Click here to read Natalie Diaz’s essay “Losing Farther, Losing Faster.”
Please also read the Elizabeth Bishop poem she is writing back to, “One Art”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47536/one-art
After you read this essay, post a reply using the “terms and ideas” model. Watch the Terms and Ideas” video and read more about that model here.
A reminder on the form:
- Read the article (or essay or poem) first. Take note of things you need to look up. Look them up. Check that you are using a definition that makes sense.
- Mark sections of the text that introduce interesting ideas. This is much easier to do if you are reading on paper! If you are reading on-screen, write notes in a notebook. I know, it’s easier not to, but you will really, really wish you had done this when it is time to write a paper on this topic. Plus it makes you smarter.
- In you reply, list at least 3 terms you looked up. This can mean just looking a word up in the dictionary — such as “tabernacle,” in the James Baldwin — or looking up a broader concept — such as “Congo Square” in wikipedia or similar. (Yes, wikipedia is fine for this purpose.)
- PROVIDE A SOURCE FOR YOUR DEFINITION. If you copy it word for word — which is fine for this assignment — PUT IT IN QUOTATION MARKS. You don’t need to use full MLA format for this assignment, though you are welcome to. A URL in parentheses or a link is fine. But get in the habit of giving credit to your sources.
- Next, write 1-3 paragraphs about an idea in the text you think is worth further examination.
- After making your reply, return to the post and comment on 2-3 of your classmates’ replies. You may learn something! There are a lot of smart people around here.
Language revitalization: an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or an extinct one.
( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_revitalization )
Vast: of very great size or proportions.
( dictionary.com/browse/vast )
Void: something experienced as a loss or privation.
( dictionary.com/browse/void )
Something that I found interesting and actually turned out to be my favorite part of the essay, was in the last paragraph.”Loss doesn’t mean to me what it once did. What I cannot do doesn’t stop me anymore–it now shapes what I can do and helps me appreciate what I do have.” Natalie’s view on loss was completely altered. She knows that she won’t be able to save all of her language which to her is a huge loss. Most people might feel discouraged by knowing that their end goal won’t finish how they want, they might even give up. But Natalie chose a different path, she has stepped into her loss and hasn’t let it stop her from reaching her goal. She is using this great loss to motivate her to continue and save her language.
Kayla, nice analysis of Diaz’s determination to “step in” to the loss rather than hiding from it and therefore losing more. I like that phrase.
I’m going to use you as a bit of an example, however, and note that the standard in academic writing is to refer to authors by full name the first time and by *last name* only all other times. As in, “Diaz’s view of loss was altered.”
Thank you for you excellent insights into the text!
I really like the writing btw. I agree with this, I feel like her essays are very deep as well as a little motivational.
Vaster : “Very great in size, extent, or quantity.” https://www.thefreedictionary.com/vaster
After reading the essay by Natalie Diaz “Losing Farther, Losing Faster.” The one part of the writing that stuck out most to me was when she says “One of the saddest moments is when my Elder teacher cannot answer a question, when he looks at me and says, You are asking me because you don’t know the answer, but I also don’t know the answer, and there is nobody left for me to ask.” I find that to be the heaviest part of the essay because she states how she’s trying to preserve her language so it doesn’t become forgotten and its already begun. Language is a vital part of peoples lives and comes with so much history. So for an entire language be forgotten is losing so much history and culture.
I’ve also done a little research on Diaz’s work and came across a program she started in order to save the language where she has been recording conversations and songs with the elders, learning the language herself, and helping the elders’ teaching.
I also came across this saying from another website where she says “our values and our identity are fed by our language. We learn how to speak to each other, how to talk about the land and water, how to tease, how to argue, how to mourn, and how to dream, all through the language.”- https://tribalcollegejournal.org/both-beautiful-and-brutal-natalie-diaz-and-the-mojave-language-recovery-project/
Which ties into where I stated above that language isn’t just words but its everything that makes us unique.
Mojave: Native language of the Mohave people located in Colorado River in Arizona, Southern California and Nevada
Mohave Language and the Mojave Indian Tribe (native-languages.org)
Elder: Any person that has accumulated a great deal of wisdom or knowledge
Indigenous Elder Definition (ictinc.ca)
MFA: Master’s in fine arts
What is an MFA Degree? What You Need to Know (snhu.edu)
Toward the end of her essay, Natalie Diaz says, “At Fort Mojave, we have decided that it will not be our Mojave language”. With this, she refers to the commitment that her Elders and her are going to keep the Mojave language alive in the face of death. Languages are dying everyday due to persecution, globalization, and the climate change crisis. The Mojave language has been under constant threat since the Europeans invaded America. The group of determined Mohave individuals are attempting to resurrect and preserve their language by teaching the next group of people. However, this is not an easy task as some of the language has been forgotten. Later in the essay Diaz states that she is still thankful for the opportunity. When so many other languages do not have the luxury of Elders or other people who are familiar enough with the languages to pass it down, she is lucky to have her teachers.
I completely agree with this part as well : “When so many other languages do not have the luxury of Elders or other people who are familiar enough with the languages to pass it down, she is lucky to have her teachers.” It’s great that she’s doing her best to preserve such a beautiful language and it’s sad that people really are trying to destroy these cultures.
Vast – immense
(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/vast)
MFA – Master’s in Fine Arts
(https://www.yourdictionary.com/mfa)
Back road – a road away from the main road
(https://www.yourdictionary.com/back-road)
The following sentence really touched me: “What I cannot do doesn’t stop me anymore—it now shapes what I can do and helps me to appreciate what I do have.”
The loss of one’s own language is a pain I am familiar with and it comes with a lot of different emotions; anger, lethargy, helplessness, grief etc. It needs its own mourning period, therefore it is just as difficult as the loss of a loved one. Her overcoming of such a heavy situation by realizing that everything she cannot save just further defines what she can preserve is beyond inspiring and is a reflection of an immense amount of strength.
Sometimes one’s limits are the key to one’s opportunities, it all depends on the perspective we choose to view things from.
Language revitalization: “An attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_revitalization
Something I liked about the essay was this line from the final paragraph. “I choose not to stare into the void of loss, but instead I step inside it, stick my fingers into it, put my ear to it, try to find as many words for it as I can.” In this line, Diaz was showing how she won’t avoid the void to try and save her language. It’s like looking at a super hard obstacle and instead of giving up, she took the challenge head-on. Diaz later mentions that She does not run from what history did to her language but chases it.
Reservation: a tract of public land set apart for a special purpose, as for the use of an Indian tribe.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/reservation
Mojave language: Mojave is a Yuman language of the American Southwest, considered by some linguists to be a member of the larger Hokan language family. It is spoken by around 200 people in California and Arizona. The language has been in decline, but some young Mohaves are working to keep their ancestral language alive.
http://www.native-languages.org/mojave.htm
Language revitalization: The study of language revitalization is a relatively new subfield of linguistics which focuses on the formulation and evaluation of strategies and actions aimed at reversing the processes of language erosion and bringing endangered languages back into use in their speech communities.
http://www.revitalization.al.uw.edu.pl/eng/RevitalizationModels/1/54/what-is-language-revitalization
Natalie Diaz read the National Geographic’s “Vanishing Languages”, Diaz saw that it stated that “One Language dies every fourteen days” which means that in two weeks, one language will disappear. This drove to try to achieve her goal of helping keep the Mojave language alive. According to Diaz, there are only three Elders left who are Mojave speakers and they are working “against hisotry, agaisnt memory, and especially against silence”. This made think of the history between the Native Americans and the United States goverment. Native Americans were forced to relocate and were often put into reservations. The actions of the U.S. has caused a lot of damge to the Native American population and their cultures which includes their languages.
Revitalization:
“the process of making something grow, develop, or become successful again.”
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/dictionary.cambridge.org/us/amp/english/revitalization
MFA:
“A Master of Fine Arts” Essentially this is a masters degree for writers
Source: https://www.utep.edu/extendeduniversity/utepconnect/blog/february-2019/can-an-mfa-in-creative-writing-help-you-get-a-job.html
The Mojave Language:
A declining language spoken by Indian people’s.
Source: http://www.native-languages.org/mojave.htm
The idea that Diaz and people who share the Mojave language have legitimately lost words is baffling. What could happened to cause an entire language to die out like this? I wonder if this could be an outcome of people on reservations being forced to speak english? Some linguists can translate hieroglyphics from ancient Egypt humans managed to lose a language that is important to so many people.
If you’re curious as to what I meant by people being forced to speak English on reservations, here’s an article about it!
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tribal-talk-93636590/
In the 12th paragraph of the article Darrell Kipp, a Harvard graduate, states “Our parents and grandparents didn’t pass it on to us because they didn’t want us to be abused.” When Kipp says “it” he means their languages. I thought this would provide a great connection to the Nathalie Diaz essay, plus it’s an interesting read.
TERMS
1. Language revitalization: an attempt to halt the decline of a language, or to revive an extinct one. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_revitalization)
2. Ted Kooser: a Poet Laureate from Iowa, known for “Delights & Shadows” and more. (Source: https://poets.org/poet/ted-kooser)
3. Fort Mojave: an Indian reservation along Colorado River. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Mojave_Indian_Reservation)
IDEAS
It’s hard not to get worked up when reading this essay! The way Natalie Diaz talks about loss is so profound, like she is completely enveloped in it, loss of language, loss of time, of people and objects. I think it’s incredible that she has the fortitude to push forward even though it seems like she’s fighting a losing battle. She says herself that no matter how hard she tries, she would not “be able to save all her language,” but knowing that she seems to work even harder to preserve what she can. As Kayla said in an earlier post, it can be discouraging to know that the “finished product” (I put this in quotes because I never truly feel like work is done) won’t end up the way you want, but this essay taught me that if we can’t save it all, we should save what we can.
Language revitalization- Language revitalization is a fairly recent subfield of linguistics that is concerned with halting and reversing the extinction of languages. … Linguists encounter more and more speakers and communities who are struggling for the survival their languages
site: https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199772810/obo-9780199772810-0091.xml
MFA- An MFA is a Master of Fine Arts, a graduate-level degree for students studying visual and performing arts, design or creative writing.
site- https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/what-is-an-mfa-degree
Elders- of earlier birth or greater age
site- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elder
Something that Natalie Diaz compares is her wins and losses in basketball to the fact that she might lose some of her languages. I really like this comparison because Ive played sports my whole life. Something my father has always taught me when I would come home upset after losing a game, is that you win some and you lose some, its just how the game works. Playing sports taught me that im not always gonna win, even if I am the best. Im gonna eventually going to lose, even when you play your hardest. Now I know this has really no real comparison with the state of actual losing a language but for someone who only speaks English its an amazing illustration to get someone to understand how shes feeling. She goes on to say that she barley slept for 2 years because she was working so hard to save something she didnt want to lose, coming from someone who only lost 2 games out of 34.
Mojave Language: Mojave is a Yuman language of the American Southwest, considered by some linguists to be a member of the larger Hokan language family. It is spoken by around 200 people in California and Arizona.
http://www.native-languages.org/mojave.htm
Fort Mojave: The Fort Mojave Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation along the Colorado River
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Mojave_Indian_Reservation
I would first like to say I enjoyed this essay very much. Natalie Diaz words hold a unique passion for her native tongue. You could hear the loss in her words and the sadness of her language being forgotten. One part that stood out to me the most was when she mentioned “One of the saddest moments is when my elder teacher cannot answer a question, when he looks at me says, you are asking me because I don’t know the answer but I also don’t know the answer and there is no one left for me to ask, I did not know that I had taken on a job of loss.” This resonated with me because it’s hard not to have anyone to ask about your history, where you come from, who you as a person essentially are.
Language revitalization
– Language Revitalization is a fairly recent subfield of linguistics that is concerned with halting and reversing the extinction of languages.
oxfordbibliographies.com
Vast
-Very great in size, amount, degree, intensity, or especially in extent or range
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vast
Monarch
-a person who reigns over a kingdom or empire
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarch
I think its very important to point out the reason and history that created Natalie Diaz’s story. She is fighting to preserve a language that has been cut down due to, the cruelty and hypocrisy of the American government. Native Americans have constantly been taken advantage of and lied to from the beginning of this nation. In return, Natives have lost so many of their people, and their culture and language despite being the originators of the land we call the United States of America. If it was not for the actions and poor decisions carried out by the government, over the course of 400 years, Its very possible Natalie Diaz’s story would be different, and she would be celebrating her cultures language instead of rushing against time to save it. I applaud her for taking on that challenge because it is a very special and significant part of history.
1. Fluster: An agitated or confused state.
2. Vanishing: disappear suddenly and completely.
3. Elders: a person of greater age than someone specified.
Definition from (https://www.lexico.com/)
After reading the works from Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art” I found myself fighting with the idea of losing. It was difficult to relate that loss is not a disaster, as she said, “losing isn’t hard to master”. My first reaction was loss could be easily obtained, but the attachment of past experiences is the most challenging feeling to release. Nataly Diaz experimented as she explains in “Losing Farther, Losing Faster…”, the art of loss is a daily and constant prayer that she had to assimilate when she started with hard work keeping her native language, Mojave.
For me, the feeling of loss is not easy as it takes me time and energy. When I read “One Art” it helps me to recognize that all I was trying to hold from my past was just an idea or attached ideas that I had. Understanding this, I decided to let the feeling of loss be the past and start learning from new experiences.
I admire the hard work that Nataly Diaz assumes the loss every day and gaining more meaning in the words that in the past time wasn’t sufficiently valued. “Loss doesn’t mean to me what it once did. What I cannot do doesn’t stop me anymore—it now shapes what I can do and helps me to appreciate what I do have.” Nataly Diaz. I loved this sentence; it means that loss is a new way to gain.
I agree with this. Many people tend to give up very easily after losses but there could people out there struggling just as hard as them but haven’t gave up. Very good writing 🙂
Terms:
Revitalization:The act or process of giving new life or fresh vitality or energy to someone or something.
Fluster:To put into a state of agitated confusion.
Vast: Of very great area or extent.
Source: “https://www.dictionary.com”
Idea:
The part that stood out to me was where Natalie Diaz said ” I choose not to stare into the void of loss, but instead I step inside it, stick my fingers into it, put my ear to it, try to find as many words for it as I can. This is no different from the way I build my poems. I don’t run from the disaster of what history has done to my people and our language, I chase it down.” I really feel this one growing up, I would always run away from my problems and were so scared to face them, it has gotten a lot better now that I’ve grown up a little. I feel like this part of the writing is just amazing because I think it serves more than just a writing because it can really help the reader think back times where they ran away from problems and it helps them push themsleves into facing there problems.