LITR 5731: Seminar in American Multicultural Literature

Poetry Presentation, fall 2007

Thursday, 27 September:  

Poetry: Linda Hogan, "November"

Poetry reader / discussion leader: Rosa Ortiz

Rosa Ortiz J 

   Poetry Presentation: September 27, 2007

Linda Hogan’s November            

Biography: 

-A Chickasaw, born in 1947, in Denver, Colorado and grew up in Oklahoma.

-M.A. degree from University of Colorado at Boulder in 1978

-Poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and essayist.

-Played a prominent role in the development of contemporary Native American poetry

My interpretation: 

I had an image of the Trail of Tears and I somehow also saw the Maya Angelou poem because through it all the speaker is talking in the present tense. It is this whole idea that she won't let what has happened to her people make her stop living the life she deserves. The objective that best suits this poem is:

3b. Native American Indian alternative narrative: "Loss and Survival"

(Whereas immigrants define themselves by leaving the past behind in order to become American, the Indians were once “the Americans” but lost most of their land along with many of their people. Yet Native Americans defy the myth of "the vanishing Indian," choosing to "survive," sometimes in faith that the dominant culture will eventually destroy itself, and the forests and buffalo will return>)

Questions on the Poem:

1) There is many references to color in this poem, "red" "orange" "burgundy" "the color of wine," what do you think Hogan was trying to imply with these colors?

2) Why do you think the corn says "shh," is it just the noise that corn makes when you by it? Or was the corn trying to say more?