Week 8- Powell

Powell’s “Down by the River,” opened my eyes to a new term on the perspective of “survivance” or a combination between survival and resistance. Her message is strong, in that Indians who speak out for what they believe in is already an act of resistance. I found the part where she wrote about re-imagining ourselves to be most interesting. By understanding who you are, and accepting it is more powerful than trying to change. Although change is possible, it can be regarded as a negative feature. Change is above all necessary for learning about the past to better prepare for the future. In doing so, we find out more about ourselves and our relationship to others. The more knowledge we can attain and the more education we can share with others is ultimately the driving force for an effective lifestyle. Powell emphasizes the importance of stories and how they are the way for us to learn about each other. The power to tell and listen to stories relating with an understanding of who the audience is and what will influence persuasion. Her story is an example of how she believes life should be. She says our lives should not be ruined by making things harder on ourselves than they need to be. By over analyzing, we have a tendency to miss the larger message and as a result miss out on what we can learn from our own comfort.