Chapter - 1

Grandmother

Ray Young Bear

Summary of the poem

The poem, “Grandmother” is composed by an American-Indian poet, he draws a picture of his grandmother as all-loving and all inspiring. The poet is the member of the Mesquaki tribe of North America and represents the same through this poem. He tries to expose the lost cultures of his tribe. In this poem, he reveals the attitudes, activities, and lifestyle of his own tribe.

The poem is an emotional portrayal of his grandmother. He presents his grandmother as an affectionate and very special woman to him. He has respectful feelings toward her in this poem, he describes his grandmother, her simple lifestyle, behavior and his deep love and respect for her.

At the beginning of the poem, the poet tells that he is so attached to his grandmother that he can recognize her even from a long distance. She used to wear a purple scarf around her head and carry a plastic shopping bag. When she put her hands on his head, he felt that they were warm and damp with the smell of roots because she used to come home after working on the farm and wash her hands. These are closely related to the activities and lifestyle of poor tribal people do not enjoy a rich and luxurious life. They are often forced to buy ordinary things.

He compares her words with a light which comes from ashes from a sleeping fire at night. Her words would flow inside him like a light, which help him to keep away from the ignorance and solve all his problems. As the light gives warmth to someone in the winter, in the same way, on a cold night she gives him warm and flows of fire. He was very much impressed by her instructions.

The poet has used four senses, they are sight, sound, touch, and smell. The purple scarf, plastic shopping bag, and a sleeping fire are connected to the sense of sight. The voice coming from the rock is connected to the sense of sound or hearing. The warm and damp hands are connected to the sense of touch and the smell of roots is connected to the sense of smell. Obviously, his grandmother is no more with him but she has left a permanent impression on his mind and heart.