The blogs I’ve chosen for evaluation are:
– Assignment 1:3, Lesson 1:2 “The Essential Power of Words”
– Assignment 2.2, Lesson 2:1 “Home Is The Place I Am”
– Assignment 2.4, Lesson 2:2 “The Consequence of the Belief in Paper”
I chose these three blog posts because I believe they express a good range of content and subject matter we’ve focused on sofar; one is based on Chamberlin, one is storytelling in the form of creative writing, and one is based on the Coyote story of the stolen paper. In my first blog, I answer Lesson 1:2’s Question 3: Based on Chamberlin’s understanding of how riddles and charms work, explain this “world of words.” Reflect on why “words make us feel closer to the world we live in” (1). Reading Chamberlin for the first time, my mind was opened to a whole new way of seeing Indigenous culture, and as a settler I was humbled to be offered this wealth of knowledge. What I write about in my blog “The Essential Power of Words” touches on some highlights of my readings of Chamberlin. I also chose to submit this post because his novel has acted as a solid foundation that I regularly refer back to as the course moves on.
The creative non-fiction blog I chose was about my concept of “home.” This one was challenging for me at first because I think I do not have a traditional sense of home, and finding out what that concept means to me took some inward searching. Writing this blog acted as a catharsis, and as someone who does not dabble in non-fiction storytelling, I am happy with the result.
The final blog I chose to submit for evaluation was my response to Question 5 in Lesson 2:2: We are going to return to this story, but for now – what is your first response to this story? In context with our course theme of investigating intersections where story and literature meet, what do you make of this stolen piece of paper? In writing this blog post, I was able to reference another fantastic observation Chamberlin makes in If This Is Your Land, and I tie in the story of Coyote, the paper, and the king to the current ongoing conflict regarding the Wet’suwet’en people and the government of “Canada,” bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary storytelling.
Hi Jacob,
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog posts and engaging in discussions in the comments with you. I am starting to look ahead at next week’s assignment of finding 3 partners for the end of term online conference (assignment 3:3).
Throughout this course, I’ve been particularly interested in connecting what we are learning to modern day issues Indigenous communities encouter – as such, most of my blog posts have related to this in some way. I imagine I’ll be interested in continuing to explore this in the online conference.
In terms of my schedule and working habits, I work full-time so am mostly available outside of 9 – 5 to get assignments completed, but am available online throughout the day. I have been trying to get most of the assignment done in advance of the deadlines, and would appreciate being in a group with a similar attitude. I also want to note that I will be travelling starting April 4th, so will be trying to get as much of the assignment completed before then as possible.
If you’re interested in potentially working together, please let me know by either replying to this comment or emailing me at katarina.smith96@gmail.com! Thanks 🙂
Hi Katarina!
I’m glad you have been enjoying my blog posts! I as well have been enjoying reading your blog – I admire your thoughtful and thorough take on course topics as well as contemporary Indigenous issues. I try to articulate this in my own posts, and believe our approach is compatible. I would love to be in a group with you.
I work ~35 hours a week Sunday-Wednesday/Thursday. I manage a coffee shop, so I’m nearly always free in the evenings to do schoolwork, and am as well available online throughout the day. I have posted the majority of my blogs before the due date because I am more comfortable getting the work done as soon as possible rather than leaving it to the last minute, so that style works for me. My email is jacobkosh01@gmail.com 🙂