The Moving Camp Too Far Poem by Nila NorthSun

Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The role of analyzing literary works includes revealing their literal and symbolic meanings. In literature, poets develop poems to communicate specific messages to the readers literally or symbolically. In relation to Moving Camp Too Far by Nila northSun, one can decipher the different techniques the poet used to deliver diverse connotations of the literary works. The poet also incorporated dissimilar stylistic devices to communicate the poems varying themes to the readers. Mainly, the analysis of the poem Moving Camp Too Far will focus on the themes and techniques northSun integrates to deliver the message about native Americans lives in current and colonial periods.

The explication will assess the literary technique in northSuns poem, including juxtaposition, irony, humor, symbolism, first-person narration, and metaphoric techniques, incorporated to communicate how the Native Americans lives have been transforming, deviating from their original cultural practices and beliefs.

Discussion

In the poem, northSun applies Juxtaposition to reflect and compare the current and previous lives and the culture of Native Americans. For instance, northSun juxtaposes the cultural practices and knowledge of Natives before and in the current periods. The lines I dont know what it, was to hunt buffalo, or do the ghost dance show that in the current culture or the life of the native Americans, the tribesmen engage in unrecommended cultural practices (Cyberlearning.com).

The modern days Native Americans have limited knowledge of the cultural dances representing their ethnic identities. These include the ethnic dances that natives engaged in during ceremonies for entertainment and cultural reasons. In the same way, the line indicates that compared to the classical or olden days natives, the current Aboriginal Americans have a limited understanding of hunting, a major community cultural practice. In the olden days, the Native American tribes used to hunt wild animals such as buffalo (Bíróné Nagy 79). Hunting would allow native Americans to access food from wild animal meat. Moreover, these communities also hunted wild animals, converting them to domesticated species, useful in cultural events.

The irony is another style that northSun incorporated in his Moving Camp Too Far literary work. In the poem, northSun uses irony to compare what the reader expects about the changing Native American culture in current and previous days (Cyberlearning.com). For instance, it is ironic that northSun is disappointed about the ignorance of the aboriginal communities about their culture even though she is among the current generation of native Americans whose practices deviate from their conventional ways of doing things. In the poem, the irony is evident when northSun shows that current native Americans do not value wild hunting animals but can afford and access wild meat at powwows in campers and Winnebagos (Cyberlearning.com).

Moreover, it is ironic that northSun condemns the native Americans ignorance of their dances even though they have places, such as the tourist burger stand, where they can access and party to Indian music (Cyberlearning.com). In these events, it is ironic that northSun condemns the native Americans for differing from their original culture even though there are different cultural practices in America that members of the Aboriginal tribes can currently engage in that remind them of the history of their ethnicity.

Humor is another technique that dominates the message conveyed by northSun in his Moving Camp Too Far. Poets may use exaggeration of ideas to generate humor. Through irony, the poem provides humor for the audience. Concerning northSuns poem, it is evident that irony generates humor in the content for the readers. For example, the lines at the tourist burger stand, I can dance to Indian music, rock-n-roll hey-a-hey-o, I can & unfortunately, I do, show how northSun incorporated humor in the poem (Cyberlearning.com).

The phrases show that northSun is mocking the current Native American entertainment and tourist zones where they can dance and listen to Indian and rock music. In this case, the rock-n-roll music at the tourist burger stand is contrary to the Aboriginal American culture society that requires community members to listen and dance to Indian music. For these reasons, the poem shows that it is laughable that the current native Americans can listen and dance to other music genres, such as rock, that differ from the Indian context of their culture.

Symbolism is also a major stylistic device in northSuns Moving Camp Too Far. In poems and other literary works, writers use symbolic language to hide the actual meaning of their content. In this sense, words such as the counting coup in the poem symbolize the war, conflict, and battles that the first generations of native Americans went through in the colonial periods (Cyberlearning.com). Also, symbolism is explicit in the title of the content, Moving Camp Too Far,

signifying the extreme changes in the cultural practices and beliefs of Native Americans (Cyberlearning.com). Symbolically, the poems title shows that the Native Americans current cultural practices differ from their original ways of doing things. Moreover, the sentence, I can see an eagle, almost extinct, on Slurpee plastic cups is also symbolic to the readers (Cyberlearning.com). The line shows that the aggressive changes in cultural practices and lifestyles of native Americans are detrimental to nature and the environment, killing animals such as eagles. This is contrary to aboriginal beliefs of conserving nature because of its sacredness.

The northSuns Moving Camp Too Far also incorporates first-person narration to convey the message to the audience. In this case, the first-person narrative in the poem is essential in communicating the poets personal experiences to the readers regarding the cultural shifts of Native Americans. In the poem, most lines begin with the pronoun, I. For example, I cant speak of, I dont know what it, I can travel to powwows, I cant tell of, I can & unfortunately, I do (Cyberlearning.com).

The I in the poem shows that the persona or the poet is illustrating his personal experience as a current generation of the Aboriginal community. This enhances the credibility and reliability of the information or claims presented by northSun about the cultural changes of the members of the Native American society. The style shows the readers that northSun concerns about the changing of Native American culture are from the 1st person or 1st party perspective. The first-person narration indicates that she, the poet, is personally guilty and concerned about the changes in cultural practices and beliefs of the current Native Americans that are dissimilar from their first and ancestral generations.

Finally, northSuns Moving Camp Too Far incorporates metaphoric language to convey the hidden meaning of events and themes of the poem. The lines, I cant speak of many moons, moving camp on a travois, I cant tell of, the last great battle, counting coup or, taking scalps, I dont know what it, are metaphoric (Cyberlearning.com). These figurative languages show that northSun, a current native American community member, has limited knowledge about heavenly bodies and related stories that were common in their cultural stories. The sentences also figuratively imply that northSun has an insufficient understanding of the wars, maltreatment, violence, migration, and injustice practices such as scalping that native Americans went through. Thus, through metaphors, the northSun communicates both the negative and positive cultural experiences and practices of the first-generation Native Americans that are different from the members of the contemporary Aboriginal communities.

Conclusion

In summary, the literary stylistic tools incorporated in northSuns Moving Camp Too Far include first-person narrative, metaphoric expressions, and juxtapositioning languages. In addition, irony, symbolism, and humor are among the literature stylistic tools that northSun used to, directly and indirectly, communicate to the readers or audience of her poem. These literary techniques, including the symbolism in the poems title, show that in contemporary society, the ethnic beliefs and engagements of the native Americans are extremely different from the Aboriginal communitys expectations.

Thus, even though change is inevitable, the current Native Americans should not deviate from their original ethnic practices and beliefs. There are overall cultural shifts in how Aboriginal communities conduct themselves globally. This affects the longevity of cultural knowledge, norms, and beliefs that generations need to pass on to others in the future. Hence, there is a need for Native Americans in the current society to embrace social and cultural changes without compromising and eroding their original ethnic beliefs and practices.