Some more thoughts that I had while reading...

Although the characters are teens, the play is still enjoyable, interesting and entertaining to read for adults. I myself really learned some new facts about the Native people and got aware of the fact, that culture and the language which is connected to it take a big part of an individual's identity. That reminds me back to our culture seminar and the theory about language and culture being two sides of one coin.
In the case of the aboriginal people of Canada, the original culture and the language got lost over the centuries, but the tales and history still stay an important part of the new generation which will always be memorized. Looking back at your roots is an important part of identity... and no-one can stop the process of a culture which changes. Looking at the huge changes which occured between the time span of 500 years is very astonishing, though! If the "white man" hadn't disturbed that culture,  how would that process have developed? In slow-motion, half the pace?

Each decade has its own challenges and the people who life in it their own problems, but no judgement can be done about the value of the different stages of culture; there is no better or worse.

The story is kind of touching since it has a big autobiographical influence and is close to real life experiences of the author. But exactly this makes it so authentic and readable. 
I am curious about other reactions and perceptions of this book!

By the way,

the Dreamer's Rock really exists:


It has "historical importance in the local First Nation culture. Young men went to its top for fasting rituals in which they would receive their vision quest. The overcast sky dulls the appearance of this otherwise remarkable landscape."

This might also give an impression on the landscape:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPNVrajYOTM

First impressions

The first thing that was striking about the play is the simplicity of its fantastic elements: three boys from three different times meeting in the present at one place which connects them through time: The Dreamer's Rock. Other surrealistic elements are the shaking, falling to the ground and switching languages. To me, these incidents seemed confusing, maybe even a little ridiculous at first reading.
But the idea of letting three 16-year old boys from three different periods of time meet at the same place and talk about their problems, their lives and their culture is a simple but brilliant idea to   get the topic of being an adolescent and having aboriginal roots across.

The play is extremely suitable for a reading in the foreign language classroom for secondary school learners of English because of several reasons: The play as a litarary genre is very appropriate for the learners; it is not too long, contains a lot of humor and the language level is ok, especially because of the footnotes. The language contains expressions which you wouldn't find in a school book, so they are very close to actual language use.

The most important thing what makes it interesting is the age of the protagonists who are all sixteen and the intercultural and historical topics which are embedded in the story. Although all boys come from a totally different time and thus differ in their way of life, their seems to be a deep connection between them: They all deal with issues like girls an cultural identity, they have native roots and they all have a special bond to the place where they meet, the Dreamer's Rock.
This shows that certain issues are independent of space and time, even of culture; they are universal and cross-cultural. This message is important for teens and certainly gives them the opportunity to identify with the chracters.

Today, I read "Toronto at Dreamer's Rock" by Drew Hayden Taylor just spontaneously outside in the sun after lunch. It only took me about an hour and I was totally gripped for that full hour and enjoyed reading. It felt a little bit like being on vacation, sitting in the sun with a soft, sometimes strong breeze around me and being pulled in the setting of Dreamer's Rock in a Canadian Reserve. My next posts will be about my reading experiences and my thoughts about the play.


Picture of the place where I read:

Hello this is my first entry. I haven't even started reading yet, but I want to make sure the technique works. Have fun!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCpg-T691oE