![]() Because of the intense power of stories, each word in a story must be carefully chosen so that it brings healing to the world instead of harm. ![]() A story contains the ability to speak something in to being, whether literally as when the story of a Native American witch speaks white people into existence, or metaphorically, as when a community chooses to act according to the ideals set forth in a particular story. In the poem-stories, Silko does not limit herself to chronological storytelling, instead weaving the many stories together to highlight how each influences or comments on another. ![]() Silko marks out the ancient stories in broken lines that look more like poetry than the prose that makes up the majority of the novel. Interspersed through the episodes of Tayo’s return from war and quest to build a new ceremony are poem-stories that reveal lessons that apply to Tayo’s search for healing, as well as giving the reader a small look into the stories that govern spiritual life, education, and daily actions in Native American communities. In Ceremony, Silko honors the power that storytelling carries in these communities, weaving elements of the traditional Native American art of oral storytelling into a modern narrative story that seeks to educate and instruct readers about ways to heal the world. ![]() The practice of storytelling is an intensely important spiritual element in many Native American cultures, encompassing both entertainment, moral guidance on the proper way to live, and connection to a shared past. ![]()
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