Desert Exile/The Way to Rainy Mountain

Desert Exile/The Way to Rainy Mountain

Literary Analysis: Author’s Purpose

An author’s purpose is his or her main reason for writing. Common purposes include the following:

• to inform, as in a newspaper report

• to entertain, as in a mystery story

• to persuade, as in an editorial

• to pay tribute to, or commemorate, as in an obituary

Literary Analysis: Author’s Purpose

A writer may have more than a single purpose for writing. In these selections, for example, both Momaday and Uchida write to inform readers about a slice of history. However, each author has other, more personal, reasons for writing. These reasons may include to mourn what is gone, to heal old wounds, to expose an injustice, or to better understand themselves.

Open Ended

It had rained the day before and the hundreds of people who had trampled on the track had turned it into a miserable mass of slippery mud.

What is the purpose of this detail?

Open Ended

I wrote to my non-Japanese friends in Berkeley, shamelessly asking them to send us food, and they obliged with large cartons of cookies, nuts, dried fruit, and jams.

What is the purpose of this detail?

Open Ended

The wonderful news had come like an unexpected gift, but even as we hugged each other in joy, we didn't quite believe it.

What is the purpose of this detail?

Open Ended

I like to think of [my grandmother] as a child. When she was born, the Kiowas were living the last great moment of their history. For more than a hundred years they had controlled the open range....

What is the purpose of this detail?

Open Ended

At the top of the ridge I caught sight of Devil’s Tower upthrust against the gray sky as if in the birth of time the core of the earth had broken through its crust and the motion of the world was begun.

What is the purpose of this detail?

Open Ended

There, where it ought to be, at the end of a long and legendary way, was my grandmother’s grave...Looking back once, I saw the mountain and came away.

What is the purpose of this detail?

Multiple Choice

In Desert Exile, why are the Uchidas taken to Tanforan?

• because Uchida’s father has committed a crime

• because they have joined the military

• because it is the only home they can find

• because they are Japanese Americans

Multiple Choice

Identify Uchida’s purpose for including the following detail in Desert Exile.

The space, while perhaps a good source of ventilation for horses, deprived us of all but visual privacy, and we couldn’t even be sure of that because of the crevices and knotholes in the dividing walls.

• to inform readers that the family was living in a stall

• to emphasize the family’s lack of privacy

• to entertain readers by describing the family’s absurd living conditions

• to convey how hot and stuffy the family’s living quarters were

Multiple Choice

What does the following sentence from Desert Exile reveal about Uchida’s attitude?

I wondered how much the nation’s security would have been threatened had the army permitted us to remain in our homes a few more days until the camps were adequately prepared for occupancy by families.

• She resents not having had the time to pack more of her belongings.

• She feels humiliated by being forced to live in such conditions.

• She detects a certain irony in being treated as a national threat.

• She is angry that the camp was not sufficiently prepared.

Multiple Choice

In Desert Exile, why does Uchida include the anecdote about the neighbors’ sleeping son?

• to provide a bit of amusement in an otherwise serious account

• to show that teenagers require a good deal of sleep

• to demonstrate that in such close quarters, hostilities naturally arise

• to give an example of the ways in which people can entertain themselves

Multiple Choice

In Desert Exile, which phrase best describes how Uchida’s family feels when they hear that their father will be “coming home”?

• fearful, but happy

• angry at him for being away

• ambivalent and ashamed

• cautiously joyful

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about the grandmother in The Way to Rainy Mountain is true?

• She died alone in her house near Rainy Mountain.

• She migrated alone from western Montana.

• She was the last remaining elder of the Kiowas.

• She lived her long life in the shadow of Rainy Mountain

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes how the Kiowas felt when they entered the southern Plains in The Way to Rainy Mountain?

• confused

• liberated

• fearful

• contented

Multiple Choice

According to The Way to Rainy Mountain, the Kiowas created a legend at the base of Devil’s Tower in order to

• help them deal with their fear of the unknown.

• express their reverence for the sun.

• demonstrate their respect for Kiowa women.

• ask God to protect them on their journey.

Multiple Choice

Why does Momaday describe what was happening with the Kiowas when his grandmother was a child?

• He wants to compare his grandmother’s childhood with his own.

• He wants to give readers a complete sense of his grandmother’s life.

• He wants to emphasize the Kiowas’ former power.

• He wants to explain how the landscape near Rainy Mountain has changed.

Multiple Choice

The author’s main purpose in The Way to Rainy Mountain is to

• describe the world of his Kiowa ancestors.

• demonstrate the strength of Kiowa culture.

• explore the region near Rainy Mountain.

• expose the mistreatment of the Kiowas.

Multiple Choice

Which purpose do the authors of Desert Exile and The Way to Rainy Mountain share?

• to inform readers about historical events

• to commemorate a person whom they hold in great esteem

• to celebrate joyful childhood memories

• to persuade readers to visit a particular location

Multiple Choice

Which idea is expressed by the authors of both Desert Exile and The Way to Rainy Mountain?

• In the past, my people had a perfect life.

• In the past, my people have been treated unfairly.

• Today, I realize that family is more important than money.

• Today, I honor the greatness my people once achieved.

Multiple Choice

Based on the selections, which word best describes both Momaday’s grandmother and Uchida’s mother?

• dignified

• afraid

• defeated

• soft-spoken

Multiple Choice

Both Desert Exile and The Way to Rainy Mountain provide a reflection on

• happiness.

• freedom.

• displacement.

• religion.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence best summarizes the difference between Momaday’s and Uchida’s essays?

• Momaday’s has a broad scope, while Uchida’s is tightly focused.

• Uchida’s is more objective, while Momaday’s is more personal.

• Momaday’s is realistic, while Uchida’s is fantastical.

• Uchida’s is comical, while Momaday’s is serious.