The poem that I chose is Ghost Dance by Sara Littlecrow-Russell. The title is something that sounded familiar to me, but the reason I chose to read this poem originally was that it told a story rather than describing something, someone, or a feeling, which had been a common theme among the poems that I had been browsing. I also knew that I wanted to recite a poem that used a more low tone rather than an upbeat one, which is something that the majority of this poem had. Subtle and major tone changes and pauses were more easily visualized for me while reading this the first few times more than some of the previous poems I had read. Finally, I had realized that the poem is something that I already had some knowledge on from another class that I had been taking during the year. Realizing this allowed for me to analyze in much more detail what historical events and ideas some of the lines and the entire poem were referencing which made the poem more powerful to me. Being able to connect the different lines of the poem to things that I had previously learned was interesting to me. All of these factors were what made this poem interesting enough for me to choose this poem over some of the other poems that I had been considering. This poem delves into not only the meaning of the Ghost Dance and why it was used, but also the aftermath and reflection of it in the later stanzas. To fully understand this poem, the reader must have some historical context of what the Ghost Dance was and
Katherine Dettwyler is author of Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa and an American Anthropologist. Her work for this book is specifically concentrated on her inquisitiveness for nutritional anthropology in malnourished West African children by researching health and infant cultural practices. She provides vivid descriptions and multiple vignettes of her personal fieldwork encounters with children in Mali, Africa. Diversified topics pertaining to ethnocentrism of are investigated and significant to understand in this particular study. Culture shock, child care, roles of both women and men in different societies, control of population, breastfeeding customs, and definitions of disability and mortality for children are included.
In The Lakota Ghost Dance: An Ethnohistorical Account, Raymond DeMallie discusses the importance of the ghost dance to the Lakota people. DeMallie, acknowledging the opposing views of the Lakota using dances as a sign of war, believes that the ghost dance was a non-violent, religious ritual simply misunderstood by the whites. He explains both the cause and the hopes brought out of the Lakota through the ghost dance, using a more accurate, ethnohistorical approach. Although whites saw the ghost dance as an isolated action of the Lakota, the ghost dance was a significant part of the Lakota culture.
Another classmate commented that she liked how the first line seemed to have a completely different meaning when rereading the poem, since it illustrates how killing one’s own inner demons is a cycle. One student also felt disconnected at “with each glance your shadow grows darker”, since the poem is not clear about what this character is glancing at or where this dialogue is coming
An Analysis of “The Ghosts We Think We See” by Sharon Begley Student’s Name Delaware Technical Community College An Analysis of “The Ghosts We Think We See” by Sharon Begley In the past, majority of people associated superstition with traditional beliefs and myths. However, despite all the enlightment and modernization that has taken place over the years, beliefs about superstitious phenomena still persists among individuals today. Take for instance stories of ghost sightings or, from a personal perspective, a friend once told me that is shouldn’t yawn without covering my mouth lest demons enter my body. All of us, at one point or another, and either directly or indirectly, have been in contact with, or experienced some form of superstition.
There are many ways for individuals to interpret this song, but one way is that it expresses the
It makes me think about what life would be like if I had not broke off my engagement to Mr. Hooper. Oh how I miss my long lost lover. Most of the time I sit next to a window watching Mr. Hooper pass through the town and how the people of the town part ways like the red sea as soon as they see him pass through the streets. Oh my poor Reverend, he is not like he used to be I can just tell. Michael, my sister’s first child will always ask me to play with him but I cannot pull myself to do it.
Another example of this, in the last stanza, lines 15-16, is made as Roethke notes “[t]hen waltzed me off to bed/[s]till clinging to your shirt.” The last lines of the poem show the true relationship at the end of all the confusion lost in the midst of the middle of the poem. The father loves his son and waltzes him to bed and the boy, loving his father, slings to his shirt to stay with him. The poem expresses the confusion and complexity created in a relationship such as this one between father and son, but at the end, the confusion is unnecessary and what prevails is not the negatives, but instead the positive aspect of
Stanzas can be used in a poem for a wide variety of things. A poet might include stanzas in his poem to group ideas, indicate a change in tone, or simply to create rhythm. However, in this poem the poet does not use stanzas. Each line of the poem takes you through a stage in her life. Her story begins with “...being nine years old and feeling like you’re not finished…”(1-2) as each line continues she takes the reader through the trials and tribulation of puberty, insecurity: “ pimping in front of mirrors that deny your reflection”(8-9) to joyous energy: “ jumping double dutch until your
I have interpreted these lines in one way, yet there are a million different possibilities. The author puts the words onto the paper, but the reader’s job is to interpret their own emotion, memory or belief and actually apply it to the poet’s words in order to create an
However, after reading the first stanza, it is evident to the reader that, there is oppression in the air. The first stanza reads that, “Dawn in New York has four columns of mire and a hurricane of black pigeons splashing in the putrid waters,” and this is clear to the reader that, the New York Dawn is not a normal dawn and that life in New York is despondent. According to the writer, the dawn does not come with something to smile about. After reading the poem, we realize the writer’s reason for entitling it as such.
This poem has an apparent rhyme scheme. The last word in each line rhymes with the last word in the line directly under it. This lets the reader almost sing through the poem. There is a very nonchalant tone and feel to the poem. The lack of detail in the poem lets the readers imagination create the situation in which the person dies.
The literary elements in this poem add to the effect the poem has on the reader, which can be different for everyone, but it makes the reader reflect on their own life and how kindness has changed
Nothing But Death Analysis. Nothing But Death, The poem from Pablo Neruda translated and edited by Robert Bly. The poem presented about the looks of the Death and about how the death appears around the human.
The author composed the poem in such a way that it is dulcet to read. The message within the poem is evident because of the Metaphors of nature and the destruction of mankind. Andrew
The Transformation that Changes our Lives The poet Emily Dickinson in her poem, I Felt a Funeral in my Brain that is the first line of the poem, not a special title that Dickinson chose. It tells about the story of the experience of the speaker in the poem who is transforming from place to another. Many readers would take this poem as an explanation of what happens after death, what the dead body feels in the funeral.