Friday, May 21, 2010
She had some Horses by Joy Harjo
This poem was very well put. I think that the horse in this poem represents something spiritual, maybe a spiritual connection to something, and it could be a symbol for survival. The different horses Harjo describes in this poem is the representation of people, but then as I reached the end of the poem where she said "They were the same horses" I realized that these horses could be all in her, it could be herself in different situations as a way for survival in the world or the society she lives in. I feel like the main point of this poem is self discovery and the integration of it all into one, and being her own savior as her whole self in the world she is trapped in I guess. The elements of nature in the beginning of the poem got me off track a bit because I am not sure what Harjo is trying to say by that, but maybe it could be her physical state and not her psychological or mental one, but still not sure. Great poem overall.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Certainly, the horses can be seen to represent her personal life, but also the cultural history of a people (Native American), and human nature generally, so you 'd want to notice how the horses symbolize human desire, fear, spiritual need--the good, the bad, the ugly, and even the humorous--the full reange of human experience--but also a particular (native American) world view rooted in involvement with the (natural) other--ie., a self that can incorporate the personal, transpersonal, and the nonhuman as well as the human; the prehistorical, myth and dream, as well as the earth in its deep (geologic) time. The poem is trans-hitorical, trans-temporal, in this way, and brings to mind both Waldman and Snyder.
ReplyDelete