Retelling a Story Medicine Bag

English I: "The Medicine Bag" (1975)

by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Literary Devices

• characterization: the act of creating a fictional character

• dynamic character: undergoes a significant change throughout the course of a story

• theme

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

• Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota)

• Teton Lakota American Indian 

• Brulé

Native Americans

1400s-1800s

Open Ended

Do you think people would be happier if they lived where their parents and great-grandparents grew up? Explain.

Vocabulary from "The Medicine Bag"

fringe

• a decorative border of hanging threads left loose or formed into tassels or twists

butte

• an isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top 

• Bear Butte Mountain and State Park, South Dakota

sage

• evergreen perennial

• SW US and NW Mexico

Open Ended

Describe a time when you were embarrassed by a family member.

Open Ended

page 1

Describe Martin and Cheryl's overall feelings about their grandpa.

Open Ended

page 2

What two things cause Martin to feel embarrassed?

Open Ended

page 2

Look at all of the words used to describe Grandpa and his clothes. What can you infer about him based on those descriptions?

Open Ended

page 3

Why do you think Grandpa traveled with money stuffed in his boots?

Open Ended

page 4

How does Martin feel about receiving the medicine bag?

Open Ended

page 6

Why do you think Martin is scared?

Open Ended

page 7

How have Martin's feelings about the medicine bag changed? How do you know?

Multiple Choice

PART A: Which statement expresses the main theme of the short story?

• One’s culture and the traditions associated with it are something to be proud of, not ashamed.

• Younger generations tend to not have the same respect for traditions that the older generation do.

• People can often be cruel or unkind towards people and practices that they don't understand.

• Physical objects can help people feel connected to their loved ones, even once they are gone.

Multiple Choice

PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

One’s culture and the traditions associated with it are something to be proud of, not ashamed.

• “Our friends would have laughed at the picture, because Grandpa wasn't tall and stately like TV Indians.” (Paragraph 3)

• “To Grandpa and the Sioux, he once told me, a thing would be done when it was the right time to do it and that's the way it was. / ‘Also,’ Grandpa went on, looking at me, ‘I have come because it is soon time for Martin to have the medicine bag.’” (Paragraphs 39-40)

• “‘I gave him the bag, for I believed it would protect him in battle, but he did not take it with him. He was afraid that he would lose it. He died in a faraway place.’” (Paragraph 72)

• “‘Thank you, Grandpa,’ I said softly, and left with the bag in my hands. / That night Mom and Dad took Grandpa to the hospital. Two weeks later I stood alone on the lonely prairie of the reservation and put the sacred sage in my medicine bag.” (Paragraphs 82-83)

Multiple Choice

PART A: How does hearing his grandpa's story about the medicine bag affect Martin?

• It causes him to believe his grandpa about the medicine bag’s protective powers.

• It makes him fearful of what might happen if he refuses to wear the medicine bag.

• It helps him understand the significance of the medicine bag and be more accepting of wearing it.

• It causes him to be skeptical about whether or not the medicine bag can truly protect him.

Multiple Choice

PART B: Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

It helps him understand the significance of the medicine bag and be more accepting of wearing it.

• “‘He was afraid that he would lose it. He died in a faraway place.’” (Paragraph 72)

• “Again Grandpa was still and I felt his grief around me.” (Paragraph 73)

• “I closed my eyes and waited for him to slip it over my head.” (Paragraph 78)

• “‘It would not be right to wear it in this time and place, where no one will understand.’” (Paragraph 79)