LITR 4332: American Minority
Literature
Sample Student Poetry Presentation 2000
Reader: Billie Jean Johnston
Respondent: Mary Arnold
November 9, 2000
"Heritage"
by
Linda Hogan
Unsettling America, pp. 284-286
I. Biographical Information
Linda Hogan was born in Denver, Colorado in 1947. Her father is Chickasaw
and her mother is a non-native. As a child, because her father was in the
army, they transferred from post to post. She considers Oklahoma her
"true home," where her father’s family lives. Hogan is a poet,
novelist, essayist, playwright, and activist, and is considered to be "one
of the most influential and provocative Native American figures in the
contemporary American literary landscape." Her writing "centers
on the concept that all life is interconnected." Poetry collections,
novels, and awards are too numerous to list. http://voices.cla.umn.edu/authors/LindaHogan.html
II Course Objectives
1. Objective 3b - "Loss and Survival" (Ex. "smells
like all our old houses that are no longer there," "From my family I
have learned the secrets of never having a home.")
2. Objective 6 - To observe images of the individual,
the family, and alternative families explored in the writings and experience of
minority groups. Images of: a nourishing mother, an uncle who
"sang old chants," a quiet grandfather, and a strong "mixed"
Grandmother who tells her of the old ways.
III Angles of Interpretation
1. The poet is of mixed heritage and searches for connection (within) and
acceptance to each part of her "heritage." She does this by
naming her family and naming what she learns from each of them.
2. She learns about her heritage and her connection to her family through
her senses. Each sense is addressed: mother-smell/nourishing;
father-sight/survival, uncle-sound/traditions (chants), smell; grandfather-emotion
(fear of silence, lack of sound, yet gave her tradition); Grandmother-taste
("sweet black liquid"),
3. Shows connection to nature: when you eat deer-you become like the
deer. You are born into your family and have qualities from each side.
She learns the tradition of using tobacco for medicinal purposes, and the
ideas of connection to animals. She mentions locusts, buzzards, snakes,
grasshoppers, and deer.
IV The "Style" Question
1. Uses repetition when beginning stanzas. "From my mother,
From my father, From my uncle, From my grandfather, and From Grandmother"
(capitalizes Grandmother)
2. Uses imagery. Ex. Senses, colors: brown (connection
to earth), "whiteness a shame," animals (buzzards, snakes, deer,)
V Discussion Question
1. The poem "Heritage" is listed in the Negotiating section of Unsettling
America. Why do you think it is placed there?
2. Regarding the imagery of the "plague of locusts" and
"brown cloud of grasshoppers" that leveled their fields-what might
they represent?
3. Do you think the speaker successfully combines/accepts her mixed
heritage?
VI Additional Sources:
http://www.galenet.com/servlet/GLD/hits?c=1&secondary=false&origSearch=true&CA
http://www.udayton.edu/~health/syllabi/tobacco/native04.htm
http://www.rahunzi.com/costano/tobacco1.html
Discussion Summary:
This poem reminds Dr. White of
the poem "Lakota Sister / Cherokee Mother"
because of the issue of "mixed" heritage. The loneliness that
was present in that poem does not arise in "Heritgage." The
family is more supportive in "Heritage" and there seems to be less
conflict. The poet, Linda Hogan, does struggle with choices and is ashamed
of her "whiteness." but is more positive about her mixed heritage and
embraces and accepts both parts. The presenter, (BJ), identifies with the
poet because she is of mixed heritage. Some classmates believe one must
chose one heritage over the other. Some believe it was acceptable to claim
both and say, "why does she have to choose"? The poem is placed
in the "Negotiating" section of the book because the poet is trying to
find her place. A part of the class believes she does find peace about her
mixed heritage and part of the class believes she does not--which is a good sign
of healthy perspectives and interpretations.
Loss and survival are part of the discussion. The topic of locusts / grasshoppers is discussed in terms of destruction. They could represent the white settlers destroying the home of the Indian, which brings up the issue of loss. The father also shows loss. He is not allowed to remember the chants and loses part of tradition. The poet learns survival because she says she learns the secrets from her family of "never having a home." She and her family survive in spite of everything taken from them (loss).