Nanabush will impose chaos and destroy order to get what he wants and he will not be satiated until he gets it, but he is willing to act altrustically as well, but only if he feels like it. In the novel motorcycles and sweetgrass by drew hayden taylor, a community exists that is disjointed and lacking intimate connection between members. Congratulations, nanabush, enjoy your bookie for best character. While confessing to being an indian the feathered, not the dot kind, the author reluctantly admits it is unlikely he will ever own an indian the internal combustion variety, the feathered or the dot kind. Except, in todays world dinosaurs were celebrated by palaeontologists and thunderbirds by cultural anthropologists. Motorcycles and sweetgrass by drew hayden taylor was a pleasant surprise. I read drew hayden taylors motorcycles and sweetgrass only about a. Otter lake is a sleepy anishnawbe community where little happens. Motorcycles and sweetgrass essay topics turns out the stranger is the young man begins ap motorcycles and sweetgrass is one of the most interesting, imaginative, and engaging books i have read. Nanabush is called into the community and utilizes chaos to create order and an application of the marxist concept of creative destruction presents a newly formed community of first nations people from old. Motorcycles and sweetgrass essay in what way has it been adapted to contemporary society. Fandom apps take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Choose one of the following topics and write a 750 word essay 34 pages that supports a clear, focused and thoughtful thesis. Apr 04, 2012 hi everyone, here are the study questions for chapters 1419 of motorcycles and sweetgrass.
Motorcycles and sweetgrass works cited norris, mary jane. Journalist, playwright, and author drew hayden taylor uses this figure, and his manic spirit, as inspiration in his first novel for adults. In ojibway mythology, nanabush is a mischievous trickster, shapeshifter, and culture hero. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders.
Motorcycles and sweetgrass novel by author drew hayden. Motorcycles and sweetgrass is a novel written by drew hayden taylor and published in 2010 that centers on what happens when the trickster nanabush shows up at an anishinaabe ojibwe reserve to attempt to date the chief maggie second. Jun 05, 2012 motorcycles and sweetgrass is packed full of humor, good writing, nuanced characters, and outstanding story. Drew hayden taylor the baby blues only drunks and children tell the truth fearless warriors 400 kilometres the night wanderer. For motorcycles and sweetgrass, unfortunately, the second portion of my detective search was very lacking. Once i sat down with it, i didnt want to put it away. How to be productive at home from a remote work veteran. Free essays on motorcycles and sweetgrass character through. The woman, barely into the second half of her teens, swam naked through the water. After the death of her husband three years ago, she took over as chief of otter lake. A broad, bawdy, raucous, deeply felt and utterly involving narrative, a genuine pleasure to read. Hes not just some funloving guy who plays practical jokes on people.
When john, a mysterious white man, comes into town riding a. Motorcycles and sweetgrassymmv all the tropes wiki fandom. Until the day a handsome stranger pulls up astride a 1953 indian chief motorcycle. Motorcycles and sweetgrass all the tropes wiki fandom.
Maggie, the reserves chief, is swept off her feet, but virgil, her teenage son, is less than enchanted. Please have these chapters read and the questions completed by that day. The chiefs son virgil second realizes that john is not what. Motorcycles and sweetgrass by drew hayden taylor in ojibway mythology, nanabush is a mischievous trickster, shapeshifter, and culture hero. The first conflict was based on a battle between john and the raccoons person vs. The thunderbirds, like dinosaurs, were now creatures of the past. Until the day a handsome stranger pulls up astride a 1953 indian chief motorcycle and turns otter lake. Mar 29, 2012 i have attached the study questions for motorcycle and sweetgrass. Nature john was in the forest having a talk with the raccoons and giving them food. Motorcycles and sweetgrass book whitby public library. Mar 26, 2010 drew hayden taylors background as standup comic and tv writer episodes of the beachcombers and north of sixty serves his first adult novel well. Motorcycles and sweetgrass is a novel written by drew hayden taylor and published in 2010 that centers on what happens when the trickster nanabush. Though it was very slow at times, and sometimes i had to make myself get through it, it was a very rewarding read. The main characters in the family are maggie, virgil, lillian, and wayne.
How is motorcycles and sweetgrass a story about virgils growth and selfdiscovery. Motorcycles and sweetgrass is packed full of humor, good writing, nuanced characters, and outstanding story. Motorcycles and sweetgrass by benjamin bestvater on prezi. There was nothing new for me to learn about this story, which is too bad because the voice of the author was clean and easy to read. Hi everyone, here are the study questions for chapters 1419 of motorcycles and sweetgrass. Although sweetgrass is historical fiction, its storyline is one that is most familiar to contemporary readers, for it is simultaneously a love story and a comingofage story. Different from anything else in both plot and characterization. Drew hayden taylors novel tells the story of a mysterious stranger who shows up on a reserve and turns the entire town upside down. Most of the story is built around a family that runs into a strange and may be dangerous man. Motorcycles and sweetgrass is a charming story about the importance of balance and belief and a little bit of magic in everyones life. Nanabush is only acting for his own self interest and his desire to date maggie second. Sweetgrass brought up two major conflicts at the very end of the novel. Native communities facing oppression residential schooling loss of culture alcoholism drug addiction residential schooling was a reality until 1996.
Black gate articles drew hayden taylors tales of otter. Motorcycles and sweetgrass is a well mixed dramatic comedy. The sunsh was sure he had come across him, but where, the sunfish couldnt say. Until the day a handsome stranger pulls up astride a 1953 indian chief motorcycle and turns otter lake completely upside down. At fifteen, sweetgrass believes that she is more than old enough to marry eagle sun, someone with whom she has grown up. Lillian benojee is dying, and her children, including the new chief of the otter lake reserve, maggie second, are crowded in her house, saying their goodbyes. I know that when i was in high school, my english teacher probably wouldnt have gotten away with it without catching some flak. Motorcycles and sweetgrass chapters 1419 ndnativestudies.
The characters respond to change and they embrace it. The chiefs son virgil second realizes that john is not what he seems and asks his reclusive martial arts master uncle wayne for help. In between, motorcycles and sweetgrass tells the story of the benojee clan who live on the otter lake reserve where protagonist tiffany hunter lives in hayden taylors ya novel the night wanderer. Free essays on motorcycles and sweetgrass character. Sammy aandeg, who speaks ojibway in iambic pentameter, claims that the nanabush character. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. I think motorcycles and sweetgrass is a bit of a silly book but i think this is precisely the point of the story. While enjoyable to read, i wished it went a bit deeper into some of the anishnawbe folklore and answered a few more questions i had about the characters.
At times john was silhouetted against the almost full moon. Nanabush from motorcycles and sweetgrass by drew hayden taylor the mysterious and mystical nanabush must have cast a spell on voters across the country, as his comefrombehind victory is quite a feat. We will correct these homework questions on tuesday april 10th. As a final note on motorcycles and sweetgrass itself, while it is an interesting read, i think that whether or not i would be able to teach it would be dependent on the schoolcommunity.
Free essays on motorcycles and sweetgrass by drew hayden taylor. This 49page guide for braiding sweetgrass by robin wall kimmerer includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 32 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. The book even contains a conversation between nanabush john and jesus, albeit in the dream, where john says, hey, i read that book about you, your biographythat big black book everybody talks aboutneeded an editor. Motorcycles and sweetgrass was a novel like ive never read before. Maggie, the reserves chief, is swept off her feet, but virgil, her teenage son, is. It takes place on a reserve called otter lake where some anishnawbe people settle. Motorcycles and sweetgrass is indeed filled with humour and great lines, but it also gently touches on many serious issues. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Until the day a handsome stranger pulls up astride a 1953 indian chief motorcycle and turns.
But john still remembered them, those magnificent creatures. At fifteen, sweetgrass believes that she is more than old enough to marry. After this date the events of the novel become more interesting, magical, mischevious, violent, and racoony. Nanabush as he is not acting for the evulz nor is he acting for the benefit of the community.
Motorcycles and sweetgrass novel by author drew hayden taylor. Characters from different sources of literature can often be linked. I have included the questions from the prologue, right up to chapter. Canada finally acknowledged how horrible it was in 2008. The night wanderer is, as we quickly learn, a man who travelled to europe in the sixteenth century and fell afoul of a vampire. When the old woman summonds a handsome white stranger who has come to town, and only known to her, she charges him with a mission to help the people she loves the most, her daugher and grandson, virgil.
Emerging trends and perspectives on second language acquisition. Maggie second is the chief of the community in central ontario and her mother, lillian, is dying. Motorcycles and sweetgrass study questions ndnativestudies. But we should have put more faith in this mischiefmaking, shapeshifting charmer. Just a friendly reminder that your thesis statement and introductory paragraph for your isu are also due on that. I knew very little about it when i started reading it.
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