Praise the Rain- Poem Analysis

Powerpoint: Praise the Rain

Title of Poem: “Praise the Rain”

Type of Poem: Free Verse

Author: Joy Harjo

Literal Meaning:
The literal meaning of the poem is to praise the elements of the earth that we usually take for granted.

Imagery:

1]. IMAGE: Praise the rain, the seagull dive
The curl of plant, (1-2)

MEANING: This couplet begins the poem by providing the reader with imagery of a seagull diving, and a curly plant. This couplet sets the theme of nature and life of the poem.

2]. IMAGE: Praise the dark, the moon cradle
The sky fall, the bear sleep (5-6)

MEANING: As this poem continues on with it’s theme of praising nature, this couplet describes nature at night. It uses imagery to paint a picture of a bear sleeping below a dark sky and moon.

3]. IMAGE: Praise canoe, the fish rush (11)

MEANING: This line displays imagery by showing yet another element of nature. This describes a canoe and rush of fish. This could provide the reader with an image of a canoe floating in a river with fish rushing by.

Lyric Qualities:

1]. Lyric Device: Repetition– “Praise the rain; it brings more rain.
Praise the rain; it brings more rain” (21-22).
Meaning: The use of repetition is very prevalent in this poem. It is evident in the last two lines where the poet repeats the line, “Praise the rain; it brings more rain” (21). This repetition provides emphasis on the importance of “praising rain”, as the line says that praising rain, brings more rain.

2]. Lyric Device: Alliteration– “The earth eclipse, the fired leap—“ (8).
Meaning: Alliteration is present in this line with “e” sound at the beginning of “earth” and “eclipse”.

Figurative Meaning:

1]. Figurative Device: Personification– “The curl of plant, the raven talk­—“ (2).
Meaning: Personification is present in this line when the poet describes the “raven talk” (2). The ravens are described as having a talk, rather than cawing or croaking, therefore the ravens are being personified.

2]. Figurative Device: Metaphor– “The sky fall, the bear sleep­—“ (6)
Meaning: A metaphor is present in this line when the poet describes the sky as the “sky fall” (8). When looking at the previous line, “Praise the dark, the moon cradle” (7), I can assume that the “sky fall” (8), is a metaphor for it being night time; instead of the sky actually falling.

3. Figurative Device: Symbolism– “Praise the eater and the eaten.” (18).
Meaning: The use of Symbolism is present in this line when the poet says the “eater and the eaten”. I believe that the eater and the eaten represent a hunter and his prey, which could be humans and animals such as deer or bison. I believe that this line is telling the reader to “praise” and respect the process of the hunter and the hunted and it’s natural occurrence in nature.

Theme:
What do you think is the message of this poem?
I think the theme of this poem is to love life and respect nature. This is evident in lines such as “Praise beginnings; praise the end” (19). In this line, the poet is alluding to the circle of life, and the message she’s giving is to praise life, in the beginning (birth) and in the end (death). The poet, Joy Harjo, is part of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Native American Tribe. Respecting nature and the environment is a big part of Native American culture. Which is why I think the poet included such heavy themes of praising and respecting nature, as evident in lines such as “Praise the rain, the seagull dive
The curl of plant, the raven talk­—“ (1-2). Even the title of the poem “Praise the Rain” relates back to this theme. I think this is important, especially in today’s world, because of the many threats to our environment that have come as consequences of global industrialization and modernization.

How is hope evident in the poem “Praise Song for the Day”?

How is hope evident in the poem “Praise Song for the Day,”?

Hope is evident in this poem through the depiction of everyday life, mentions of the past and future, and themes of love.

When the poet describes that there is always “Someone… stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair” (7-9)1, this shows that wherever, or who ever you are, there will always be millions of people in the world that are just like you, living their life. This could convey a feeling of optimism and comfort to the reader, thus creating hope within the poem.

Another way hope is portrayed in this poem is by using references to the past and future. When the poet states “I know there’s something better down the road” (22)1, she is saying that the future will be better than the present, and that we always have something to look forward to. The poet also references the past when she states that “many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges” (25-27)1. Here she is stating that our ancestors worked hard and gave their life to make the future better for us, as should we for the generations to come. These references to the past and future create hope within the poem by showing that the future will be better and there will always be progress. 

Finally, the poet concludes the poem with a message about love, in which she states “What if the mightiest word is love?” (36)1. This creates hope in the poem by saying that with love we can make the world a better place.

Works Cited:

1 Praise Song for the Day (Graywolf Press, 2009)

Narrative Poem Dmitry

There once a boy, 

Who went out to the middle of the ocean,

With his father and grandfather,

In search of the moon.

 

The company of three waited for the moon to rise,

The father and grandfather passed the time by arguing,

And when the moon finally rose,

The father took out a long ladder,

And propped it up on the boat.

 

It was time for the boy to do his job,

He tied an anchor around himself,

And climbed all the way up the ladder until he reached the moon,

The boy fell onto the moon and set the anchor down.

 

The father and grandfather made their way up to the moon,

Which was covered in hundreds of little stars, 

They got out their brooms and started cleaning up the moon,

But they once again got distracted by another feud,

 

Suddenly, a massive shooting star broke up their feud,

It fell onto the moon and lodged itself in the ground,

The father and grandfather didn’t know what to do,

And once again, they started fighting.

 

But they failed to realized that while they were busy arguing,

The little boy had climbed up on the massive star,

He looked around for a good spot and with one big swing of a hammer,

He cracked the massive star into dozens of little stars!

 

The trio took up their brooms,

And swept the whole moon,

And when they got back down into their boat,

They looked at their masterpiece, a beautiful crescent moon.