Commentary on the Lost Heritage by Heather Buck
The Lost Heritage by Heather Buck expresses the message that in
today's lifestyle, we have lost our touch with our past. The main
theme of the poem is the fact that the present's children are not
informed about their detailed past. We are blind to the importance and
significance of our heritage.
The opening phrase "Coreopsis, saffron, madder, daily we tread
kaleidoscopes of [color], on Persian rugs we set our feet" indicates
that we have a colorful and bright heritage but that daily we ignore
it and shun ourselves out from that. We "tread" on it as if it meant
nothing to us. It is clear that Heather Buck views our heritage as a
wondrous object as she describes it as a Persian carpet full of many
different bright and colorful aspects. Heather Buck then moves on to
say that we are "blind to the woven threads and dyes, the intricate
patterns that shape our lives". Through this phrase, Heather Buck
expresses that we in the present do not realize the complex nature of
our heritage, but despite our ignorance at our heritage, it still
continues to affect our lives. The finishing line "while our minds are
indelibly printed by one another" indicates that our ideas and values
are taken forth from the actions of the people around us and this
makes up for our lost heritage in our minds. We gather up new values
and ideals from the things that we see and we continue to sever our
connections to the past in that way. The word usage of "indelibly"
indicates that it is almost impossible to erase that mark which is
made by another person. This severely contrasts to the previous
thought that we have a...
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... that the little child was facing due to the fact that she had not been
taught her heritage.
The main point that Heather Buck is bringing forth by her poem The
Lost Heritage is the fact that without knowing their heritage,
children of today are confused and frightened. She conveys the fact
that we have severed our connection to our past and now are unable to
link it back. The poem is structured in the same way an essay is with
the author presenting her argument in the first stanza about the fact
that we are today blind to the intricacies of our heritage, then
supports her argument with the following three stanzas finishing off
with a concluding stanza. This format clearly indicates, as any essay
would, the situation, which is the fact that we have indeed lost all
touch with our past and this has led to dire results.
Heritage is one of the most important factors that represents where a person came from. In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, this short story characterizes not only the symbolism of heritage, but also separates the difference between what heritage really means and what it may be portrayed as. Throughout the story, it reveals an African-American family living in small home and struggling financially. Dee is a well-educated woman who struggles to understand her family's heritage because she is embarrassed of her mother and sister, Mama and Maggie. Unlike Dee, Mama and Maggie do not have an education, but they understand and appreciate their family's background. In “Everyday Use,” the quilts, handicrafts, and Dee’s transformation helps the reader interpret that Walker exposed symbolism of heritage in two distinctive point of views.
Lastly, Alexie sets forth a particular structure and form in this poem. The stanzas are
not link a chain of events, but instead is used so that the poet can
Lastly all three of the poems are reasonably long and go into a lot of
Put quote about 'do we not all live under same sky, etc.' imposed over a picture of polk county
"Having come so close to the edge, we must make it our business not to
In his essay, “The Indians’ Old World,” Neal Salisbury examined a recent shift in the telling of Native American history in North America. Until recently, much of American history, as it pertains to Native Americans; either focused on the decimation of their societies or excluded them completely from the discussion (Salisbury 25). Salisbury also contends that American history did not simply begin with the arrival of Europeans. This event was an episode of a long path towards America’s development (Salisbury 25). In pre-colonial America, Native Americans were not primitive savages, rather a developing people that possessed extraordinary skill in agriculture, hunting, and building and exhibited elaborate cultural and religious structures.
In the Hawaiian culture, “Ohana” is a significant phrase referring to the bondage of family. There are many heritages across the world that have their own way of communicating that affection and showing their love to their own heritage. Hispanic heritage, for example, have the delicious food while other cultures have different focuses. Through heritage, communities find their niches in society to form an American Heritage. Though heritage exists through communities sharing a common culture, heritage definitely coincides with family and reigning stability within their niche. In the poem “Heritage” by Linda Hogan and the image “Mother Daughter Posing as Ourselves” by Elaine O’Neil, showing affection is one of the most prominent ways to communicate
Another way that Trethewey brings this poem together is through the use of
I will be able to do that. The end of the section highlights the poem as "Sounding." soundings. The soundings are the soundings. " is what Heaney's poems are all about and more precisely, what this poem is about.
life. This is a way in which the poems are linked in with each other
Links from the poem below are best read in order from the beginning of the poem to the end
In relation to structure and style, the poem contains six stanzas of varying lengths. The first, second, and fourth stanzas
The construction of the poem is in regular four-line stanzas, of which the first two stanzas provide the exposition, setting the scene; the next three stanzas encompass the major action; and the final two stanzas present the poet's reflection on the meaning of her experience.
“Each piece of the past tells something of what we were or what we are. By enlarging our ties with past generations, we commit ourselves to future generations and we dignify the present.”