CarsonWong


 * 1. **
 * THE CORN GROWS UP **

The corn grows up. The waters of the dark clouds drop, drop. The rain descends. The waters from the corn leaves drop, drop. The rain descends. The waters from the plants drop, drop. The corn grows up. The waters of the dark mists drop, drop. // from the Navajo Indians //

// The power turns up. // // The corns of the machines pop, pop. // // The popcorn ascends. // // The noises of the device pop, pop. // // The popcorn ascends. // // The growth continues pop, pop. // // The crunchy treats grow up. // // The popcorn babies pop, pop. // // from Carson //


 * 2. Hunting Song **

Comes the deer to my singing.

He, the blackbird, he am I, Bird beloved of the wild deer. Comes the deer to my singing.

From the Mountain Black From the summit, Down the trail, coming, coming now, Comes the deer to my singing.

Through the flower dewdrops Through the flowers, coming, coming now, Comes the deer to my singing. Through the pollen, flower pollen, Coming, coming now, Comes the deer to my singing.

Starting with his left forefoot, Stamping, turns the frightened deer, Comes the deer to my singing.

Quarry mine, blessed am I In the luck of the chase. Comes the deer to my singing.

Comes the deer to my singing, Comes the deer to my song, Comes the deer to my singing.

// from the Navajo Indians //


 * I Have Killed the Deer **

I have killed deer. I have crushed the grasshopper And the plants he feeds upon. I have cut through the heart Of trees growing old and straight. I have taken fish from water And birds from the sky. In my life I have needed death So that my life can be. When I died I must give life To what has nourished me. The earth receives my body And gives it to the plants And to the caterpillars To the birds And to the coyotes Each in its own turn so that The circle of life is never broken. // from the Taos Pueblo Indians //

// These two poems have one thing directly in common, hunting, in this case specifically, the hunting of a deer. In both of these poems, the author is talking as if hunting and killing is a main component of his life. Something very natural to them, and the description of just another hunt is being casually spoken. Within the first he mentions the luck he has of this capture, and the need he has for the kills. // // Differences between the two poems here though exist as well. In the first poem, it is explaining his wait for the death to the deer he will cause in the near future. In the second however, he is recounting the times he had taken life from the animals in the past. //

//** 3a. **//// I enjoyed how this was another new and different story for me of the tale of the first man and woman. I think these stories are always interesting and being so different from ones I heard before makes this one special. I liked how it was each of the four gods working together to create the first humans. // //** b. **//// I thought it was a little confusing what the gods were doing and how exactly they came into the story. // //** c. **//// When all the setup was ready and the gods asked for the people to stand aside for the wind to blow and the event to happen. // //** d. **//// The use of wells, they are using them to wash themselves. Cornmeal, what they used to dry themselves after washing. // //** e. **//// The story shows that integrated within the people’s lives very deeply. Using vegetation for everyday use. //

//** 4. **//// The author explains the killing in a way of saying that he had taken the animals away from its habitat or home. He talks about it very casually and says it this way because it is part of his everyday life along with the people he lives with. Nothing is strange about it and he does not feel sorry, it is something he needs to live himself. The deaths he made all had reasons and were not killed alone for the murder. The turning point sentence saying this is ‘’ // When I died I must give life To what has nourished me.” So the death of one living thing is to help the life another, and his life will be for the use of another being when it ends.