Yellow Raft in Blue Water

1. Yellow Raft in Blue Water Cultural Terminology & Background Notes

2. Cultural Competence Definitions

3. Acculturation. The process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group. In immigrant groups, traditional cultural values and the protective value they provide may be weakened as a result. Assimilation. An intense process of integration in which members of an ethno-cultural group, typically immigrants, or other minority groups, are absorbed into an established, generally larger community. This presumes a loss of many characteristics which make the newcomers unique.

4. Cultural awareness. Being open to the idea of changing cultural attitudes. Cultural diversity. Differences in race, ethnicity, language, nationality, religion, etc. among various groups within a community. A community is said to be culturally diverse if its residents include members of different groups. Cultural heterogeneity. The differences within a cultural group. Large population groups, such as Asian Americans, Native Americans or Hispanics possess many similarities, but also differ by tribe, national origin, language, geography and culture. Cultural knowledge. An understanding about some cultural characteristics, history, values, beliefs, and behaviors of another ethnic or cultural group.

5. Cultural sensitivity. Knowing that differences exist between cultures, but not assigning values to the differences (better or worse, right or wrong). Clashes on this point can easily occur, especially if a custom or belief in question goes against the idea of multiculturalism. Discrimination. Differential actions toward others. Ethnocentricity. The belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture, or a tendency to view alien groups or cultures from the perspective of one’s own. Multiculturalism. The preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society, as a state or nation.

6. Racism. The belief that members of one race are superior to those of other races. Stereotype. An exaggerated belief about a person or group. Sustainability. The likelihood of a strategy to continue over a period of time, especially after specific funding ends. Tokenism. A deliberate attempt to include a single individual that represents a cultural/racial group in order to avoid criticism.

7. Key Facts about the Novel If you have not taken the exam on the novel stop the notes here!

8. Genre Coming-of-age story; tale of conflict among generations Time & Place written 1984, Minnesota Point of view Each section of the novel is told from a different point of view. The first section is told from Rayona’s perspective, the second from Christine’s, and the third from Ida’s.

9. Tone The tone varies depending on the narrator. Rayona’s voice is both jaded and naïve, Christine’s voice is irresponsible and playful, and Ida’s voice is resentful yet caring. Tense Rayona speaks in the present tense, and Christine and Ida speak in the past tense.

10. TIME The three stories overlap, but each story spans a rough time period: the 1980s for Rayona, the 1960s to the 1980s for Christine, and the 1940s to the 1960s for Ida. Place The novel opens in Seattle, and then moves to a reservation in Montana. Most of the events in A Yellow Raft in Blue Water take place in one of these two locales, although Ida also spends some time in Colorado. Settings

11. Plot Overview

12. Major Conflict Rayona wants to belong and struggles to connect to her family; Christine wants to raise Rayona better than Ida raised her but struggles to convert her feelings to action; Ida wants to interact with the world only on her own terms. Rising Action Clara gives birth to Christine; Christine finds out that Lee is dead; Christine abandons Rayona at Ida’s

13. Climax Rayona rides at the rodeo in Havre and finds the courage and confidence to confront her family’s troubled history. Falling action Christine and Rayona are reconciled; Ida joins them at Dayton’s house for their first cordial dinner in years

14. Other Literary Elements

15. Themes Understanding different perspectives; the effect of past events on later generations; finding a true identity Motifs Pop culture; faith Symbols Christine’s videos; Ellen’s letter; braids Foreshadowing Foreshadowing plays a curious role in A Yellow Raft in Blue Water. Because the narrative travels backward in time, we see a foreshadowing of events we have already read about.