I was really surprised with the hardships Wendy Rose had to face, especially in her family. I'm shocked that she faced so much rejection and hatred for having darker skin than the others. Even dealing with being abused and how devastating it must have been knowing that no one would care or come looking for you if you ran away. To me it's weird hearing about this happening because I come from a very large family where we all love and accept each other no matter what. We get angry if someone makes a stupid choice or if we don't understand their decision but we don't reject them or shun them because of it. My great aunt is a lesbian and her coming out to her family, especially in a time period where it wasn't culturally or socially acceptable, was a big deal. My family still loves her and has accepted who she is and her partner. I can't think of any person in my family that doesn't love her because of her sexual orientation.
I do believe that Rose's search for her heritage was to grasp a real connection, maybe not with someone in particular, but to find a feeling of belonging. Since no one in her family would tell her of their family origins, Rose had to rely on herself and any information anyone was willing to share, whether it be valid and truthful or not, and seek understanding on her own behalf. Rose identifying herself as a Native American writer instead of just a poet or a writer allows her to connect with people on various levels; she connects with Native Americans, people that can relate to her feelings of rejects, a longing for acceptance, writers, poets, or anyone that is feeling ambitious to read her work. All of those people can become sort of like her new family. In the end, I do believe, whether Rose realizes this or not, that she has found acceptance.
Pam Kawalerski
Blog Post #5
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