Hi all!

I have chosen pages 15-16 of Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water. I chose these pages because a range of characters are introduced whose names alone sparked intrigue in me. In particular, it was Dr. Joseph Hovaugh that I felt the most interested in, so it is he who I have researched.

No Justice On Stolen Land

The pages themselves are overall set in the realist story, placing characters with names that sounded vaguely familiar to me in a realistic setting. This thread of the interwoven storytelling was my favourite from the novel.

Guided by Jane Flick’s  references, I was able to gain further insights for Joseph present in my chosen pages. Flick says it is likely that the asylum Hovaugh runs is St. Augustine which is the site of Fort Marian. 

On page 15 we are introduced to Dr. Joseph Hovaugh, whose name is derived from the biblical name Jehovah which refers to God himself. God says “I am Jehovah. That is my name” (Isaiah 42:8) It is his personal name, what he refers to himself as. In these pages of GGRW, Hovaugh is delighted by nature serving him in the form of his massive desk. It was not the item of the desk itself that struck me as odd, but rather his reaction as it “reminded him of a tree cut down to the stump” (15). He was “delighted” (15) at the sight of it, which for some reason sickened me. Perhaps it is the context of his character and the book itself that soured this introduction as he is who runs the asylum. Through some research I came across an extremely insightful doctorate thesis paper by Madelaine Christine Jacobs titled “Assimilation Through Incarceration: The Geographic Imposition Of Canadian Law Over Indigenous  Peoples.” In her thesis, Jacobs explains how “Imprisonment is more than a by-product of socio-economic inequality stemming from colonialism. Justice may take many forms. However, state justice is fundamentally embedded in the politics of territorial control. The very existence of indigenous peoples unsettled colonial ideological claims to the lands that became Canada.” (Jacobs, 2) I connected this to the pages introducing Hovaugh, because of one subtle line of text: “Dr. Hovaugh turned away from the window. Perhaps he should move the desk out and get another that didn’t seem so rooted and permanent.” (16) This line occurs directly after Mary alerts Hovaugh to the presence of The Police (Indians) outside the asylum… again. His response to this information signals to me that he feels threatened, as he tries to engage Mary in conversation about the season, the garden, and his contemplation about getting a pair of peacocks. This could be perceived as inflated self-confidence at first, but is quickly subverted by Hovaugh “[shrinking] behind his desk as though it were growing” (16) which indicates that nature, and the connections that The Police (Indians) have to it are creeping up on Hovaugh. Their very existence threatens him, even in the form of a large wooden desk in his office. It is then that he turns his back on the natural world outside his window and seriously considers replacing the wooden desk with one that feels less “rooted and permanent” (16). I read this as he himself not being as delighted with it as he was upon its arrival, as it now is a stark reminder of what he is not: rooted and permanent. The land he consumes and the people he imprisons have more claim to the land and its resources than he does. Again, this threatens him and his fragile territorial control. So, there it is. My reading into how Hovaugh’s quick rejection of an object that brought him joy being tied back to the fragility of his unsettled colonial ideological claims (as described by Jacobs in her thesis).

Works Cited:

Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water.” Canadian Literature, 1999, https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl372-99c-2019wc/files/2013/11/GGRW-reading-notes1.pdf.

Jacobs, Madelaine Christine. “Assimilation Through Incarceration: The Geographic Imposition Of Canadian Law Over Indigenous Peoples.” Www.collectionscanada.gc.ca, Sept. 2012, www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/OKQ/TC-OKQ-7557.pdf.

King, Thomas. “Green Grass Running Water” HarperColins Publishers, 1993.

Hi everyone!

For this assignment I chose question 2, which I will provide for ease of context:

Coyote Pedagogy is a term sometimes used to describe King’s writing strategies (Margery Fee and Jane Flick). Discuss your understanding of the role of Coyote in the novel.

As I understand it, the role of Coyote is left entirely up to the interpretation of the reader. As Coyote’s gender was not specified in the novel, I will respectfully refer to them with gender neutral pronouns.

Coyote

In Native American culture, Coyote is often referred to as a trickster, which is in itself a term that can be interpreted multiple ways. Encyclopedia Britannica also refers to Coyote as a demiurge (independent creative force) which is the closest term I’ve found to describe how I perceive them in Green Grass Running Water. Especially since Coyote has godlike abilities, allowing them to create from their own dreams. At the beginning, Coyote was alone and had to create a world to exist in. They wield enough power that their own dreams become independent of them, gaining a will of their own.

As an independent creative force, Coyote is difficult to put into a box of description. It will either be simple and of few words, or rambling endlessly into the void. Which is what I worry this blog post is becoming as I struggle to describe how I perceive them. All in all, creatures of godlike proportions are beyond anything I know, other than the human delusion of owning the planet. Playing god with it in any way we can through industrial greed. Coyote’s godlike powers are different, and contain an innocence of necessity that we as a species do not seem to have.

Works Cited:

King, Thomas. “Green Grass Running Water” HarperColins Publishers, 1993.

Paterson, Erika. “Lesson 3.2.” English 372 99C Canadian Studies, blogs.ubc.ca/engl372-99c-2019wc/unit-3/lesson-3-2/.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Demiurge.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 15 Apr. 2013, www.britannica.com/topic/Demiurge

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Coyote.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 5 Aug. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Coyote-mythology.

Hello!

Here are my top 3 favourite posts from my blog for my midterm assignment:

1. Assignment 1:5 The Grooves Of Time

In this assignment, I wrote a story about the origin of evil and the power of storytelling. In this story, a greedy person steals from a cat in order to gain the powers to warp time.

2. Assignment 2:2 The Feeling Of Home

In this post I describe what home feels and looks like to me, along with some details about my family history in England.

3. Assignment 1:3 On Digital Literature & Orality 

For this assignment I wrote about two aspects of of digital literature: social media tools and hypertext. I discuss the ways these two aspects have changed modern literature.

Hey all!

For this assignment, I have chosen question #3. For convenience, here it is:

3. What are the major differences or similarities between the ethos of the creation story or stories you are familiar with and the story King tells in The Truth About Stories ?

The creation story I am the most familiar with is a tie between the Big Bang and the Christian story of how God created the world (Genesis). These are the two I grew up with, poised perfectly side by side with nobody from either end bad mouthing the other. I sometimes find my mind wandering to one or the other, pondering their plausibility and being unable to settle on one. After all, I’ll never actually know either way. Plus, wondering is more fun anyhow. Certainty in things like this just tends to be a dead end.

In the scientific theory of the Big Bang, the universe is in a constant state of expansion, with balls of matter compressing and rotating forever. That’s an easy way of saying it. The whole process explained in my hyperlink above goes into very specific, atomic level detail. But overall, the whole process is pretty cut and dry without any divine intervention involved. In this story, humanity is just a byproduct of the continuous flow of evolution. We used to be monkeys. Cool? Sure.

We were monkeys?

Genesis tosses this aside and asserts that a man by the name of God created the earth in 7 days and then decided to take a break. Oh yeah, and a woman punished all of humanity forever by eating an apple suggested to her by an alluring, talking snake. This story places shame upon humanity and demands for constant repentance towards God in order to make good on our sins. It also makes women look pretty terrible for bringing the whole thing on. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of this story. I’d much rather be descended from monkeys.

In King’s story, a pregnant woman discovers the earth simply because she is hungry and curious. The animals in the water help her build somewhere for her species to live and everyone just gets on with their lives. Some animals come to live on the land as there’s less room in the water now. It’s a story where everyone helps each other and the outcome bears no descendants from monkeys or eternal shame upon women. I’d have to say that it’s my favourite. And that’s not because its shiny and new to me!

The key difference in King’s story is the general feeling of calm. The Big Bang is straight up chaos with lots of dust and rocks flying around and humans starting as very hairy monkeys. Genesis makes us dependant on a higher being, responsible directly for our creation who we must answer to constantly. King’s story places us on earth as we are, and in harmony with the animal world we coexist with. This story trusts humans and gives us a purpose that feels tangible. I like it. What do you think?

Bibliography:

Hey everyone!

First off, I’d like to apologize for the lateness of this post and the one following it. I received some difficult news that I have had a hard time adjusting to. As someone who is usually punctual, I am doing my best to get back on track despite this setback. I felt this was important to disclose, especially with the end of term online conference coming up.

Without further delay, I have chosen question #1 to answer in this blog post. For convenience, here is the question itself:

1) In his article, “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” King discusses Robinson’s collection of stories. King explains that while the stories are written in English, “the patterns, metaphors, structures as well as the themes and characters come primarily from oral literature.” More than this, Robinson, he says “develops what we might want to call an oral syntax that defeats reader’s efforts to read the stories silently to themselves, a syntax that encourages readers to read aloud” and in so doing, “recreating at once the storyteller and the performance” (186). Read “Coyote Makes a Deal with King of England”, in Living by Stories. Read it silently, read it out loud, read it to a friend, and have a friend read it to you. See if you can discover how this oral syntax works to shape meaning for the story by shaping your reading and listening of the story. Write a blog about this reading/listening experience that provides references to both King;s article and Robinson’s s  story.

An illustration of the oral literature tradition. 

When reading “Coyote Makes a Deal with the King of England” silently to myself, I was very aware that because of King’s explanations and statement about how the stories encourage reading aloud that my mind was already considering it. This made me wonder about if I had not been prompted by King’s statement, would I still feel the same? I suppose I’ll never know as I never experienced otherwise, however it is an interesting thought to remark upon and make note of. I also do believe that having the predisposition of encouragement for reading aloud may have lead to a further inclination towards my opinion on the subject.

After reading silently to myself I read it aloud twice. Upon reading it aloud I felt that yes, it took on a much livelier state. I found myself distinguishing character’s voices and giving them life through moving my body in a way that I’d imagine they might have. This is something I do no matter the story I am telling though, so I am not sure what that really says about me. It became a bit like a game for me, as I looked back at stories I’d performed for “Vancouver Story Slam” to see if they carried any similar qualities to this piece. I notices that when a story is written to be spoken aloud that the narrative slope is steeper and that there is usually a heavier amount of dialogue. This helps to anchor the audience, to immerse them in the story.

Then, I read it to a friend. Having only rehearsed twice by myself, I felt the same ball of nervous excitement in the pit of my stomach as I do when I perform. I know from experience that when used properly, this feeling can elevate a story. So, I did what I always do… I used it to enhance the performance and make it bigger than in the rehearsal. All the characters spoke and moved as separate beings. I did my best to channel them, even though it felt like I had just met them. It was an exhilarating experience and I could really feel that I was grasping it much better this way. This made it clear to me that even without being aware that it was meant to be read aloud that the story was part of an oral tradition.

Finally, my friend read it out loud to me. As they had only previously heard it from me and didn’t have time to read it silently to themselves, their performance captured a newfound spontaneity. This aspect added a whole new layer to the story, complete with a few uncertain pauses and encouragement from myself to continue. My friend’s confidence in their ability to tell an unfamiliar story out loud continued to build with every sentence. By the end, they too were giving the characters individual voices and physical motions. This story made a storyteller out of them, I’d say. That’s the power of oral literature. 

Biography:

King, Thomas. “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial.” Unhomely States: Theorizing English-Canadian Postcolonialism. Peterbough, ON: Broadview, 2004. 183- 190. Web. 01 March 2020.

Robinson, Harry. Living by Stories: a Journey of Landscape and Memory. Ed. Wendy Wickwire. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2005. Print.

Hi all!

For this assignment I’ve chosen question # 1, which focuses on why King has created dichotomies for us to examine two creation stories: “Genesis” and “The Earth Diver.” For convenience, here is the question directly from the assignment itself:

So, why does King create dichotomies for us to examine these two creation stories? Why does he emphasize the believability of one story over the other — as he says, he purposefully tells us the “Genesis” story with an authoritative voice, and “The Earth Diver” story with a storyteller’s voice. Why does King give us this analysis that depends on pairing up oppositions into a tidy row of dichotomies? What is he trying to show us?

I think that King created dichotomies for us to examine because it is important to make a choice. It may not always be the correct choice that is made, but it is important to choose regardless. I think that even those who claim they cannot choose lean one way or the other, naturally.

King himself emphasizes the believability of one story over the other because he himself has already chosen which one he believes. Therefore he tells it in an authoritative voice which reflects his opinion.

However, I also think he is trying to show us what we have been made to believe throughout our education in school. Stories of colonialism are taught in an authoritative voice, presented as fact. While Indigenous stories (or otherwise) are presented as just that… stories, or as a fantasy. Colonialist stories are then expected to be accepted at face value for their credibility related to the authoritative measures used to teach them in widespread educational settings. Are they actually fact? To many, indeed.

It is very important that we question the choices that we are given, and search for those which have been hidden from us throughout our lives. It is imperative to realize that we do have a choice in what we believe, even if that belief may not be the most popular of opinions.

Each and every person should have a right to their opinion and not be judged solely based off of them. There are so many factors that go into the formation of an opinion, the result of a choice. It is a string of choices, fragments of experience that lead a person to become the people that they are. Their opinion and beliefs in the creation of our universe may be a striking and sometimes different one. But just because it is different does not mean that it is wrong.

Comments:

I found that this assignment  challenged me, and made me think about the choices I have been given and those that I have searched for. What do my choices say about me? I have never been a spiritual person but recently experienced a strange phenomenon that may have me thinking otherwise. I recently arrived in England from Vancouver and am currently residing up north in the small village of Scrooby.

I commuted yesterday down to The Tower of London as it was somewhere I had wanted to go on my trip last year but never could quite find the time. While there, a raven with a chipped beak followed me around for nearly 4 hours, even waiting outside for me when I went into exhibits, the washroom and eventually the church on site. It was very odd, and every time I made eye contact with the raven it would squawk at me, pointedly as if it was trying to tell me something. A friend of mine is currently missing, and even though I don’t consider myself religious I did go into the church, light a candle for them and had a moment of silence for them after. Eventually, it was late enough in the day that it was time for me to unfortunately leave The Tower. The raven followed me all the way to the exit and stared at me as I left. I made sure to wave goodbye to it, and it squawked at me one last time.

I did get a polaroid photo of the raven as well as some photos and videos on my phone. I’ll insert a picture below.

Here’s the raven that followed me around The Tower of London.

How does this relate to the question, you ask? Well, on my train ride home I messaged my friend Greta about the raven that had followed me around all day. She told me to light a candle when I got back to the manor house in Scrooby, keep the polaroid of the bird at my beside overnight and to write a journal entry. She told me to write whatever came to mind.

Greta believes in Wiccan practices, and though I never have, she seemed like the right person to ask about what this whole thing meant. As it turns out, the raven is believed to be symbol of impending change, rebirth, renewal and healing in Indigenous culture. Whereas in Celtic mythology the raven is seen as a symbol of death. Greta told me that it was my choice as to what I believe about my experience with the raven. I have chosen to see it as a symbol of change, rather than a sign of impending doom. Why? Because I can. The power to choose lies within me, always.

Works Cited:

Hi everyone!

I’ve started this assignment by gathering bullet point notes on the core values from each of the 6 stories I read.

Then, I will find the common thread through them all and comment on it!

Home is who we are with other people. 

1. Sarah Afful:

“Dressed By My Mother”

• Home is boring, must go out and look for adventure.
• Main character wants more out of life.
• Home is where loved ones are.

2.   Nargiza Ailmova:

“Home: A Short Story”

• Home is where family is all together.
• Home is familial love and friendship.
• Home is family traditions.

3.  Brenda Druhall:

“A Short Story About Home”

• Home is with the people around you.
• Home is found in the bonds of friendship.
• Community is home.

4.  Jade Greer:

“Stories, People and Nature: What Home Means To Me”

• Home is the stories that make up our lives.
• Home is friendship.
• Home is family.

5.  Eva Dvorak:

“A Story Of Home”

• Home is with family.
• Home is in family traditions.
• Home is more than a place.

6.  Emily Homuth:

“Home”

• Home is in moments of love and laughter.
• Home is with the people you love most.
• Home is a feeling.

Commentary:

In all of these, there is common thread: home is where they feel loved, with family and friends. It is not a feeling attached specifically to a place, but is rather one that is created through a sense of togetherness and community. That way, home can be made and found just about anywhere.

I most definitely have to agree with this, as I have stumbled across a feeling of home many places in this world. I’ve felt at home on a moving train as well, even without it being attached to any place in particular. On that train ride I made a group of friends and we spent the long 4 day journey from Vancouver to Toronto playing board & card games, writing and shooting a short film, and sharing meals together while remarking on the ever changing view outside the train.

In each of the stories above I was happy to read that others felt this way too, as home itself can be so subjective and conditional. In common conversations home is often referred to as a place, which is kind of weird to me. It’s just a name for a place we live. Thankfully, it is so much more than that as no place is forever. The people we live aren’t forever either, but our memories of them can be.

This assignment was my favourite so far and an absolute joy to partake in!

Cheers,

Arianne

Works Cited:

Afful, Sarah. “Dressed by My Mother.” Sarahafful, 28 Jan. 2020, blogs.ubc.ca/afful/2020/01/28/dressed-by-my-mother/.

Hello readers!

Welcome to my post about home, which to me is so many things than just a place. Home is a very specific feeling, articulated by a specific ambiance encapsulated of many small things.

It is a mug of tea, brewed perfectly and set to steep for just the right amount of time, with just a splash of milk.

It is loud laughter, uncontrollable and free in its abundance.

It is soft fur in between fingers, purring beneath my palm.

It is a warm hug after a long day, the safety of being held.

Home is so many things like this, and I have found it in so many more places than just the city where I was born. Throughout the first 7 years of my life was a certain feeling of unrest, as my family moved a lot around the Vancouver area. At one point we lived in the basement of a retirement home. In the summer of 2004 we eventually moved to a brand new townhouse in South Surrey. I will never forget how different it felt to move from a busy city to a quiet suburb. I finally had a small bedroom to myself, but it still didn’t feel like home. Later that summer, my dad brought me home a cat, as I’d always wanted one. I loved her and named her Oreo, but the townhouse still didn’t feel like home.

Sixteen years later, Oreo has passed away and I have a new cat named Bree. I also have a dog named Koda. My parents divorced when I was 10, and I still live in the townhouse with my mum and brother, minus dad of course. I moved into a larger bedroom in the townhouse in 2013, which is much more comfortable. I wish I kept it cleaner, but my life is absolute chaos most of the time. But I try. And as much as I try to love this place where I live, it still doesn’t feel like home.

What does feel like home is England. Back in 1980 when my dad was 16 years old, he and his family (mum, dad and younger sister) moved to Vancouver from Doncaster, England. He went back in 1982 and joined the British military but left in 1986 and came back to Vancouver. He always encouraged me to visit and I finally was able to last February. As soon as I arrived in England, I immediately felt something different about being there. It had that whole ambiance I was talking about. Especially the tea. I stayed with family all over the country that I’d never met before, but connected with instantly. At the time I could hardly explain the feeling, but now I know that I felt at home. My 17 days there passed by quickly, and ever since arriving back here in Vancouver… I’ve been counting down the days until I can go back.

I’m now posting an update on my instagram story, a live countdown. I head back to England on Monday (February 3rd) for a whole 29 days! I am much more prepared than last time, with a UK SIM card for my phone, more GBP cash and a much bigger suitcase.

The more I think about why England feels so much like home to me I realize that is partly because of the weight its history bears, such as the story of William Brewster. My family there all live in homes much older than Canada itself. For example, a faction of them live in a 3 generation home in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire.

Kirkby House in 1886

Kirkby House in 1886

Yes, we do call them The Scrooby Gang, because who would want to miss out on a Scooby Doo reference? The village of Scrooby itself has only 329 people, 5 of which are my family members. I can jog through the whole village of red brick buildings in less than 30 minutes without getting lost. I wonder if the sense of familiarity and connection I feel to everything there is in my blood, or is it just in my mind? However I felt that same way all over the country, in Leeds, York, Brighton and London.

I get the feeling that next time I visit will be for much longer than a month, and I may even end up moving to England at some point in the next couple of years. The sense of home I get from there is so much more even than the ambiance I described. It’s also my sense of self, which feels so much more in tune with who I want to be while I’m there. I look forward to exploring more of it on this second visit!

Notes:

My family in Scrooby actually own and operate the website I’ve hyperlinked .

Works Cited:

“Brewster-William.” MayflowerHistory.com, mayflowerhistory.com/brewster-william.

Nottinghamshire. “Scrooby, Nottinghamshire.” Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, scrooby.net/page/homeSection.

Nottinghamshire. “Scrooby in Old Postcards and Photographs.” Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, www.scrooby.net/page/oldPostcards.

Introduction to Thomas King: How Evil Came Into The World

The Grooves Of Time

The Cat

I have a story to tell.

Should you choose to proceed with this reading, the story I tell you will ultimately become your responsibility to bear and re-tell should you choose to do so. Reader, beware the strength of the power you yield in story.

This is the story of how evil came into the world. Curious, aren’t you? I’m sure you’d love to know. The darker parts of your witchy mind and soul beg for this story, salivate for it. Are you willing to take the risk?

Seeing as you’ve made it this far, I’ll take that as a yes. Take a deep breath reader. Here we go…

Long ago, in a place known only to humanity as The Deep Forest, a clan of cats lived happily. They were not the kinds of cats we know today, and it would be considered rather extraordinary if you saw one. Humans actively tried to trap them, for reasons soon to be revealed. Which would now be impossible, as this breed is now extinct. How, you wonder? Well, be patient. I’m getting to that.

These cats were of extraordinary intelligence, fully blind with milky white eyes framed in long silky fur. They stood around two to three feet tall, their muscular frames gliding through the underbrush with ease. The Deep Forest was their home, though to them it was named something we as humans cannot begin to comprehend. Their language will always be beyond us. This was not something humanity had come to accept in those times.

The society they built in The Deep Forest was sacred and cherished. Their currency was stories. These stories were all scraped into rolls of thin wood by their elders, using a technique developed using the skilled articulation of their claws. But how could they read the stories if they could not see? Well, they could trace the grooves in the wood with their own claws, and the story would be revealed to them.

They traded stories back and forth based upon the worth of the stories. A worth predetermined by The Librarian, a cat of such majesty who was considered more powerful than any other. The Librarian was also capable of memorizing every story her paws had ever traced, which made her unique among the other cats. With this knowledge she discovered a deep power within her. It was the ability to influence time. She had read so many stories from both the past and present that she could predict which stories she would read next, along with who would write them and who would trade what for them. There was one text which she guarded at all costs. She called it “The Grooves Of Time.” It became legend among the cats, and rumours swirled throughout The Deep Forest for many years.

However, her power was not without its faults. Unknown to her, the humans had gotten ahold of several cats throughout the years along with several scrolls of stories. The humans had threatened the cats with torture unless they taught the humans how to read their language. Therefore, the cats educated the humans, who consumed the information greedily. The Librarian had been so engrossed in guarding “The Grooves Of Time” that she failed to acknowledge the disappearance of the cats. By then, it was too late.

The humans had heard the rumours of the cat who could see beyond time and the sacred text where she hid the secret to her powers. They thought that if they could get ahold of this cat and her sacred text that they too could learn how to manipulate time.

So, the humans raided The Deep Forest and captured The Librarian. To their surprise, she went with them willingly and even offered them her sacred scroll in return for leaving her fellow cats untouched. The humans imprisoned The Librarian and eagerly opened the sacred text. Inside was one simple marking, unlike any the cats had taught them. They became frustrated and demanded that The Librarian teach them how to see beyond time. She told them that by witnessing the marking that the power was inside them already, and that they must return her to her home. They obliged.

Sure enough, upon witnessing the marking in the sacred text, every story ever known to the cats in The Deep Forest flooded into the minds of the humans. It was so overwhelming that many of them fell into a deep sleep and never woke up. One human felt himself going mad, pulsing headaches raging against his every thought. He journeyed to The Deep Forest to speak with The Librarian and beg her to return his sanity.

Upon reaching The Librarian, she told him the truth. There was no taking back a story once it was known, and that by revealing the text to humanity they had done more than destroy their sanity. They had released an uncontrollable evil into the world with their greed. All descendants of the humans who had participated in the raid upon The Deep Forest would be forever cursed for their greedy and careless act. The Librarian then melted into the trees, never to be seen again.

In their rage, the humans torched all of The Deep Forest and neither the cats or their scrolls were ever seen again.

Reflection:

Learning this story took quite some time due to its length. It also seemed to change a bit every time I told it as details tended to get mixed up or I’d get new ideas of what could have happened. This organic evolution of the story was interesting, especially for the friend who I told it to twice in the same 24 hours. Both times it was different, she noted. She liked this version (the one I’ve posted) better than the original.

Some friends I told it to were very engaged with the story and demanded further details about the world I had begun to create in this story. Worldbuilding for a small scale piece like this is extremely challenging but I had fun with it! My audience also had fun suggesting different ways to solidify the world as well as integrating the message. I was very grateful for the feedback!

I used to compete in Vancouver Story Slam, and I wonder if I could pare this piece down a bit to fit the requirements of that competition, as this version is a bit long.

Works Cited:

Sambuchino, Chuck, et al. “Tips on World Building for Writers: How to Make Your Imaginary World Real.” Writer’s Digest, 5 June 2019, www.writersdigest.com/guest-columns/tips-on-world-building-for-writers-how-to-make-your-imaginary-world-real.

“Vancouver Story Slam.” Facebook, www.facebook.com/VancouverStorySlam/.

Hi everybody!

For this assignment I decided to go with question #7, as it was the one that I felt had the most relation to my life. Here’s the question:

At the beginning of this lesson I pointed to the idea that technological advances in communication tools have been part of the impetus to rethink the divisive and hierarchical categorizing of literature and orality, and suggested that this is happening for a number of reasons. 

I’d like you to consider two aspects of digital literature:

1) Social media tools that enable widespread publication, without publishers.

2) Hypertext, which is the name for the text that lies beyond the text you are reading, until you click. How do you think these capabilities might be impacting literature and story?

Digital literature has made its way to the foreground of society in many contexts, from advertisements to pedagogical literature and reading for pleasure. All kinds of digital literature contribute to framing schools of thought among societies, ultimately helping people decide what to think of their reality by feeding them non-stop information about it through the media. Though concrete, digital media can often be just as reliable as oral storytelling in its factual limitations. Due to the nature of digital publication through popular sites such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr, anyone is able to self publish their opinions and tell their own stories. There has also been an increase in reliance on digital literature to guide studies in academic settings.

I believe that humanity clings to meaning, as a way to feel less alone through creating modes of communication to understand each other. These modes of communication are vast, some verbal, others nonverbal in nature. Many modes of communication are similar, but language expands beyond a set template of grammar rules and syntax guidelines. In his book If This Is Your Land, Where Are Your Stories, Chamberlain expresses how “building shape and meaning” (18) is integral to communication as long as we “believe in them” (18). Chamberlain then attaches these beliefs of meaning in communication to “ceremonies” (18) such as having table manners. This makes me think of our modern ceremonies in connection to digital literature. So many people, myself included, check their social media on their phone as soon as they wake up. One of my favourite ways to communicate is through the use of memes, such as this one:

A Meme of Fry from the TV show “Futurama” thinking about digital literature.

Now that I think about it, that very much is a ceremony. Routine. We believe that these social media sites give us presence and power. Which is true, to an extent. Knowing how to be fluent in digital literature allows you access to news around the world with updates flooding in every second of every day. It’s the prime way to engage with the world around us. Anyone can gather this information and post it on their social media, expressing their viewpoints on current political and social climates with their voice being broadcast across a global stage.

By using the tools of Hypertext, we are able to expand the knowledge of the reader should they choose to take that path themselves. Whatever the information is that’s encompassed in the Hypertext is optional information and it’s up to the reader whether they choose to engage with it or not. It offers additional information for further study, a suggestion at the writer’s credibility based off of what is in the Hypertext. When writing a story and including Hypertext, the writer should be conscious that not all readers will choose to engage with this information as it isn’t included directly as part of the text they’re reading.

Works Cited:

Chamberlin, Edward. If This is Your Land, Where are Your Stories? Finding Common Ground. AA. Knopf. Toronto. 2003. Print.

Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis, and Kim Christian Schrøder. “The Relative Importance of Social Media for Accessing, Finding, and Engaging with News.” Digital Journalism, vol. 2, no. 4, Mar. 2014, pp. 472–489., doi:10.1080/21670811.2013.872420.