Category: English Assignments

Students sometimes wonder why they are being forced into what seems an irrational and rigid framework called a “research paper.” In a sense, they are half correct. Most papers written for a class in high school or college are not the real thing, not actually based on original research. Rather, they are still bikes with training wheels: elaborate exercises that prepare students for the real thing, which usually happens in grad school.

So, what are research papers and why do we make the effort to master the complex steps necessary to write them? A research paper, first of all, is a respected way for people to hold conversations about ideas – even when they have conflicting points of view. Itʻs a discussion that is meant to go somewhere, to evolve, to have a history. In a conversation, one person makes a statement and then offers some reasons that statement is correct. Hearing it, another person might disagree and offer an opposing or slightly different statement, and include additional proof to back it up. A third person might offer yet another statement entirely, backed up by another set of facts. A research paper is like this, but in writing: a statement (thesis) backed up by a set of facts (evidence). It can involve people in different countries and even different decades.

A more complex research paper might summarize previous discussions about a topic (previous research), while offering a thesis that agrees with some points but disagrees about others. It summarizes opposing arguments in an honest way, but might offer a whole new set of facts or another interpretation that shifts the entire discussion. In other words, a research paper is a response built on a structure of previous thought. Its potential audience includes those who have written previously on the topic and who might have different opinions. So a research paper is a thesis backed up by evidence that also acknowledges other opinions, and supports them or perhaps argues against them. And even if those other opinions aren’t available, it is still possible to imagine them and to respond to them — to potential objections to a thesis — even before those objections are raised.

Evidence is so crucial to the whole process that ways exist to identify its source: footnotes, in-text citations and lists of works cited. It comes down to being polite and honest. When we cite a source, we are giving credit to the person who made the effort to dig up an unusual fact, or to come up with a new perspective. Otherwise, it appears that we are claiming more credit that we actually deserve. The same applies to words written by others; their source must be credited, even when we paraphrase them. Not to do this is a form of dishonesty, of theft.

A research paper, then, is a formal, structured way to hold an intelligent conversation with others even if we have never met them, to agree with their points, or to disagree with them and to advance ones own ideas. It is also an exercise in logical, structured thought. Our brains are so tied to language that we need to write down complex chains of reasoning and sets of evidence in order to build a coherent argument. Itʻs the process of writing down our thoughts that gives rise to additional thoughts. Writing a research paper helps us think about complex ideas.

A research paper, on the other hand, isn’t a way to express unsupported opinions. It doesn’t usually contain personal pronouns (I, me, you, etc.). It isn’t random; every paragraph is a small essay, with its own beginning, middle and conclusion. It never loses sight of where it started (its thesis) and where it’s heading (its conclusion). It makes a contribution to an ongoing conversation.

This land journal can only happen during certain months of each year, from about mid-November to mid-February. That’s right, it’s time-sensitive!

In order to write this journal, you need to educate yourself, just a little, about constellations and stars — what’s up there on clear nights. In order to do that, you will need to become familiar with a couple of web resources. One of them is easy to use and the other is a little more challenging. No worry- we’ll look at it together in class.

First, the easy one: Google Earth.

• Download Google Earth (the free version) and locate your house.
• At the top, click on the planet icon to switch to sky view.
• In Skyview, make sure that two key layers are activated: Current Sky Events and Backyard Astronomy.
• In the search tab at the top left, type in M45 and go there. You should be taken to the tip of an arm in the constellation Taurus.

Congratulations! You have just arrived at the Pleiades, known in Hawaiian culture as Makali’i. As you probably already know, the first appearance of Makali’i each year (mid-November) signaled the beginning of the Makahiki season, or ho’oilo, the season of rain, growth and peace, the season dedicated to Lono.

Now the hard web resource. If we haven’t looked at it together yet, see if you can learn to operate this website: http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/ Here’s a hint: Hawai’i is -10, ten hours behind UMT (Universal Mean Time), which used to be called GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). The fourmilab site is useful because Google Earth only shows the current sky over your home. If you should want to see where Makali’i will be in, say, six hours, you will need to learn to use fourmilab.

Finally, your land journal assignment.

• Run Google Earth in on a clear evening, around 8 p.m.,
• locate your house,
• switch to skyview and see if the constellation Taurus is visible on the screen, without any scrolling. If Taurus is not visible, you may need to wait an hour until Makali’i has risen from below the horizon.
• Once you have located Makali’i  on screen, look at the compass orientation on the top right of Google Earth and notice where Makali’i rises (north, south, northeast, etc.)  You will need to know where these points of the compass are located relative to your home.

Go outside and locate the non-virtual, non-Google Makali’i in the night sky. Then notice the horizon below Makali’i. Describe it in as much detail as you can, including such things as wind direction and strength, smells, noises, etc. In other words, get down and detailed with this piece of writing. What if the horizon is blocked by mountains, trees or buildings so that Makali’i takes even more time to become visible? No worry – just describe what’s there, including whatever blocks a view of the horizon. Remember, at least 300 words, double-spaced, saved as an RTF file.

2/26/10
Pd. 1

Black Elk Analysis (lightly edited)

The Lakota people were part of an Indian tribe that lived their lives peacefully.  They practiced their culture and gave sacrifices to their gods to ask for resources and leaders that could lead their tribe to a better place.  They strongly believed in the spiritual realm and the children were taught by the elders.  Buffalo were everything to the Indians: they were a source of food, shelter, clothes, and used for other things as well.  The Lakota people lived with nature and prayed to the gods for food, shelter and protection.  They were “happy people who were seldom hungry, for then the two-leggeds and the four-leggeds lived together like relatives, and there was plenty for them and for us.” (Neihardt 8-9)  Then the Wasichus came and everything was destroyed.  The Wasichus came with a barbarian outlook; like the Spanish, they came full of greed for gold, and destroyed the traditional way of life of the Lakota people. (Lopez 21)

The Washichus started the chain of events which later led to the destruction of a whole race of people.  The Wasichus were like the Spanish, who caused the loss of “whole communities of people, plants, and animals, because a handful of men wanted gold and silver and title to land.” (Lopez 15)  The Washichus were also greedy people and once they found out about the “yellow metal” or gold, they immediately started making every excuse to obtain them; the Wasichus started building their homes in the Indian lands and the Indians knew they would eventually take over their home.  The only way to go was fight and so the Lakotas started to prepare for war. (Neihardt 8-9)  Red cloud, the Oglala Chief at the time made a treaty in 1868 with the Wasichus saying that as long as the grass should grow and the water flow, the Indians could live in their land. (Neihardt 62)  But, the Wasichus eventually got what they wished and the “Grandfather in Washington” asked to lease the Black Hills to them so that they could dig for the “yellow metal;” this eventually led to the loss of the Black Hills territory. (Neihardt 64)  The fight with 3 stars and Long Hair ended in victory with Crazy Horse as the lead and gave new hope to the Lakota people. (Neihardt 83)  The Wasichus then made agencies for the people to live appointing only the leaders that would obey the Wasichus.  Because Crazy Horse would not join in any agencies he was trouble to many of the Lakota and Wasichus.  When Crazy Horse finally gave up and wanted to make peace, the Wasichus were cowards and killed him as he let his guard down and was defenseless with no weapons of his own.  The people were in grief for now there was no hope for people to ever return to the life they once had.

The battle of Wounded Knee was the last battle for the Lakota people and the ending of traditional Lakota culture.  The battle of Wounded Knee caused all the Lakota people to become part of the Indian agencies.  Black Elk stopped by the Pine Ridge agency and got a bad feeling so when he listened to the report of a messenger, he started saddling up with his sacred shirt and carried with him his sacred bow.  The Wasichus were firing at the Lakotas with their cannons, leaving no one alive; both women and children were killed instantly as they tried to run for their lives.  It was an act of “inhumanities and barbarisms as no age can parallel.” (Lopez 6)  The battle of Wounded Knee started when Yellow Bird, a person from the Big Foot agency, would not give his gun to a Wasichu who was collecting it.  By accident, the gun went off and killed the Wasichu. Without knowing the whole story, the soldiers started firing at Big Footʻs people, thinking it was a rebellion and leaving none to live.  Black Elk went to get revenge for his people and with the powers that the grandfathers gave him, he went to fight, but during the fight, he got shot and was taken out of the battle.  They kept fighting but soon the women and children were hungry so Black Elk and his people joined the agencies and it was all over, the vision, everything was over.  (Neihardt 207-218)

The events that led to the destruction of the traditional culture of the Lakota people are similar to the events that led to the overthrow of Lili’uokalani.  The overthrow of Lili’uokalani marks the loss of Hawaiian sovereignty and  destruction of traditional culture  The Haole came to Hawai’i with their foreign weapons and diseases and ended up taking over the land because of its usefulness as a port.  Before contact, Hawaiians, like the Lakotas, lived off the land and respected the environment and their gods.  Once the Hawaiians, like the Lakotas realized that the Haole were trying to take over their land, they began to fight for their sovereignty.  In the end, the nation was lost and became owned by the Americans.  Lili’u, like Red Cloud, had to make a decision for their people about what to do, whether to fight or to make a treaty with the Haole.  Both chose the treaty and both were taken over with their nation coming to an end.  Because of the evil of greed and violent corruption of the Americans, two nations, the Hawaiians and the Indians, were taken over and destroyed. (Lopez 11)  Their culture, their people, and their pride were destroyed and these nations were forced to fit into the culture of their conqueror, America.

Bibliography
Lopez, Barry. Rediscovery of North America. New York: Vintage, 1992.
Neihardt, J. G. Black Elk Speaks. Toronto, Canada: Bison Books, 2004.

REGISTER

It’s easy. Just follow these logical steps:

1. Go to www.turnitin.com
2. Click on “create account” in the upper right.
3. Click on “new users” in the lower right.
4. Under “create a new account” click on “student” and enter the following information:

• class ID (posted on the board in our classroom)
• class enrollment password (posted on the board in our classroom)
• your first name
• your last name
• your KS email address. Use the KS address, please.

SUBMIT A PAPER

FORMAT

• Use this  format: times or Hawaiian times font, 12 point size, double-spaced lines, one-inch margins, name, period and date in the upper right. Create a title and center it on the first page above the text.

• Every word processing program allows users to “save as” and then offers a choice of different formats. The one common format shared by all programs  is called “rich text format,” or RTF. When you finish writing, do a “save as” and select RTF as the format. Your document should then appear with an .rtf as its extension. Do this before you upload your file.

SUBMIT

• Go to www.turnitin.com, log in and select “submit paper.” You can then browse to the location of the RTF file on your computer and upload the paper to turnitin.com.

• WARNING #1: If you have multiple accounts with turnitin, be sure you are submitting work to this class.

• WARNING #2: Once you select the paper, you must click on the “submit” button or the paper will not be submitted. Your verification is the confirmation email. If you do not receive the confirmation email, you have not submitted the paper. Go back and try again. Save your confirmation email, just in case there is any question about your paper having been turned in on time.

This assignment replaces your usual land journal assignment, but requires 600 words. Feel free to extend the length beyond 600 if necessary.

The Assignment
Use The Rediscovery of North America to analyze Black Elk Speaks.

• Read the last two chapters in Black Elk Speaks, on the massacre at Wounded Knee. (They’re short!)
• Use the outline below to connect some of the ideas in Rediscovery to the events in Black Elk Speaks.
• Write a very brief summary of the main events leading up to the massacre, focusing on the events that most relate to the ideas in Rediscovery. As you do so, insert the quotations and paraphrases from Lopez and make the connections clear. Remember to break separate thoughts into separate paragraphs. If you found Black Elk Speaks too confusing, here is an internet source you are free to use, but whatever you do, please be honest and cite your source ( http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre). NOTE: Although this particular article seems fine, be aware that Wikipedia is sometimes not a trustworthy source of information. Use caution when consulting Wikipedia; consult .edu sources whenever possible.
• After every quote or paraphrase, insert parenthesis with the page number in Rediscovery (Lopez, page number). If you use quotes or paraphrases from Black Elk Speaks, add in those references as well (Neihardt, page number).
• We all know what sources you have used (There are only three possibilities.) However, just for practice, make a list of works cited at the end, using the standard bibliography format (Author. Title. Publisher: city of publication, date of publication.)
• Your final, 600+ word paper will have a minimum of three quotations and three paraphrases, all followed by page numbers in parenthesis.

What is your thesis?

• A good paper is held together by one main idea: its thesis.
• One main point Lopez makes in Rediscovery is that the Spanish brought an attitude with them in 1492 that continues to this day – the way Western culture treats the land and the native people who live on it. The events in Black Elk Speaks, and specifically the massacre at Wounded Knee are simply more examples of that same attitude.
• Normally, a thesis comes near the beginning of a paper, but this one is short enough so that the end will work as well. The suggested outline below places that idea at the end of the paper, but another effective approach would be to work that idea into your opening paragraph and then to restate it near the end of the paper.

Some Suggestions

• You have been practicing for this assignment, whether you know it or not. Remember that you have been asked to write your land journals from an objective point of view, to focus on what you are describing rather than on your own feelings about it? The same applies to this assignment. Stick to the objective mode and focus on the ideas in Lopez and the events related by Black Elk.
• Don’t make the mistake of including too many quotes and paraphrases. Don’t ask Lopez to write your paper for you. Rather, Use your own words to summarize the relevant sections of Black Elk Speaks and then carefully insert quotes and paraphrases from Lopez to make the connection with the larger picture in Rediscovery. A good rule of thumb: quotes and paraphrases should take up no more than 10% of your entire paper.

Here is a broad outline of ONE way to approach this assignment;  feel free to omit some of the suggested ideas in the paragraphs and to add others. Please rearrange the order of specific ideas in each paragraph.  DO NOT end every paragraph in the same way, with a reference to Lopez or your piece will begin to sound more like a sewing machine than a graceful essay.

Paragraph 1 – Introduction

• The Lakota life before contact
• Bison hunts
• hunter-gather lifestyle
• Sun Dance (nature-based religion)
• Lopez: the idea of home, and of local knowledge (see pages 21-23)

Paragraph 2 – Body

• The events leading up to the massacre
• 1868 treaty of Ft. Laramie
• Discovery of gold in the 1870s
• negotiations for the construction of the road into Lakota territory
• Battle with 3 Stars (General Crook)
• Little Bighorn
• killing of Crazy Horse
• Lopez: quotes dealing with the Spanish greed for gold, their inhumanity, their incursion into the New World (see pages 15, 21)

Paragraph 3 – Body

• The Wounded Knee Massacre
• Pine Ridge Agency
• Dec 29, 1890
• about 300 Miniconjou and Hunkpapa under Big Foot (Spotted Elk)
• 7th Calvary w/ 365 troops
• 150-200 Lakota killed
• Lopez: the brutality of the Spanish (see pages 6-7)

Paragraph 4 – Conclusion

• Make connection with the overthrow of Liliuokalani 3 years later, or
• Make connections with the current environmental crisis, global warming, rising sea levels
• Lopez: quote or paraphrase related to the idea that the Spanish set the tone for an attitude that has continued to the present day (see pages 9-11)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PRETTY GOOD SAMPLE PAPER!

Avoid moving / disturbing stones.

1. These wahi kupuna were left in our care by those who used to inhabit Kapälama. It is our kuleana to pass them down intact to future generations. If some are to ever be rebuilt, much discussion (and protocol) needs to take place.
2. These places are like books. If we learn to read their language, we can learn much about those who lived here. The more we change them, the more the books become about us, rather than the kupuna.
3. Nobody has mapped or photographed these places yet.
4. Sometimes even random-appearing stones are part of an organized pattern that only is evident after mapping.

Never bring stones to a wahi küpuna

1. See above

Avoid disturbing anything under the surface. This includes being too aggressive about pulling up plants by their roots.

1. Nobody has done any sub-surface excavation yet.
2. Often, the most valuable information, such as charcoal deposits or midden, lies just under the surface.
3. Layers of sub-surface information are fragile and can be easily destroyed.

If you see coral at a wahi kupuna, never touch it.

1. Coral gives a wahi küpuna religious significance.
2. The coral would have been brought by someone as a ho’okupu. To move or remove it would be disrespectful.
3. Coral can be carbon dated, giving us information about those who built these places.

Never enter caves.

1. Campus caves were sometimes used for burials.
2. Caves may preserve delicate remnants of the past, just below the surface. They are valuable as places to collect sub-surface samples.

Do not plant at wahi kupuna, even native plants.

1. It may be fine, but planting needs discussion and permission from the administration, according to current campus policies.
2. Sometimes, native plants have cultural significance that may conflict with the nature and purpose of a particular wahi kupuna. Again, consultation is necessary.

Do not cut or disturb native plants at wahi küpuna. If you are helping to malama a site, only cut down plants you know for sure are introduced non-natives.

1. Some native plants, such as ti and noni, were planted at sites in ancient times and are a precious, living link with those who planted them hudreds of years ago.
2. Some indigenous plants are equally-precious remnants populations of the forest originally at Kapalama, even before human settlement of O’ahu.
3. This includes small plants you may at first think are just “weeds.”

Do not sit on stone structures at wahi kupuna.

1. This is a sign of disrespect.
2. Sitting on structures could weaken them.

Never enter forest areas without permission, without a teacher present.

1. School rules place forest areas off limits to students.
2. Wahi küpuna could be damaged by unsupervised play / hiking activities.
3. You may not know where all the wahi küpuna are located, and accidentally damage one. Some are not easy to recognize.

Do not tell others where these places are located or bring them to these places later.

1. Even if you are respectful of a wahi küpuna, your friends may not feel the same way.
2. If a wahi kupuna is vandalized or damaged in some way, you become partly responsible.
3. Those you bring may be fine, but their friends may not understand the nature of the place, or respect it.
4. More than a few of our campus wahi kupuna have already been damaged or completely destroyed or looted for artifacts and iwi by people without respect for these treasures.
5. These wahi kupuna were left in our care by those who used to inhabit Kapalama. When you come to one of these places, it becomes your kuleana, whether you are aware of it or not, to pass it down intact to future generations.

This assignment just asks you to read three newspaper articles, to thoroughly understand their ideas, and then to take notes on them. Next quarter, these notes will become the basis for a research paper. The articles are located on the right side of the blogs.ksbe.edu/jabecket blog page. I will assign three articles to the class.

PART I

Take three kinds of notes, for a total of 250 words per article:

1. Summarize each article in about 150 words (1/2 typewritten page, double-spaced)
2. Write down two or more sentences from each article and under each one write your own paraphrase. (50 words total). Only pick IMPORTANRT ideas. Remember that a paraphrase is about the same number of words as the original, conveys every idea in the original, but is in your own words.
3. Quote at least 50 words in each article – but not the same ones you paraphrased. Pick only the VERY MOST IMPORTANT ideas to quote. Do not feel that you need to quote entire sentences; partial sentences are fine. Here is a good discussion of the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing. if you are unclear about the difference between the two, I’ll go over this in class.
4. Write out a bibliography reference for your three sources at the end. This reference needs to refer to the original source of the article, not “truthout.org,” or another internet source that re-published the article. It needs to be the printed source, not a web address – since all of these articles first appeared in print. Make sure that it is in the correct bibliography/works cited format.

STOP! READ THIS BEFORE PROCEEDING!

PART II

Use one more article I will give you and the notes you have already taken to write a short research paper (≥ 750 words).

1. Look at the notes you took in the previous quarter and organize them in some logical way. In other words, do not use each of your source articles as paragraphs that are unrelated to the previous paragraphs and to following paragraphs, so that your paper is just a list of unconnected ideas. Instead, pay a great deal of attention to the logical connection among your ideas, to the flow of your paper. Use transition words and phrases. Refer to previous points. Repeat key words and phrases.
2. Write a short introductory paragraph. This is the roadmap for your paper. The job of an introduction is to 1) identify the main idea of your paper (your thesis), 2) mention the main supporting ideas of your paper and suggest their organization and connection to your theses. Sometimes the introduction paragraph even hints at the conclusion of the paper.
3. In the body of your paper (about 4-6 paragraphs) aim for a mix of summary (≈70%), paraphrase (≈20%), and quote (≈10%). Remember that you do not need to quote entire sentences. You can easily work a quotation into a paraphrase or summary.
4. In the body of your paper, add in-text citations for the paraphrases and quotes you have pulled from your notes, as well as for ideas that are unique to each author. Remember that the in-text format looks like this: (author’s last name, page#). However, for these articles the page numbers are not relevant, so just add the author’s last name in parenthesis after each detail that calls for a citation.
5. In class I will pass out several additional articles which will be suitable for your conclusion. These might include, for example, articles about the effects of global warming here in Hawai’i. Refer to just one of them as you write the concluding paragraph.
6. Add a list of works cited (the four articles), using the original print source, not the internet source.
7. Turn in a paper that is at least 750 words.

WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

• This assignment falls under the heavy-duty “Major Assignment” category. Grades drop 10% (a full grade) per DAY. Donʻt be late.

• The one way to receive little or no credit for work is to plagiarize. BE SURE you understand what plagiarism is. Hereʻs a good discussion, with examples. When you submit your paper to Turnitin, BE SURE to check the plagiarism index. If it is in the double digits, ask me to delete what you have submitted, so that you can resubmit. This is a good reason to get this assignment in before the deadline.

 

THREE SAMPLE RESEARCH PAPERS (UNEDITED, WITH COMMENTS)

The French writer Gustav Flaubert (author of Madame Bovary) once spent two weeks writing a single sentence. Words have mana. Choose them carefully. Take your time. Here are some guidelines that may help you write with more grace, power and beauty.

THE NO — NOs (actually, some of these are fine, but in careful moderation)

1. Forms of the verb to be (is, are, were, was) when other, more forceful, accurate and interesting verbs will fit.
2. Was … by phrases: Jack was hit by the ball.
3. The word and when it joins two sentences as a conjunction (unless you are Ernest Hemingway).
4. The phrases there is / there are / there were / there was, especially at the beginnings of sentences.
5. Fancy, $2.00 words, when plain $.25 ones will work just as well. Say house, not domicile.
6. The fuls: beautiful, wonderful, peaceful. In fact, use all modifiers sparingly. Make your nouns do the heavy lifting. Add details that show how beautiful, wonderful and peaceful your subject is. If you use the right nouns, your writing won’t need gushy adjectives.
7. Personal pronouns like I, we, you, us, me. Your writing will be stronger if you leave yourself out and just focus on your subject, unless you and your life are the real subject, as in a personal essay.

SUGGESTIONS

1. Try out colons and semi-colons to add complexity to your writing. Just don’t over-use them.
2. Use the active voice: The ball hit Jack.
3. Instead of using the generic and, connect your sentences with more accurate conjunctions (“glue words”) that suggest the actual relation between the ideas in the two sentences: after, although, as, because, before, if, since, so that, that, though, unless, until, when, where, whether, while.
4. You learned how to use parallel structure in the 11th grade to create and unify long sentences. Put what you already know into practice.
5. A loose sentence (the normal English structure) keeps its verb up front, near the beginning: Jack grinned as he slammed the ball over third base. A periodic sentence delays its verb until near the end: Slamming the ball over third base, Jack grinned. Use a mixture of loose and periodic sentences.
6. Pay attention to the beginnings of your sentences. Vary not only their length but their structure
7. Short sentences are great at the beginnings and ends of paragraphs or as transitions between two ideas, but they won’t stand out unless surrounding sentences are long. Write a long (more than 30 words) sentence every so often, so that you create contrast with your short sentences (fewer than 8 words). One sentence by the Irish writer James Joyce fills five pages (Molly Bloom’s monologue in Ulysses).
8. One reason students write with short sentences is fear of failure. No fear! Chance ’em!, Imua e na poki’i! Eddie Would Go! When you construct longer sentences, just make sure all of their pieces fit together: double-check agreements between pronouns and their antecedents, and subjects and their verbs. Flaubert labored on a single sentence for two weeks; edit each of yours for two minutes.

HE AHA KE ʻANO?

I. He aha ka mea ʻē aʻe? How is orature different from literature?

LITERATURE

• One author
• Composed over a short time span – a few years, perhaps
• One original version
• Written down by the author
• Transmitted by institutions (libraries, schools, publishers, bookstores, Amazon.com)
• Intended for a solitary (one-by-one) audience
• Intended to be silently read
• Tone / voice communicated through text
• No need for mnemonic devices — the text is not intended to be memorized
• Intended for an audience that does not know the story
• May have social value, or may serve an individual purpose related to the psychology of one person
• Created by and for people who live in a text-based world, who rely on books (or computers) as external memory – in one sense, as crutches.

ORATURE

√ Many authors
√ Many versions
√ Composed / altered / developed over many generations
√ Transmitted through families or small groups / villages
√ Intended for a group audience
√ Intended to be performed
√ Tone / voice communicated through performance
√ Mnemonic devices (recurring phrases, repeated passages)
√ Intended for an audience that already knows the story
√ Memorized and passed down orally
√ Serves a social purpose / function necessary to the survival or well-being of the group
√ Created by and for people who relied on memory to a much greater extent that we do now, and who were capable of memorizing extended works.

II. He mau mana’o no ke ʻano no Hiʻiakaikapoliopele. Some thoughts about the nature of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele

∆ Names often suggest nature and attributes: Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Wahineōmaʻo, Lohiʻau.
∆ The traveling companions of Hiʻiaka are separate characters but they are also aspects of her own nature.
∆ Hiʻiaka herself is an aspect of Pele. Thus, Hiʻiaka, Wahineōmaʻo and Pāʻūopalae are all aspects of Pele, as are all the rest of her ʻohana.
∆ The moʻolelo is both an adventure story and a religious treatise on the nature of Pele as a goddess and on the correct ways to worship her — and on the dangers of not acknowledging her supremacy.
∆ Many (but not all) of the conflicts are with moʻo. Fire and water don’t mix in this moʻolelo.
∆ Some of the deeper meaning of this moʻolelo is located inside the mele.
∆ Much of the meaning is communicated or reinforced through a symbolic language of place references. Places mentioned would have evoked other mele and moʻolelo known to the audience, which would have added additional layers of meaning and kaona.
∆ In this moʻolelo (and in Hawaiian orature in general) words have power. Words, especially in the form of chant, can give life and take it away. In battle, they can be used as weapons.
∆ At least some of the episodes and adventures in the mo’olelo are actual historical events. Some of the main characters refer to real people. Hiʻiakaikapoliopele (like many other works of orature) recounts history, but in a symbolic form.

III. He mau nīnau no ke ʻano no Hiʻiakaikapoliopele. Some questions about the nature of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele.

1. What does the moʻolelo reveal about the nature and power of Pele as a goddess?
2. Much of the moʻolelo deals with relationships within the Pele ʻohana. What comment does it make about the reciprocal obligations and responsibilities within ʻall ʻohana? (You need to read the end before you can really answer this question)
3. What does the moʻolelo reveal about relations – in general – between men and women? Among women?
4. Aside from being born a moʻo, what are the ways one can irritate Hiʻiaka and get killed in this moʻolelo?
5. What is the role / function of Wahineōmaʻo in the moʻolelo? What is her nature?
6. What are the attributes and powers of Hiʻiaka at the beginning of the journey and at the end? How does Hiʻiaka change in the course of the journey?
7. Aside from fetching Lohiʻau, what are the several purposes of the journey?
8. What does the moʻolelo reveal about the Pele ʻohana and its relationship with the rest of the society, and especially with other ʻohana such as moʻo and pueo?

Finally, the most important question (at least in this course):
IV. Aia i hea ka poʻe e like me ka ʻāina? What is the relationship between humans and the land in Hiʻiakaikapoliopele?

(Here’s a big hint:)

Today, as a result of the cultural diversity of our island community, island residents look at the natural and cultural resources around them in different ways and apply different values to them. In the Hawaiian context, these values— the “sense of place”—have developed over hundreds of generations of evolving “cultural attachment” to the natural, physical, and spiritual environments. In any culturally sensitive discussion on land use in Hawai‘i, one must understand that Hawaiian culture evolved in close partnership with its’ natural environment. Thus, Hawaiian culture does not have a clear dividing line of where culture ends and nature begins.

In a traditional Hawaiian context, nature and culture are one and the same, there is no division between the two. The wealth and limitations of the land and ocean resources gave birth to, and shaped the Hawaiian world view. The ʻāina (land), wai (water), kai (ocean), and lewa (sky) were the foundation of life and the source of the spiritual relationship between people and their environs. Hawaiian moʻolelo, or traditions express the attachment felt between the Hawaiian people and the earth around them. In Hawaiian culture, natural and cultural resources are one and the same. Native traditions describe the formation (literally the birth) of the Hawaiian Islands and the presence of life on, and around them, in the context of genealogical accounts. All forms of the natural environment—from the skies and mountain peaks, to the watered valleys and plains, to the shore line and ocean depths—were the embodiments of Hawaiian gods and deities.

— from Mālama pono i ka ʻāina – an overview of the Hawaiiian cultural landscape, by Kepā Maly, cultural historian and resource specialist

given the manaʻo above, question IV might be better phrased in this way:

V. ʻAuhea ka manaʻo? If characters within Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, as akua, embody aspects of the natural world, in which passages and in what ways is this connection made clear? Your assignment is to pick three passages from the Oʻahu section of the journey and to use them as illustrations as you answer this question.

BEFORE SITTING DOWN TO WORK ON THE ASSIGNMENT (BELOW), PLEASE LEARN JUST A LITTLE ABOUT KAWAINUI:

From Sites of O’ahu, pages 230-32 (some information has been summarized and shortened)

Here were found the finest fat mullet on this side of the island. Here also, Haumea, the goddess dwelt with the fish attracting wood, Makalei. …

The awa fish at this pond were so tame that they were easily caught. The fish did not like persons with strong smelling skins (ili awa) and kept away from them. Otherwise they swam right up to a person in the water. — Mrs. Charles Alona, Sept. 28, 1939

“Many waters.” A large fresh water pond in Kailua, and famous for the o’opu kuia and for having once possessed the famous fish log Makalei. The o’opu kuia was a large fat mud fish, caught by many people joining hands and dancing in its waters to stir up mud, when the fish would run their heads up against the people, and so were caught. The fishes would cluster very thickly against particular individuals while leaving many others untouched, allowing some to fill up their calabashes rapidly. Thus, the old saying, “he ili ona ia” (he/she has attractive skin).

Hauwahine was the “keeper” of Kawainui, not an ’aumakua or an akua. Just the mo’o keeper. When the time came that no one continued to feed her, she “was gone.” — Louis Mahoe, Sept. 17, 1953

This pond was the site of the Makalei tree, a famous mythological tree which had the power of attracting fish. It did not poison, but only bewildered and fascinated them (the fish) — Emerson, Unwritten Literature

The “lepo ai ia,” or edible mud, was found only in Kawainui pond at Kailua, O’ahu. It was thick and jelly-like, like haupia pudding. A strict kapu was imposed when one dived to get it. No one was allowed to utter a word while the diver was in the pond getting it. If a word was spoken, ordinary mud rose up around the diver and covered him so that he died. There was no escape. — History of Kamehameha, Ka Na’i Aupuni, Sept. 4, 1906

KAWAINUI LAND JOURNAL

(NOTE: also plan on doing an event map connected with our huaka’i)

THIS DAY AND THIS ASSIGNMENT BOTH REQUIRE FLEXIBILITY, SINCE BOTH DEPEND ON THE WEATHER! IF THE WEATHER COOPERATES, WE WILL VISIT THE NATIVE GARDEN AT KAWAINUI. HERE IS THE ASSIGNMENT CONNECTED WITH KAWAINUI:

From our vantage point at Kawainui we can see the locations for three of the events in Hi’iakaikapoliopele: the encounter with Kanahau, the meeting with the moʻo Hauwahine and the sad funeral of the child at Oneawa.  We will visit the native garden planted around the pōhaku on which Hauwahine would come up out of the water to sun herself, and also visit some of the small traditional structures around the base of the pu’u. If you are lucky, you will see the native mudhen, the alae’ula, which now thrives at Kawainui.

Part A (due on the field trip): Take a set of notes on a worksheet I will pass out. The notes will then become the basis for your land journal

Part B (due after the field trip)

As in the Ka’ena land journal, your assignment is to describe the cultural landscape at this wahi (place, area).  A cultural landscape is any place that is the home of an indigenous culture, the place where that culture developed.  It exists as a landscape in its present state, whatever that may be, but it also exists in mele, mo’olelo and in the memories and the understanding that people might bring to it. Thus, a cultural landscape has a dual existence; it lives both as a natural wahi and it lives in the ‘ike and mana’o of those who live there or who visit it. Refer in particular to spots connected with our moʻolelo, but also include lots of small details in your description, so that your readers will feel they are there, looking through your eyes. Use the notes you took on the field trip. Use the websites below to add details about nature of this cultural landscape and about exactly which indigenous plants you saw in the garden.

As always, write in the objective mode and pay attention to organization, so that the details you include do not seem random and unconnected.

Here are some resources that will help you do this assignment:

Kepa Maly’s excellent piece on the Hawaiian cultural landscape

A well-organized list that names the native plants at Kawainui, giving both their Hawaiian and Latin names

IF THE WEATHER DOES NOT COOPERATE, HERE IS THE RAINY DAY ASSIGNMENT:

We will pick five episodes from the mo’olelo, and from the bus (sorry) we will summarize them and describe their current settings. On the positive side, a rainy day will give us the extra time needed to complete the circle around the North Shore and to follow the journey in the mo’olelo even further.

ALTERNATE OPTION

(ONLY FOR THOSE NOT ATTENDING THE FIELD TRIP)

Go to the MLC Hawaiian Collection and look at the book The Epic Tale of Hi’iakaikapoliopele, translated by Puakea Nogelmeier. Your assignment is to read pages 116-147, which cover the trip from Hawai’i Island through the events at Kawainui and Oneawa, as the two ladies travel towards He’eia. The events in this version  of the mo‘olelo (by Ho‘oulumahiehie) are similar to those in the version we are reading in class (by Kapihenui), but not identical. Write out a side-by-side summary of each version that compares their similarities and differences. If you know how to use the column function in MSW, make use of it, but otherwise, just write out alternating summaries of each section. This will replace the land journal connected with the visit to Kawainui and the event map we are doing on the field trip. Write 750 words (3 pages) and submit this to Turnitin.com by the deadline for the land journal.

A FOCUS FOR THE KAWAINUI/PUNALU’U LAND JOURNAL

Avoid
A flow of ideas that seems random and scattered, or too much like a list.
Include
Paragraphs organized in some clear way with an implied or stated topic sentence.

Turn in Assignment