Reading Notes W2: The Creation
The Creation: (Maidu) has an underlying story that the author is trying to tell through the characters. Specifically, the character Earthmaker who plays the role of the creator of all things: God. The character Earthmaker has the power and authority over everyone and everything, being able to make things happen that no one else has the ability to do. The act of creation and different events occur because of the power and actions by the Earthmaker, without this character the story would not move along smoothly without some crucial and different events. The author uses the Earthmaker to tell the story they want to portray with the Earthmaker making these events happen. The Earthmaker wanted to make a birds nest bigger so " As he talked, he transformed it" (25) he has the power to make things how he wants and when he wants. I believe the author through this story is also trying to make connections to the Bible such as by saying " Then he made creatures, two by two" (28) This sentence the author wrote reminds me of Noah's Ark from the Bible and when God declared the Animals to enter the ark two by two. Throughout the whole story, there are connections and parallels between the story The Creation and the Bible. The underlying message the author is trying to convey through this character is the power the Earthmaker has who resembles God, being able to make things new and change them for the better.
Works Cited:
Hicks, Jack. The Literature of California. Vol. 1, The Creation, University of California Press, 2000.
Works Cited:
Hicks, Jack. The Literature of California. Vol. 1, The Creation, University of California Press, 2000.
Great job, Grace! I enjoyed reading your discussion of the "earth maker". Since these stories were told orally for generations, thousands of years before Christianity arrived in what is now California, I would be surprised if the original creators of the story were referring to a Christian Bible story. But perhaps the person who actually wrote it down made it align more with that version of creation? It's hard to tell.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the author wanted the readers to make the connections to some of the versus in the bible like how the creatures we made in pairs. I also think that the Earthmaker is the most important character because he is the one that not only stretches the only piece of land he sees but also establishes the first sense of order by providing everyone a place they belong to as well as names for people, creatures and countries.
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