Green Grass Running Water - english blog

Green Grass Running Water Blog

Part 1

1. “Well,” I says, “Old Woman just fell through that hole into the sky and then she fell into” “I know, I know,” says Coyote. “A whale!” (pg. 348)

Old Woman falling into the whale is a biblical allusion to the story of Jonah, who was swallowed whole by a whale and lived inside it. This quote contributes to the plot because it is what starts Old Woman’s biblical story, which culminates in explaining how she wound up in Fort Marion.

2. “Get back men,” shouted Wayne, and he began firing at the Indians. Widmark pulled both guns and began firing from the hip. The soldiers ran back to their logs and holes and rocks, shooting as they went. But as Lionel and Charlie and Eli and the old Indians and Bill and Coyote watched, none of the Indians fell.” (pg. 321)

Lionel, Charlie, Eli, the old Indians, Bill, and Coyote watching is a reference to the pop culture phenomena Western film was. This is used by King to weave all of the differing plot lines and stories of the residents of Blossom. This is one of many examples of plot weaving King does in Green Grass Running Water.

3. “The last time you fooled around like this” said Robinson Crusoe, “the world got very wet.” (pg. 416)

This quote is referring to the first flood Coyote caused earlier in the book. The first flood he caused was the flood that caused the story of Noah’s Ark, making the quote a biblical allusion. This quote also gives the reader a better understanding of how mischievous Coyote is, and how he has caused some of the more prolific events in human history.

4. “So Old Woman is floating in the water. And she looks around. And she sees a man. Young man. A young man walking on water.” (pg. 349)

This quote is clearly an allusion to the biblical story wherein Jesus walked on water. The quote also helps to explain the story of Old Woman (specifically how she winds up in Fort Marion with the other Indians, who are trying to ‘fix’ the world)

5. “But I was helpful too,” says Coyote. “That woman who wanted a baby. Now, that was helpful.” “Helpful!” said Robinson Crusoe. “You remember the last time you did that?” (pg. 416)

Robinson Crusoe is referring to the time when Coyote gave Alberta a baby; which is an allusion to when God gave Mary a baby in the bible. Both were immaculate conceptions. This quote shows the recklessness of Coyote, and how he rarely acts with any sort of empathy.

Part 2

1. Eli Stands Alone -

“Eli sat down and waited for the coffee to brew and looked about the house at what he had become. Ph.D. in literature. Professor Emeritus from the University of Toronto. A book on William Shakespeare. Another on Francis Bacon. Teach of the Year. Twice. Indian. In the end, he had become what he had always been. An Indian. Not a particularly successful one at that.” (pg. 262)

This quote shows a lot about Eli Stands Alone – it shows a lot about his history, and also a fair amount about his insecurity, and how he views himself. It reveals that he is a very intelligent and learned person, as well as the fact that he has difficulty viewing himself as anything more than an Indian.

2. Lionel Red Dog –

“Happy Birthday. Forty years old… Life, Lionel mused as he felt his chest slide on top of his stomach, had become embarrassing. His job was embarrassing. His gold blazer was embarrassing. His car was embarrassing. Norma was right. Alberta wasn’t about to marry an embarrassment.” (pg. 239)

This quote shows how depressed Lionel has become over the years, and also accurately shows what people view Lionel Red Dog as. It portrays him as an overweight 40-year old, with a boring job, but who is still too apathetic to change anything. However, the final line shows somewhat of a silver lining. Lionel realizes that Alberta will never marry an ‘embarrassment’ such as himself, and the silver lining is that it shows that Lionel may change the way he is in order to appease Alberta.

3. Coyote –

The Lone Ranger and Ishmael and Robinson Crusoe and Hawkeye looked at Coyote. “It’s a lot of work fixing up this world, you know,” said the Lone Ranger. “Yes,” said Ishmael. “And we can use all the help we can get.”… “I didn’t do anything,” says Coyote. “I just sang a little… I just danced a little, too,” says Coyote.” (pg. 416)

The portrayal of Coyote as the ‘trickster’ of the group is shown thoroughly throughout this quote. It shows Coyote’s reckless behavior, his immaturity, and his lack of any kind of foresight. Though Coyote is a companion and somewhat of a friend of the Old Indians, he is more often than not a nuisance to the Old Indians, and tends to get in their way.

Mr. Kilgour and Mr. Hogarth comparison

Media Studies Blog

Comparing Mr. Kilgour and Mr. Hogarth's class visits

Before Mr. Kilgour or Mr. Hogarth came in, I was very narrow-minded towards both copyright and piracy laws, as well as the remixing genre. However, thanks to the visits we had, I have now gained perspective on the difficulties Mr. Hogarth faces, and I know have realized that remixing wasn’t as simple as I had previously thought. These visits have given me perspective, and it has not only helped with my understanding of the remixing controversy, but also with my understanding of how remixes are made.

I have always been adamantly against copyright and pirating laws. I have always had the belief that file sharing online was equal to sharing a CD or a DVD in real life. So, when Mr. Hogarth came in, I started off a little biased against him. However, he was very well spoken, and brought up quite a few good points. For example, he told us a story of a female indie artist who had created a great album, which never reached the recognition it deserved due to the file sharing epidemic (“Within a few weeks, the song was downloaded 3 million times on file-sharing sites. She made $150,000. That wouldn’t even cover coffee at the recording studio.”). Despite Mr. Hogarth’s best arguments, I still believe that file sharing should be legal and I have remained against copyright and piracy laws. Mr. Hogarth did, however, help me gain some perspective, and helped me see acknowledge how difficult his job must be.

When Mr. Kilgour first came into our class, I had already come to the conclusion that remixing was reserved for those who couldn’t actually play music, and instead opted to mix other people’s talents. I held the belief that those who remixed shouldn’t be considered musicians; because they couldn’t actually play anything I considered to be an instrument. I now realize how blinkered of a belief that is. Thankfully, Mr. Kilgour was able to prove to me that remixing takes a legitimate amount of skill and it isn’t something that teenagers can just create in their basement. It takes a lot of legitimate talent and effort. On top of that, he also had valid points for the remixing controversy. For example, he brought up the point that, without remixing, there is no other way he could create this music (“I can’t afford a horn section, or a guitarist, or a singer … what other way could I make this music?”). I admit that I still don’t listen to remixing music, but thanks to Mr. Kilgour’s visit, I now have a better level of appreciation for the amount of effort that goes into these songs, which many people seem to enjoy.