Kiersten Knighton

Lesson Plan ENGL 2610

Objective/Goal: Understand how postcolonialism and Marxism theories are used in native

American literature and be able to give examples of each theory from Chapter 4 The Round

House.

Activity: Assign each student to submit two questions and answers as homework before class.

These questions will be on scenes from the chapter assigned and applying theories and

concepts we are learning such as post colonialism and Marxism. This will give the instructor a

chance to check the understanding of the homework before class. From these questions you

can create a quiz on the website Kahoot!. When finished observe the results and go over

questions that were missed.

Examples:

Question 1: The scene where Mooshum has told Joe about the round house and how it was a

place that they would do secret ceremonies when the priests were gone is an example of what

theory?

Answer: Postcolonial theory, because the Chippewa tribe and other Native American tribes

were being forced to adopt Christian practices.

Question 2: Why is it important in the book to figure out where Geraldine was raped and what

ethnicity the perpetrator is?

Answer: It is important that find out who and where, because the effects whether federal law

or tribal law has jurisdiction. This supports Marxist theory in that the Chippewa is low on the

economic scale and that there is a lag in the political justice that they are able to get.
 Kiersten Knighton

Question 3: Why is Linda an important character in the round house and how does her situation

reflect on the Chippewa tribe?

Answer: Linda is the perfect example of the Diaspora that post colonialism has inflicted on the

community between the Chippewa tribe and the population surrounding the reservation. The

fact that the Wishkob family toke in Linda, a white baby, when she was thought to have

disabilities is a representation of the values the Chippewa have and their respect towards life.

Question 4: How does Joe’s suspicion of the priest, after he hears Basil and Edwards

conversation, important with post colonialism theory?

Answer: The priest in the tribe is supposed to be an emblem of holiness, however when Basil

hears stories about how this priest is keen on activities such as shooting the gofers, he becomes

a suspect of Geraldine’s rapist. For Basil fears he might be into old pagan ways such as offering

sacrifices as in ancient times.

Question 5: The round house is located on the border of the Chippewa tribe, why is its location

critical in the book? And how does this support post colonialism theory?

Answer: The round house is on the border of the Chippewa reservation. Nearby is a golf course

that intrudes into the reservation, this institution is representation of the hegemony that the

white community has over the Chippewa reservation.

What to read before the lesson:

 Chapter 4 from The Round House

 Joshua Muravchik’s, “Marxism”

 Gilmartin & Lawrence’s, “Locating Postcolonialism”

Themes and concepts to focus on: Postcolonialism, Marxism, and critical race theory
 Kiersten Knighton

Questions to help focus on concepts:

 How does the clash between the Chippewa tribe and the priests in the round

house support Marxism theory?

 When Joe overhears Basil and Edward talking about how the new priest is

different than the rest, how does this support postcolonialism theory?

 Why is the change in Joe’s behavior important in the story?

 Why is Mooshum’s stories important to Joe as he searches for Geraldine’s

attacker?
 Kiersten Knighton

Works Cited

Gilmartin, Mary, and Lawrence D. Berg. “Locating Postcolonialism.” Area, vol. 39, no. 1, 2007, pp.

120–124. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20004594.

Muravchik, Joshua. “Marxism.” Foreign Policy, no. 133, 2002, pp. 36–38. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/3183551.

Ainsworth, Linda, and Gerald Vizenor. “History and the Imagination: Gerald Vizenor's ‘The People

Named the Chippewa.’” American Indian Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 1, 1985, pp. 49–54. JSTOR,

JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1184652.

Barnouw, Victor. “Chippewa Social Atomism.” American Anthropologist, vol. 63, no. 5, 1961, pp.

1006–1013. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/667049.