Nicholas+Lim

The Cry of the Soldier (Modeled after Hunting Song)
 * 1. **** Select one poem of the four provided and write another poem mimicking the style and syntax of the first poem. You can change the topic and words, but the rhythm, number of syllables, sentence structure and poetic elements (such as repetition and figurative language) have to be mirrored in your poem. You may write on any topic you like. **

March the soldier through the streets

Raining bullets, from the sky The piercing screams and cries of pain March the soldier through the streets.

Through the toil of war, One more last breathe, Gone to their deaths, they go, they go March the soldier through the streets

Down into the shadows Down into the shadows, they run, they run, March the soldier through the streets, Go for the last horn, sound the drums. Marching, marching on. March the soldier through the streets

The rattle of his harness, Villager’s eyes stare with fear <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">March the soldier through the streets

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Howl’n wind, carry their tears <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Follow their screams and cries <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">March the soldier through the streets

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">March the soldier through the streets <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">March the soldier into the war <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 19pt;">March the soldier through the streets


 * 2. **** Select two poems (must be different than the one you picked for #1) and write two short paragraphs that compare and contrast the poems. Your paragraphs can focus on different elements of the poems, including subject, theme, tone, use of poetic devices such as repetition, imagery, and any progressions that you notice in the poems (for example, you might notice that the images get stronger in each line, or the detail gets more specific). Be sure that (a) you explain how the elements contribute to the message or feeling of the whole poem and (b) that you don’t just talk about one poem and then the other. You have to first talk about the comparisons (similarities) and then the contrasts (differences). So you have to think about the structure of your paragraphs before you write them. **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">“The Corn Grows Up” by the Navajo Indians and “The Song of the Sky Loom” by the Tewa Indians are poems that can be seen as strikingly similar. The constant repetition in the poems are one of the most obvious similarities we can see in the piece of literature. The Navajo Indians start off with "The" for the entire poem, similar to the Tewa Indians who constantly starts off with the same word for sentences. The main topic of both poems would be the subject of nature. Through the stories in the poem, they convey the fact that nature brings life and beauty to the world. From their description of such events, the reader can tell that they hold high respect towards nature. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">However, these two poems also have several unique differences that set them apart from each other. The poems portray nature in two different forms, one referring to as more of a natural existence rather than a divine figure such as the Navajo Indians. "The Corn Grows Up" focuses on the life nature gives overall while "The Song of the Sky Loom" focuses on one specific life. The imagery both poems paint in our minds are completely different from each other. The Tewa Indians talk about nature's bright light and the colorful images surrounding this entire story. The Navajo Indians give a darker image in this story with the constant repetition of "drop" and "dark". Both of these poems can be perceived in several different forms, making such Native American poems an interesting read.


 * 3. Read the short story called "The Navajo Origin Legend". Answer the following questions:**
 * a. What did you like about the story?**
 * I liked how the Navajo Indians refer to their deities using everyday objects such as corn to demonstrate in detail how they created the first signs of life. The constant usage of colors in this story demonstrate the many different meanings it brings about in the Native American lives.**

I disliked the constant commas throughout the story and how many of the words were repeated several times as it seemed to confuse me.
 * b. What did you dislike about the story?**

The image that was most power to me would be the arrival of gods, when there were four cheers, each on louder than the other. The image I could portray was very powerful, as the event of the gods appearing with sacred objects gave a strong religious feeling, it also help to show an insight as to what the Native Americans considered as divine.
 * c. **** What was the image that was most powerful or interesting for you? **

Cornmeal is an object that the Native Americans, Buckskin is a sacred object that is used by the Gods. The corn is where the first humans were born, influenced by the wind who gave them life, this gives it a symbolic meaning. The eagle feather was ceremonial and their different colors had great meaning as they coincided with the colors of the corn.
 * d. **** The Native Americans who wrote this poem are similar to other pre-colonial societies in that they write about the materials of their everyday lives in their myths. Food, nature, and animals are some such materials. Identify all the specific materials that appear in the story that would be common in the everyday lives of the Native American culture. For each material that you identify, explain briefly what is happening to it in the story. **

Through this story, the reader can tell that the Native Americans are very detailed on the different colors and directions of an object during any ritual or ceremony. They carefully described the directions into which the corn or eagle feather was placed, they also matched up the colors and was able to show the importance of how each and every combination represents the different aspects of Native American life. Each and every object described in this story plays a significant role as it resulted in the creation of man and woman.
 * e. **** What can you tell about the culture of this people based on the materials that appear in this story and they way that these objects are used? Do you notice any patterns in how these materials are depicted? **

** 4. The speaker in "I Have Killed a Deer" talks about death and killing in an unusual way. How would you describe the way he talks about death and killing? Why does he talk about it this way? Do you think he feels sorry for killing living things? What single line is a turning point in the message of this poem? What is the overall message of this poem, in a single short sentence? ** The speaker in "I Have Killed a Deer" describes death and killing as something necessary in order for a living creature's survival. Each and every life he has taken from nature can be seen as something he needed to use to continue living on, such as the food from deer or fish and shelter from chopping trees down. He knows that life continues on in a circle and that what he has taken would be returned, he does not speak of taking life in a regretful way, probably because he knows that at one point he would have to give back to Earth everything he has taken. I think that the turning point of this poem is "When I died I must give life" this is when he stated the fact that what he has taken inevitably be returned back to its original place.