death

And when she killed it, I told her, 'Ama, you have killed yourself.' And Mama said that, too, later. She said, 'Ama Eaton has burned her own house' (Power, 164).

If she gave it to them it would have been like giving them sickness and death (Power, 166).

Theirs...is the power of death or disappearance (Power, 173).

When Ama kills the panther, Omishto believes she has killed herself. At first, I thought this meant that Ama was the panther. Finishing the book, I have a different take on it. Ama represents all that is natural in Power. She represents the earth, trees, and tradition. When she kills the panther she destroys nature, symbolizing her break away from the traditional Taiga tribe. Ama dies because of this breakage. It simply kills her.

what's in a name?

names: What are important about them? Are they arbitrary? Is there a difference between using one's full name or using just the first?

consider the name for the typeface, Helvetica
-derived from Helvetsia, the original Latin name for Switzerland-

consider last names such as Thompson or Miller
-Thompson- originates from "tom's son"-
-Miller- profession as a miller-

We've been talking lots about the name Lucy in the novel Lucy, but let's pass on that for now.
(don't want to give away all my good ideas for the in class essay ;) )

Instead, let's consider the name of the novel, Power. Why did Linda Hogan give this particular book this particular name? Who is powerful? Well one could say that Ama is physically powerful for killing a panther. The storm is obviously powerful proved by it's destruction. But what about the less obvious forms of power?

consider the power of a name, Omishto

"Don't worry that they look at you, Omishto," my mother says.
It's the first time she's called me by my name. Maybe the first time in my life.
(Power 117)

As we read, Omishto means "the watcher". Ah, the power of observation! What one can see can say much more than a few sentences. Also, by calling her daughter Omishto, the mother gives her daughter a sense of power. She brings Omishto back to her roots before trial. She provides that small bit of support that Omishto needs to participate in such a fearful situation.

names are important because they are powerful

pos/neg

In 2D Design we are learning about the importance of positive and negative space... I've been thinking: This kind of relates to personification in literature. In Power, the storm has a life of its own. Typically we do not think of weather being of significance. It is the 'negative space' in a positive space's story.

Like the letters of the typeface, Helvetica, the beginning chapters of Power have two stories: the story of a young girl and the story of the storm.