UNIT 1: LOVE AND REMINISCENCE
Grandmother
Ray Young Bear
1 Write a summary of the poem.
The American-Indian poet presents reminiscences of his grandmother. He draws her picture as a loving and inspiring person with the help of images. The memory of his grandmother takes him back to his childhood. He remembers her wearing a purple scarf and coming back from the market with a plastic shopping bag in her hand. Because of this typical appearance, he could recognize her even from a distance. When she came home after working in the fields, she would put her hands on his head. He would feel the warmth of love and the familiar smell of roots. Even before looking at the face, he would be sure it was his grandmother. Sometimes the poet goes to her grave. Seeing her name on the tombstone, he imagines hearing her voice. He feels her words flowing inside him. Her words are like light in the dark, light that comes from a sleeping fire at night when someone stirs the ashes.
2 Interpret the poem Grandmother in any way you like.
The poem can be interpreted in two ways. First, it expresses the poet’s love and respect for his grandmother. Second, she represents the American Indian tribe, to which the poet belongs.
The poem suggests the poet’s intimate relation with his grandmother. He draws a realistic picture of his loving and inspiring grandmother. He remembers her shape, dress, movement, voice and activities. He knew her so well that he could recognize her even from miles away. He could even recognize her with close eyes. He could instantly know that it would be her if he heard her voice or felt her hands. Remembering her words, he feels inspired and finds some hope in his sad life.
The poem also explores an American Indian’s search for identity. The grandmother becomes a figure representing the difficulties of her tribe. They face great challenges to sustain their lives. They are marginalized, dominated and discriminated by the majority of white Americans. In spite of this, the tribe is struggling for its existence in its native land, trying to sustain its cultural values. The phrase “a voice coming from a rock” suggests the oldest times when there were only native tribes in America. The dead grandmother is a symbol of the loss of native cultural identity.
3 What are the four things the poet remembers about his grandmother?
The four things the poet remembers about his grandmother are her “plastic shopping bag”, “purple scarf”, “warm and damp hands” and “voice coming from the rock”. Though his grandmother is no more with him, her image with the purple scarf and the plastic shopping bag is clear in his memory. He can still feel her touch on his head with her warm and damp hands full of the smell of roots. Not only this, he also remembers her sweet and loving voice when he visits her grave.
4 How does the speaker feel towards his grandmother? How does he make his feeling clear?
OR, Describe the feeling of Ray Young Bear towards his grandmother in the poem.
Ray Young Bear shows affectionate and respectful feelings towards his grandmother. She was the source of love and inspiration to him. He expresses his attachment and intimacy with her by using images. He could easily recognize her from a mile away from her shape, scarf and shopping bag. She would put her warm and root-smelling hands on his head. As he remembers her voice, her words flow inside him and guide him like the light of fire does at night. He misses her a lot.
5 What are images used by the poet that appeal our different senses?
The poet draws a picture of his grandmother by using images appealing to almost all the senses. The poet says he would identify his grandmother by her Purple scarf and plastic shopping bag. These appeal to our sense of sight. He also appeals to the sense of touch and smell as he describes her warm and damp hands with the smell of roots. Roots also indirectly appeal to the sense of taste. He remembers hearing her voice and words. Her voice and words appeal to the sense of sound. About Love
82 Comments
Wow, superb weblog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make running a blog look easy. The overall glance of your site is magnificent, as
neatly as the content! You can see similar here najlepszy sklep
world pharmacy india http://indiaph24.store/# Online medicine home delivery
buy medicines online in india
mexican drugstore online: п»їbest mexican online pharmacies – purple pharmacy mexico price list
https://indiaph24.store/# cheapest online pharmacy india
buy cipro online without prescription: ciprofloxacin generic price – buy ciprofloxacin over the counter
http://finasteride.store/# buying generic propecia no prescription
https://finasteride.store/# propecia for sale
prinivil 10 mg tab: lisinopril 20mg 37.5mg – lisinopril medication otc
https://nolvadex.life/# tamoxifen for men
tamoxifen endometriosis: tamoxifen rash – tamoxifen hot flashes
https://lisinopril.network/# lisinopril 2.5 mg
http://cytotec.club/# cytotec pills buy online
buy cytotec pills: order cytotec online – Misoprostol 200 mg buy online
https://lisinopril.network/# lisinopril 2 mg
http://finasteride.store/# cost of propecia pills
tamoxifen breast cancer prevention: tamoxifen depression – nolvadex only pct
http://lisinopril.network/# prinzide zestoretic
https://finasteride.store/# propecia for sale
lisinopril 100 mg: drug lisinopril 5 mg – compare zestril prices
https://nolvadex.life/# does tamoxifen cause bone loss
get cheap propecia tablets: cost generic propecia prices – cost generic propecia without insurance
https://finasteride.store/# cost propecia no prescription
lisinopril 15 mg: lisinopril 2.5 mg buy online – how to order lisinopril online
https://cytotec.club/# cytotec online
http://ciprofloxacin.tech/# buy ciprofloxacin
tamoxifen buy: tamoxifen therapy – nolvadex half life
https://nolvadex.life/# tamoxifen and weight loss
ciprofloxacin: buy ciprofloxacin over the counter – buy ciprofloxacin
http://nolvadex.life/# tamoxifen and bone density
https://cytotec.club/# Cytotec 200mcg price
Levitra 20 mg for sale: Levitra generic price – Levitra 20 mg for sale
http://levitrav.store/# Levitra generic best price
Cheap generic Viagra: Buy generic 100mg Viagra online – Cheap Viagra 100mg
https://cenforce.pro/# Cenforce 150 mg online
Cenforce 100mg tablets for sale: cenforce for sale – buy cenforce
http://viagras.online/# Viagra online price
Generic Tadalafil 20mg price: buy cialis overseas – Tadalafil price
http://kamagra.win/# п»їkamagra
cenforce.pro: cenforce.pro – buy cenforce
Vardenafil online prescription: Buy generic Levitra online – buy Levitra over the counter
http://cenforce.pro/# order cenforce
https://cialist.pro/# Buy Cialis online
Cialis 20mg price in USA: Generic Cialis without a doctor prescription – Generic Tadalafil 20mg price
http://levitrav.store/# Vardenafil buy online
canadian online pharmacy no prescription: pharm world – prescription drugs online
https://pharmnoprescription.icu/# canadian prescription prices
http://pharmcanada.shop/# ordering drugs from canada
prescription drugs from canada: pharm world – online pharmacy discount code
canadian pharmacy coupon: online canadian pharmacy coupon – best no prescription pharmacy
http://pharmmexico.online/# п»їbest mexican online pharmacies
uk pharmacy no prescription: pharm world store – prescription drugs from canada
http://pharmindia.online/# reputable indian online pharmacy
indian pharmacy online: india online pharmacy – indian pharmacy paypal
overseas online pharmacy-no prescription: online medication without prescription – buy medication online no prescription
https://pharmworld.store/# online pharmacy discount code
foreign pharmacy no prescription: pharm world store – overseas pharmacy no prescription
http://pharmcanada.shop/# safe canadian pharmacy
canadian pharmacy meds review: escrow pharmacy canada – safe canadian pharmacy
http://amoxila.pro/# amoxicillin 250 mg price in india
prednisone daily use: buying prednisone mexico – prednisone pharmacy prices
zithromax 500mg price: zithromax 500 mg lowest price drugstore online – buy zithromax canada
http://zithromaxa.store/# cost of generic zithromax
neurontin 100mg discount: neurontin 400 – neurontin 100mg tab
prescription prednisone cost: prednisone 10 mg daily – 6 prednisone
zithromax 500 mg lowest price online: cost of generic zithromax – can i buy zithromax over the counter in canada
buying neurontin without a prescription: neurontin 50mg cost – how to get neurontin
zithromax generic cost: zithromax tablets – can you buy zithromax over the counter in canada
https://doxycyclinea.online/# doxycycline hyclate
zithromax generic price: zithromax 500mg over the counter – buy zithromax 1000 mg online
https://zithromaxa.store/# can i buy zithromax online
can you buy amoxicillin uk: amoxicillin online pharmacy – amoxicillin 250 mg
doxycycline generic: buy doxycycline 100mg – doxycycline prices
https://doxycyclinea.online/# doxycycline 150 mg
amoxicillin 500mg over the counter: price of amoxicillin without insurance – medicine amoxicillin 500
neurontin 100mg caps: canada where to buy neurontin – neurontin 800 mg pill
http://gabapentinneurontin.pro/# neurontin 300 mg tablet
prednisone ordering online: prednisone 5443 – prednisone 20 mg tablet
http://zithromaxa.store/# zithromax azithromycin
brand name neurontin price: neurontin 300 – neurontin 300 mg
how much is neurontin pills: neurontin 200 – cost of neurontin 600 mg
can you buy zithromax over the counter in australia: zithromax for sale online – generic zithromax 500mg india
https://gabapentinneurontin.pro/# neurontin 300mg caps