Reading Notes X, Week 6, Norris

From the Octopus pg 372-383

Characters:
Presley - Main character
Bronderson - friend of Presley killed by the "monster"
Caraher - friend of Presley
Vanamee - friend of Presley
Angele - wife of Vanamee
S. Behrman - owner of the largest elevator on the shipping docks to load the bulk wheat onto the ships. He did this to save money, in materials of the sacks and the labor of men.

Places:
Caraher's Place - Saloon
Long Trestle - farm/property; silence, desolation, abandonment
Annixter - farm/property; silence, desolation, abandonment
Los Muertos - farm - wheat fields
Quien Sabe - farm, wheat fields
Port Costa - town where the train brought S. Behrman
Swanhilda - ship, with the large holding "hold" for the bulk wheat to be elevated into from the largest elevator owned by S. Behrman.

It was the season after the harvest, and the great earth, the mother, after it's period of reproduction, its pains of labour, delivered of the fruit of its loins, slept the sleep of exhaustion in the infinite repose of the colossus, benignant, eternal, strong, the nourisher of nations, the feeder of an entire world. pg 373

"Death and grief are little things," he said. "They are transient. Life must be before death, and joy before grief. Else there are no such things as death or grief. These are only negatives. Life is positive. Death is only the absence of life, just as night is only the absence of day, and if this is so, there is no such thing as death. There is only life, and the suppression of life, that we foolishly, say is death. pg 374

"Evil is short-lived. Never judge of the whole round of life by the mere segment you can see. The whole, is in the end, perfect." pg 375

But the WHEAT remained. Untouched, unassailable, undefiled, that mighty world-force, that nourisher of nations wrapped in Nirvanic claim, indifferent to the human swarm, gigantic, resistless, moved onward in its appointed grooves. pg 383 

EC, Week 4, Reading Notes X: Winnemucca

I decided to read the extra credit reading to help me find my story for our Project. I was reading blogs and seen an Analysis from Kimberly Arce and it sounds like a great story to use. 

This story is about the Paiute Indians. It was very interesting to learn about their tribe's culture and traditions. I really enjoyed that they are taught to be good. They use the "coyote," for sayings, "Oh, it is only coyote," pg 254 and as a symbol in their culture as something, "stands for everything low." pg 254 The Paiute's did not swear until they learned it from the "white men." "The worst they call each other is bad or coyote." pg 254-255. It was interesting to learn that the girls were not able to speak to the men, unless they were at a festive dance, one annual dance was called, "Festival of Flowers" in the spring. Once the girl became of age to marry, the grandmother's would take care of them, the men that were interesting in marrying the girl, would sit at the end of her bed quietly and would leave when the girl would get up from her bed and move next to her mother. The girl was not pressured by her parents to choose a man. 

The boys would not be able to hunt large animals until they turned 15 or 16, and they could not eat anything they killed until they had a certain ceremony. 

Woman were well respected in this tribe and nothing was keep from the men or woman. The woman took care of their husband if he was wounded or killed. Some woman would even replace their husband's in war if their husband's were killed. 

The tribe captured antelopes by "charming" them or putting them under a spell, the process was very detailed and if anything was out of place, it would not work.