LITR 5535: American Romanticism
Student Student Poetry Presentation, fall 2003

Emily Islam - Poetry Presentation
Tuesday, September 23, 2003

 Joy Harjo, “Call It Fear”
Norton Anthology pgs. 2834-5

- Joy Harjo is a Native American writer who was born in 1951.  She is an accomplished jazz musician, and her poems often take on musical qualities.

Many elements of American Romanticism can be seen in Joy Harjo’s poem, “Call It Fear”.  At the beginning of the poem, some gothic elements can be seen.  Course Objective 1a states that the gothic style is represented by haunted physical and mental spaces, the shadow of death, and dark and light in physical and moral terms.  Some examples of gothic imagery in this poem are: Lines 1 and 2 - “There is this edge where shadows and bones of some of us walk”, Line 5 - “an ocean of fear”, Line 7 - “our hearts are bloody stars”, Line 24 - “bones of volcanic earth”, and Lines 27 and 28 “a string of shadow horses kicking and pulling me out of my belly”.

            Another element visible in Harjo’s poem is the crossing of physical and possibly psychological boundaries, mentioned in objective 1b.  She creates a sense of isolation (possibly because it is more conducive to crossing spiritual or mental borders) in lines 20 and 21 – “We had only wanted to talk, to hear any other voice to stay alive with”.  She then mentions a physical boundary beginning in line 23, “not the drop of sandy rock cliff/bones of volcanic earth into Albuquerque”, and then contrasts that with a mental or psychological experience beginning in line 26, “Not that, but a string of shadow horses kicking and pulling me out of my belly”.  Again she contrasts a physical boundary with a mental or spiritual one beginning in line 29, “…not into the Rio Grande but into the music barely coming through/Sunday church singing/from the radio”.

            With the crossing of these mental and/or spiritual boundaries, the author alludes to a moment or impression of complete cognition and feeling, which is a characteristic of the lyric poem as mentioned in course objective 1a.  Although Harjo’s style of writing is termed “different” in the Norton anthology, this poem shares some elements of a lyric poem.  On page 240 of the Bedford glossary, a lyric poem is defined as “a brief melodic and imaginative poem characterized by the fervent but structured expression of private thoughts and emotions by a single speaker who speaks in the first person”.  Although Harjo’s structure is unique, this poem is certainly brief, melodic, and imaginative, as well as an expression of private thoughts and emotions by a single speaker who speaks in first person.   

Discussion question:

1.                  Harjo mentions horses twice in this poem, and gives them Gothic characteristics.  In the first circumstance, in line 8, “… and horses in their galloping flight strike the curve of ribs”.  The second reference to horses occurs in line 27, “… a string of shadow horses kicking and pulling me out of my belly”.  What do the horses symbolize, and what is the significance of giving them Gothic characteristics?

q     The horse may represent her voice.

q     It was indicated that the poem was set in the Southwest.

q     The horses represent her roots – regressing and connecting to her past.

q     The horses disrupt her retreat, moving her forward.                                               (White)

q     Horses represent natural freedom.

q     The horses represent an unknown future.

q     They represent a melding of her past with the present, as a process of coming to terms with her present.

q     Horses are not native to the U.S.; however, they are accepted into Native American culture.                                                                                                  (White)

q     They are romantic because they come from nowhere and run through changing everything.

q     The contrast of walking on the edge that is made to resemble Hell, with hearing Sunday church music was pointed out.

q     The “edge” is presented in such a way to make the reader picture Hell

q     Question: If the horses are her voice, why are they given Gothic characteristics? (Emily)

q     The horses may be an allusion to childbirth, so the poem may be a creation story.

q     She may be writing about the possibility of her own birth.

q     Three different edges are presented in the poem.  These may be representative of her struggle to resolve the issues of her heritage.

q     The poem may be named “Call It Fear” because she feels that if she goes too far in one direction, she may lose the other.