Recently, Edwin has become fascinated with looking up information about the brain on the Internet. LitCharts Teacher Editions. On a cold morning in January 1970, the three of them left the small yellow house where they lived in East Oakland. She said that she knew someone who could help her get rid of it, but Opal wanted her to keep it. Yesterday, he dropped his phone in the toilet and his computer froze, so now he has no access to the Internet, either. He can’t, but then he gets angry when he remembers his Cheyenne identity: he completes a sit-up, and the exertion brings a bowel movement. He imagines old white men in robes who will know everything about him—except they will assume he is white. Thus Orange writes many distinct voices into existence, creating a diverse community of characters that disrupts the stereotype of Native life as monolithic. Another reason Calvin perhaps doesn’t feel badly about robbing this powwow is because of what he suffered before he could even make it into the last one. People are afraid of him, and he wonders if Maxine is wrong about him being a medicine man. First, it introduces readers to a key formal feature of the novel: the story is told through a multitude of characters’ voices. Dene Oxendene – young documentary filmmaker enrolled in the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. For Dene, who already knows this quote, Rob represents the changes to Oakland that rob it of its “there-ness.” Dene sees the gentrification that Rob represents as continuing the long line of historical displacement of Native community. Edwin’s mom is white, and although he has never met his dad, she told him he is Native. A Facebook ding from upstairs makes him rush to his room. His interviewees will be able to say anything they want, and he will pay them for their stories. Dene hasn’t read any other Gertrude Stein, but this quote, to him, represents the story of Native people all over the Americas. The three boys head to the coliseum for the powwow. At the time, he misheard the name of the syndrome, and it became known to him as the Drone. He thinks of it as a reminder of his history. Include a Works Cited entry, correctly formatted. I have highlighted 4 questions on the question sheet that I would like for you to look at and answer. When he got home that afternoon, his mother told him Lucas was in the hospital overnight. His interviewees will be able to say anything they want, and he will pay them for their stories. This is what the community needs, he says: to be valued for the depth and breadth of its stories. Edwin says he doesn’t bother her about her problems—how she drinks too much despite having a job as a substance abuse counselor. He managed to turn on his uncle’s camera and shoot as he walked home. There is value in recognizing human struggles as both human and also as tied to the history of peoples and places. Maybe one day, he thinks, he will be known for something bad he has done. Opal’s mom took her aside one day and told her that the only thing they can do was to tell their stories—and that she had cancer. “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Another judge, however, a black man, defends Dene, saying the stories are important to document regardless of vision. One day, Opal went to go find her. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and will to perform in public for the very first time. On one is Dene Oxendene… Dene is interested in stories like Calvin’s, and how they can help people who feel the same way to feel less alone—but, it’s implied, Calvin himself has not had access to any of these stories in his lifetime, and it has made his loneliness worse. The man, who assumes Dene is white, says he is moving to West Oakland where rent is dirt cheap. He goes into the kitchen for a glass of Pepsi, but he spits it out in the sink when he sees his reflection in the mirror. He takes care of her, especially since she's broken her hip. He narrates several chapters, beginning with his application for grant funding for a film project inherited from his uncle, Lucas. At the same time, the lack of judgment in the narrative tone towards the characters suggests that perhaps the real antagonist lies somewhere outside the list of the novel’s characters—maybe in the violence that has broken down Native communities for centuries. Men in military uniforms brought the three to the island in speedboats. Opal kept her head down and focused on school, until one day Jacquie told her she was pregnant with Harvey’s baby. FICTION There There Tommy Orange Harvill Secker, $32.99. Dene introduces himself and tells them about the project he has inherited from his uncle. He refuses to drink, but no other substances he’s … Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Tony, for example, knows Oakland intimately. This makes him think of the first time he saw someone tag. The trouble began when a few white boys asked Tony for coke. Tony recalls when his guardian, Maxine, told him he had fetal alcohol syndrome. "There There Part I: Remain Summary and Analysis". 8. Octavio tells Tony that his job is to buy the bullets and go to the Powwow wearing his old Indian headdress. He looks at his reflection in the dark TV and sees himself as a dancer. He also reads to her before she goes to sleep. After his monologue is over, the Native judge raises his concerns about the lack of vision for the project. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle’s death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. Why does Orvil decide he wants to dance in the Big Oakland Powwow? Dene leaves the interview confident he won the grant. For Dene, in another instance, Oakland is the site of the stories on which he bases his film project: he — and his uncle before him — want to tell the stories of specifically Oakland-based Natives. Discuss the interaction between Opal Viola Victoria Bear … Lucas told Dene his idea for a movie about an alien conquest of America. He has spent years wondering what tribe he is from, years studying Native identity without knowing his. First, it introduces readers to a key formal feature of the novel: the story is told through a multitude of characters’ voices. Opal and Rocky kept holding hands until Opal heard Jacquie’s voice swearing. Rob, a young white man, tells Dene that Gertrude Stein once said, “There is no there there” about Oakland. In what ways could Dene's project be viewed as a response to the prologue narrator's views on the problems inherent in the historical representations of Natives in America? Tony has been selling weed since he was thirteen. He knows Oakland, his only home. Oakland as the novel’s setting is similarly important as a site of belonging, connected to the characters’ Native identity. Dene thought of the tag Lens for the first time on the bus home on the day his uncle Lucas came to visit. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. They made it back to shore. His goal is to use film to document the stories of Urban Indians, a project his uncle Lucas had thought … Dene shakes his head no but actually knows, actually googled quotes about Oakland when researching for his project. Dene is always mistaken for being white, despite being half Native. Not affiliated with Harvard College. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. “There is no there there,” he says in a kind of whisper, with this goofy openmouthed smile Dene wants to punch. Part I is a powerful introduction to key elements of the structure, plot, and literary elements of There There. Tony knows he is smart where it counts. Dene realized he shouldn’t have run away from his mother; there was no one to be mad at. Different characters’ stories will circle the Powwow for the rest of the book. The Question and Answer section for There There is a great When he makes it up to the platform, the train he thought he was missing comes to a stop on the opposite side. Part 1 also introduces Dene Oxendene, whose dying uncle ... and Lony. It has been six days since his last one. Edwin logs off. He is addicted to the Internet; he spent the last four years sitting in his room on his computer. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle’s memory. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, Part I: Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield (1), Part III: Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield (2), Part IV: Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield (3), Part IV: Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield (4), Part IV: Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield (5). Tony’s section reveals a plot to steal the prize money from the Oakland Powwow. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. He felt bad again for leaving her to cry alone. The feeling passes in an instant, and he boards the train. Then all the teenagers got on a stolen boat, and Opal and Rocky followed. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle's death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle's memory. Parts 3 and 4 of There There build a rising tension that climaxes in a large shooting at the Big Oakland Powwow. They held hands on the boat as the drunk teenagers steered madly. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Is carrying on a project in memory of his uncle, collecting the stories of Native people in the Oakland area. Tony, the first character to speak, alerts readers to his own role in the devious plot that will haunt the rest of the book; yet rather than depicting him as a villain, Orange treats Tony sympathetically. Tony is big, strong, and prone to fits of anger. Although he is 21 years old now, he doesn’t drink—he figures he got enough as a baby from his mom. Born and raised in Oakland. These are disparate sections, without direct links to each other and told in different ways. There There study guide contains a biography of Tommy Orange, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. He has difficulty reading, but sometimes the words move him, like when Maxine has him read something by her favorite author, Louise Erdrich. 1175. 7. He refers to the city as his only home, and he enjoys riding his bike around different neighborhoods just to observe them. Dene Oxendene DENE OXENDENE TAKES the dead escalator two steps at a time at the Fruitvale Station. Tony goes home and puts on his old regalia. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle's death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. They give him a final three minutes to speak for his project. Dene Oxendene walks up an out-of-order escalator at Oakland’s Fruitvale Station and sees a train starting to arrive—he feared he’d missed it. Part I does, however, introduce the central conflict of the novel: not one between any particular characters but rather the ominous convergence of people and forces at the Big Oakland Powwow. Rothstein, Talia. Dene has set up a storytelling booth at the powwow. Opal walked away and found a boy named Rocky closer to her age. Tony's IQ percentile is the lowest possible, but his psychologist, Karen, affirms his intelligence. A very drunk Octavio confided in Tony about his love for his grandmother and gave him coke to sell. As he eats an old slice of pizza, he reads about the relationship between brain and food. On the train, Dene looks out the window at the cars moving at different speeds on the freeway and listens to “There, There,” by Radiohead. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. He likes them because they are indigenous and postmodern, both traditional and new-sounding. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle’s death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. Maxine says he is a medicine man, deserving of respect, and she tells him the history of colonization. Dene feels a rush of self-loathing approaching like the fast-moving train. For example, Edwin, Tony, and Opal's sections are written in the first person, placing us directly inside the experience of their battles with self-image, hope, anger, and loss. Ronald was a medicine man, and their mom followed his advice, rather than the doctors’. Today you will be working on the questions from yesterday and the next chapter in the novel, called Dene Oxendene. Dene is set up in Blue ’s office with his camera and mic, interviewing Calvin for his storytelling project. He can find out anything on the Internet, go anywhere, and he gets stuck in spirals of clicking. Brief Fact Summary. Growing up, he moved from school to school, always getting suspended after yet another fight. Part I is a powerful introduction to key elements of the structure, plot, and literary elements of There There. Opal left him by the rocks and went down the shore. Calvin’s feelings of cultural and personal isolation are strong and painful, and are perhaps at the root of why he seems to feel few moral qualms about acting as a double agent as the powwow robbery approaches. When he got home, he hid behind a telephone pole, watching his mother cry in the doorway. Continue to work on your Family History/Life story project – it is due tomorrow. Our, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Interconnectedness, Coincidence, and Chance. His mom says she just wants to talk, and she asks him about how his stories are going. Her sister was drunk and introduced her to a teenage boy named Harvey. He seats on the floor and tries to complete a sit-up. So, one day, Edwin logs into his mom's Facebook account and found a couple of Harveys who match the criteria, sending them fake messages from his mom about meeting up. He looks up the connection between the gastrointestinal system and the brain. One day, Opal and Jacquie’s mom came home with swollen lips and told them to pack their things. This will be posted to the website, too. Which characters seem to be interested in connecting with their Native ancestry? Include in-text citations. Dene Oxendene is a storyteller at heart, a man on a mission to collect the stories of Native Americans living in Oakland in order to continue on the project his uncle Lucas died before finishing. His mom comes home and asks for an update. Dene introduces himself and tells them about the project he has inherited from his uncle. As you can see, Indigenous people do not have many mirrors in film, either. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Near the beginning of Tommy Orange’s debut novel, a character named Dene Oxendene --- probably the closest thing to a stand-in for the author himself --- explains the motivation behind the documentary film project for which he is seeking grant funding: “I want to bring something new to the vision of the Native experience as it’s seen on the screen. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle’s death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. An important theme develops throughout Part I: that of connection to place, and specifically to Oakland. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. In a later section, Edwin learns the identity of his Native father, who is coming to Oakland for the same Powwow. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Dene is tired and out of breath, and wishes he had a cigarette that could “invigorate” him. Harvey is shocked but believes him, and he tells him they are Cheyenne. Dene’s, on the other hand, is written in the third person, giving readers an outside view. In Part... To start, Orange introduces a motif that shows up throughout American history under the heading "Indian Head." He asked Dene to make a movie with him the next day. What does his grandmother say about his “Indianness”? He pointed the camera at her and filmed. The first chapter opens with a series of memories and thoughts from Tony Loneman. Struggling with distance learning? Towards the end of There There two of the characters encounter each other on opposite sides of a video camera. Suduiko, Aaron ed. He lies back down on the floor in his soiled sweatpants and says, “Thank you.”. The Indigenous Struggle Towards Self-Realization in 'There There'. How did you interpret this act? The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. 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