Morning Talk
BY ROBERTA HILL—for Melissa L. Whiteman “Hi, guy,” said I to a robin perched on a pole in the middle of the garden. Pink and yellow firecracker zinnias, rough green leaves of broccoli, and deep red tomatoes on dying stems frame his still presence. “I’ve heard you’re not THE REAL ROBIN. Bird watchers have agreed,” I said.”THE REAL ROBIN lives in England. They claim your are misnamed and that we ought to call you ‘a red-breasted thrush’ because you are indigenous.” He fluffed up. “Am I not Jis ko ko?” he cried, “that persistent warrior who carries warmth northward every spring?” He seemed so young, his red belly a bit light and his wings, still faded brown. He watched me untangling the hose to water squash. “Look who’s talking!” he chirruped. “Your people didn’t come from Europe or even India. The turtles say you’re a relative to red clay on this great island.” Drops of crystal water sparkled on the squash. “Indigenous!” he teased as he flew by. |
Analysis
By: Luke Loehr Dr. Roberta Hill Whiteman beautifully crafts her poem, “Morning Talk,” through her voice, language, structure and form, and her tone, displaying the theme of being indigenous and the pride that comes with it. First of all, the main speaker of the poem is Dr. Hill Whiteman herself. She narrates the poem and describes an encounter she had with a robin, while she was out in her garden. However, we also hear the voice of the robin talking back to Hill Whiteman. The fact that the robin can talk to her helps enhance the meaning of the poem, because it helps emphasize the strong cultural influence animals have on the Native American people. The choice of language Hill Whiteman uses is what really makes this poem stand out. She uses a combination of informal and formal words throughout her poem. For example, she uses informal words and phrases such as “‘Hi, guy’” and “‘you’re,’” and then goes on to contrast those later with formal words and phrases such as “‘you are’” and ‘“ought to’”. Dr. Hill Whiteman adds more contrast to her poem with a mixture of concrete words such as “perched,” ‘“England,’” and ‘“brown,’” and abstract words such as “presence” and “deep”. Her words also demonstrate her knowledge and love of nature, especially in her description of the robin: “Pink and yellow firecracker zinnias, rough green leaves of broccoli, and deep red tomatoes on dying stems frame his still presence”. Furthermore, Hill Whiteman uses Native American phrases and references towards the end of the poem that really display her ties to the Native American culture. For instance when the robin says, “‘Am I not Jis ko ko…that persistent warrior who carries warmth northward every spring,’” Hill Whiteman is making a reference to a Native American folktale. According to the Silver Birch Press, “‘Jis ko ko’” means “robin” and comes from an Iroquoian story where a robin meets the old man of winter and brings back warmth to the earth. Dr. Hill Whiteman makes another Native American reference when the robin proclaims, “‘The turtles say you’re a relative to red clay on this great island’”. According to the Native Languages of the Americas’ website, in Native cultures, turtles are a symbol of the earth as well as a symbol of wisdom and spirituality, and some Native Tribes even call North America, “Turtle Island”. I think the theme of the poem is ever present in these lines as the robin is very defensive and proud of the fact that he is indigenous. Hill Whiteman structures her poem in a way to give it flare and to enhance the meaning of the poem to the reader. First of all, she has her poem structured into five stanzas. The first stanza is two sentences, then the next three are each four sentences, and the final stanza is one sentence. Ending the poem with the one-sentence stanza: “‘Indigenous!” he teased as he flew by,’” gives the those words a lasting effect in the reader’s mind, helping to better get across the theme of indigenous pride. Also, the poem is correctly punctuated which makes it much easier for the reader to focus on the deeper meaning of the poem versus what the author is actually saying. Dr. Hill Whiteman makes certain changes to words that makes them come off of the page more. For example, she capitalizes every letter in the phrase, “THE REAL ROBIN,” emphasizing the fact that she believes the robin she’s talking to is not the real one. Hill Whiteman repeats this phrase twice in the same stanza- “‘I’ve heard you’re not THE REAL ROBIN. Bird watchers have agreed,” I said.”THE REAL ROBIN lives in England’”-backing up her point even more. Another word that is repeated throughout the poem is the word “indigenous”. Hill Whiteman uses it in the second stanza when she remarks, “‘They claim your are misnamed and that we ought to call you ‘a red-breasted thrush’ because you are indigenous’”. Then the robin goes on to call Hill Whiteman “indigenous” in the last stanza as previously mentioned. I believe Dr. Hill Whiteman included this repetition in the poem because it helps show how she was being hypocritical when calling the robin “indigenous”. I think it also shows how being indigenous is not something to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of. Finally, Dr. Hill Whiteman’s tone throughout the novel helps to support the theme of being prideful of Native heritage. When Hill Whiteman is speaking or narrating in the poem, her tone seems factual and accusatory, such as when she states, “‘I’ve heard you’re not THE REAL ROBIN. Bird watchers have agreed,” I said.”THE REAL ROBIN lives in England. They claim your are misnamed and that we ought to call you ‘a red-breasted thrush’”. However, when the Robin is speaking, he is prideful and passionate, proclaiming, “‘Am I not Jis ko ko…that persistent warrior who carries warmth northward every spring’”. These contrasting tones help make the theme of being prideful of one’s indigenous heritage clear and understandable. Bibliography "Morning Talk, Poem by Roberta Hill Whiteman." Silver Birch Press. N.p., 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2015. "Native American Turtle Mythology." Native American Indian Turtle Legends, Meaning and Symbolism from the Myths of Many Tribes. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015. |