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| Neb English Support Class 12 |
This is a Story by Jeanette Christine Armstrong
Summary & Exercise | Major English Class12
This is a Story by Jeannette Christine Armstrong
ABOUT THE STORY
This is a Story by Jeannette Christine Armstrong
What is this story "This is a Story" about?
The story "This is a Story" has been written by Jeannette C. Armstrong. It has been taken from All My Relations: An Anthology of Contemporary Canadian Native Fiction (1990) edited by Thomas King. This story reflects the destruction of the culture of the Okanagan people after the arrival of the Swallow people (the Colonizers). The Swallow people colonized the Indigenous Okanagan people. As a result, the Okanagan people had to change their culture, customs and lifestyles to fit into the Swallows.
CHARACTERS
This is a Story by Jeannette Christine Armstrong
Who are the main characters in the story "This is a Story"?
Kyoti:
Kyoti is the main protagonist of the story. He is the symbol of the struggle to preserve native culture and traditions in the time of colonization. He plays the role of an observer who is deeply attached to his heritage. He notices the worst changes in his land, brought by European colonists. He mostly faces resistance and abuse. However, he seems determined to advocate for the restoration of his people's traditions and the natural environment of his land.
The Narrator:
The narrator in the story is a person who shares Kyoti's story with a group of women. She shares this story at the request of George at Owl Rock to pass the time. This person provides a first-person perspective. She guides the audience through the events and themes of colonization and cultural loss. She acts as a bridge between the past and present. She mainly highlights the ongoing impacts of colonization on the Okanagan people.
George:
George in the story is a minor character. This is the character who requests the narrator to tell a story. He wants to pass the time at Owl Rock. His main role is to prompt the narration of Kyoti's tale. His main role is to set the stage for the exploration of the story's major themes.
Tommy:
According to the story, Tommy is a character who has recently become a new headman. His main duty as a headman is to instruct the people to watch over the river. He represents a character of authority within the colonized community. He is seen with his traditional practices most of the time. His tasks reflect changes against the rules imposed by the Swallow people (the colonizers).
An Old Woman:
The old woman is a character in the story. She is very careful about her native language and traditions. She is quite a courageous woman who seems quite bold against the rules of the colonizers. When she recognizes Kyoti, she becomes quite emotional. Her character symbolizes the resilience of the indigenous people's culture. She criticizes the colonizers most of the time and calls them the Swallow people. She hates the colonists' mentality and their impacts on her people. She gives Kyoti a good guide to look for Tommy.
A Young Boy:
The young boy is another character in the story. He is instructed by his mother to watch the river. He has a good understanding of his native language. He speaks this language mostly. He is seen with a kind of hope for the preservation of indigenous culture. His ancestors were chiefs of Kettle Falls. This particular connection has made his fine link to the rich heritage of his people. The boy has a dream of seeing salmon in the river again. This dream of a young boy symbolizes a desire for both cultural and environmental restoration.
SETTING
This is a Story by Jeannette Christine Armstrong
What is the setting of the story "This is a Story"?
Place: Okanagan/Canada
Time: Day Time
MAIN SUMMARY & THEME
Write the summary of the story "This is a Story".
The story "This is a Story" is written by Canadian author Jeannette Christine Armstrong. The story has presented the theme of colonization and the loss of native cultures. Here in this story, we find the miserable state of the Okanagan people who lost their original culture, specifically the Okanagan culture after the arrival of colonizers in their native land. These people had to adopt the colonizers' culture and their ways of life. The story has presented major themes such as colonization, loss of native cultures, alienation and migration. We find first-person narration in the story. The story is told from the perspective of one of the characters.
When the story starts, we find some women gathering at Owl Rock. The sun is shining and it is hot. The narrator talks to the women. She starts telling a story to pass the time after George requests her. Her story is like this: Once, Kyoti was returning from the Columbia River to the Okanagan River. There, he noticed unusual changes in his village.
All the people of his village were following the colonizers' culture instead of their own. Kyoti noticed a variety of changes in his native village after the European colonizers arrived. He called them the Swallow people. He saw the colonizers' houses everywhere but didn't see the native Okanagan people there. He also found a strange dam that blocked the Chief Joseph River.
Once, Kyoti used to bring salmon fish to the villagers to make them feel happy. But now, he saw that the dam had stopped the fish from coming. Due to the construction of the dam, the Kettle Falls had dried up. People used to fish there most of the time, but they migrated to another place after the dam was built. They couldn't fish anymore after the construction of the dam.
One day, Kyoti met two Okanagan people who were fishing there. He tried to speak to them in their native language. But the villagers didn't understand him because they had adopted the colonizers' language. He also met an old woman there. She could still speak the native language and followed her traditions and culture. She became quite happy to see him after a long time. She started to cry when she recognized him.
The old woman informed him that the native people started following the colonizers' culture and lost their native cultures. She referred to the colonizers as the monsters. She disliked the modern houses as well as the culture of the colonizers. She hated all the colonizers for forcing their culture on the native Okanagan people.
The old woman suggested that Kyoti should visit the headman called Tommy, who was in the North. While moving on his way there, he found Okanagan people living in the colonizers' modern houses. He also met many headmen during his journey. He advised most of them to clear the dam to let the salmon fish move freely.
He saw most people eating the colonizers' food forgetting their native food. He believed that the food was not healthy for them. He advised the headmen to have native food instead of modern food. The headmen didn't care much about his advice. They didn't like his advice. They threatened him as well as mistreated him. He realized the fact that they were deeply influenced by the colonizers' culture and lifestyle. Their mindset wouldn't let them move against the colonizers.
They seemed scared of the colonizers and had accepted their rules. They received everything from the colonizers such as jobs, money, food items etc. for following the colonizers' culture. The colonizers have so badly trapped them. They couldn't escape this trap. The colonizers misused their resources and even mistreated the Okanagan people. The rivers were polluted by the colonizers.
Later on, Kyoti met a young boy who was watching into the river. The boy was doing the task of watching because his mother instructed him to do so. They spoke in the native language as the boy understood it. The boy's mother was instructed by their new headman, Tommy, to watch over the river. The ancestors of the boy were the chiefs of Kettle Falls.
They dreamt of seeing salmon fish there, but their dream never came true. The boy hoped that one day he would see the river full of salmon. Kyoti moved to meet Tommy and the Okanagan people. He urged them to break the dam to let the salmon move freely. Kyoti wanted the native people to experience the joy of a flowing river filled with salmon.
The story ends by highlighting the miserable condition of the native Okanagan people and their culture. They lost both their identity and heritage after the arrival of the colonizers in their land. They are suffering a lot from an identity crisis and are unwillingly following the colonizers' culture. They are very scared of the colonizers' rule.
SHORT SUMMARY
This is a Story by Jeannette Christine Armstrong
Write a short summary of the story "This is a Story".
The story 'This is a Story' by Jeannette Christine Armstrong tells of Kyoti, who returns to his village to find it transformed by European colonizers, whom he calls Swallow people. The colonizers' culture and modern houses have replaced the native Okanagan way of life. The construction of a dam has dried up Kettle Falls, preventing the villagers from fishing. Kyoti encounters Okanagan people who no longer speak their native language and have adopted the colonizers' customs. An old woman who still follows the traditions advises him to meet Tommy, the new headman. Despite Kyoti's efforts to restore the native culture and environment, he faces resistance from headmen influenced by the colonizers. The story ends with Kyoti's hope to revive the Okanagan people's joy in their heritage and natural surroundings.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (EXERCISE)
This is a Story by Jeannette Christine Armstrong
"This is a Story" Exercise
1. Describe Kyoti? How was he treated by the Swallow people?
Answer:
Kyoti was the main character in the story. He was the person who noticed various changes in his village after the arrival of European colonizers. He referred to the colonizers as Swallow people. The Swallow people mistreated him most of the time. They rejected his advice to maintain their native traditions and even clear the dam blocking the salmon.
2. What did the old woman say to Kyoti? How did he respond?
Answer:
The old woman said to Kyoti that the native people had adopted the colonizers' culture and lost their own identity and culture. She called the colonizers monsters and even expressed her dislike for their modern houses and culture. Kyoti listened to her and decided to follow her advice of visiting the headman, Tommy. He wanted to encourage the Okanagan people to restore their traditions.
3. Who were the Swallow people? What changes did they bring?
Answer:
The Swallow people were the European colonizers. They brought modern houses, their language and culture. They forced the native Okanagan people to adopt their rules. They also built a dam that disrupted the natural environment and the traditional lifestyle of the Okanagan people.
4. How did the Swallow people colonize the Okanagan people?
Answer:
The Swallow people colonized the Okanagan people by imposing their culture, language and lifestyle. They provided jobs, money and food to those who adopted their ways of living. They trapped the Okanagan people in their regime. The colonizers also misused the native resources and even polluted the environment.
5. Draw the character sketch of Kyoti.
Answer:
Kyoti is quite a thoughtful and observant character who cares deeply about his native people, culture and the environment. He is traditional and values the heritage of the Okanagan people. Although he faces mistreatment and rejection many times, he is determined to advocate for the restoration of his people's customs and the natural flow of the river.
6. Make a critical appreciation of the story.
Answer:
The story, 'This is a Story' by Jeannette Christine Armstrong is a poignant narrative. It has highlighted the devastating impact of colonization on native cultures. With the help of the character of Kyoti, the writer has tried to illustrate the loss of identity, heritage and traditional practices among the Okanagan people. In the story, we can find the tremendous use of first-person narration to convey the personal and communal struggles faced by the Indigenous community. The various themes such as alienation, cultural loss, migration and environmental disruption are portrayed in the story with sensitivity and depth. The writer's portrayal of the Swallow people as colonizers, both literally and figuratively presents the broad influence of colonial powers. The story has served as a powerful message of reminder for all regarding the importance of preserving indigenous cultures and the environment.
7. When do people become colonized? What effect does it have on the indigenous people? Explain.
Answer:
People become colonized at the time when a foreign power imposes its power of control, culture and social structures over their land and lives.
The concept of colonization often begins with the establishment of political and economic dominance. Later, it is followed by the enforcement of the colonizers' language, religion and lifestyle. For indigenous people, colonization leads to a loss of rules, cultural identity and traditional practices. It disturbs their social connections, displaces or migrates them from their ancestral lands and even depletes their natural resources. The psychological impact such as a sense of alienation and inferiority is seen within indigenous people. The indigenous cultures are devalued and marginalized. Colonization often brings a very bad result. It brings long-term socio-economic challenges such as poverty and reduced access to education and healthcare. Overall, it severely affects the well-being and continuity of indigenous communities.
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