Complete a poetry analysis for Whispers in the Wind - Assignment Example

Poetry Analysis of “Whispers in the Wind” By T.W. Martindale T.W. Martindale is the American of Sagwu Usdi, Indian Cherokee by blood and daughter to Yona and Oginali. She is the mother of 2 boys who currently resides in Tennessee but was born in Montgomery, Alabama. As a child she was taught by her family to be proud of her Cherokee heritage. A sense of pride that she carried well into her adult years as she helped her father do intermittent research on their Cherokee bloodline. It was during this period of time that she developed a love for what seems to be free style poetry with her first poem being “Quiet Companion”.

A reflective poem about her married life with a husband who was ashamed of her Cherokee blood. She wrote “Whispers in the Wind” as an ode to her ancestors. The poem was a message from her to them. Putting into words the sentiments that her family have long held dear about the way the Cherokee Indian tribes were mistreated and massacred by the White colonialists. In deep pain she declares: I have felt their sorrow AND their pain. Where once they knew the freedom we so proudly boast, This same liberty was quickly and ruthlessly stolen!

They cried out, but there was no one to hear and none who cared. Their freedom Their lives Even their dignity was torn apart! Evidently the poem is all about the cultural context of her words. Through this poem she declares that their Cherokee bloodline shall not die, nor shall the remaining tribe members be ashamed of it. Instead, their generation will accept the mission set before them. That of making peace and amends between the White man and the Red Skins. What was taken from them can never be returned indeed.

But, it is never too late to make amends in order to bring a sense of forgiveness and satisfaction towards the lost lives of their ancestors who fought valiantly to preserve what was originally their land. She personifies the voice of her ancestors through the whispers that she hears in the wind. The messages that she receives from them as she sits alone on some nights, contemplating her heritage and her present, trying to find a common ground between the two. Hers is a difficult life for she has to be both White and Indian at the same time.

Through the poem, she declares that her heritage is valuable to her and she shall never let it fall to the wayside. Rather, she calls upon the others in her tribe to find a way to keep their noble heritage alive in a world where it has lost its relevance. Whispers in the Wind is a tribute to her ancestors and their gallant bravery in the face of hardship and abuse. Through her poem, she managed to bring them back to life even if only on paper. The poem was written for them as way for her to honor and love those ancestors from the past.

As she tells her readers: They call to us As voices whispering in the wind, to bring them home. We must listen! We MUST for upon us they rest their hopes. NOW is the time for us who love them to BRING THEM HOME! Their echoing pleas can be heard if we will only listen! Listen! Answer! Bring them home and give them rest. That she has done with this particular poem. She has managed to remind the present Cherokee population of who they are and where they came from. By doing so, she encourages them to not let go of the past, of their heritage even though it is the easiest thing to do in the world.

They owe it to their ancestors who lost their lives so that their way of life may continue to live.