1. How might Tayo from Silko’s novel Ceremony react to reading Sebastian Junger’s book Tribe? How might Tayo’s view of war differ from Junger’s? Junger is a wealthy journalist from suburban Boston who witnesses war; Tayo is a Pueblo veteran who fights in war and witnesses his cousin die. How might Tayo and Junger look at Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder differently?
2. “White women never looked at me until I put on that uniform, and then by God I was a U.S. Marine and they came crowding around.” (37)
What does it mean to be an American? Do you think the definition of an American is different in 2020 then it was in the 1940’s? Discuss the intersections of culture (white American, Pueblo, Mexican, Japanese), culture, masculinity, and patriotism that are important to you in Ceremony and in your life.
3. “They see no life/ When they look/ they see only objects.” (125)
According to Pueblo legend, the European colonialism was the result of witchcraft: “Stolen rivers and mountain/ the stolen land will eat their hearts/ and jerk their mouths from the Mother./ The people will starve./ They will bring terrible diseases/ the people have never known./ Entire tribes will die out/ covered with festered sores/ shitting blood/ vomiting blood.”
How does this perspective on colonialism differ from how Steven Pinker might view western expansion in Enlightenment Now? Do you think views on American Indian rights and land reclamation has changed from the 1940’s to now, and if so, how and why?
4. How has the difficult year of 2020 influenced your hyper and deep attention? Consider a novel, a movie, or a tv series that you enjoyed this year, or more. Connect ideas from Katherine Hayles’ essay “Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes” to your life now.
5. What is your “tribe,” to borrow the idea from Junger’s book Tribe? Has your group of friends of family changed during 2020 (or perhaps before) due to the pandemic or political differences?
6. Where is the Enlightenment in 2020? What would Kant recognize or not recognize about the philosophical movement now? What might he think of: the evolution of women’s rights; other cultures (like the rise of Japan and China); disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories; pandemic response; or other topics of value to you?