The stories ‘The Medicine Bag’ and ‘Ta Na E Ka’ all talk about how one’s culture and identity influences the main characters and how it can relate to real life. The Medicine Bag is about a boy named Martin gets a surprise visit from his Sioux grandpa. He always gets embarrassed around him and never seem to appreciate his culture. Then one day his grandpa showed him a medicine bag. At first Martin was reluctant to accept the bag, but after his grandpa told him the story behind it, he finally accepted it. Later, his grandpa told him what to do with it once he dies, and Martin obeyed. ‘Ta Na E Ka’ is about a girl named Mary who tries to avoid a ritual her tribe does. After she is told that she had to survive in the wilderness for a week, she hides in a restaurant and pretends to be outside. When she goes back home, her grandfather asked her how was it, and Mary admitted to what she did, which made him very furious, but then finally accepted her resourcefulness.
The structure in a story is what builds it up and makes the entire story, including the characters, setting, conflicts, and solutions. The structure is the main and basic form of what the story is about and what it is made of. In The Medicine Bag, the main character, who is Martin is a boy who had his grandpa visit. The main conflict is that he felt skeptical about his traditions like the medicine bag, and didn’t really care that much about it. However, there is always a solution to all conflicts, and the solution in this case is the acceptance of Martin towards the medicine bag after hearing the story. The structure can greatly influence the story, depending on how the author creates it, and other than that, it can also create different literary elements to make it more interesting. In Ta Na E Ka, the main character was Mary, and also her grandpa. The main conflict was when Mary was afraid to have to stay in the wilderness, but she decided to stay at the restaurant instead. The solution was how she was able to tell her grandpa about her decisions and making him approve of it slightly. The structure can not only be the part where the character does something good to get out of something, it can also be a time when the character decides to admit something or to finally approve. The structure of the story is an essential factor; without it, the story will be a mess and the reader won’t know the author’s point.
One’s identity, traditions, heritage, culture, and relationships are aspects that form someone’s personality and how others perceive them. Different people might value some traits more than others, and they might vary depending on one’s personality. In The Medicine Bag, Martin was at first skeptical about his culture. He thought that his grandfather and his background wasn’t important, so he neglected it. He didn’t realize the importance of his heritage and culture. He also learned to respect people of different cultural backgrounds, and not judge them by their appearance. One’s background and culture can be a very controversial topic, but it doesn’t mean that one might not agree. Some people respect their culture and heritage more than others, and that it might be the way they understands their identity better. In Ta Na E Ka, Mary didn’t feel that great towards the celebration in the first place. Her identity was also in relation with that, where ones have to keep the individualism in the modern English speaking world. Both Mary and her grandpa. Mary learned about her tradition, while her grandpa learned about the change. One’s relationships with others, mostly family members may be different, but they still show respect and encourage each other most times. From that, both the young and even the older can still get something out of it. One’s identity, culture, and relationships can have disagreements sometimes, but when they are put together, the result can depend.
Symbolism usually refers to the meaning in a specific object or idea that propels the story, and the special effect it has can influence the story majorly. It usually refers to the specific and meaningful objective that is represented throughout the story. In The Medicine Bag, Martin realized the medicine bag as the special symbol and the meaning of the connection in the family. It represented the spirit of the family and how it still connected with the Native American culture Martin’s grandpa brought with him. Symbolism can be an item that brings a major impact to the story and can be one of the main subjects included. Although things that show symbolism don’t necessarily have to be big or obvious, they always hold a meaning. In Ta Na E Ka, Mary used the symbolism of the celebration and religion as part of the ways to survive in both worlds. In the old style of life, people like Mary’s grandpa used to eat grasshoppers and crickets. But now, in the modern world, Mary gets to eat burgers and milkshakes while the others have to find a way to survive in the wilderness. Apart from the fact that symbolism is something that is not obvious and yet still being something of great value, it can be the same with symbolism in celebrations, like the Ta Na E Ka. Symbolism can mean a lot even though it might not seem like it, and it can provide both benefits and a special effect that influences the story.
One’s identity and culture, symbolism, and the structure of a story are all important elements that make up a story. In The Medicine Bag, Martin was the main character and the conflict occured when Martin first saw the medicine bag and didn’t want to wear it. The solution to that problem was that Martin was able to become more acceptant after he heard the story about the bag. He was also skeptical about his culture and heritage. He didn’t think that it was that important and pretty much just neglected it, even feeling embarrassed. The symbolism of the medicine bag was also an essential part in the story. It represented Martin and his family’s connection, and especially their background and origin from their grandpa. In Ta Na E Ka, Mary was the main character and had to learn how to survive on her own in the wilderness. The conflict was when she became nervous about the celebration and didn’t want to do it. The solution was when she escaped into the restaurant instead of staying outside. The symbol in the story was the Ta Na E Ka celebration. Back in the time of Mary’s grandpa, they had to eat grasshoppers and crickets, but now they can eat burgers and milkshakes.
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