Prompt #2 - Chronology (YRBW)

[Mrs. Asti]

Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. In Dorris's novel, how does the author’s manipulation of time contribute to the effectiveness of the work as a whole? Construct a paragraph in response to the prompt using appropriate evidence from the text.

Respond to this post using the comment link below. At the top of your post, please include your first and last name.

[Jay]

Jayri Santos
In A yellow raft in blue water, Dorris uses chronology to move the story along. The novel is composed of three points of views in which each person starts with their story but includes a part where the other person is present. Dorris begins his story with Rayonda’s point of view who starts off with a sick Christine “Mom’s legs, my elbows on the hospital bed…” Then Ray continues on to tell her story as its happening in the present tense. “Why in the hell?” Mom asks me. Then, “Are you all right? Did you break anything?” Dorris by writing Ray’s point of view in present tense uses manipulation of time to describe Rayona’s and Christine’s life. In the second point of view also known as Christine’s point view, Dorris uses manipulation of time to start off her point of view on the “last judgment day” and then work his way towards when Christine and Rayona meet again. “Rayona was chasing the last of her hash browns…” In the third point of view also known as Aunt Ida’s point of view, Dorris uses manipulation of time to start off at the beginning of everything and end on the “judgment day.” “I’m pregnant,” Clara said” With the use of chronology and time Dorris brings together all these three women and puts separates them so they could each tell their stories.

[Sharon]

Sharon Manosalva

In "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water", Michael Dorris manipulates the chronological sequence of the story by dividing the novel into three different perspectives. This manipulation of time and perspective contributes to the effectiveness of the work by successfully bringing each story-line together, interconnecting events with missing pieces, ultimately unifying the novel into one piece. In the novel, Micheal Dorris begins his story by writing in Rayona's perspective, which entails details of her life while also reflecting on details of both Christine, and Aunt Ida throughout the section of the book dedicated to Rayona's present point of view (Pages 3-137). While unlike Rayona, the second section of the book is dedicated to Christine (Pages 141-293), in which speaks on the past and present, joining the two to both clarify details from the past and give Christine's perspective on present matters. Finally, the last section of the novel which is written in Ida's perspective (Pages 297-372), is all on the past, way before Rayona was even a thought in Christine's mind, back to where it all started. Through this mixed chronological sequence, Michael Dorris, has successfully and effectively united all three stories into one, creating "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water".

[Erin]

Erin Gallo
In the novel “A Yellow Raft in Blue Water”, Michael Dorris writes chronologically within the three point of views featured. The first point of view displayed is Rayona’s, the youngest, she tells her story presently and is the daughter of a sick mother, Christine, whom then becomes the next narrator and speaks of her past about Rayona and her step-sister, Aunt Ida, whom then tells her point of view. The three linked women may tell their stories different but the author sets the same time through all and includes flashbacks from the narrators. By Dorris including all three point of views the reader can comprehend how they each affect each other and see the story from all sides. For example, when Rayona ran away from Aunt Ida’s she was convinced that her mother nor Aunt did not care nor worry because when she returned her mother did not give much of an emotional reaction and so Rayona stated, “Don’t you want to see me?” (Pg.129) to Christine but then it is later revealed from Christine’s point of view that she was “weak from relief and confusion” (Pg.280). The authors use of chronology is effective because it takes to read the whole book to completely reveal and understand every incident that occurred within the time.

[Luis]

Luis mentado
In “A yellow Raft in Blue Water”, Michael Dorris alters the chronological sequence of events in order to give each of the character’s perspectives and life before and in their current time. Each of the characters starts off by giving a background story of who they were and then is moved on to who they are currently. This is done to show the reader how each of the character’s stories connects and where they drift apart into their own life. The book starts off with Rayona’s point of view (pg. 3-137) during and after Christine’s hospital stay, I then move onto Rayona living with Ida and her life during that time. The second part of the book (Christine’s pg. 141-293) is started by Christine talking about her youth in order to give her early years and then moved onto present day which is where her story is connected with Rayona’s. At this point, Christine was with Rayona and decided to leave her at Ida’s and from there on it was a present day story instead of flashbacks. In the last section of the book (Ida’s Pg297-372), Ida’s point of view is given by explaining her past and how she came to be who she was and how she had Christine, and how it all ended in her present day. All in all, Dorris uses this chronology in order to achieve the goal of telling every character’s story while allowing them to progress through the telling of their present day life.

[Erica]

Erica Sarria

In the novel “A Yellow Raft In Blue Water” by Michael Dorris time is used in a chronological order fashion in the sense that there is three main characters and he switches from character to character describing basically their lives. The first section is based on Rayona’s (christine’s daughter) life and her experiences. It’s chronologically organized because it starts off from one point and keeps building as time goes by. The second section of the book is based on christine and it describes her life and the struggles she has went to in order to shape the woman that she is. The third section, and last, is based off of Ida. She is raised as christine’s “mother” but is actually her half sister and cousin, not her mother. As the novel moves along these chronological events build up with each character and help the reader better understand the novel and whats it about by describing the characters and showing how similar they really are.

[Tajae]

In the novel "A Yellow Raft In Blue Water" by Micahel Dorris its composed of three main characters each depicting a different point of view, from starters Dorris starts off the story in the point of view of Rayona showing that she is in the hospital bed with her mother Christine, a heavy drinker. As it goes on it is now shown through the point of view of Christine and each time each main character would have a point of view one of the main characters are present and in the scene. The last part of the book is told in the point of view of Ida (pg 297-392) from the beginning of when Ida is raising Christine like a mother even though being the cousin. With all these factors contributing with one another Michael Dorris creates the different view points of each character.

[Natalie]

Natalie Roque
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, written by Michael Dorris is a distinct piece of literature which stands out above some other works by other authors to me because of the way it was written, so beautifully connected and well structured. This story in particular is divided into three parts narrated by three different Native American women, three generations and a total of forty two years. In addition, various themes are presented while the differing perspectives are presented. For instance, finding true Identity within the characters internal and outside conflicts, specifically Christine. Her character struggles with a lot of emotional instability and lack of Identity because of the way she was raised, due to this she finds comfort in others like her brother Lee, her many boyfriends growing up, and even religion but nothing seemed to fill that void until her daughter Rayona was born and she was finally able to find what she was looking for. Although she was never the perfect mother and definitely didn't give her daughter any kind of parental example she did realize later on that Rayona gave her meaning. All of this was seen as a reader because of the way the author structured the story, we saw the way Rayona reacted to her mother's ways and also saw Christine's justifications through their own telling of their stories.

[Brandon]

Brandon Ficher
In “A Yellow Raft In Blue Water”, the author chronologically orders the perspectives of three indigenous women to eventually tie all three together. The first point of view displayed is Rayona’s, the youngest, she tells her story first and is the daughter of a sick mother, Christine, who then becomes the next narrator and speaks of her past about Rayona and her step-sister, Aunt Ida, whom then tells her point of view. Christine lacks real purpose in her life until she has Ray and she’s molded by the experiences of motherhood. All three women have epiphanies and realize their true roles in their lives.

[Aaron]

Aaron Chichester
In "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water", Michael Dorris provides three different perspectives to effectively tell multiple stories. This method is effective to the story because the thoughts, motives, and feelings of each main character (Rayona, Christine, and Ida). Each character has a portion in which they tell certain stories from their perspective. Rayona controls chapters 1-9, Christine dictates chapters 10-16, and Ida is in charge of chapters 17-20. The chronology of these personal accounts are interesting because each individual portion told by each woman ultimately ties into one story. This is effective to the novel because it essentially makes the story dynamic and helps the reader understand specific situations in different ways.

[Solange]

In "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water" the chronological structure is determined by the three main characters perspectives. This manipulation of time gives the reader insight of all the women's lives. It also serves as a an explaination to all the poorly made choices in the chapters previous to it. As a whole, this format allows the reader to individually enter the mind of Rayona, Christine, and Ida. All complex in their own way but similar in others. The format allows the reader to do a comparison and contrast to the women's personalities and insecurities. For example, by reading all three perspectives there is a clear confusion with identity. All three women have troubles, discovering their true self, due to different external obstacles.

[Paola]

Paola Badillo

A "Yellow Raft in Blue Waters" by Michael Dorris is written in three points of views as they shift the story into different perspectives applying chronological sequence. The shift contributes to the manipulation of the meaning of the novel. As Michael Dorris begins to explain Rayona's point of view to reflect on details on both Christine's and Ida's. Rayona expressed her point of view through (page 3- 137) The second narration is done by Christine, Rayona's mother whom becomes more and more dramatic as you read along the lines (page 141-293) Christine also presents past and present to incorporate details from the past to develop perspectives on present matters. Lastly Ida expresses her perspective (page 297-372) on the past. She reinstate the first chapter of the book to where it all started. To conclusion the author Michael Dorris successfully create a proper shift to better understand the chronological sequence that develops "Yellow Raft in Blue Water."

[Amlex]

Amlex Bencosme

In " A Yellow Raft on Blue Water," the author Michael Dorris effectively uses time to create suspension and slight confusion in his main characters, as well as readers. Through the order of which events take place, Dorris emphasizes the feeling of misunderstanding and disconnection between the three main characters and the generation they each represent. The novel is started off with the narration told from Rayona's point of view. She represents the present and the obstacles she endures embody the culmination of her family's lack of communication. The second part of the story is narrated by Christine, as she recounts the troubles she faced in her teens, as a mother, and presently as a ailing woman. Lastly, Aunt Ida is revealed in her true form at the last part of the novel. Despite the picture Rayona and Christine paint of her, one learns Ida is a woman who survived through much emotionally debilitating treatment. When Christine abandons Rayona at Ida's house, for example, Rayona spends most of her time waiting for her mother to return and later on grows to despise Christine's irresponsible, erratic, and cold actions. While Christine's actions are not justified completely, one learns in Christine's narration that she has been informed she has about six months to live and wants to leave Rayona with someone who will care for her ( during this time Ida also treats Rayona coldly). One thing to note is that while they all have different point of views, their actions mirror each other greatly. The order in which Dorris organizes the novel is important, but so is the tense he allows the solution or climax of his character Rayona to occur. The present tense, Rayona's main part, signifies the presence of all three of them together, the problems of both Ida and Christine that seemed to have trickled down to Rayona, and the final blending of them all to form one. Dorris beautifully involves all their lives and ends the disconnection and starts the beginning of a new aura in Ida's narration- the origin of all their problems and the place it ends.

[Xayanjely]

In "A Yellow Raft in Blue Waters", Michael Dorris tells a story in three different perspectives. These sections are divided in three different points of view which includes Rayona's, Christina's, and Ida's. This separation between the piece aids the reader in giving them insight on the characters and their conflict. Dorris chronologically orders the novel by generation. The first part is narrated by Rayona (who is the daughter) which is followed by Christine's narrative (the mother) and ends with Ida's point of view (the grandmother). The telling of each of the main character's story in a first person perspective makes choosing sides a little more confusing because they give all the sides of the argument and it contradicts each other. In all three stories there are flashbacks and moments of reminiscing between the characters therefore the jump from the present to the past from time to time.

[Speedy]

Michael Dorris, in his novel “A Yellow Raft in Blue Water”, portrays the story of three different generation females with first person narration. Each individual character does relay the story in chronological order but the order in which he presented the perspectives was in a way reversed. The novel begins with Rayona, the youngest of the three generations, in the hospital to visit her mother. This same scene is illustrated through the eyes of her mother, Christine, on pages 237 through 240. With this unique form of storytelling, the audience is able to get a more dimensional perspective of the events occurring rather than one limited viewpoint. In doing so, the reader is also able to sympathize with each character, unlike the way the characters act towards each other. For example, when Christine leaves Rayona, it is depicted as abandonment through Rayona’s eyes (page 32-33) but is a form of goodbye for Christine (page 253). This method effectively creates realistic characters with complex relationships that are frequently hindered due to lack of communication.

[Luis]

In "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water," by Michael Dorris, he is able to alter the chronological sequence through a series of 3 different perspectives told by each main character in the book. Each story overlaps, Rayona speaks in the present tense, while her mother and Aunt Ida speak in the past tense. Their stories are told in contemporary perspectives as well as giving flash backs. Rayona's chapters are told in the 1980s. Her mother's, Christine, are told from 1960s to the 1980s, and Aunt Ida's are told from the 1940s to the 1960s.

[Bryan]

In Michael Dorris’s novel “A Yellow Raft in Blue Water” he is able to manipulate the chronological sequence of the story by writing it in the perspectives of three different characters. Being able to tell the stories of each of the characters in this way allows him to really emphasize the characters emotions and bring the novel together as a whole. The first part of the novel is told in the perspective of Rayona, which highlights on her feelings on her past and present but as well on others characters such as her mother and aunt. The next section of the book is told in Christine’s view, and readers get to see the events in her past and present showing how and why Christine is the way she is, even bringing mother and daughter together in this part of the book. The last section of the book is told in Ida’s view which only takes place in the past, which is really the beginning of the novel, where everything first begins. This order of events successfully tells the story where readers can see how the events of the characters’ lives affect one and another but also combining it all to make the novel a whole.

[Sergio]

Sergio Gomez
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Michael Dorris is able to alter the chronology of A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by writing about 3 different perspectives. He starts the novel with Rayona, who talks about how she took her mother to her Aunt Ida's house from the hospital and uses present tense in order to show that the story takes place in the present. The story then moves on to Christine, who talks about how she had Rayona, and Aunt Ida, who talks about how she got Christine, and uses past tense to show that their stories take place in the past. They then switch to the present at the end of each of their stories.