The Man to Send Rain Clouds Leslie Marmon Silko Literary Terms: Setting, Theme, Conflict, and Mood

Terms to Know Mood/ Atmosphere: What the author makes the reader feel; the emotional quality of something. An author creates mood through thoughtful use of details, like setting. Outside the old mansion, a one-eyed crow was picking at something on the branch of a dead tree in the yard. A three-legged dog was howling at the moon. It is an unspoken hunger we deflect with knives - one avocado between us, cut neatly in half, twisted then separated from the large wooden pit. With the green fleshy boats in hand, we slice vertical strips from one end to the other. Vegetable planks. We smother the avocado with salsa, hot chiles at noon in the desert. We look at each other and smile, eating avocados with sharp silver blades, risking the blood of our tongues repeatedly Theme: Central idea in a literary work. Theme can be developed through characterization, setting, mood, plot, point of view, figurative language, symbolism, and irony. Wizard of Oz: Home is where the heart is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Selflessness brings the greatest reward

Background Pueblo groups Settled in SW thousands of years before Spanish conquistadors in 1540. Spanish attempted to establish a colony and convert the Pueblos to Catholicism. Laguna people of western New Mexico are a Pueblo group. Founded in 1699 Maintain many values and beliefs even with the influence of the outside culture

The Man to Send Rain Clouds Modern setting (written in 1969) but incorporates the rituals and traditions of the ancient Laguna Pueblo people The Laguna Pueblo people believe that their dead relatives will become Cloud People and bring the gift of rain. Rain was an important element in Native American life because it sustained all life.

The Man to Send Rain Clouds *Setting – sheep camp belonging to the Laguna Pueblo people *Main characters – Leon and Ken (brothers-in-law) Teofilo (dead grandfather) Louise and Teresa (family members) Father Paul (Christian priest)

As you read: How do we remain loyal to our heritage and traditions? What setting descriptions develop mood within the story? Locate two to three examples. What is the theme (central idea) of the story? The Big Questions How do we remain loyal to our heritage and traditions? What makes a community strong? What makes it weak? How does my race, culture or ethnicity shape who I am?