at ii The Medicine Bag Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve Born on 21 February 1933 Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve is a Native American author. She was brought up ‘on Rosebud Indian Reservation. Sneve (pronounced as Navy) graduated from St. Mary’s school for Indian Girls, Springfield, South Dakota. She is known for her writings focussing on children’s books based on aboriginal American life. She wrote more than twenty books with themes concerning American history. Her works of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction have been appreciated far and wide. Sneve’s works about children are the result of her realization for the need to provide books to her children about aboriginal Americans. It makes her writings purposeful. Her writings tend to depict this life in the contemporary context instead of the myth of the ‘savage’ past of these people. Her recent book, ‘Completing the Circle/ includes a brief sketch of her own life and traces the history of her family. Some of her significant works are’ That They May Have Life, The Episcopal Church in South Dakota 1850-1976 (1977), The Twelve Moons’ (1977), Dancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth (1989), Completing the Circle (1995), Grandpa was a cowboy and an Indian and Other Stories (2000). She has won several prestigious awards for her works. These awards include the National Humanities Medal (2000). The story narrated by Martin as the first person narrator describes his own relationship with his grandfather who comes to visit Martin's family from South Dakota. The old grandpa is the father of Martin’s mother and he comes to meet the family with the purpose of handing over a medicine bag to Martin. This medicine bag represents their cultural past. ‘Martin feels upset at the sudden and unannounced visit of the grandfather to them at Iowa. The particular reason of his concern is that he had builta glorious picture of the old man and the life at the Rosebud Reservation in Dakota. He fears that he will be exposed and the people in the town will make fun of the old man and his ways of life. His apprehensions prove false when his friends appreciate the grandfather. The oldman gives details of his journey and narrates the story of the Iron Shell to Martin and his family. It highlights the significance of their family history, culture, and traditions. He also expresses his desire to handover the medicine bag, a leather pouch, to Martin as a symbol of the family’s past. In the end, Martin receives the medicine bag, The old man dies leaving Martin proud of his cultural past that he carries in the form of the medicine bag. The narrator Martin and his sister Chery’s visits to their Grandpa The narrator Martin and his sister visit their Grandpa, Joe Iron Shell during the summer every year. ‘The grandfather Joe Iron Shell is from Sioux, South Dakota and belongs to Lakota tribe. He lives at Rosebud Reservation there. Martin’s mother is a Native American and father is a white man. On their return from Dakota to Iowa the city they live in, they talk about their grandfather to their friends. Depiction of a glorious image of grandpa and the gifts received from him Martin and his sister describe their Grandpa in exaggerated terms and speak very high of him. They never show any picture of their grandpa to their friends fearing that they would laugh at him. They know that ISC SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12grandpa was neither like the glorious image Martin and his sister had built of him before their friends, nor was he like the tall, handsome people shown on TV who lived in Dakota Reservation where the oldman lived. Martin and Cheryl rather showed the gifts they received from the Grandpa. They got new moccasins made by Grandpa, a small rawhide drum decorated with a painting of a warrior riding a horse. They would boastfully show these gifts to their friends. Grandpa visits Martin and his family in lowa The grandfather visits lowa without informing Martin's family beforehand. Martin comes to know about the grandfather's visit when he goes out of his house on hearing the commotion caused by the dogs barking. at someone. He finds that the dogs in the street were barking at the grandfather. Martin feels shocked to know that he had come from South Dakota to meet them. His mother too is surprised. She avoids greeting her father in the traditional way by hugging him as they do in South Dakota. She does this as she thinks that it will not look dignified in lowa. But her daughter goes and hugs the grandfather. Grandpa faints and a doctor is called ‘After greeting Martin’s sister Cheryl, Grandpa collapses. Martin and his mother carry him to a room and put him on a bed. On Martin’s suggestion a doctor is called. When Martin was changing the oldman’s dress he found the grandfather's boots tight. In fact, each one of his shoes was stuffed with money. The doctor told them that Grandpa was suffering from exhaustion. Grandpa got up after some time and started taking soup. Grandpa describes his Journey After taking the soup, Grandpa starts telling about his journey from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota to Martin's house in Iowa. The grandfather tells that he felt lonely after Martin and his family ‘s visit to him. He decided to visit them as they were the only surviving relatives he had. He travelled by different ‘buses for two and a half days. On reaching the city he set on walking to find his relatives. A police man found him when he stopped to rest on the steps of a building. He helped the grandfather to board a bus and told the driver of the bus to leave Grandpa at Bell view Drive. All in the family feel guilty that the grandfather faced difficulties in reaching them. The purpose of Grandpa's visit to lowa Grandfather came to Iowa as he felt lonely at his house where he lived alone. But there was an important purpose of his visit. He had saved one hundred dollars for his funeral. He wanted the family to spend this money one groceries. Then he talks about the medicine bag that he carried with him. He wanted to hand over that medicine bag to Martin. The real purpose of Grandpa's visit was to give the medicine bag to Martin. Grandpa's meeting with Martin’s friends Martin believes that his friends will look down upon Grandpa's traditional dress and his behaviour. He does not want his friends to come and meet this old man. One day Martin’s friends come unannounced. All of his friends are pleased on meeting Grandpa. He tells Martin that he instinctively knew when the boys were to come. He was formally dressed to meet the boys. Martin's friends were quite impressed by the old man and they were respectful towards him. The visit of his friends changed Martin’s thoughts about Grandpa. The story about the Iron Shell ‘The story about the medicine bag unfolds as Grandpa tells Martin that the medicine bag is to be handed over toamale descendant of the family. Grandpa talks about his own father’s quest for the Iron Shell. Grandpa's father had found an Iron shell in an old comp fire during his vision quest. He put the shell into an elk skin bag. ‘When he was sent to a boarding school he learnt the trade of blacksmithing there. Iron Shell, Grandpa's father, ‘gave the medicine bag to him (Grandpa). Grandpa's own son had died in war. Therefore, he wanted to give the medicine to his grandson, Martin. On hearing the story about the medicine bag, Martin's fears of wearing the medicine bag disappear. Now he waits for the grandfather to put it over his head. ISC SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12Grandpa’s burial and Martin's acceptance of his cultural heritage After Grandpa's death, Martin's family brings his dead body to the reservation for burial. Martin puts a piece of sacred prairie sage into the bag. It shows his acceptance of the heritage. Earlier Grandpa had advised martin not to put it round his neck until he was on the reservation. bragged : talked too proudly glamorous : attractive Chant : melodious song authentic 2 true/accurate ‘moccasins : flat comfortable shoes made with large stitches in front. tepee a portable conical tent made of skins of cloth stringy (especially of hair) resembling a string embarrassed feeling uncomfortable for something silly strand : _asingle piece of hair, cotton or wool shack + asmall building of wood or metal (not well buil mutts stray dogs commotion great noise or excitement yipping : giving out short sharp cries nipping 2 giving a quick bite straggled : walked more slowly than the group. rumpled : ruffled or dishavelled fatigue tiredness sheepishly shyly Patio a flat hard area usually behind the house squeeze 2 press scared frightened sacred : pious, holy blacksmith + apperson who makes or repairs things made of iron treasured, valued, gave importance drifted moved away prairie : avery large area covered with grass Sage : a fragrant plant upright : ina straight vertical position or honest and responsible wearily 2 tiredly stooped + head and shoulders bent ‘The significance of cultural heritage forms the main theme of the story. One must not feel ashamed or embarrassed of one’s cultural heritage while living in modern times, Our past has to be preserved and valued by us. The fears that our friends and the people around will mock our culture for being different are false and unfounded. The story ‘ The Medicine Bag’, highlights these ideas through Grandpa and the medicine bag that he carries for Martin. Martin thought that people in the city would mock at his Grandpa and the culture he represents, He presents a false glorified image of Grandpa before his friends in the city. His thoughts about the cultural past and Grandpa force him to avoid the visit of his friends to meet the oldman. But all of them Sc SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12appreciate the oldman proving Martin wrong. Gradually, he too realizes the value of his cultural past and accepts the medicine bag. ‘Another significant idea that the story conveys is the relevance and significance of one's relatives and family. Grandpa feels lonely when he is left alone after the visits of his daughter and her family. He undertakes along and difficult journey to meet them. It also shows that family and relationships play a vital role in taking forward our cultural traditions. ‘The story also points out that the younger generation should realize that the elders of the family need company and care. We must understand that loneliness is painful to them. They are to be looked after well. If ‘we leave them alone it causes agony to them. Grandpa in the family is left alone by Martin and his family. But they realize their fault, feel guilty, and regret. It brings greater harmony in the family. ‘The story’ The Medicine Bag’, expresses a number of significant social themes. ‘The story,’ The Medicine Bag’ by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve focuses on the narrator's Grandpa and the medicine bag that he wants to handover to the narrator. This medicine bag has been used as the title of the story. In fact, the bag is a leather pouch which contains an iron shell and a few pebbles and has no medicines as such. But this small bag carries suggestive and symbolic significance in the story as it represents the traditional cultural heritage that Grandpa wants to be carried forward by his descendants. It is the symbolic relevance of the medicine bag that makes the title ‘The Medicine Bag’ suitable for this story. This aspect of the story is unfolded in the second half of Martin's narrative. In the first half and at the ending of the story, it is Grandpa who remains the central focus. The story in the beginning provides details about the old man, his sudden appearance in the street at lowa where Martin and his family live, and Grandpa's difficult journey to reach Iowa. The ending reports Grandpa's death. These details also suggest that the second important and relevant title of this story can be based on this ‘major character Grandpa. However, the symbolic value of the title “The Medicine Bag’ makes it more suitable, artistic and significant. ‘The story brings out the message that we should never undervalue or ignore our cultural past and traditions. It teaches us to value and preserve familial relationships. We must give importance to family and traditions. The past is a very helpful guide to lead us into the future. Unless and until we realize the importance of our cultural heritage and the importance of family we fail to identify ourselves with our cultural roots. The story teaches us to be sensitive and responsive to our past and understand the significance of the elder in family. 1. Grandpa Joe Iron Shell, an eighty-six-year old man is the narrator's Grandpa and the central character in the story. He lives in Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. He is first described by the narrator and then appears in person wearing his traditional dress. He looks tired and pathetic after a long and arduous journey. Grandpa has a deep and strong belief in his traditional cultural background. He carries a leather pouch round his neck. He treats this pouch as the symbol of his cultural past, and he calls it medicine bag. Despite his traditional outlook and traditional beliefs, he knows how to adjust to the changed circumstances and situations. He makes some alteration to the dress he wears, and conducts himself in an acceptable way when Martin’s friends come to meet him. He greets them well and tells them the story of his killing a deer. IS¢ SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12The old Grandpa is a sensitive and emotional person. But he does not believe in blaming anyone. He knows how to avoid making others feel guilty. When Martin’s mother and father feel guilty of not taking him to the city he tells them that they should not feel so. He also explains that he would not have come with them even if they had asked him to accompany them to the city. Being an emotional and sensitive person he feels lonely and comes to meet them. He always acts with dignity and has an innate sense of time. He believes that when it is the proper time for something to be done, it gets done. He understands the proper time at which certain events such as his coming to Iowa, his handing over the medicine bag to Martin have to take place. He is a wise,respectable and sensitive person. 2. Martin Martin is a young boy of fourteen years who narrates the story. He tells about his Grandpa, his visit to Iowa where Martin and his family live, and about he medicine bag. Martin lives with his mother, father, and sister named Cheryl. His mother is a Native American and his father is a white man. He has inhibitions about telling the truth about his Grandpa to his friends. He fears that his friends will make fun of his Grandpa. Being an imaginative and clever boy, he invents glorious details about Grandpa and creates an impressive image of the old man for his friends. It also shows his belief in a false sense of honour and prestige. Martin is a very sensitive boy. He finds Grandpa surrounded by people in the street. A number of dogs bark at the old grandfather. Grandpa's pathetic condition moves him so much that he feels bad and has a sense of guilt for his earlier thoughts about the old man. The difficulties faced by the old man during his journey from South Dakota to Iowa also make Martin sympathetic and emotional for the old grandfather. He is a young boy and hesitates in accepting the bag and important responsibilities promptly. When Grandpa wants to hand over the responsibility of the medicine bag to him he does not accept it immediately. Being a respectful and responsible boy he does not refuse to accept the bag. He prepares himself for the big responsibility and ultimately keeps the medicine bag with him. ‘Martin is a caring, helpful and cooperative member of the family gets established in his looking after the Grandpa. He helps his mother in taking the old man to bed and making him feel comfortable after a long and exhausting journey. He is, no doubt, an interesting and likeable character. 3. Iron Shell Grandpa's father is called Iron shell by the people who lived in the Rosebud Reservation at South Dakota. The man does not appear in this story in person. We learn about him from Martin's Grandpa only. Iron Shell is mentioned by Grandpa while telling the story related to the medicine bag, ‘The details that Grandpa provides about him suggest that he was a respected member of his community. He could defy the others and follow his own instincts and beliefs. He undertakes the quest despite the opposed opinions of the people around him. Tron Shell honours and respects his past and cultural heritage. He wants his son Joe Iron Shell to abide by the norms set regarding the handing over of the medicine bag. Of course, his ideas establish him as a strict patriarch who gives more importance to male members of the family than the females. Consequently, the ‘medicine bag is supposed to be given only to the oldest male member of a family. In spite of his physical absence in the story his character and role have great importance for the story. 4. Cheryl, Dad, Mother Cheryl is Martin’s younger sister, Dad and Mother are their parents. They occupy a very small portion of the text but their presence adds significant meanings to the story. 15¢ SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12 ==‘All the three have great love and respect for Grandpa. They are sensitive towards their mistakes and easily accept their faults. They feel guilty for not taking Grandpa with them to the city. They regret their behaviour and feel sorry. ‘Mother belongs to Grandpa's family and has her roots in his cultural past. But her husband is a white man. But he does not discriminate against Grandpa for being an Indian. Martin's mother has great respect for her cultural heritage and her father. When he collapses, she looks after him very well and calls a doctor to attend to him. Cheryl in her attitude towards Grandpa is a bit different from her brother Martin. ‘Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate options : 1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE of Martin the narrator (a) he feels embarrassed on seeing his Grandpa in the street. (® Martin does not like his grandfather. (©) Joe Iron Shell is the name of his Grandpa, (@ Martin leamt a Sioux chant from the grandfather. 2. Select the option that lists the correct sequence of happenings is the story (@) Martin hears the dogs barking in the street (®) Martin talks about Grandpa being unlike TV Indians (0) He reached for Grandpa's old tin suitcase ( Martin saw the dogs growling at the old man’s baggy pant legs, (@) 41,32 @13,4,2 () 21,34 @ 21,43 3. Read the lines given below and answer the question that follows: “Grandpa” she gasped. “How in the world did you get here ?” ‘The speaker in these lines (@ did not want to see the Grandpa there (®) was surprised to see the Grandpa there (©) was annoyed on seeing the Grandpa there (@) was happy to see the Grandpa 4. Select the option that show's the correct relationship between statement 1 and statement 2. 1. Grandpa's shoes fit him very hard. 2. “You found the money in my boots 2” Grandpa asked. (@) 1is the cause for 2 © 1is independent of 2 (© 1is the example of 2 (@ isin contradiction of 2 5. The policeman who met Grandpa (@) took him to the railway station (®) took him home (0 gave him money to board a bus (@ took him to the bus stop =z is¢ SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12|. Martin’s friends knew about Indians only from (@) their hair (®) their language (2) movies and TV (@ their descriptions in books 7. Grandpa had put some money (@) inhis tin trunk (®) inhis pocket (©) inhis shoes (@ inabig purse 8. Martin saw his Grandpa coming, (@) followed by cats and dogs (®) im the centre of a strange procession wearing a black hat (© with Martin's friends (@ allalone carrying his tin trunk on his head 9. Martin, his mother and the whole family did not realize that (@ Grandpa felt lonely after their visits (®) Grandpa had fallen sick (© Grandpa will visit them after the summer _(d) he was very rich 10. Select the option that gives correct information about Grandpa 1. he got off the bus at Bell View Drive and slept on the steps of a building 2. he carried a big tin box with him 3. he came to hand over a little leather pouch to Martin 4, he was eighty- six-year old man 5, he told about his journey to meet his only living neighbours @ 23,15 © 234 © 23,45 @ 3,45 11. Read the sentences given below and answer the question that follows. “Oh, no"! I whispered. “It's Grandpa” Which of the following words best describes the speaker's mood ? (@) happy and confused (® confused and angry (©) frustrated and irritated (@ disbelief and surprise 12. Choose the option that conveys the meaning of the word ‘reservation’ as close to the one that it conveys in the sentence given below: “His get-up wasn’t out of place on the ‘reservation, but it sure was here! (@ preservation (® sanctuary (2) doubt (@ list 13. Choose the option that lists the events in their correct order, 1. Grandpa was angrily sitting up in bed while mom tried to feed him. 2. Grandpa had fainted and was taken to the sewing room 3. Grandpa told Martin and his family of his journey 4, The doctor said that Grandpa had got too tired and hot after his long trip @ 3,412 © 2143 ©1423 @ 1,432 14. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the narrator ? (@) He has a kid sister named Charu IS SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH() The name of his grandpa is Joe Iron Shell (0) The narrator's friends liked his stories about Grandpa (@ The narrator did not want to introduce his friends to his Grandpa 15. Select the option that shows the correct relationship between statement 1 and statement 2 1. May be we exaggerated and made Grandpa and the reservation sound glorious. 2. We never showed Grandpa's picture to our friends. (@) 1is an example of 2 (0) 1is independent of 2 (0) Lis in contradiction of 2 (@) Lis the cause for 2 16. The narrator and his family lived in... @ Towa (® Dakota (©) Italy (@ Dhaka 17. On one of his visits Grandpa gave Martin ....... (@) Moccasins (®) horse (©) a decorated drum (@ a golden ball 18. When Grandpa came to visit Martin's family Martin (@) was very happy (®) could not recognise him (©) felt ashamed and embarrassed (@) went to tell his friends 19. Grandpa carried with him .... (@) atin suit case (© agold chain (© abig ball (@ a beautiful toy for Martin’s sister 20. ‘The Grandpa's get-up and appearance .... (@) was out of place in Towa (®) did not look impressive and royal (©) was quite natural at Martin's place (@ was disliked by all Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each : ‘The descriptions of Grandpa given by Martin to his friends were not true because Martin’s friends did not laugh at the Grandpa .. ‘ Grandpa's visit to Martin and his family embarrassed Martin because Martin whispered, “Oh, no !” when he recognized Grandpa because Martin did not like Grandpa's get-up there in Iowa because .. Martin was surprised when he took off Grandpa's shoes because . oer ee IS¢ SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-127. Grandpa had kept the money stuffed in his boots because .. 8. Grandpa had fainted and collapsed because 9. Martin's dad did not go and greet him in the street because ..... 10. Martin's father felt sorry and apologized to Grandpa because .. ‘1. Martin lived in the city but he knew the reality about the Indians because .. 12, Henever showed Grandpa's picture to his friends because 13. Martin thinks that his friends would have laughed at Grandpa's picture... 14. Martin says,’ Iwas so ashamed and embarrassed I could have died’ because fi 15. ‘Now it sounded that a whole pack of mutts were barking together in one place’. Martin says this because sake 16. Grandpa's get-up was not out of place on the reservation because 17. At first, Martin seems to dislike Grandpa's visit to his place but after a few moments he uae the Grandpa to his house because .. fe fe cot fi teobas ecraldonn, a. : 18. Grandpa's shoes fit him very tight because .. 19. Grandpa had saved one hundred dollars because 20. Martin's Dad felt sorry because .. ‘Answers 1. Martin had given a false descriptions of his Grandpa to glorify him. 2. they did not find him strange and liked his behaviour. 3. he had never expected or wanted Grandpa to visit lowa to their house. 4. he was surprised to find Grandpa there. 5. it was out of place there. 6. they were stuffed with money. 7. he thought it would protect t he money from being stolen. 8. of the long and tiring journey. 9. he was not at home at that time. 10. he had not thought of bringing Grandpa home with them. ‘AL. he had visited his Grandpa several times in the Reservation where Indians loved. - 12. the glorious tales told about Grandpa did not match his picture. 13, Grandpa did not look as good as the Indians looked in T.V or movies, his friends had seen. 14. he did not want that his friends should know that the grandfather lived all by himself in a poor house in the Rosebud Reservation. 15. all the dogs were braking at the grandfather together. — 16. nobody wore the dress like that at the place where the narrator Martin lived. 17. he was overcome by emotions of love for the old man. 18. each shoe was stuffed with money. 19, he wanted it to be spent on his funeral. 20. they had never thought to bring him with them to live in the city. ISC SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12 =aAnswer the following questions. 1. Martin the narrator says, “His get-up wasn’t out of place on the reservation, but it sure was here.” Describe the ‘get-up’ that he refers to. Why was it out of place ‘here’ ? Ans. Grandpa visits Martin and his family unannounced. Martin finds him wearing a big black hat with a drooping feather in its crown. He wore a ruffled and creased black suit. His shirt was brightred and made of satin cloth. There was a beaded bolo tie under the collar. These things were the part of his dress that Martin refers to as the get up’ of that old man, his Grandpa. This get-up of the old man was out of place ‘here’ ie, in Iowa because people in the town did not wear such things. They were considered backward and old or traditional. 2. Why did Martin and his family feel guilty? ‘Ans. Martin’s Grandpa came to lowa where they lived. They were the only living relatives of Grandpa whom Martin, his sister Chery! and mother used to visit every summer. Grandpa reached their home facing many difficulties. He tells them that after their visits, he felt lonely, He was old and weak. But he did not care about the problems and set on to visit them all alone. When he gives the details of the difficulties he had to face on his way to their house, Martin and his family feel guilty. They realize that they had never thought of Grandpa's loneliness. They had never thought of bringing him home with them. It would have spared him the discomfort of a long and tiring journey. 3. What did Grandpa say on Martin's family feeling guilty? What does he say about the medicine bag immediately after this ? ‘Ans. Grandpa felt pleased that Martin's family had realized the mistake of not bringing Grandpa with them. He thanked them for their realizing the mistake and asked them not to feel bad about that. He explained to them that even if they had asked him to join them he would not have come. He believed that it was not the proper time to come to them at that time. And in Sioux the place where he lived people believed that a thing would be done when it was the right time to do it. ‘After telling all this, Grandpa reveals the purpose of his visit to them. He says that he had realized that the proper time to hand over the medicine bag to someone had come. Grandpa made it clear that he would give the medicine bag to Martin despite the fact that he bears a white man’s name. 4, How did Grandpa get the medicine bag ? Why did he not give it to anyone else but Martin only? ‘Ans. Grandpa's father prepared the medicine bag by putting a piece of iron kettle a sacred sage and a pebble in it. He believed that the medicine bag that represented their old culture was a protection against hatred and evil of the times when he handed over the bag to his son, Martin's Grandpa, Thus, the medicine bag came into the hands of Grandpa who kept it tied round his neck. Grandpa kept the medicine bag with him and waited for his son, the father of Martin’s mother to grow into a man. Grandpa wanted to give the medicine bag to him when he was leaving to fight in the war ‘across the ocean. Grandpa thought that the bag would protect his son, but he did not take it with him. He died in a far away place. Grandpa had no other male member left in his family. Therefore, he did not give it to anyone else and wanted to handover the bag to Martin, the son of his daughter. 5. Why did Martin’s friends not know the reality about his Grandpa ? How did they feel on meeting Grandpa for the first time? ‘Ans. Martin had often talked about his Grandpa to his friends. But he never gave the true details about his appearance, dress and the circumstances in which he spent his life. He would create a glorified image of Grandpa before his friends. Martin’s friends had always lived in the city and had not visited any place where native Indians like Grandpa lived. They had seen these people in TV and films only. When Martin's friends met Grandpa they felt pleased and quite impressed by his appearance and behaviour. They liked the things he talked about and wanted to meet him again. 6 Givea brief account of Grandpa's family. Where did Grandpa live ? ‘Ans. Martin's Grandpa is an eighty six year old man. He gives details about his family while talking about the medicine bag. He talks about his father known as Iron Shell. He left the medicine bag for Joe Iron ea ISC SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12Shell, the Grandpa. We lear that Martin's mother is Grandpa’s daughter. Grandpa had a son who died ina war. The only surviving members of Grandpa‘s family now are Martin, his sister Cheryl, Martin's mother and Martin’s father who is a white man. Grandpa lived in a Reservation called Rosebud Reservation or sanctuary in South Dakota. He lived there alone ina poor hut. 7. What does the narrator say about his description of Grandpa and the place he lived in? Ans. The narrator tells that he and his sister Cheryl presented a glorious image of their Grandpa in ‘exaggerated terms. Their friends were impressed by the stories the narrator told them about his grandfather. They did not know much about the people living in South Dakota where Grandpa lived. ‘Their information about these people was limited to what they learnt from TV and films. The narrator was always aware that his Grandpa in reality was totally unlike his image created by him and his sister Cheryl. His Grandpa was neither tall nor stately like TV Indians, His hair did not match the hair of the Indians shown in the TV. The place where Grandpa lived was a small hut. It was partly made of wood and partly of tar-paper. He did not live in a tepee asthe narrator's friends were made to believe due to the descriptions given by Martin the narrator. 8. Describe the things Martin got from his Grandpa during one of his visits. ‘Ans. Martin, the narrator and his sister would visit their Grandpa during the summer every year. Their Grandpa gifted them one or the other article belonging to the Sioux culture. One year Grandpa gave them moccasins that he had made. He gave Martin a small, round, flat rawhide drum, It was decorated with the painting of a warrior riding a horse. The narrator liked this drum very much. His grandfather also taught him a Sioux chant. Martin enjoyed beating the drum while singing this chant. The gifts Grandpa gave Martin were actually the symbols of the culture that Grandpa represented. 9, Give the details about Grandpa's offering the medicine bag to Martin and his advice about it. Ans. The narrator's Grandpa was eighty-six-year old man who wanted to hand over the medicine bag to him signifying their cultural heritage. On the occasion of handing over the bag to Martin the narrator's Grandpa removed two objects from it. These objects were the iron kettle and a pebble. He told Martin that after he is given the medicine bag he has to put a prairie sage into it and never to open it again until Ihe was to pass it on to someone else. The old man then stood up from the bed with the bag in his hand. Martin closed his eyes thinking that Grandpa was going to slip the bag over his head. Instead of doing this, Grandpa placed the leather bag into Martin's hand and told him that it would not be right for him to wear the bag at that place and time as no one would understand its significance. He advised the boy to wear the bag when he goes to the reservation again. Martin did this when he went to the reservation after Grandpa's death. 10. Under what circumstances the narrator went to his Grandpa in the street and guided him to his house ? Ans. There was a loud noise of dogs barking in the street outside Martin’s house in Iowa. On hearing these voices Martin ran to see what was happening there. He noticed a strange procession of people surrounding an old man wearing a tall black hat. The man walked on looking at the houses on both sides of the street as if trying to find something. Martin was shocked when he saw that the old man ‘was his Grandpa. Martin was furious to see some dogs growling and nipping at the old man’s baggy pant legs. Martin ran to rescue Grandpa from the dogs. Martin moved forward to get hold of the tin suitcase that the old man carried in his hands. The suitcase ‘was kept shut with the help of a rope. Grandpa looked strange in his big black hat, black suit hanging like a sack, bright red satin shirt. Martin felt like crying on finding the old man tired and weak. He picked up Grandpa's suitcase took his arm and guided him to their home. ‘11. What happened when the narrator's friends met Grandpa? Ans, The narrator's Grandpa met his friends when they came to see him. In fact, Martin did not want his ISC SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12Ans. 13. Ans. 14. 15. 16. friends should meet Grandpa as he thought that they would make fun of the old man as he had come from a South Dakota Reservation. Grandpa was wearing his red shirt with a fringed leather vest decorated with beads. He wore moccasins instead of wearing his usual cowboy shoes. He greeted the boys cheerfully and told them how he had killed a dear from which his vest was made. Martin's friends were much impressed by Grandpa and listened to him respectfully. It proved all Martin’s fears about his friends making fun of Grandpa false. Give an account of Grandpa's journey from Dakota to Iowa. Grandpa gives an account of his journey while taking soup after he felt refreshed from tiredness. He tells Martin and his parents that he had felt lonely after Martin's visit to him at the Rosebud Sanctuary. He decided to visit Martin's family at lowa. He travelled by different buses for two and a half days. After a long and tiring journey he reached Iowa. On reaching the city he set out walking to find Martin’s house. He had to take rest on the steps of the buildings. A policeman found him and helped the oldman in boarding a bus to reach Bell View Drive where his only surviving relatives Martin and his family lived. How and what did the narrator find in Grandpa’s boots ? Grandpa reached Martin’s house after a long and tiring journey. He was completely exhausted when he reached Martin’s house. He collapsed and had to be put on a bed. Martin changed his clothes and took off his boots. While taking Grandpa's shoes off Martin felt that they were very tight and had something stuffed in them. He was surprised to see that Grandpa had kept his money in his shoes. What does Grandpa say about the money he had saved ? . Grandpa had saved one hundred dollars. He carried the money in his boots to protect it from being stolen. He told Martin and his mother that the money was meant for his funeral. Grandpa offered the money to Martin’s mother to buy groceries: Itshows that Grandpa was a self respecting man and did not want to be a burden on the family. How did Martin feel when Grandpa told that he was to handover the medicine bag to him ? Grandpa carried a leather pouch with him. He had undertaken a long and arduous journey to meet his relatives and hand over the pouch he called a medicine bag, to Martin, He called Martin and expressed his desire to give that medicine bag to him. On hearing this, Martin felt his heart burdened, and he ‘was a bit scared also. He just said ‘Ok’ to Grandpa. But he could not sleep well the whole night. He remained worried and anxious in his school also. What did Grandpa carry in the leather pouch around his neck? . Grandpa reached Martin’s house carrying a tin suitcase in his hands and a leather pouch around his neck. He always carried the leather pouch with him. There were three things in that leather pouch. One of these things was the broken shell of the iron kettle. The other two things were a pebble and a piece of the sacred sage. Grandpa called this pouch a medicine bag. It represented the old, sacred traditions of their family. Answer the following questions. i Ans. Bring out the difference between Grandpa's description given by Martin when he finds the old man in the street and at the time of Grandpa’s meeting with Martin’ friends. When Grandpa comes to lowa unannounced, Martin learns about his arrival after he goes out on hearing a number of dogs barking in the street. Grandpa is surrounded by people and dogs bark at him. He carried an old tin suitcase. Grandpa wore baggy pants. He looked leather brown in complexion. His gray hair straggled from under his big black hat. This hat had a drooping feather in its crown. His scuffled and creased suit hung like a sack over his stooped frame. His red-bright satin shirt could be seen when his coat fell open. These details make his get-up out of place in the city. Grandpa looks fatigued and sick. ISC SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12On the other hand, Grandpa looked a different person in his appearance as described by the narrator at the time of the arrival of his friends. At this time Grandpa was sitting on the patio in his red shirt, but there was a fringed leather vest also which was decorated with beads. His shoes were also different. Instead of his usual cowboy boots he now wears beaded moccasins on his feet that stuck out of his black trousers. He had his usual black hat on his head. It had been brushed and the feather in it was erect. His hair looked better in silver strands. He, no doubt, looked strange earlier but at the time of the visit of Martin's friends he looks impressive. Write a paragraph on your visit to a village to meet your grandparents with reference to the narrator Martin's visits to his Grandpa. My parents and I live in a big city. My grandparents have their own house and some land in a village. I visit my grandparents during the summer vacation. My grandfather takes me out for a walk to the fields covered with green crops. It is very pleasant to go out and have a stroll on the banks of a stream there. A number of people on the way greet my grandfather respectfully. Most of the people here seem to know one another very well. There seems no hurry in the way people do their work there. My grandmother has engaged a lady to cook food for the family. She is a simple woman and looks after my grandparents very well. I enjoy rope swings and simple games involving no instruments or gadgets. The children of the street get together and play different games. On one occasion, at the time of my departure from the village, my grandfather handed over an old dilapidated toy drum. He asked me to preserve it as it was the toy with which my great grandfather used o play. He looked emotional when he gave me the toy drum. I have kept it in my room. I always remain eager to visit my grandparents in the village. Describe the things that you consider strange and unusual in the stories “The Medicine Bag,’ “There Will Come Soft Rains,’ and the story ‘Indigo!” There are certain strange and unusual elements in the stories ‘The Medicine Bag’ ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’, and ‘Indigo’ that surprise and to some extent startle us. These aspects of the stories make them similar to some extent. But these features of the stories are different in nature. In order to analyse the strange and unusual elements in them, we can take up the study of these three stories one by one. In ‘The Medicine Bag’ it appears something strange that an eighty six year old man travels a long distance to hand over a leather pouch to his grandson. Apart from this, the bag mentioned as ‘the medicine bag’ has no medicine in it. But the strange and unusual that we find in this story can happen. There is every possibility of something like this to happen or have happened. The story ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’, is also full of strange unusual and startling things. There are various gadgets that perform different functions. The wall clock speaks out to announce different things, dishwashers, cleaners and the automatic security service surprise us. The whole life being assisted and controlled by gadgets is something strange and unbelievable. However, such gadgets have no longer remained a distant dream. The only thing that seems totally unbelievably strange is the absence of human beings. The story ‘Indigo’ presents an altogether different type of experience of the narrator that not only looks strange but startling and unbelievable also. The narrator Aniruddha here gets transformed into an English indigo planter. The most striking thing about these unusual incidents is that the narrator gets fransformed into the English man exactly on the day of his death one hundred years ago. Thus, all the three stories discussed above have different strange and unusual elements in them. Describe the changes that you notice in Martin’s attitude and behaviour at different stages of the story. The story “The Medicine Bag’, brings out grandpa’s struggle in handing over the symbol of his cultural past, the medicine bag to his grandson Martin. In the process, it also focuses on the attitude Isc se1r-sTuby LITERATURE NENGLISHL2 =5. of the narrator Martin towards his Grandpa's past and depicts the way the boy's behaviour undergoes changes at different stages of the story. In the beginning, Martin seems to have a very low opinion about the cultural past that his Grandpa represents. He feels ashamed of it and tries to hide its reality from the people of Iowa, the city where he lives with his parents. He depicts a glorious but false picture of the Grandpa and the place where he lives. He is not ready to accept this culture or the fact that he is a part of that culture. Despite his love and respect for the old man, he has a negative attitude towards the old man’s ways of life and cultural heritage. Grandpa's visit which initially embarrasses him, starts bringing a change in his attitude towards the old man, He feels sympathetic towards Grandpa on learning about the problems he had faced on his way to Iowa to meet Martin’s family and give the medicine bag to him. The visit of his friends makes him appreciate Grandpa and realize that his fears about his friends making fun of Grandpa were false. Martin gets almost transformed after learning the story of the Iron Shell and the importance the family awarded to their heritage. He ultimately accepts the medicine bag with dignity. ‘Thus, Martin shows gradual development in his thoughts, behaviour and attitude towards his cultural heritage. Describe Cheryl's attitude and behaviour towards Grandpa. How is it different from that of Martin, the narrator. Cheryl is the younger sister of the narrator Martin. Both, Martin and Cheryl are fond of visiting their Grandpa every year during the summer. They describe the old man in glorious terms and exaggerate his good features to make him look attractive to their friends. Cheryl joins her brother in doing all this. ‘The difference in the attitude of Cheryl and the narrator's attitude towards Grandpa comes out when the old man visits them in the city. On finding the Grandpa walking in the street, Martin feels ‘embarrassed and ashamed. He still fears that his friends will mock at the old man. But Cheryl has no such feelings. She is simply surprised to see the Grandpa there. Martin does not want his friends to meet the grandpa. He tries to ensoure that his friends do not visit his place and meet the old man. He thinks that the old man's appearance and way of life will be looked down upon by his friends. Cheryl, on the other hand, has no such feelings. She is happy that Grandpa has come to see them. She does not have any inhibitions in introducing her friends to the Grandpa. The difference in their approach comes out clearly in the two sentences that narrator uses. He says, "My friends kept asking to come and see the old man, but I put them off! “While talking about Cheryl, he says,” “Nothing bothered Cheryl about bringing her friends to see Grandpa” It shows Chery!'s attitude to be more simple and innocent than that of Martin. Explain the reason behind Martin's feeling upset on finding his Grandpa there near his house. . Martin used to visit his Grandpa every summer at South Dakota in a Reservation where the old man lived. But he always talked about his Grandpa in glorious terms before his friends. He knew that his friends had never met any American Indians. They had seen these people only in films and on TV. The images they had seen were not like the real Indians. He gave a false image of the place where his Grandpa lived in a poor hut. He did this with the belief that his friends would never come to know the reality about the Grandpa. Martin feels embarrassed and ashamed on finding his grandfather near his house in the city Iowa. It upsets him to think that his friends would come to know the reality about the Grandpa. He also feared that his friends would make fun of the Grandpa and his ways of life. The difference between his description of the Grandpa and_ the reality about him getting exposed is the main reason of Martin's feeling upset. ISC SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-127. How does the narrator describe the commotion in the street at the time of Grandpa's arrival there ? Ans. There was a lot of commotion in the street when Grandpa reached there: The dogs in the street barked aloud and followed Grandpa. He tried to keep them away with a stick. The people surrounding the grandfather formed a kind of procession. The small children were yelling. Martin, the narrator kicked and hollered at the dogs to get them away. The dogs put their tails between their legs and ran away. The narrator then reached to take Grandpa's beat-up old tin suitcase. Grandpa had kept it tight shut with the help of a rope. While the old man walked on the whole neighbourhood watched. All these happenings were a kind of commotion in the street. 8. Describe the circumstances under which Grandpa is taken to bed ? What does the doctor say about the Grandpa? ‘Ans. Grandpa visits Martin and his family in Iowa all of a sudden, He is guided to the house by Martin. His mother, and sister Cheryl are also surprised to see Grandpa at their house. Martin’s mother avoids ‘greeting her father in the way these people do at South Dakota Reservation. But Martin’s sister hugs the grandfather and feels happy. She has no inhibitions in greeting the Grandpa. Alll of a sudden the Grandpa collapses. He is exhausted after a long and tiresome journey. Grandpa is then carried to the bed by Martin and his mother. They call a doctor to attend to the Grandpa. The doctor tells them that the old man was suffering from heat exhaustion. 9. Why did Grandpa think of coming to Towa ? How did he reach Martin’s house ? What did he carry in his shoes ? Grandpa felt sad and lonely after the visit of Martin and his family. Martin, his sister Cheryl and their parents were the only surviving relatives the old man had. He thought of meeting them. Another reason of Grandpa's visit was the medicine bag. He carried a leather pouch containing some pebbles and an iron shell. He called it the medicine bag and considered this bag a symbol of their cultural heritage. He had received the bag from his father. After the death of his own son in a war Grandpa wanted to pass on this symbol of their past to Martin. He had brought the medicine bag and he wanted to give it to Martin, so he thought of coming to Iowa for this purpose also. He had undertaken a long journey to reach Iowa. After that a policeman helped him to board a bus to reach Martin's house. He was wandering in the street when Martin saw him and guided him to his house. When he was helping Grandpa remove his shoes, Martin found the shoes tight on Grandpa's feet. He took off the shoes and saw that they were stuffed with money. It made clear that the old man carried money in his shoes to protect it from being stolen. 10. Why does Grandpa want to give the medicine bag to Martin ? What is Martin's reaction on learning about Grandpa's decision ? Ans. The medicine bag is just a pouch of leather containing a few pebbles and a piece of iron. This small bag is called the medicine bag by the grandfather. He had received it from his father. There was a tradition concerning the medicine bag. The medicine bag was to be handed over to the oldest male child of the family. Grandfather's son had died is a war. There were no other relatives of the grandfather. Martin was the only child who could be entrusted with this responsibility. This prompted Grandpa to give the medicine bag to Martin. Martin came to know from Grandpa about his decision to pass on the medicine bag to him. On learning this, Martin felt happy but embarrassed also. He thought that his friends would laugh at him on seeing the medicine bag tied round his neck. He was unable to refuse the offer and annoy Grandpa. He felt upset. He could not sleep well and felt confused thinking what to do. Ans. lsc eurefor TER TURE BELA =11. Explain the vision quest of Grandfather's father. ‘Ans. Grandpa told Martin how the vision quest was initiated and for what purpose. The grandfather's father made the quest in order to find a spirit guide for his life. There was a strong need for this guidance from Wakantanka, the Great Spirit. The first great Telen Sioux people were forced to stay in the Reservation. The old men felt that the guidance from the Great spirit could help them a lot. The young men of the times did not like this idea. They believed that such a quest was useless and futile. Despite these opponent views of the younger generation the Grandpa's father got ready to undertake the quest. After three days of prayer, he had a visionary dream in which he found a white ‘man’s iron. He also found the remains of a campfire and the broken shell of an iron kettle. These things referred to the vision in his dream. He took a piece of the iron shell for his medicine bag to prepare for his quest. When he told the villagers about this, they named him Iron Shell. As he grew old, he gave the ‘medicine bag to his son Joe Iron Shell, Martin's Grandpa. He also told Martin about the tradition related to the medicine bag and the person to whom it was to be handed over. (A) Short Answer Questions : 1. Who is Grandpa ? Why does he visit Martin and his family in the city? 2. Describe the way Grandpa is received by Martin and his family when he visits them. 3. How does the visit of Martin's friends to meet his Grandpa bring a positive change in him ? (8) Long Answer Questions : 1. Explain Martin’s fears concerning Grandpa's visit to his house. 2. Why does Grandpa want to hand over the medicine bag to Martin ? Under what circumstances Grandpa offers him the bag ? When does Martin actually accept and take the bag ? ISC SELF-STUDY LITERATURE IN ENGLISH-12