Please answer these questions ... post them as comments to this blogpost.
1. How did Gogisgi get his name? What does it mean?
2. How is his life story typical of what you'd expect for an American Indian? How is it different?
3. What surprised you about the reading?
We will read some of Gogisgi's poetry in class today. Be ready to compare and contrast to: (1) the traditional Cherokee stories we looked at Friday; and (2) the poems in Native American Songs and Poems, edited by Brian Swann, that I asked you to bring to class today.
19 comments:
1. His real name was Caroll Arnett. Carroll Arnett was born in 1927, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma of Cherokee-French ancestry. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1946-1947. In 1951, he received his B.A. degree from Beloit College magna cum laude, and in 1958 earned his M.A. degree from University of Texas, also completing fifty hours of graduate study beyond his M.A. He taught literature and writing at Nasson College and was professor of English at Central Michigan University. He wrote more than three hundred poems and stories, sometimes under his Cherokee name Gogisgi, and was a former Deer Clan Chief of the Overhill Band of the Cherokee Nation.
2. He was a part of both "atmospeheres", he played a role in the "white man" society as well as the Indian society. Often you would give his life the stereotypical Indian life of hunting, gathering, fighting, and offering to their Gods. However he took part in the U.S. Marine Corps, was a teacher, and an Indian leader.
3. The reading suprised me by the fact that the indians were a lot like our society just with a few minor abnormalities.
1. His real name was carrol arnett. He was an Cherokee born man who compoised poems.
2. He was named after things that occurr in nature. He also wrote in his poems about things relating to nature which was common for American Indians to do. He also served in the U.S Marine corps.
3. What surprised me about the reading were the size of the poems they were relatively small, eventhough poems can be small. The topics about nature also was something that i liked.
1. Carroll Arnett was named Gogisgi after he heard his grandmother calling him this name in a dream where she was surrounded by smoke. Consequently, the name means "smoke" or "smoking."
2. The life is typical of a Native American Indian because Arnett was always surrounded by family because it was very important to him. However, his father would get mad at his grandma if she spoke to them in Cherokee because he didn't want his kids to grow up as Indians. He also did many other things such as joining the Marines, which is not typical of Native Americans.
3. What suprised me about the reading was that he seemed to be scared to even tell the story of how he received his name Gogisgi.
1. Arnett had a recurring dream about his Grandmother coming to visit him. The first few times she visited he thought she had fog around her. The third or fourth time he understood what she was saying to him…Gogisgi. This meant smoke in the Cherokee language. He then realized that she was giving him his real name, Gogisgi and that it wasn’t fog surrounding her, it was smoke.
2. This story is sort of typical to what I’d expect from a Native American because it is filled with hardships that he endured throughout his life. He had many teaching jobs but could never get tenured. They kept telling him to teach for three or four more years and he would probably get tenured. Then they would tell him that if only he would have finished his PhD he would be able to keep the job. Finally in 1973 he was tenured at Central Michigan University. He also went back to visit his ancestors’ graves and remember about his past and where he came from. He writes about his life and things that have happened to him and his family.
3. The thing that surprised me about this essay/story is that the Universities where he was employed kept telling him that he had to have a PhD to be tenured. Obviously it wasn’t a requirement since he became tenured at Central Michigan University. I think there may have been some racism within these happenings in Arnett’s life.
1.His real name was Caroll Arnett, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1927.
2. Arnett was named, like many other native americans, after things in nature, he lived the lives of both an indian by hunting his food and dedicating his life to the gods and an american by seving in the Marine Corps.
3. What surprised me about the reading was the fact the the native american society doesnt differ that much from our society today.
1. Gogisgi's real name was Carroll Arnett. He was born in 1927 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.The majority of his recognition comes from writing more than 300 poems and stories.
2. His life story was typical of that of an American Indian because of the bumps in the road that he encountered as did many Indians at some point in their life. Alot of Indians alos used stories and poems to express themselves, and this is just what he did for himself.
3. What suprised me was how active Carroll Arnett was in both a regular american culture, and and american indian culture. He taught literature and writing, along with being a professor, and was also active in the Indian Society.
1. His real name was Caroll Arnett, and he was born in 1927, in Okalhoma City. He was better known as Gogisgi, which is Cherokee for smoke or smoking.
2. He was named after things in the nature, and he also wrote alot of his poems about nature. His father would get mad at his grandma if she spoke to them in Cherokee because he did not want his kids to grow up as indians.
3. The reading suprised me because it seemed that he was scared to even tell the real story about how he got his name Gorisgi
1. The name was given to him by his Grandmother in a dream. Arnett considers the name, Gogisgi, to be his real name. It means smoke or smoking.
2. It is typical of what one would expect because he grew up in a home that was torn between remembering their culture and assimilating to the American Culture. It was different because he was not supposed to be listening to his Native American Grandmother. His father wanted no part of "...that Indian trash..." He was also a leader in the Native American community as well as a U.S. Marine.
3. I was surprised that he was so concerned about the story of his name. I have to wonder about the reason for this. Could it have something to do with the way his father never wanted the Native American culture to be in his life? Or is it because it was such a personal experience that by sharing it the experience may be diminished?
1. Carroll Arnott better known as Gogisgi, which is Cherokee for smoke or smoking.
2. His life was typical of a Native American in the family aspect. He was very family oriented like most natives are. I would say his life is different because he was in the marine core got his masters degree at the University of Texas and became a professor.
3. What suprised me is the fact that someone can be influential in two different societies even though each day the differences between the two become smaller
1. Grandma, smoke or smoking.
2. Childhood was good spending time with family. Was drafted but went to college to avoid it. Joined the marines then went back to college with the GI bill. Taught classes at a college and wrote stories. Published poems. "the first half of my life was trying to find which way to go, the latter half seems to have found the way."
3. It suprised me that he did not go into much detail about his indian background. Just little pieces here and there.
1. Gogisgi got his name from his grandmother in a dream. She did not call him by his real name, Carroll, but used Gogisgi. Gogisgi means "smoke" or smoking".
2. His life story is typical of an Indian in the way that he grew up in Oklahoma and he knows his family history very well, which is something that is important in their culture. His name that is given to him by his grandmother is related to nature. What is not typical is his imvolvement in the modern aspects of the world, such as being in the U.S. marine corp.
3. What surprised me about the redaing was how aprehensive he was to share how he received the name Gogisgi. He didn't go into much detail about it either.
1. Gogisgi real name is “Carroll Arnett”. The name “Gogisgi” was given to him by his grandmother. 2. Gogisgi still liked to do the hunting and gathering. Though also, he learned skills from being in the U.S. Marine’s. 3. That natives are a lot like the rest of use. Though they, are more in touch with the earth and their surroundings.
Gogisgi got his name from his grandma. It means smoke.
His life story is typical of what you'd expect from an American Indian in the fact that he lived the normal indian life of hunting and gathering for his tribe. It is different because he also played the role of a white man as an marine solidier.
What surprises me is that it never really talked about his native american heritage and I dont know if it was because he was ashamed of it or he just never got into it in the story.
1. His real name was Carroll Arnett. He got his name from his grandmother when he was dreaming which means "smoke".
2. His life story was all about family and how important it was to him, just like the typical American indian. However, he joined the Marines which is very unexpected for an American Indian.
3. what surprised me about the reading was that he was involved both in everyday american indian activities as well as maintaining the standards of today's society, such as going to college and joining the marines
1. His real name is Carrol Arnett, his Cherokee name was Gogisgi. The name means smoking or smoke. He got it from his grandmother in a dream.
2. I believe it is typical of what i would excpect of and American Indian because he was being pushed between the two cultures. It is different because on the other side his father did not want him listening to all that indian stuff.
3. What suprised me about the reading was that he seems to be pushed both ways to decide on a certain culture yet he decides to just accept both of them.
Gogisgi's real name is Carroll Arnett. His nickname gogisgi means smoke. he got this name from his grandma when she had a dream.
2)His life is a typical one for a native american. he was close to his family, he wrote over 300 poems which expressed his feeling and his hardships. he also lived as a typical american, he joined the marine corps.
3)what suprised me about his story is how he didn't really want to share how he received his nickname. Also i was suprised on how similar our cultures are to the native indians.
1. His real name is Carroll Arnett. Gogisgi is his Cherokee name that means smoke. He obtained his name from a reoccuring dream about his grandmother surrounded in smoke. He finally came to realize that she was telling him his Cherokee name, Gogisgi.
2. His life is typical of that of a American Indians because he shared the same values and went through many hard times. His life is different because not many of his American Indian relatives have strived to become a teacher, and even less have been successful as he was. Although he went through many hardships to finally become one, he never gave up.
3. Something that I found rather interseting was how he was raised in a spilt cultural family, went through all the struggles and racism finding a job as a teacher, and now is one of the most respected Native American writers.
1. Gogisgi real name is Arnett, Carrol. His name means smoke.
2. He played a role in the white man and the Indian society. When he started writing his pomes they all were about the nature. He had also served in the U.s. Marine Corps. His life also had hardship just like all other native Indians so as seen the Indians never get a break for hard times in their life.
3. What had surprised me were the size and the relation of his pomes. Also how he played in the Indian society and the everyday life style of a white mans like serving for the Marine Corps.
Here's why I said Gogisgi's "real name" was a trick question: On page 21, when he's telling about his dream of his grandmother, he says, "At long last it got through my thick head that the substance swirling around her is not fog but smoke [gogisgi in Cherokee], and smoke that's not threatening but reassuring, sacramental. 'Dumbass,' I said to myself, she's naming you, she's giving you your real name."
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