Tayo returns to the reservation during a
time of drought. Just as color has been drained from his life, it has also been drained from the land. The sky is a washed-out blue. There are no rich
colors -the turquoise of water or the emerald of green-because these are associated with water and life. Silko writes that Tayo saw the effects of the curse everywhere-"in the cloudless
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