Arnold Spirit

The rawness and crudeness in Arnold's narration of his life on the rez makes his story believable, but lightens the mood of the issues presented. We see the facts shown in a very straight-foward and almost carefree manner with help from the cartoons and sketches that give Arnold such a unique quality. His humor and thoughtfulness is especially endearing when he uses it to take care of problems that come his way. Arnold's determination is uplifting even though his story is filled with plenty of grief and controversy. However, we do not see Arnold react to his problems by remaining moody and sulking and feeling desolate for long. The teen angst that is characteristic of most young-adult novels is replaced by a strong sense of pride and hope despite Arnold's disabilities.

Storyteller

So far I like that this book is a compilation of many stories, because it shows off different perspectives by using various methods of storytelling. I noticed that some of the stories seem to be myths and legends that depicts a past for the native people, and shows the origin of elements such as rain and evil. I get a sense that there are bits of fairy tales and fables incorporated, mainly because some of the stories give me a sense of morality that is open to further interpretation. The pictures in the book provide a realistic image of historical landmarks that the people pride themselves on. While some of the stories may seem confusing at first, they are soon explained by the succeeding stories that have some of the same characters and ideas.

Testimony

I feel that the regime in power takes advantage of indigenous villagers because it is threatened by the sheer number of people. Because the natives have peaceful living habits, they cooperate easily and can theoretically overthrow any government if they are disturbed enough to try to organize a rebellion. I think that the case in Guatemala is similar. The army is afraid of the knowledge that the native Mayan have of their terrain and lusts for the rich resources that the land offers. There is power in numbers, and by turning natives against each other (such as forcing natives to join the army), the government is successful in dividing and conquering. People will do horrible things when there is all to lose and much to gain, but Montejo was never swayed by this idea. Even though the acts committed by the army were atrocious, and Montejo witnessed all this, I greatly admired that he kept his composure and acted honorably in each situation he found himself in.

Plague of the Doves

I had so many questions prior to completing this novel, and was so frustrated I nearly left it unfinished. Once everything was explained, I was definitely content. The fact that all the characters in the story are intertwined made all the crimes that were committed and all the events that happened that much more interesting. My mind immediately started flashing back to all the mini-stories and narratives, and details popped up in all the blank spaces. I saw Mooshum, drunk, belligerent and happy-go-lucky, divulging his tale to Wildstrand. I saw Tobek, delusional at the sight of his lover's slaughtered family. And then I saw Warren, committing a cold-blooded murder. Though the events became vivid and clear, the blame, hatred and grief that I would've had for the characters in those stories became blurred. I started to think : "But oh, they survived and did this later on," or "That was the past, things are ok now." I feel like this is what happens to a small community where everyone knows each other. The lines connecting them are no longer like clear-cut branches, but rather numerous, broken and reformed like those of a web.

Something from the text that I thought was interesting and actually relates to my text is the quote when Allison realized why her mother allowed her brother to abuse the family: "Suddenly I understood why so many times the mother of a mass murderer claims her son couldn't possibly be guilty of any crime--craziness" (pg. 148). For many years, Allison's father never left her mother, no matter how unreasonable and destructive she acted. Perhaps Allison finally chose to leave Tom because she wanted to do what her father never could; what she wished he would do when she was younger. "I hate to think about it, but many times I begged my dad to leave my mom. My father never left my mother all those long crazy years." She wanted to show him that she was strong and could support her family on her own. However, I feel that mainly Allison was rebellling against her mother, who loved her younger brother so much that she tried to protect him no matter how badly he behaved. Allison grew up never relating to her mother and naturally wanted to avoid acting like her. By leaving Tom, Allison proved that she was not insane-her mother's most prominent characteristic.

"Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"- Albert Einstein. I chose this title because I believe that as humans, we are all prone to make mistakes. But as analytical, creative and generally conscientious creatures, we tend to strive toward an idealistic existence. Often, we fail because there is no stability unless we balance both order and chaos (from Cherokee cosmology). To lean towards either would be like spinning a wheel, disrupting the present. Because of our desire to get our hands dirty, humans are innately insane.
Insanity is when scientists test something dozens and hundreds of time using the same method, waiting for a breakthrough, dispelling myths. Insanity is genius
Insanity is when a person runs back to the person that abuses them time and time again, hoping things will work out, believing that people change for the better. Insanity is love.
Insanity is paint thrown layers upon layers, colors upon colors onto a blank wall to be preserved and seen from all different perspectives. Insanity is art.