How we cite our quotes: (Poem.Paragraph)
Quote #7
They repeated the stories about good times in Oakland and San Diego; they repeated them like long medicine chants, the beer bottled pounding on the counter tops like drums. (VI.24)
The young men's drinking binges resemble the traditional medicinal chants of the Laguna Pueblo people. Ironically, though, instead of healing the veterans, the stories only contribute to their alienation and emotional sickness.
Quote #8
[ . . . ] finally, years later, he understood what it was about white men and Indian women: the disgrace of Indian women who went with them. And during the war Tayo learned about white women and Indian men. (VIII.18)
Why is it disgraceful for Native American women to sleep with white men but OK for Native American men to sleep with white women? Tayo doesn't seem too down with these attitudes. Part of his healing involves coming to terms with his own mixed heritage and not feeling ashamed of it.
Quote #9
The ear for the story and the eye for the pattern were theirs; the feeling was theirs: we came out of this land and we are hers. (XXVI.32)
When Tayo completes his ceremony, the text uses words like "theirs" and "we" to show that his victory isn't his alone—it's a victory for all of the people in the community.