Nonfiction = Fiction

As we continue unit 2 on culture and identity in my literature class, we are introduced to a Native Indian author named Sherman Alexie. Upon reading his story "War Dances," I am intrigued by the writer's sense of rawness and truth in the text. It was like reading a diary. No fancy word play or any censorship. He is actually quite humorous, especially when using foul language multiple times in his text.

Referring to the concept of culture and identity, Alexie writes as if he is more in the white American culture rather than his Native Indian background. He believes those who continue to practice Native Indian rituals or even sing songs from before are people who are living in the past. Alexie strongly believed that it is ridiculous to keep something from the past alive if the present is much more different.

As our class mentioned how some Chamorros are examples of living in the past (such as we no longer wear coconut shells and grass skirts, but still showcase it as part of our culture today), we came to a discussion about nonfiction historical articles. Nonfiction means it is true. Fiction means it is made up. My professor further discussed nonfiction cannot be entirely true. There will always be a bit of fiction in every story. He went on to talk about historical articles on Spain and Guam written by a Spaniard. Would it be positive or negative? Most likely positive. If the article was written by a Chamorro, would the article be positive or negative? Most likely negative. There are two sides to every story. Each person goes through different experiences. Every experience can be told hundreds of different ways from hundreds of different perspectives. So..how can we tell which stories are fiction and which ones are nonfiction? There is no solid answer. It is based on the reader's perspective and, therefore, the reader determines the final opinion.