Mareko Wolcott

Mr. Hamasaki

English 10

October 10 2014

Laieikawai

There were many literary techniques used in S.N Haleoleʻs Laieikawai, including

similes, metaphors, alliteration, and the one Hawaiians loved to utilize, magic

realism. Also using these techniques, there was conflict.

        Laieikawai is about a chief, who wanted to have a son, but he was only

conceiving girls, so every time his wife Malaekahana gave birth to a girl, she

would be put to death. Malaekahana could not bear to have another girl to be

killed so she went to see a priest and they devised a plan to save the baby. While

the chief was gone, she gave birth to two beautiful girls named Laielohelohe and

Laieikawai who had to be hidden from the chief, one child given to Waka, their

grandmother, and the other to their grandfather.

Five sisters of Aiwohikupua played a big part in this story because they

were like the protectors of Laieikawai, but she considered them as family. They

have vowed to protect Laieikawai because after the five sisters they could not

win the heart of Laieikawai for Aiwohikupua: he left them on the island and could

not return even after they chanted and begged to go home with him. When

Aiwohi’s canoe had left, the sisters had nowhere to go so they had to sleep

inside of rotten trees. They played music for days trying to get Laieikawaiʻs

attention and one day she finally came out and took them in to stay with her.

Awiohikupua’s sisters did not consider him as family anymore because of his

abandoning them. They had a big fight; Laieikawai and the sister are won.

Aiwohikupua is like a player because he was at one point in a relationship with

three women, but his relationship did not work out because they found out and

one woman who was really mad was the goddess Poliahu. In contrast Makaula,

Huluaniani, spent many years looking for Laiekawai, but never succeeded till the

end of the story. In the beginning of the story I thought that the makaula was out

to hurt Laieikawai and played the bad guy in the story, but later I found out that

he was not trying to hurt her.

        Haleoleʻs literary techniques were similes, metaphors, alliteration and the

one Hawaiians used a lot, magic realism such as “Lanalananui’aimakua let down

a spider web, like a tangled thicket in the air” is one of the many similes Haleole

uses to show powerful, meaningful and significant literary devices.

I think that there is dramatic irony in this passage because Haleole wants to

convey this story to us in the most literary way possible. An example of dramatic

irony occurs when “Laieikawai asked, “If we go aboard this canoe, you wouldn’t

require anything of us?” A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of

one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more

emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox).

“Lanalananui’aimakua let down a spider web, like a tangled thicket in the air” is

an example of a simile used in this book, comparing the spiderweb to a tangled

thicket suspended in the sky.

An example of personification was because of his nature as an akua,

Aiwohi was able at first to ward off his desire patiently; but soon his desire would

leave him only momentarily, and then leap back again, clinging tightly to him

once more.

Repetition was also used in the story and it is the action of repeating something

that has already been said or written. As in this chant:

My eyes are ready to weep- e! So it is-e!I will weep for you as the sea spray of hanualele leaps upRight over the heights of honokalaniMy heavenly one- e! So it is – e! (93)

At the end of the, Laieikawai becomes an Akua and changes her name to

Wahineokaliula Haleole used many literary techniques in the Hawaiian romance

of Laieikawai. Some of the techniques used are similes, repetition, dramatic Irony

and magic realism. I really enjoyed this because all of the literary techniques

used by Haleole made it more interesting and less boring.

Mareko Wolcott

Mr. Hamasaki

English 10

26 November 2014

Junior Teaches Me a Thing or Two.

I learned a lot of lessons from Sherman Alexie’s True Diary of a Part Time

Indian. Junior is my idol and the main lesson he is teaching is to never give up

and not to fear change. Junior showed me how to not be afraid of change when

he moved from Wellpinit School to Reardan despite leaving his best friend

Rowdy. Unfortunately, most of the town people hated him. When Junior moved to

Reardan everyone was looking at him weirdly on the first day of school because

they did not know him and because he was Indian.

Everything changed when he met Roger. The following paragraphs are

examples of how Junior taught me to not fear change and never give up. Junior

was being bullied a lot at Wellpinit, but he was a small target there and became a

larger target at Reardan. He was beaten up at Wellpinit and at Reardan, but

literally everyone, meaning all the girls and some of the boys, ignored him or he

was called belittling names by other boys. Although no matter how geeky and

weak Junior appeared, he was a reservation kid and a potential killer. Some of

the names Reardan students called Junior include “Chief”, “Sitting Bull”, “Tonto”,

“Redskin” and “Squaw Boy”. However, he was not scared of losing fist fights

against those boys, but he was scared that they were going to kill him and I don’t

mean “kill” as in a “metaphor.” I mean “kill” as in beat him to death. So he let the

boys call him names while he tried to figure out what to do. It was lunchtime and

Junior was standing outside but the weird sculpture that was supposed to be an

Indian. Junior was studying the sky like an astronomer; except it was daytime

and he didn’t have a telescope, so he was pretty much and idiot. Roger the giant

and his gang of giant’s trudged over to Junior and said “Hey, chief.” It seemed

like Roger was seven feet tall and three hundred pounds. Junior stared at Roger

and tried to look tough. Roger asked Junior if he wanted to see a joke and of

course Junior replied, “Yes” because he was afraid to say no. Rogers joke was “”

Did you know that Indians are living proof that niggers fuck buffalo?” Junior

thought too himself “That was the most racist thing I had ever heard in my life.”

Roger and his friends were laughing like crazy and Junior hated them. He knew

he had to do something big and not just defending himself, but defending

Indians, black people and buffalo, He punched Roger in the face. He was no

longer laughing when he fell on his ass and he certainly was not laughing when

his nose bled like red fireworks. The rest of Rogers’s gang stared at him in

shock; Roger got up and said, ”You punched me.” With an insulted voice. He

sounded like his poor little feeling has been hurt. They called him an animal.

Junior felt courageous and said “you meet me after school right here because we

are going to finish this fight.” Roger responded by calling Junior crazy then got up

and walked away while his gang stared at him like he was a serial killer. This was

the first step in the emergence of a new Junior. From then on, Roger becomes

Juniorʻs tentative friend and Alexie makes readers believe that Roger is replacing

Rowdy as his new best friend. Junior and Penelope started dating which made

Junior very popular. After the school dance, Roger invited Junior and Penelope

to go to eat pancakes, but Junior was ashamed because he only had five dollars

and knew he couldn’t pay for him and Penelope. He still went with them and

Roger ended up giving Junior 40 dollars because he wanted to Junior to have

fun. He ended up driving Junior Home because he didn’t have a ride.

Junior later made the Varsity basketball team because the coach saw that

he would never give up. During tryouts Junior was put against Roger for full court

one on ones. He got ran over from Roger twice in a roll, but when the coach

asked Junior if he wants to go again or if he needs a break, Junior with every part

of his body wanting to give up, he got up and said he wants to go again. That

showed the coach that Junior was capable and worthy of playing on the varsity

football team. During their game against Juniors former team, Wellpinit, He got

constant boos from the opposing team. It was so bad that police had to even

come and make sure nothing got to serious. The worst thing happened to Junior

during the game, he was hit in the head with a quarter by the poor sported

Wellpinit fans. He was taken out of the game with a gash in his forehead. Eugene

told Junior that he was going to go to the hospitals to get stitched up, but Junior

not ready to give up told Eugene to stitch him up so he can get back in. He

ended up going back in to score some points and eventually smash Wellpinit by

around 40 points or more.

Junior is my idol because by going to Reardan, he taught me to not be

afraid of change because sometimes having new experiences and meeting new

people will help me to become more understanding. Junior showed his strength

when he made the decision to get up rather than take a break from getting

crushed at full court one on ones with Roger. He also asked Eugene to stitch up

his forehead that was gashed by a quarter during the basketball game at

Reardan so he could continue to play. Junior taught me to never give up no

matter how badly his body wanted to quit, rest or give up. I will always carry on

the lessons that Junior has taught me.

letter #8 (pp.158- 182)

Ianuali 11, 2015

Dear leonard

I thought that the story you told me about the final battle was deep and

confusing at the same time. I thought it was deep and emotional when you were

crying and could not even stand up at the sight of the elder crying a pond of

blood. I was also confused the who the person you were talking to because at

times it was the voice of mother earth, then it was the voice of the seventh

generation and lastly it was the voice of the Indian nation. I actually thought that

the person you were talking to was yourself because it had the same

characteristics as you. For example, you are kind of like the voice of the Indian

nation or at least some of it. A serious question that has bothered me was that is

a spirit walk an Indian term for smoking weed or doing some sort of drugs. It kind

of seems like you are high when you talk about spirit walks.

Letter #7 (pp.137-158)

Ianuali 11, 2015

Dear us marshals,

I do not like the way you treat Leonard Peltier when you were escorting

him to his case hearing. I think it was wrong that you guys were always false

accusing him and threatening to put him in the hole or saying your going to beat

the shit out of him. I thought it was a good idea when leonard gave you the ideal

of giving him a chance to run away by unlocking one side of his leg locks. I dont

think you would have done it because you're not man enough because you know

he could get away. Did you think that he was bluffing when he said that? I did not

like it when you called him all of those bad names for no reason. I also think that

Leonard should have better treatment in jail. It was also super funny that even

though you guys outnumbered Leonard when you were going to fight him in the

cell, you guys were still scared and backed away. During pages

pages 112-135

letter 6

Dear Goons,

I think you guys are cruel to the Indians and need to be put to justice. I

dont know who is going to put you to justice because you work for the law, but I

hope somebody will. I could not imagine what it would be like to kill a  bunch of

innocent people. Men, women, children and elders, how could you do that? Do

you ever feel bad or guilty for what you have done? I would feel horrible to have

killed one person let alone a bunch of innocent women and children. I think that

the term “Goon” fit you guys perfectly because you are bullyʻs, thugs and killers. i

will pray for all the Indian warriors and their families. I hope you feel very bad for

what you have done and I would love to scrap you guys. I also hope that you

have a good day, shoots.

pages 87-111

letter 5

Sunday

Dear Leonard,

I do not agree when Natives were not allowed to fish because they were

being falsely accused of fishing too much fish, but in reality they were not

catching a lot of fish. When you told the story of how you flew the rock at the

young white boys because they were bullying you and also throwing rocks at

you. I thought that was very manly of you because you should not let anyone

bully you or make you their bitch. I also don't think you should have prayed for

that boy to not die because his death could not compare to the number of Indian

that they have killed. I feel like the jury is purposely making you sit in jail for three

years before giving you your hearing. You are a brave and strong man and you

are my idol. I hope you are doing okay in jail. I also think that on page 89 when

you were fifteen and you talked about how your mother moved to Portland under

the government's relocation program. I thought she would have moved for the

better

I

pages 59-85

letter 4

Sunday December 28

Dear Leonard,

I like how you start part three with a phrase that says “A strong leader

shows mercy.” I can relate myself to you because i am not afraid or ashamed to

be Hawaiian just like you are not afraid or ashamed to be Indian. I think that one

question i have for you would be Have you ever been beaten up or mistreated by

a police officer? Also, if you have, How many times has this happened to you? I

also feel bad when they call you names like squaw. If i was an Indian and

someone mistreated me like that, I would want to fight with them instantly. I find it

fascinating how you and any Indian can keep your cool and not do anything

stupid when being falsely accused and beaten by the police. I hope that you are

making the best of what you have in prison and I will be praying for you everyday

before I go to sleep.

pages 41-58

letter 3

Sunday December 21

Dear Leonard,

When I read the part that  you talked about how Americans Indians

identity, nationhood and sacred lands were stolen. I could relate this situation to

Hawaiians because the same thing happened to them. A lot of Kanaka Maoli

were killed in large genocides just as Indians were. In some ways, Indians and

Hawaiians are much alike. I think the poem “an eagles cry” is referring to the

Indians crying out to other so that they can be heard. Also like Indians, the story

of most Hawaiians cannot be told without going back to long before they were

born. I feel that your calls have been heard by humanity when you wrote this

book.  I also think it is good that there are protests against the violation of the

state because they need to be put to justice. I like how you refused to leave until

everyone of your group of warriors was allowed to leave. Even though it got you

a few extra beatings.

Pages 17-39

Letter 2

December 10, 2014  

Dear Leonard,

I love the dream you have of becoming a counselor and trying to cure

alcoholism and also trying to help other. A goal I have to put others before myself

meaning if someone else needs a pen, I will give it to them before I use it. You

are such a caring person because you are endure everyone pain. I can relate

some of the things you are saying to Hawaiians because we are always trying to

ensure the survival of our people. Some question i have would be what is the

“sitting bull camp” and what does it mean. you sound like a very spiritual person

when you talk about your free spirit and how it is like an eagle. I still and unsure

about some of the Indian words being used in some of the chapters. I know that

you will be a greater man when you get out of prison.

Pages IX- 16

Letter 1

December 8, 2014

Dear Leonard,

You are a strong man. I love the dedication and love you have for your

people. I cannot imagine some of the experiences you went through while you

were in prison. There are probably a lot of murders and serial killer and i would

be very scared to even look at some of them. Being in the  “hole” must have

been a terrible experience, being in a hole with no blanket and its freezing cold.

After 23 years in prison, i would think that you would lose contact with the outside

world, but you didnt because of your book. I like how you are so passionate

about Indians and are willing to die for them. I think that its wrong that the FBI are

not investigating most of the murders of Indians. I think that there are lots of

crooked cops out there who need to be put to justice. I feel like it is bad and you

were falsely accused and thrown in prison.

Mareko wolcott

English 10

Mr. Hamasaki

Word Count: 836

Gilgamesh Journals

I think that the debt of loss is horrible and grief is very unforgiving. I also

think that it can be adapted and eventually forgotten as proved by Gilgamesh. I

can relate to Gilgamesh's loss because when I moved to Oʻahu from Kauaʻi, I lost

a lot of friends, but sadly had to forget about them and ended up making new

friends at Kamehameha.

I noticed lots of literary techniques, for example, page 73 reads “And yet

he still seems so alive, like a younger brother.” This literary technique being used

is a simile and it is comparing Gilgameshʻs aliveness to that of a younger brother.

Another simile I found was on page 73 and it says “I was like a blind man.” This

is comparing Gilgamesh to a blind man. I think that the deeper meaning  in this is

that Gilgamesh was not able to see clear what he was doing. This simile could

have also been foreshadowing Gilgamesh to become blind soon. Some evidence

I have is when Gilgamesh said “My own right eye was damaged long ago and my

left eye is slowly decaying.” When I read page 72 and 73, I thought that the

description was very visual. A specific example reads “When Gilgamesh awoke

from his exhaustion.” I could imagine the look and feeling of how Gilgamesh

awoke. I feel that from the time that Gilgamesh was alive to present day “is there

something more than death?” is a commonly asked question that is yet to be

answered with proof.

On page 46 and 47 when the author talked about how Enkidu cursed the

gate to the Forest of Humbaba and also cursed the hunter and the prostitute, I

was wondering how he cursed it. I also wondered what it meant to curse

something like do they die when they enter the forest of Humbaba or do they get

sick. I noticed that there was an oxymoron that read “there will be more dead

than living on this earth.” This oxymoron is comparing the dead and the living.

For my analysis I thought that this section was showing the more human side of

Gilgamesh because I don't think that the God half of Girls would not have cried. I

think that pg 48 on the first stanza showed the Gods overwhelming power. When

Enkidu died and Gilgamesh was going to look for a way to revive his friend, I

thought that he would be alone looking for life that is already gone. On page 44

the whole last stanza talked about how he would send something that the people

will never believe in and humans were gonna be punished. He also said there

was going to be more dead than living. I could relate that to the biblical story of

noahs ark because this is pretty much what happened in that story

I thought that this section had a lot of action with Gilgamesh and Enkidu

battling Humababa. I thought Enkidu was mostly scared throughout this section

and that could have been there downfall. I think that it could have been their

downfall because if you show fear you will hold back and you cannot hold back

while you are battling the mighty Humbaba. Lucky for Enkidu, he had Gilgamesh

there to encourage him and tell him to fear nothing. Gilgamesh was not scared to

battle Humbaba.I was surprised while reading page 34 when it said that it was

Gilgamesh who was suddenly afraid. This can relate to me in real life because

during my football season I was not scared to play to other team, but when we

walked out on the field and i saw a 6ʻ1 offensive lineman, I was suddenly scared

and froze up. I noticed lot of literary techniques, but I mostly found similes. some

similes i found were “his sound is like a floods sound.” which is comparing

Humbaba sound to a floods sound. Another simile I found was “His shoulders,

like porters under building stones.” This simile was comparing His shoulders to a

porters under Building stones.

I think that Gilgamesh is good, but mostly bad. I think that he is bad because the

book said that he was a tyrant which means an oppressive ruler. The main

reason i think that he is bad was because he demanded from an old birth right,

the privilege of sleeping with their brides before the husbands. I do not

understand why Gilgamesh would want to do that because it does not seem

necessary. He probably gets all the wahines so he shouldn't need to sleep with

all the brides. It is cool that Gilgamesh is a Demigod, half God, half man. I

wonder if he has any special powers. while i was reading the book I was puzzled

when i read about the ax because i did not know what or who it was. I later came

to find out the ax was a man and was surprised because it sounds like a weapon

or a place.

Manaʻo on my original poem

My manaʻo was that I enjoyed brainstorming this poem. I feel that the

brainstorming and preparing we did was good way to make my poem.

The main reason I enjoyed this is because I can share what I love to

do with my haumana. I wish i had more time to do this because I had

so many things that i wanted to say, but not enough time to put it on

paper.

iʻa

My name is hamale and I like to dive. I live on Kaneʻohe bay and am

supported by the many fish that live in it. I am a skilled waterman. I

can dive and fish. Although i have fished for many years, my life was

changed when i went diving and was confronted by my ancestors and

future generations.

Bingo Bango Pickle Mango

I love to dive in Kaneohe Bay.

Sharp 3-prong taking aim at a large uhu,

Spear gun pierces through a fat ulua,

Diving through and under beautiful coral.

Kamehameha Schools, home for Hawaiians.

Heads explode with knowledge of culture.

Kauaʻi is my home,

Beautiful cocks (roosters) and boars

sprinting through the wilderness in panic.

Bloody chicken fights. Lots of money.

First fly, my chicken went die.

Outro

I really enjoyed making this book and working on the assignments. I

feel like it has helped me connect to myself and my culture

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2007. Print.

Gilgamesh. Trans. Herbert Mason. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1970. Print.

Grace, Patricia. Potiki. Honolulu: University of Hawai i Press, 1986. Print. ʻ

Haleole, S.N. Lā ieikawai. ʻ Honolulu: Kalamakū Press, 2006. Print.

Peltier, Leonard. Prison Writings, My Life Is My Sundance. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2000. Print.

Puleloa, Michael. “Book of Stones.” N.p. 2015.

Here are some examples by an imagined student in Hamasaki’s Period 6 class:

Hoomana, Kaleleiki. “Conflicts in Lā ieikawaiʻ .” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “Gilgamesh Is a Wonderful Book.” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “Finding Meaning in Sherman Alexie’s Novel.” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “Killer Filler #1.” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “Letters to Leonard Peltier.” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “Michael Puleloa’s Book of Stones.” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “My Annotation Collage.” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “My Concrete Poem.” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “My Original Cover Art.” N.p. 2015.

______________________. “My Original Poem. “N.p. 2015.