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Figurative Language
Author's Purpose
Symbolism
CONNECTION: The connection we thought of between the Medicine Bag was secret santa. We thought of this because the theme of the story was tradition. Olivia’s family does secret santa every year and the pass on gifts that could possibly last generations. The medicine bag is passed through generations of men so when the narrator explained that “Grandpa thought he was going to die, and he had to follow the tradition of his family to pass the medicine bag, along with its history, to the oldest male child” (Driving Hawk Sneve 1). Traditions run through the family and it is the same through different cultures which was our connection to the story.
The author’s purpose is to inform the reader about the Sioux culture. The reader learns about the Sioux culture from Grandpa through “'Hau, Takoza, Grandchild,' he greeted me formally in Sioux”(Driving Hawk Sneve). Grandpa talks in Sioux in most of The Medicine Bag. The author also teaches you about family traditions, in this case their tradition is the medicine bag “I have come because it is soon time for Martin to have the medicine bag.”(Driving Hawk Sneve 1).
SYMBOLISM- The Medicine bag represents healing after Martin’s great great grandfather was taken away from his tribe. The man, uses the iron shell to start the healing process between his tribe and the white men, tradition idea from being passed down from generation to generation
Grandfather perseverance carried on the tradition of medicine bag in spite of heat exhaustion and sick, Grandpa represents merging of generations and differences between him and Martin
Alliteration- “…..there’d be a crew of giggling little girls” (Driving Hawk Sneve 1). This is alliteration because of the constant G sound at the beginning of two words: giggling and girls.
Simile- “His rumpled black suit hung like a sack over his stooped frame” (Driving Hawk Sneve 1). This quote is a simile because the shirt isn’t really a sack but it fit like a sack on Grandpa’s lean body.
“I knew that everybody felt as guilty as I did—especially Mom” (Driving Hawk Sneve 1). This is a simile because they don’t feel super guilty like they made a crime, but Martin’s Mom feels that she let Grandpa down. They are as guilty as Martin, but they're not the same, so that’s why its figurative language.
Hyperbole- “So when Grandpa came to visit us, I was so ashamed and embarrassed I could’ve died” (Driving Hawk Sneve 1). This is an example of hyperbole because Martin is exaggerating his feeling of embarrassment and he wouldn’t want to die over his Grandpa.
Theme
Your Choice
Grandpa was an American Indian who lived on a reserve in South Dakota. He held the medicine bag and gave it to Martin. He traveled by taking the bus to Martin’s house to keep the tradition going. The theme represents cultural, tradition, and family. It represents family because this tradition is spread from man to man because the Medicine Bag has sacred sage which is replaced from every man who held the leather sack. The tradition has to be fulfilled by a connection between relatives in order to hand off the bag and that is why one of the themes is tradition. The theme also represents the Sioux culture because no one else who isn’t American Indian would know of a Medicine bag. The sage has to come from the reservation and it was given to Martin.
The author, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, made many books influenced by her life. She is part of the Sioux tribe which had its own language. That influenced The Medicine Bag and she had Grandmothers that told stories similar to that of Grandpa’s in the story. She even won an award from President Bill Clinton and this election’s Hillary Clinton. That award is called the National Endowment for the Humanities award. Most of her works reflect an American Indian’s life, such as The Medicine Bag and we thought that was an interesting fact about the author, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve.
Mood
Grandpa
MOOD: Atmosphere: Martin feels pity to the grandfather. Martin is also uncomfortable about showing pride for the grandfather or being embarrassed by him; he has a lot uncertainty. As cited when Martin and his sibling were talking about Grandpa, “Not that we were ashamed of him, but because we knew that the glamorous tales we told didn’t go with the real thing” (Driving Hawk Sneve).
Grandpa- He is a Sioux Indian. "He taught me [Martin] a real Sioux chant to sing while I beat the drum with a leather-covered stick that had a feather on the end” (Driving Hawk Sneve) Grandpa traveled from South Dakota to Iowa to see his family and he persevered through the tough journey which proved he is a very strong character in the book. Martin said “Yet I was so proud of this eighty-six-year-old man who had never been away from the reservation, having the courage to travel so far alone” (Driving Hawk Sneve).
Recommendation
Falling action- Martin’s friends seeing Grandpa, Grandpa telling Martin about the background of the medicine bag, and giving him the bag and then passing away.
Setting- Martin and his family’s home and the reservation land for Indians in South Dakota.
Martin- First embarrassed over Grandpa being there, “So when Grandpa came to visit us, I was so ashamed and embarrassed I could’ve died” (Driving Hawk Sneve) but got used to him and was proud of him in the end and continued the tradition of the medicine bag “Two weeks later I stood alone on the lonely prairie of the reservation and put the sacred sage in my medicine bag” (Driving Hawk Sneve).
Cheryl- Cheryl was Martin’s little sister. She loved Grandpa and was proud of him. "Nothing bothered Cheryl about bringing her friends to see Grandpa” (Driving Hawk Sneve).
Conflict: Grandpa comes to
see Martin and family’s home
Rising Action- The dogs
and kids staring at Grandpa
walking down the street,
when the doctor visits Grandpa
to diagnose him after the trip,
Grandpa telling the trip
Resolution- Martin feels proud of
Grandpa and went to the reservation
for the sacred sage to continue the tradition.
Climax-When Grandpa says the medicine bag is going to be Martin’s
Thanks for
watching!