Saskatchewan Indians Were Dancing Analysis

60s pulled us from starvation into government jobs

antiquated Indians in Saskatchewan danced for rain

Manitoba Indian doings were hidden for a jealous me

all I had was a 50s rock’n’roll step to copy from

not shy you danced for strangers from deep defiance

full regalia hid other dangerous rope dancing kicks

Crees got out of line on the scaffold teaching Cree

readiness to enter the earth at the exact spot left

following a song trail maybe even a we want a chant

chant after teasing hey boy you first boy first one

dancing in the air show them how to teach us lesson

a public display of rationed revenge serves nothing

show example to culture clashed passive politicians

Crees hit them notes higher boys cover up ear drums

let other drums beat out natural powwow exhibitions

boys in the pen idle for a time listen up flag song

Cree hit parade will release some traditional lives

dancing not allowed behind bars then songs bring us

back to good times Saskatchewan Indians danced free

- See more at: http://www.poetryinvoice.com/poems/saskatchewan-indians-were-dancing#sthash.tBoQbK30.dpuf
 
"Saskatchewan Indians Were Dancing," was written by Marie Annharte Baker, an aboriginal poet, originally from Manitoba.  This poem represents the beginning of the transition period for the first peoples in Saskatchewan, from the days where they were separate and isolated on their reserves to the 1960's, where the government of Saskatchewan decided that the aboriginals needed to be put to work, to make more money for themselves and the government  and the struggle to their traditional dancing identity in a modern world. Mrs. Baker uses lots of imagery in a poem where defiance and the traditional aboriginal life are recurring themes. 
 
The poem consists of one stanza, which is 19 lines long.  There is no rhyme scheme or traditional poetry style that it follows.  I believe that this decision shows the author's defiance to conformity, as she does not want to write in a way similar to other peoples.  Mrs. Baker wants to stand out in a crowd, as aboriginals do in Canada.  The author begins with the 1960's, where the aboriginal peoples in Saskatchewan were forced, in mass to take government jobs.  Keep in mind that this decade was right in the middle of one of the most challenging eras for the first peoples.  After thousands of years of freedom, it was revoked and not only were these peoples forced to conform, these peoples were forced to send their children to the dreaded Residential Schools.  If that wasn't bad enough, Saskatchewan had a large drought for much of the decade, causing crop failures, and therefore, many first nations had to depend on the government for food and water.  These peoples tremendously opposed this new way of life, so they held rain dances in hope of becoming independent once again.  I believe that this would have been an excruciatingly difficult transition for anyone, especially for these first peoples.  Imagine, being forced out of your home and away from your family as a child, just because of your race.  Racism is another theme that is highly evident in this poem, one which I, as a Canadian am not proud of.  
 
The author then talks about Manitoba, where there was no drought and the Indians, as Mrs. Baker describes them, were still free, for the most part.  There were still residential schools, but the author finds herself jealous of the better quality of life in Manitoba, the province she was raised in.  I believe that the author wanted to return to Manitoba, however, she stayed strong, displaying pride for her people while they devised a solution.  Defiance, these peoples decided, would be necessary to defeat the higher powers: the government and the white people.  Escape and refuge are common words used by the aboriginals to describe their traditional dances, with which Mrs. Baker agrees.  The author describes aboriginal dance, using an effective metaphor: "following a song trail maybe even a we want a chant."  A beautiful, deep metaphor describes aboriginal dance as an art that not many can come to understand. The author describes the first peoples as being entwined with the music, the beat of the song leading them to the next steps, the music  entrancing them. This traditional, soothing music allows these troubled aboriginals to enter a different state of mind, one much happier and more hopeful, allowing them to forget their problems, if for a second.
 
Another important value/theme communicated by the author through this poem (and aboriginal peoples in years past) is composure, with the best example deriving from the following: "a public display of rationed revenge serves nothing."  As an individual, or even as a people, one or even a small group could not have fought the government during the 1960's successfully.  Therefore, the Saskatchewan Indians began to craft a plan to start a period of change, one of reconstruction.  Perhaps, if crafted in the correct way, this plan could  help rebuild the relationship between the first peoples and the government to a level where aboriginals and non-aboriginals could be equal in societal life.  Also, if substantial time and effort were dedicated to this plan, the first peoples could manipulate the system to get more benefits for their band and perhaps surrounding ones.  For example, since the closing of the last residential school in 1996, thousands of first nations have been able to get compensation, some fair, most over-the-top, consisting of billions of dollars in land and money.  Horrific stories of rape and racism have driven this movement to become an enormous national issue, one that can make or break elections municipally, provincially, and federally. 
 
 
Lastly, Mrs. Baker helps us realize that the aboriginal population has been able to get back to its traditional roots with the powerful closing lines: "

Cree hit parade will release some traditional lives/dancing not allowed behind bars then songs bring us back to good times Saskatchewan Indians danced free." The author helps the reader realize that the first peoples were able to get their old lives back, while transitioning into modernity.  Obviously, this transition was far from painless, and took decades to accomplish. 
I think that Mrs. Baker has an interesting writing style, as some of the lines in this poem are not quite grammatically correct, however, she is still able to get across the main message and themes-a message of reconstruction, and themes including defiance, what constitutes a traditional aboriginal life, and racism.     I believe that some naysayer would consider this poem to be pro-aboriginal propaganda, and that it should not be available to be viewed publicly.  This may be a fair point, however, it is ijmportant that we, as Canadians realize that these peoples are a huge part of our history, with some nations having been in Canada for 10000 years.  We must not ignore past failures, which are but learning experiences on the road to reconstruction.

 

Sometimes I Find Myself Weeping at the Oddest Moment Analysis

sometimes I find myself
weeping
at the oddest moment

an unexpected voice
mon oncle André
calling Christmas Day
wishing me
a Merry Christmas

and I am
that little girl
walking across the lake
with her grandfather
to check on the snares
and traps he has set
in this frost
exploding moon
in surrounding islands

the frost is biting
and he motions I walk
in the shade
of his warm body

soon he claims
we will be
in the thick of brush
and we will make a fire
to warm our bodies
drink le thé muskeg
- See more at: http://www.poetryinvoice.com/poems/sometimes-i-find-myself-weeping-oddest-moment#sthash.zKx27Qhn.dpuf

Rita Bouvier is a Saskatchewan Metis poet, born and raised in the barren Northern end of the province.  In all of her poems, she combines English with traditional Metis French or Cree, to give the author a deeper reading experience.  This poem, "Sometimes I Find Myself Weeping at the Oddest Moment," is no different.  Mrs. Bouvier uses her writing style, combined with some personification and symbolism to give the average reader having to work hard to find a hidden meaning to the poem.

The first stanza is meant to be used as a hook, to draw the reader in.  Only the title is included.  I have found that many of the poems that I have recently analyzed do not talk about the title very much.  Instead of following a traditional poem skeleton, Mrs. Bouvier finds a way to make the reader think deeply about the poem's hidden meaning by making them as readers question themselves right away in the first stanza.  Notice how the title is separated into three lines.  I believe the author wanted to introduce the protagonist as an insecure, scared, and perhaps depressed individual.  The protagonist is, indeed, Mrs. Bouvier as a child, reliving one of her favourite memories, weeping when she believed nobody was around her.  Perhaps the author wanted to portray herself using realism, instead of pretending to be something she was (and perhaps still is) not.  This is very honourable and I have found recently that many poems can be superficial or funny.  There is nothing wrong with those types of poems.  However, "Sometimes I Find Myself Weeping at the Oddest Moment" is a real-life experience, retold after her memory held onto it for decades.  This tells me that the author has a great memory.

The next four (and final) stanzas talk about her uncle Andre coming across his niece, weeping.  As any good relative should, her Uncle Andre makes a substantial effort to cheer her up, starting with wishing his niece a Merry Christmas.  Obviously, something as small as this can have a huge impact on a person's mental state.  I see Andre as a giant man, threatening to people who oppose him, yet gentle to his loved ones.  The author is able to tie in the themes of care and togetherness into the poem.  Perhaps the author was lonely as a child.  Perhaps this saved her, mentally. Some uses of literary devices are found in the third and fourth stanzas, as Uncle Andre and his niece, Mrs. Bouvier walks across the frozen lake to check on the traps he set to catch food.  A particularly symbolic one is represented in the following: "exploding moon." Obviously, the moon has not and will not explode in the foreseeable future.  This not only personifies the moon but gives it symbolic power.  It helps us as humans to realize that we are very small compared to the vast universe and that we should learn to be more humble and caring.  This use of personification and symbolism is exceptional, making us realize a deeper meaning to life.  My summary of the meaning is condensed into one sentence, however, I could easily write a four-page paper on the topic, and how it relates to this poem. Another example of personification is found in the next stanza: "the frost is biting."  Perhaps the author was cold, but with her uncle Andre there alongside her, she had absolutely nothing to worry about.  I believe that Mrs. Bouvier wanted uncle Andre to be her hero, depicting him as heroic, using most of the final two stanzas to do so.  When Mrs. Bouvier got cold and was starting to worry, uncle Andre was there to reassure her, to stop her weeping, promising (and following through) on some muskeg tea to warm the both of them up.  This ending nicely ties back to the author's aboriginal roots, as the muskeg tea has been used by generations for the first peoples of Canada, giving another hidden meaning to this curious poem.

I believe that the author wanted to symbolize the first peoples of Canada.  She was able to do so effectively by including themes such as loneliness (how the first peoples are isolated in today's society), caring (how the government is helping to integrate these peoples back into society), and togetherness (why these peoples must stick together in today's world).  The author has created a poem that is highly, highly relevant in today's world for aboriginals and all other races.  Some may argue that the first peoples are not caring and do not deserve to be looked after by anyone, however, they are a pillar of our history that must not be forgotten.  The author deploys mature themes to create a reading experience deeper than many other poems.
 

The Cariboo Horses Analysis

At 100 Mile House the cowboys ride in rolling

stagey cigarettes with one hand reining

half-tame bronco rebels on a morning grey as stone

— so much like riding dangerous women

          with whiskey coloured eyes —

such women as once fell dead with their lovers

with fire in their heads and slippery froth on thighs

— Beaver or Carrier women maybe or

          Blackfoot squaws far past the edge of this valley

on the other side of those two toy mountain ranges

          from the sunfierce plains beyond

But only horses

                  waiting in stables

hitched at taverns

                  standing at dawn

pastured outside the town with

jeeps and fords and chevys and

busy muttering stake trucks rushing

importantly over roads of man’s devising

over the safe known roads of the ranchers

families and merchants of the town

                  On the high prairie

are only horse and rider

                  wind in dry grass

clopping in silence under the toy mountains

dropping sometimes and

                  lost in the dry grass

                  golden oranges of dung

Only horses

         no stopwatch memories or palace ancestors

not Kiangs hauling undressed stone in the Nile Valley

and having stubborn Egyptian tantrums or

Onagers racing thru Hither Asia and

the last Quagga screaming in African highlands

         lost relatives of these

         whose hooves were thunder

the ghosts of horses battering thru the wind

whose names were the wind’s common usage

whose life was the sun’s

         arriving here at chilly noon

         in the gasoline smell of the

         dust and waiting 15 minutes

         at the grocer’s

Not every poem wins the Governor General's award for poetry. "The Cariboo Horses," by Al Purdy, which won in 1962, provides a unique, old-fashioned view of the Cariboo.  The region, BC's slice of the old west, has moved past its cowboy era, but still holds on to something greater: its identity.  Many people in different places in our world have unique memories, deriving from the history of the town or city itself.   It is as if these memories are little pieces of nostalgia, that have been, and continue to be passed on for generations.  Perhaps one day, these memories will change the world.  Al Purdy is very successful in passing on these memories through the written word, using predominantly metaphors combined with imagery.  He does this to tell his story, his memories of the Cariboo.


The first three lines make or break most poems.  They must be engaging, but not overly mind-blowing to draw the reader in without overwhelming him/her.  In "The Cariboo Horses," Al Purdy does a great job with the first three lines, including a simile to give the reader a clear picture of what life was like in the Cariboo when the cowboys were still around: "At 100 Mile House the cowboys ride in rolling/stagey cigarettes with one hand reining/
half-tame bronco rebels on a morning grey as stone." This simile is not overpowering, however, it is engaging enough to make the reader want to continue reading the poem.  Mr. Purdy then shows that he is very clever, immediately using another simile: "— so much like riding dangerous women
/with whiskey coloured eyes —."  He uses this simile to connect his first three lines to the next line and, in fact, to connect the first four lines to the rest of his award-winning poem.  At the end of the first stanza, the author uses a metaphor and some very vivid imagery in the final three lines to give the reader a better idea of the surrounding area including the mountains and the plains: "Blackfoot squaws far past the edge of this valley/on the other side of those two toy mountain ranges/from the sunfierce plains beyond."  Mr. Purdy first compares the mountains to toys, perhaps they are small, or formed so perfectly, that one cannot tell the difference.  Then, Mr. Purdy describes the surrounding plains as sunfierce, or possibly in other words, on the receiving end of the sun's powerful rays.  Mr. Purdy uses the first stanza as an introduction to his poem, not immediately focusing on the horses mentioned in the title.  I believe that this shows a higher level of understanding of what makes a great poem, by Al Purdy, which, as an experienced poet, should have.

The second stanza begins with the author focusing on the diminishing importance of horses in the Cariboo.  The past, where horses were the principal mode of transportation is lone gone, emphasized by the following: "with/jeeps and fords and chevys and/busy muttering stake trucks rushing/importantly over roads of man’s devising."  Mr. Purdy believes that the reason that horses have become obsolete in the Cariboo is because of mankind.  I believe that he is correct, because as mankind has evolved, human innovation and invention have made many tools and animals useless to our species, as better versions of the previous objects are constantly being created.  

Next, Mr. Purdy explains to the reader how the horse and the rider share a bond that no inanimate object can provide.  The horse and the rider, can lose themselves in the Cariboo with a little bit of time.  The following phrase provides two metaphors and an onomatopoeia give the reader an idea of what this bond is made of: "only horse and rider/wind in dry grass/clopping in silence under the toy mountains/dropping sometimes and/ lost in the dry grass/golden oranges of dung."  The ability to lose oneself in the Cariboo is the evident theme in this section of the poem, as the author allows the reader to, perhaps, reminisce about his/her hometown/home region and to consider what memories could flow from there, through the written word or through stories passed down, generation to generation. 

Finally, in the third stanza, the author talks about how the horses have their own history in 100 mile house, and other areas around the world.  The author helps the reader realize that the horses are not aware of their species' past; a creature completely oblivious of how distinguished it is, among other animals. Mr. Purdy uses the following lines and a metaphor to create this theme: "Only horses/no stopwatch memories or palace ancestors."  The ending is tied back into the Cariboo, and gives the horses an opportunity to create a legacy in the Cariboo going forward.  Perhaps this time, freedom will be their goal, which will allow them to follow in the hoof prints (haha) of their ancestors.  

I believe that "The Cariboo Horses" epitomizes life in 100 mile house and the Cariboo.  The identity in this barren region of British Columbia is one of hard work, as the transition from the old west left the region with an outdated identity and economy, one that needed (and still needs) to move into the present, as forestry and especially ranching (its main industries) are beginning to become less useful in the modern world.  Although it could be argued that "The Cariboo Horses," which was written 54 years ago, is highly outdated and not relevant to the modern world, including too much nostalgia and failing to provide good insight about life in the Cariboo today.  However, I believe that the recurring themes in this poem are highly pertinent to life the modern world, whether you are living in the Cariboo or not.  The two most powerful themes include: hard work in any setting paves the way to success and mankind is destroying/neglecting animals and older inventions because of newer, (supposedly) better inventions.  The first theme stands out for me, because more than every in human history, it is important to, as an individual, be able to differentiate yourself from others with relatively similar skill sets.  There is no better way to do this than working harder than your competitor.  Plain and simple: "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work." The second one stands out for me because, as humans in today's world, we must give our children a bright future, and that starts with giving them a clean planet where they can strive to become the best they can be.  However, if we as humans continue to throw out all of our old products that still work (eg. appliances), our children will have a lessened opportunity to succeed in the real world, due to increasing pollution from an astronomical population.  All in all, I think that this poem is well written and highly pertinent to today and the future, despite the fact that it was written over half a century ago.  

  

Newfoundland Sealing Disaster Analysis

Sent to the ice after white coats,

rough outfit slung on coiled rope belts,

they stooped to the slaughter: gaffed pups,

slit them free of their spotless pelts.

 

The storm came on unexpected.

Stripped clean of bearings, the watch struck

for the waiting ship and missed it.

Hovelled in darkness two nights then,

 

bent blindly to the sleet’s raw work,

bodies muffled close for shelter,

stepping in circles like blinkered mules.

The wind jerking like a halter.

 

Minds turned by the cold, lured by small

comforts their stubborn hearts rehearsed,

men walked off ice floes to the arms

of phantom children, wives; of fires

 

laid in imaginary hearths.

Some surrendered movement and fell,

moulting warmth flensed from their faces

as the night and bitter wind doled out

 

their final, pitiful wages.

 

The above, "Newfoundland Sealing Disaster," was written in 1998 to commemorate one of, if not the worst sealing disaster in Newfoundland's history, in which 254 lives were claimed in two separate incidents.  However, the author, Michael Crummey, an east coast Canadian, decided to focus on the first of the horrific incidents; where 78 sealers became trapped on the ice in a massive winter storm, while trying to catch seals.  These sealers, who belonged to the SS Newfoundland, perished soon after. "Newfoundland Sealing Disaster" uses imagery and other literary devices, such as metaphors and similes, to successfully deploy powerful themes, including extreme pain and death. This poem is much darker than the previous posts, but I felt that it was necessary to include, as not all poems can be happy or funny. 

 

The first stanza lures the reader into believing that the sealers will have a normal, successful day catching seals on the ice off coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic Ocean.  This stanza also lends an inside perspective on the emotions, or lack thereof, of the sealers.  They must be emotionally strong to kill an animal, but on the flip side, these sealers must also be rid of emotions, they must be heartless to commit murders of multiple animals.  I believe that the author needs to show these diverse sides of the sealers to create a stronger, darker reading experience.

 

 

Then, out of nowhere, the storm hits and hits hard.  The sealers are trapped,  on the freezing ice in the North Atlantic.  In the last line of the second stanza and the first of the third stanza, the author uses powerful imagery, using the line, " Hovelled in darkness two nights then, /bent blindly to the sleet’s raw work."  This lines talks about the sealers being put at Ol' Mother Nature's mercy, enduring sleet, snow, and freezing darkness for two days.  Recurring themes such as pain and suffering are easily evident in these stanzas, especially in the above quote.

 

The final three stanzas use more imagery, and some metaphors and similes to enhance the themes and the overall reading experience.  An especially powerful simile is used in the third stanza, intended to make the reader wish that this disaster had never happened.  This simile is as follows: "stepping in circles like blinkered mules."  The sealers, who are going mentally insane from the extreme winter conditions, are starting to die, either from the cold or insanity as emphasized by the following metaphor: " men walked off ice floes to the arms/of phantom children, wives; of fires/laid in imaginary hearths." Finally, the ending uses another simile to emphasize the end, the death of many of the sealers: "as the night and bitter wind doled out/their final, pitiful wages." 

 

I believe that this poem is highly dark and talks mainly about a death so horrific, that many people today would find it disturbing, however, I also think that the author needed to write this poem, as a tribute to those before him; as a tribute to Newfoundland. 

 

It could be argued that this poem is not suitable for younger children, however, many children these days are "babied" by their parents, and my counterargument is that younger children need to be exposed to darker areas of life.  The purpose of this is to teach them that life is not all "sunshine and rose," and that life is difficult, death is inevitable, and others before these children have sacrificed lots, sometimes even themselves to give us the life we have today.