Remember
Joy Harjo
5 10 15 20 25 |
Remember the sky that you were born under, know each of the stars’ stories. Remember the moon, know who she is. Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the strongest point of time. Remember sundown and the giving away to night. Remember your birth, how your mother struggled to give you form and breath. You are evidence of her life, and her mother’s, and hers. Remember your father. He is your life, also. Remember the earth whose skin you are: red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth brown earth, we are earth. Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems. Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the origin of this universe. Remember that you are all people and that all people are you. Remember that you are this universe and that this universe is you. Remember that all is in motion, is growing, is you. Remember that language comes from this. Remember the dance that language is, that life is. Remember. |
Making Meanings
Remember
1. Which passage in the poem had the strongest effect on you? Why?
2. Who do you think is the speaker of “Remember”? Whom is the speaker addressing?
3. How would you state the main theme of the poem in your own words?
4. “Remember” includes several instances of personification (a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human attributes). Identify two such instances, and explain what they add to the poem.
5. Identify the refrain of the poem. What does it contribute to the poem’s message?
6. The speaker asks the reader to talk to and listen to plants, trees, and animal life. Does this request make sense to you? Explain, referring to your Quickwrite notes.