A discussion on the book "House Made of Dawn" by N. Scott Momaday, a story about a Native American man that could never fit into the white man's world, and did not feel a connection with the Native American world any more.
1,010 words (approx. 4 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 35.95
Abstract The following paper discusses the themes of dawn and dusk in "House Made of Dawn" focusing on their symbolic and metaphorical meanings of new beginnings and endings. The paper briefly discusses the story, which tells of the differences between the races, and how difficult it is for Native Americans to fit into either world.
From the Paper "We learn throughout the novel that he never could fit into the white man's world, but he does not feel a connection with the Native American world any more. He is going through his own personal "hell" of not belonging anywhere. We see his life in Los Angeles, after he finishes serving his time in prison for murdering the albino. We can see immediately this is not the place for him. He cannot find his place. He returns home only when he is beaten so badly, he almost dies. The story uses the imagery of New Mexico to paint pictures of the old ways, and even romanticize them. Dusk and dawn are important elements in the painting of pictures."
Tags: chant, grandfather, tradition, indians, white
An analysis of two novels, "House Made of Dawn" by N. Scott Momaday and "Indian Killer" by Sherman Alexe, both of which bring to light the plight of the Red Indians.
Abstract This paper shows how the works of both Alexe's and Momaday commonly highlight Red Indians, representing them as a generation of people neglected, looked down, oppressed and severely under represented in nearly all spheres of an average American life. It examines how the authors, through their characters, portray the lack of understanding present in the American society for the Red Indians and the anger prevalent amongst the Red Indians. Both novels have awakened the literary world on the existence of a culture that had always been there for possibly thousands of years, but only through an occasional perspective from an anthropologist and or a historian.
From the Paper "The depiction of other characters, such as Francisco and Reverend Tosamah too is suggestive of the evident and prevailing diversity on and about the Indian people and their culture. The first is both a staunch believer of the Catholic faith, and a medicine man for the tribal, and the second is the modern age preacher living in Los Angeles preaching the Native Indians on the Word of God and Christianity. Yet, the most important character is Abel is given the assignment of eliminating the growing difference between the Indian reservations where he and his ancestors grew up, and the city, which has trapped him, but all in vain. (Pinkmonkey, 2002)"
Abstract This paper shows how, on the surface and upon first reading, "A House Made of Dawn" sounds and appears to be like every other Native American novel - focus on the typical patterns of return and homing. But a closer study of the novel's tone, themes, structure and diction reveals that its fame is intricately connected with its unique non-stereotypical illustration of Native American views and emotions. This paper focuses on various different aspects of the novel to show why it is different from other similar writings and why it truly deserved a Pulitzer Prize.
From the Paper "It is a rich, metaphorically lyrical tale depicting Native American's situation in a big white world of America. The story may appear rather puzzling to those who are unable to move with the author from one location to another almost in the blink of an eye. The tone of the novel isn"t disturbing as that of some other native pieces but is certainly thought provoking. But the one thing that I found highly amazing and unique about this novel is the fact that it isn"t exactly written for white people to make them feel guilty and ashamed. It is actually written for Native Americans so that they are able to come to terms with the core of their misery and confusion as Indians surrounding by arrogance of whiteness."
This paper reviews two novels, both related to Indian Society in the U.S.A. --"Indian Killer", by Sherman Alexie and "A House Made of Dawn", by N. Scott Momaday.
Abstract The writer compares and contrasts the works of these two writers whose novels both focus on the issues of cultural ties in a sub-culture that is dominated and oppressed by the white majority. The paper looks first at Sherman Alexie's novel where the main character John is caught between the two cultures, his Indian background by birth and his adopted white family. The paper then continues with a review of N. Scott Momaday's book, set in post-war America and analyzes the characters development as he struggles between the world he once valued and the white world.
From the Paper "In Alexie's murder story, a serial killer is operating in Seattle and leaving behind scalped corpses decorated with owl feathers. This leads to a good deal of anti-Indian rhetoric and some street violence, both white against Indian and Indian against white. The killer is John Smith, an Indian without a tribe, which alone sets him apart from both groups. His name is clearly an ironic reference to the white captain famous for the story of Pocahantas. John is caught between the two cultures, for while he is Indian by birth, he is Adopted by a white couple. He rapidly slips into a delusional fantasy life in which he is the Native American hero able to right all the wrongs inflicted on Native Americans by European settlers and all those who followed."
Abstract This paper reviews the book 'At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor' written by Gordon Prange and published in 1991 by Penguin. According to the paper, this book is widely considered to be the definitive account of the Japanese attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The reasons for this being that it examines in unprecedented detail Japanese motivations and plans for the destruction of the U.S. Pacific Fleet as well as the American intelligence failures that significantly contributed to the devastating success of Japan's dawn attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Abstract The United Kingdom and the Netherlands have made commendable contributions to social housing over the past century. The successful collaboration of nonprofit builders has resulted in low-cost and efficient social housing in these countries. This paper shows that perhaps the most notable achievement is that housing at affordable prices is easily available to people who need it and, more importantly, at the time they need housing. Many other developed countries, including the Unites States, are struggling to provide acceptable levels of social housing and trying to copy the successful community housing models of European countries.
Paper Outline
Social Housing in Europe
Social Housing in Britain
Housing Associations in Britain
Social Housing in the Netherlands
Housing Associations in the Netherlands
Private Rented Housing Conclusion
From the Paper "In many European cities, low-cost housing is taken for granted; for instance in Tillburg in the Netherlands with a population of 165,000, a single association owns as much as 51 percent of the housing. Rentals charges by this association is only half or maximum two-thirds of market rates. Even in London, one of the high cost cities in the world, housing project developers are required to have 25 to 35 percent of the newly built units in the affordable category. (Johnson, Building a Better City: Europe's Affordable Housing Standard). A unique feature in these countries is the successful integration of "affordable" housing with "market-rate" housing in the same location, which means that people with high and low incomes live together and there is no social stigma attached to such practice."
Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine some of the general policies and history of Housing Connections, a social housing provider in Toronto, Ontario. Those policies are referenced to some of the more basic changes made under the Social Housing Reform Act (2000) before being compared to the policies of another Toronto-based social housing provider, Toronto Community Housing. The end goal is to provide readers with a basic understanding of the role and function of social housing providers within the Toronto area. Specifically, the benefits and limitations of Housing Connections are expanded upon.
Abstract This paper discusses affordable housing and what the involvement of the community and the black church should be on this issue. The writer looks at programs including Habitat for Humanity to define the ways that the community can become involved in providing affordable housing to its residents who are in need.
From the paper:
"There is an ongoing effort to attract African Americans to the affordable housing development industry. In Sacramento California an internship program was piloted that matched minority students to non-profit housing organizations. African American churches and communities could easily use this idea for their own memberships to encourage social understanding and involvement in the ongoing need for affordable housing (Ware, 1998). "
Abstract The objective of this paper is to examine the status and condition of African-Americans as compared to whites in the area of housing. The city of Chicago is used as a specific example, both historically and presently, in relation to access to and cost of affordable housing. The paper includes statistical information which highlights the proportion and number of both groups that occupy public and privately owned housing, the median/average monthly payment for housing. Finally this work reviews how these facts relate to the overall lives of African-American living in the United States.
Table of Contents
Objective
Historical Chicago Housing Facts
Covenants
The Gautreaux Case
Recent Studies and Their Findings
Summary & Conclusion
From the Paper "Seitles claims that integration has been a success in the fight against racial prejudice and states that: "Social consequences of racial isolation intertwine with grim economic realities for minorities. Due to the lack of interaction between racial groups, African-Americans are unprepared to work and socialize in a white majority society, while conversely, whites are not relating to, working with, or living with blacks. Prospects for African-American children raised in such communities are greatly diminished because of the lack of interaction between blacks and whites. Moreover, minority possibilities for advancement consequently decline from the lower quality of education afforded to them in ghetto schools, precluding them from competing for high-income employment. Although these inequalities are not always directly caused by intentional discrimination, residential racial segregation perpetuates these inequalities. Thus, minorities who live in racially homogeneous communities are faced with disadvantages beyond the present economic and social inequalities associated with minority neighborhoods." (Seitles, 1996)"
Abstract This paper reviews Sandra Cisneros' novel, "The House on Mango Street", by focusing on the symbol of a house as presented in the book. According to the reviewer, a house is used as a symbol of comfort, freedom and self-expression instead of as a physical space. Quotes from the book are used to illustrate this thesis. The reviewer further examines the protagonist Esperanza and her views of a house. The author concludes that a house is a symbol of escape for Esperanza.
From the Paper "Not only is the house important, but the conditions that caused them to move around so often are also worth pondering. It is because the family couldn't afford a house of their own that they had to move in and out of various houses. That intensified the desire of the family to have a house of their house especially Esperanza whose desire is most pronounced. Esperanza, the protagonist of the novel, is a young child whose sense of self respect is often dented by the humiliating comments made by others. She grows up believing that her sense of self worth is closely connected with having a house of her own- a white house "with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence" (p. 8)"
Tags: Sandra, Cisneros, The, House, on, Mango, Street
Abstract The paper discusses how the subsidized housing situation in Chicago is growing bleak, as it is doing in many of America's urban communities. The paper explains that the combination of a reduction in public housing and the increasing reliance on Section 8 has caused public housing situations to become critical. The paper notes that some have seen this development as an opportunity to segregate and a lawsuit has been filed to that effect. The paper discusses that whether or not this kind of accusation has a foundation in the truth is a subject of its own, but maintains that regardless of this, public housing is becoming scarcer and cities like Chicago will feel the negative effect more than most.
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between the housing industry and the Canadian economy by looking at how supply and demand effect housing starts, employment and GDP production and growth. It looks at how housing prices vary from region to region across the country and how the housing market plays a crucial role in the Canadian economy.
From the Paper "The housing industry in Canada is impacted by fluctuations in the economy and changes in supply and demand. Neoclassical consumer theory is used to demonstrate the relationship between the housing market and the economy. Recent industry and market reports suggest that the Canadian economy is growing at a strong rate and accounting for an increased share of the country's total economic output. Introduction The housing industry is a significant component of the Canadian economy as low mortgage rates and strong growth in employment and personal income have led to an increase in housing demand ("The Canadian Housing" 1)."
Abstract This paper examines the housing industry from an economic perspective. Various factors that affect housing are considered, such as the impact of price elasticity on the housing market and supply and demand. The author also explores other issues such as wage inequality and inflation. The author concludes by citing the economy's overall influence on the housing industry.
Price Elasticity
Negative and Positive Externalizes
Wage Inequality
Monetary and Fiscal Policies
From the Paper "There are several factors that can influence the housing industry economically. Supply and demand coupled with price elasticity can affect the housing industry. Negative and positive externalities, wage inequality, and the monetary and fiscal policies can all have substantial affect the industry of new homes. It must also be determined exactly how the economy affects the industry in both positive and negative ways."
Abstract In this paper, the author examines the use of symbolism in "The Fall of the House of Usher" and the themes that run throughout the story. The paper takes a look at the the duality of the house which comes to represent family and home.
From the Paper "The genre of Romanticism is essential to cultural and literary history; its popularity can be attributed to humanity's fascination with the dark and unknown and also its profound interest in the pain and downfall of others. Edgar Allan Poe was instrumental in establishing the foundation of Romanticism that is best known today; his works concern themselves primarily with the occult and the enigmas prevalent within the human psyche. His story "The Fall of the House of Usher" details the psychological and physical demise of the family Usher; Poe translates atmosphere and setting into the characters in the story, and also transfers human qualities into the actual house, which comes to function as a symbol of the Usher family. The title of the story also represents a duality; ultimately, the house is physically destroyed, as is the family. The house of Usher is clearly the personification of the Usher family; the house symbolizes the Usher family's decline into madness and the eventual demise of the family."
Abstract This thesis examines the reasons why blacks live in housing inferior to their white counterparts in the state of Maryland. The paper starts by giving a historical legal analysis, covering discrimination in housing from the late 1800s to today. The paper then discusses the numerous methods used to discriminate against African-Americans. The author looks at issues such as restrictive covenants, residential segregation ordinances, red lining and other real estate practices and the various forms of intimidation. The author looks at the impact of federal laws, and discusses the fact that the laws enacted by the U.S. government are not enough to rectify the housing situation of African-Americans living in Maryland.
From the Paper "Corresponding to whites, blacks are more prone to have a lesser rate of home possession and to reside overfull, older, segregated, meager quality housing in essential cities of Maryland. So as to locate homes comparable to those of whites, blacks have got to recompense more and need to prevail over obstacles of either restrained or direct forms of racial prejudice. Statistics show that even today, in the State of Maryland, access to passable housing takes place along a color scale. Asians, for instance, have enhanced access to passable housing than other racial minorities, after that Hispanics and thereafter, American Indians. Blacks, generally, have not as much access to passable housing than other racial minorities in America, and black female-headed households have the least amount of access amongst all the minority groups."
