Yellow Raft in Blue Water

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Yellow Raft in Blue Water

• Cultural Terminology
• Background Notes

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Cultural Competence Definitions
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• Acculturation.
• The process of adopting the cultural traits or
  social patterns of another group. In immigrant
  groups, traditional cultural values and the
  protective value they provide may be weakened as
  a result.

• Assimilation.
• An intense process of integration in which
  members of an ethno-cultural group, typically
  immigrants, or other minority groups, are
  absorbed into an established, generally larger
  community. This presumes a loss of many
  characteristics which make the newcomers unique.

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• Cultural heterogeneity.
• The differences within a cultural group. Large
  population groups, such as Asian Americans,
  Native Americans or Hispanics possess many
  similarities, but also differ by tribe, national
  origin, language, geography and culture.
• Cultural knowledge.
• An understanding about some cultural
  characteristics, history, values, beliefs, and
  behaviors of another ethnic or cultural group.

• Cultural awareness.
• Being open to the idea of changing cultural
  attitudes.
• Cultural diversity.
• Differences in race, ethnicity, language,
  nationality, religion, etc. among various groups
  within a community. A community is said to be
  culturally diverse if its residents include
  members of different groups.

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• Cultural sensitivity.
• Knowing that differences exist between cultures,
  but not assigning values to the differences
  (better or worse, right or wrong). Clashes on
  this point can easily occur, especially if a
  custom or belief in question goes against the
  idea of multiculturalism.
• Discrimination.
• Differential actions toward others.

• Ethnocentricity.
• The belief in the inherent superiority of ones
  own ethnic group or culture, or a tendency to
  view alien groups or cultures from the
  perspective of ones own.
• Multiculturalism.
• The preservation of different cultures or
  cultural identities within a unified society, as
  a state or nation.

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• Racism.
• The belief that members of one race are superior
  to those of other races.
• Stereotype.
• An exaggerated belief about a person or group.

• Sustainability.
• The likelihood of a strategy to continue over a
  period of time, especially after specific funding
  ends.
• Tokenism.
• A deliberate attempt to include a single
  individual that represents a cultural/racial
  group in order to avoid criticism.

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Key Facts about the Novel
If you have not taken the exam on the novel stop
the notes here!
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• Genre  
• Coming-of-age story tale of conflict among
  generations
• Time Place written  
• 1984, Minnesota

• Point of view  
• Each section of the novel is told from a
  different point of view. The first section is
  told from Rayonas perspective, the second from
  Christines, and the third from Idas.

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• Tone  
• The tone varies depending on the narrator.
  Rayonas voice is both jaded and naïve,
  Christines voice is irresponsible and playful,
  and Idas voice is resentful yet caring.

• Tense 
• Rayona speaks in the present tense, and Christine
  and Ida speak in the past tense.

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Settings 

• TIME
• The three stories overlap, but each story spans a
  rough time period the 1980s for Rayona, the
  1960s to the 1980s for Christine, and the 1940s
  to the 1960s for Ida.

• Place  
• The novel opens in Seattle, and then moves to a
  reservation in Montana. Most of the events in A
  Yellow Raft in Blue Water take place in one of
  these two locales, although Ida also spends some
  time in Colorado.

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Plot Overview
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• Major Conflict 
• Rayona wants to belong and struggles to connect
  to her family Christine wants to raise Rayona
  better than Ida raised her but struggles to
  convert her feelings to action Ida wants to
  interact with the world only on her own terms.

• Rising Action 
• Clara gives birth to Christine Christine finds
  out that Lee is dead Christine abandons Rayona
  at Idas

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• Falling action  
• Christine and Rayona are reconciled Ida joins
  them at Daytons house for their first cordial
  dinner in years

• Climax  
• Rayona rides at the rodeo in Havre and finds the
  courage and confidence to confront her familys
  troubled history.

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Other Literary Elements
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• Themes
• Understanding different perspectives the effect
  of past events on later generations finding a
  true identity
• Motifs  
• Pop culture faith
• Symbols   
• Christines videos Ellens letter braids

• Foreshadowing
• Foreshadowing plays a curious role in A Yellow
  Raft in Blue Water. Because the narrative travels
  backward in time, we see a foreshadowing of
  events we have already read about.