LITR 4332 American Minority Literature UHCL 2007 student poetry presentation

Simon J. Ortiz

Biography

Simon J. Ortiz was born in 1941 in the Acoma Pueblo Community of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was raised within that reservation and received his early education from the Bureau of Indian Affairs school there, later attending the University of New Mexico and completing his M.F.A. at the University of Iowa, where he was a part of the International Writing Program. Unlike most Native American contemporary writers, Ortiz is full-blooded Native American, and his first language was Keresan. By learning English, he found a way to communicate with those outside his immediate culture. His poetry explores the significance of individual origins and journeys, which he sees as forming a vital link in the continuity of life. His many writing accomplishments include poems, short stories, essays, and children’s books. Ortiz has taught Native American literature and creative writing at San Diego State University, Navajo Community College, Marin College, the Institute for the Arts of the American Indian, and the University of New Mexico. He is a faculty member at the University of Toronto.

OBJECTIVES THAT APPLY TO THE POEM

1C. Observing alternative identities and literary strategies developed by minority

cultures and writers to gain voice and choice &conscience to dominant culture

which otherwise forgets the past.

3B. Native American alternative narrative: “Loss and Survival”: Native Americans

defy the myth of “the vanishing Indian” choosing to “survive,” sometimes in

faith that the dominant culture will eventually destroy itself.

READING AND INTERPRETATION OF POEM

QUESTIONS

1. How would you characterize the poet’s voice as it relates to spirituality or religious orientation? Identify other areas that the poet’s voice might differ differ from the voice of the dominant culture.

2. What literary techniques are used to apply a deeper meaning to this

poem and support your answer with references from the text?

3. What national and international event is occurring which might suggest to

the poet that the dominant culture might destroy itself?

Bibliography

“Unsettling America”: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry. Ed. Maria Mazziotti Gillman and Jennifer Gillman, Penquin Books, USA, 1994. Introduction & Negotiating page 214

http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/poetry/ortiz.htm

Poetry presentation by Gregory F. Banks