Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

1. CeremonybyLeslie Marmon Silko Darian Hose

2. The story is about Tayo, a Native-American who returns from being a prisoner of the Japanese during the Second Great War. • He realizes that the return to his Indian reservation only makes him feel more alienated. Introduction

3. Issue: Is Tayo affected by the weather? Issue 1 (pages 11-23)

4. Yes, the lack of rain or the flood of rain can effect people in some way whether it be mentally or emotionally. Conclusion

5. 1:Tayo regrets that Josiah and himself had wished for rain, but that the amount they received was terrible. He describes the jungle rain, "as no beginning or end; it grew like foliage from the sky, branching and arching to the earth, sometimes in solid thickets entangling islands, and, other times, in tendrils of blue mist curling out of coastal clouds.“ • 2:Tayo is convinced that he prayed the rain away when he was fighting the war in the jungles. The consequence is that the grass around him turned yellow and nothing grew. • 3: One of Tayo's friends, Harley, tended to some sheep. Since the drought was so bad they had to move it up to the Montano, a place where these sheep can graze. Wild coyotes ended up tearing these sheep apart because they were unprotected. Tayo felt bad for Harley because he could see straight through his smart talk that he didn't want to talk about the sheep, and just like Tayo, the war had changed Harley. Reasons

6. Does Tayo need a doctor? Issue 2

7. Yes, he’s having issues sleeping. Conclusion

8. 1: He wakes up crying about his friend, Josiah, and he wants to go to the hospital. Previously, he had been vomiting consistently from the thoughts of Josiah and the war. • 2:Tayo’s Aunt mentions to his Grandmother that she cannot give him any Indian medicine. • 3: Both the Aunt and the Grandmother talk about Ku’oosh, assumingly a village shaman or healer of some sort. He ends up coming over to help Tayo. Reasons

9. Does Tayo feel bad for his own people? Issue 3

10. Yes, he realizes Gallup is a dangerous place to live. Conclusion

11. Reason 1: A man and woman of Indian heritage, seemingly are bums, approach Robert and Tayo. They ask them if they can spare some change. Robert calmly rejects them but Tayo starts to get nervous and quickly gives them some change. • Reason 2: Tayo knows that the people of Gallup can easily find Indians to work for them for low wages. These employers also know that it’s easy to fire Indians because they don’t ask any questions or get angry. • Reason 3: Robert asks him if he knew either of those people and Tayo replies, “maybe.” He only wishes the same Rocky had the night when they were in San Diego before the y shipped out for the war: a safe return. Reasons

12. The book is rather depressing. Tayo isn’t a hero that you can really relate to. Most of the time, you just feel sympathetic because of all the things he’s been through or going through. The effects of war, especially a prisoner of war, can drastically change your perspective on life. When you’ve already accepted death, it’s hard to be thrown back into society and carry on with your life as if nothing has changed. Connections