Most Native Americans believe that there are magical spaces where the concept of understanding is brilliant. For instance, to others the atmosphere around the Black Hills or the rock of Bear Lodge is presumed to be sacred. Such places are believed to offer better platforms for easier means of communication with the spirits and ancestors. Similarly, in her poem, “She had some horses”, the poet does not detain herself to the physical dimensions of her spaces. Harjo manages to use her sensitivity and elements beyond imagination to describe what transcends in her special spaces. Harjo also metaphorically uses the horse to represent the struggles of the female speaker in her poem and the contradicting thoughts she attempts to reconcile. Through the repetition of the words “she had some horses” in every stanza, she manages to unify the poem, as well as add emotional impact to its theme. Using her style of writing, readers understand that the paradoxical images and events taking place in the speaker’s life offer a sharp definition of the writer’s psychological, cultural, and spiritual conflicts. Towards the close of the sonnet, the writer gains psychological contentment and gains the ability to comprehend her purpose in life. Evidently, people’s ability to understand their surrounding helps in the achievement of their self- discovery and understanding of individual purpose in life.
Stanza by stanza analysis
In the first stanza, Harjo describes the horses by comparing them with
As she passes the ruins she recreates the pleasant things that had been there. Despite the reasonable arguments that her goods belonged to God and whatever God does is just, there is in the poem an undercurrent of regret that the loss is not fully compensated for by the hope of the treasure that lies above. (84)
Native American literature is considered by many as the traditional written and oral literature of Native cultures around the world. Many of these literatures are transmitted over periods of time by storytellers. This particular literature has many features that includes a mixture of oral tradition techniques along with tribal mythology. The majority of these historic manuscripts of the Native Americans is deeply rooted in symbolic and mythic standards. This assignment will focus on how Native American literature is rooted in storytelling. The selected text of choice for the assignment is
In the first three lines of the poem, Harjo talks about opening oneself up to nature where you feel yourself. She does this by connecting the human body to the sky, earth, sun, and moon.
The loss of Aboriginal ethnicity is also highlighted when the land asks “Where are the laws and legends I gave?” This dates back to the Aboriginal culture, as their spirituality is inextricably linked to the land. They believe everything on the vast landscape has meaning and purpose. As long as they look after the land, the land will thereby return the favour. However, through time, Aboriginals have begun shifting away from their original beliefs as their world collides with the Western world. Different meanings could be made out of this; such as the more Aboriginals walk away from their culture, the less inclined the land will be to look after them, thus breaking the chain of their spirituality and beliefs. Caesuras such as full stops and question marks are used are pauses for a moment of reflection. Through the reader’s understanding of the poem’s structure, they are able to not only understand how the poem is to be read but also get the feel and emotions coming across from the poet.
While reviewing “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, it should be noted that the key is the rhythm of the language. The first, second, and fourth sentence rime while the third sentence of each rimes with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd sentence of the next stanza. In relation with the cryptic language draws the question, there is a more sinister back drop of loneliness and depression in this poem much deeper than the level of nature orated by the Narator.
Though written in a very light and simple manner, the poem comes across as something very profound, laden with meaning through its incongruities. The persona, wanting to see something, often goes to the well and looks down at the water to see it. This certain search below the water's surface can be compared to man's search beneath the human experience for meaning, for certainty.
One of the things that is so fascinating about poetry is that it allows readers to discover and sometimes challenge and channel their emotions as well as their understanding. A poem’s words as well as its structure can reveal many things to its intended audience. In “Myth” by Natasha Trethewey, the poems form is just as important as the words she writes, becoming a map for the journey Trethewey takes, using transitions to take us from one place to another. The nature of the poem therefor becomes multifaceted, as it encourages the reader to think about the speaker’s words and use of form and structure she uses to craft this epic story. Using form as a tool, Trethewey is able to use structure as a way to guide us as readers and the speaker across the conscious and unconscious thoughts and dreams the speaker faces in this story.
This indicates that music is seen as being more than the physical, but rather transcending into the realm of the spiritual and as being a fundamental element of human joy. In Harwood’s own life, she found joy and fulfillment her musical endeavors. From a young age she yearned to become a famous musician. She believed that music was more than just sounds, that it had the ability to help people ‘understand unquestionable shapes of truth’. By noting the significant role that music played in Harwood’s life, the power and symbolism of music in her poetry can be better understood.
The use of symbolism and imagery is beautifully orchestrated in a magnificent dance of emotion that is resonated throughout the poem. The two main ideas that are keen to resurface are that of personal growth and freedom. Furthermore, at first glimpse this can be seen as a simple poem about a women’s struggle with her counterpart. However, this meaning can be interpreted more profoundly than just the causality of a bad relationship.
Anne’s complex symbolism helps to construct the composite and secretive nature behind mental illness. Each stanza opens with a repetition of the words “I have” (Sexton 1,8,15). Its singular form introduces and reintroduces the author's sense of loneliness and hopelessness. Her first line reads, “I have gone out, a possessed witch” (Sexton 1). Witches are known for their dark and vile spirit, which is a direct metaphor for her depression. In most modern literature, witches are also considered social outcasts who live life on their own. The beginning of the second stanza reads,”I have found the warm caves in the woods” (Sexton 8). As if to say the solitude is warm and inviting. The woods stand for a tangled front protecting the solitude she stays in from being hurt. The final introduction reads, “I have ridden in your cart, driver” (Sexton 15). The driver is Anne’s depression. It feels like it is running her life, and she is just there for the ride.
When developing the different points to analyze I found that the way I was setting this paper up was truly showcasing my abilities to analyze a passage from a well know author. While going through the text, I found a vast amount of imagery,” When considering the imagery in the folktale one of the first
The reflection Miner was trying to make is very hidden in the essay and it takes an open mind to capture the essence of the message. Miner hid the meaning of his essay so that the reader would be drawn in by the strange language used to describe the tribe. The mysterious language had an mesmorizing effect of intrigue on the reader causing them to read further. Although the tribe seemed strange at first, the reader’s reaction changed as the essay continued. If read through quickly, the essay may have no effect on a person, or might confuse them with the “tribal traditions. ” However, with further analyzation, it is clear to see that the American society is being compared to the tribe. All the strange rituals are things that the American culture does everyday as a normal habit.
The short stanzas containing powerful imagery overwhelm the readers forcing them to imagine the oppression that the speaker went through in
It is human nature to interpret and reinterpret life and find meaning of one’s place in the world. Without such knowledge, or belief for that matter, any possibility of humanity is lost. Hence, humans are plagued with the necessity to interpret themselves and their connections to their surroundings—both human and physical. Because one’s connections and contexts for interpretation are endless in some sense, humans are inherently a divided self—the culmination of all given interpretations they make for themselves and interpretations from others. In addition, this totality of interpretations through the lens selves as being what is around you, it follows that poetic-rhetorical language is necessary in discussion of the divided self.
The reader must participate in the making of the poem or story by digging the structure out and create coherence out of the seeming incoherence. Therefore, the search for meaning, even if it does not succeed, becomes meaningful itself.