A Mind Spread Out on the Ground

Elliott cannot get it out of her head after her professor declares one day that “mothers are the most hated group of people in the world,” (81). Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Why do you think none of the students in the class contested this statement? Based on her collection of essays, what does Elliott make of this statement?

Elliott’s fourth essay, “Weight,” is the only essay in this collection that she writes in the second person. Why do you think she chose to write this particular essay in the second person? What is the impact of this point of view on the reader? How would this essay be different if it was written in the first person or third person?

In her two essays “On Seeing and Being Seen” and “Not Your Noble Savage,” Elliott analyzes the ways Indigeneity is exploited and policed in the literary world. How does she characterize the differences in expectations and standards for white authors compared to Indigenous authors? Where do these expectations come from, and what are their impacts on both writers and readers?

What do you think Elliott means when she says for an author to “truly write from another experience in an authentic way, you need more than empathy. You need to write with love” (64)? What motivates Elliott to make such a statement? Who do you think does and does not have the right to pass judgment on whether an author achieves this?

Elliott’s seventh essay, “Scratch,” uses her head lice to symbolize the extreme poverty she and her family felt trapped in as she grew up. Why do you think the author specifically used head lice as a symbol for this, rather than something like donated clothing, food stamps or other hygiene challenges? In what unique ways can lice function as a symbol for poverty?

In her 10th essay, “On Forbidden Rooms and Intentional Forgetting,” Elliott discusses her right to forget about her sexual assault if she wants to, even though women are often persecuted for the ways they do or do not perform their trauma. She states, “People are willing to believe anything that reinforces their unexamined view of the world, no matter how far it strains the laws of physics, decency and common sense” (194-195). Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? What are the implications of this statement if considered within the context of Elliott’s entire work, rather than exclusively this essay?

A collection of essays can be difficult to organize, particularly because some, if not all, essays are written without consideration for how they could fit into a series. How would you characterize the structure of A Mind Spread Out On The Ground? What challenges do you think the author faced while organizing this collection? Would you have organized it any differently? Why or why not?

Much of Elliott’s essays function to inform the reader, providing them with examples of racism, sexism, and classism on many levels, all while contextualizing these examples with historical background and observations about modern Western society. Do you think this collection offers solutions to the Indigenous issues Elliott characterizes? Why or why not? Do you think it is the responsibility of Elliott or her book to provide any solutions? Do you think Elliott believes there are genuine solutions to these issues?