Linn M. Bayne
From the poetry of Alonzo Lopez, I have selected four poems that address our questions concerning the voice of exile. Born in Pima County, Arizona, Lopez is a Papago. He studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico and spent an interim year at Yale. He then transferred to Wesleyan College expressly for the curriculum in American Indian studies and to study the Navajo language.(Allen 1)
OBJECTIVES
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1. To learn how the American Indian establishes personal identity.
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2. To learn how the American Indian establishes collective identity.
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3. To learn how the contemporary voice expresses those identities.
READINGS—Four Poems by Alonzo Lopez (From
The Whispering Wind
edited by Terry Allen.)
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1. “Endless Search”
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2. “Untitled”
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3. “Separation”
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4. “I See a Star”
MATERIALS
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1. overhead projector
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2. transparency of large-type print-out of each poem
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3. xerox copies of poems
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4. map of United States
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5. pictures of Navajo baskets
STRATEGIES
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1. shared inquiry as described above
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2. listening rule: a speaker must not be interrupted
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3. cooperative learning: after introduction of each poem, students will pair in partnership for two minutes’ discussion of poem.
PREPARATION
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1. brief introduction of author
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2. questions re Navajo, Papago, Arizona
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3. define lesson goals (see objectives above)
DISCUSSION TOPICS
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1. “Endless Search”—This is a quest poem, describing in nine brief lines a restless and relentless search for self. The poet does not know how to end
the search in which, day and night, he surveys the world to no avail. “Forever searching. . . (but). . . never finding”, he cannot find himself. Discuss
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a. why “never finding”?
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b. why does the search never end?
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c. does the poet explain?
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d. where does the poet seek and why?
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2. “Untitled”—In this poem, Lopez addresses a child with the advice to awaken and go the lands of his people, to “lead them in traditional song . . . (and) . . . ceremonial dance.” The poem expresses the tribal voice with the advice to go to the Ancient Ones who will recover “all that has been lost.” They must awaken the old ones so that the traditions and legends may be recovered. The child is to let others know that the young were only sleeping, but now they, too, have awakened and will fulfill their obligations to the people. The poem raises these questions:
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a. who is the child?
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b. what has happened?
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c. is tradition important and why?
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d. is this poem personal, collective or both and why?
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3. “Separation”—This poem describes exile, but whether it is personal or collective is not entirely clear. It seems that a disagreement has separated two people who were once happy together, but even the seasons and the earth itself pass him by. Why is he alone? The poem raises many questions as to the cause of separation:
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a. whom does the poet address?
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b. how do we know?
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c. what is a “thing untrue”?
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d. why “Separation”—exile?
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4. “I See a Star”—Lopez relates to his mother in this poem about a star and a basket. As his mother weaves a black star in the “white sky”, the poet watches her hands “make it grow.” How does the poet find his identity
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a. in relation to his mother?
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b. what does the basket represent?
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c. how can a star be gentle and why?
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d. what are devils’ claws?
CLOSING
The shared inquiry closes with a review of the objectives framed as questions:
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a. which poem illustrated personal identity and how?
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b. which poem illustrates collective identity?
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c. which is the most universal poem, the most Indian?
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d. write a short letter to me describing Alonzo Lopez.