SCOURSE 5: AMERICAN LITERATURE (CORE) PDF

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Summary

The objective of this course is to introduce the learners to American literature, a field that could be considered as comparatively recent in formulation, when compared to the literature of Britain and Continental Europe. It is a literature steeped in the reactionary philosophy of its Puritan forbea...

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Alexie Sherman Alexie’s ‘Crow Testament’      

About the Writer Summary and Critical Analysis Themes Significance of the Title Reference to the Context Probable Questions

About the Writer Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966, Wellpinit, Spokane Indian Reservation, near Spokane, Washington, U.S.) is a Spokane- Coeur d’ Alene- American novelist, short story writer, poet and film maker. His writings are based on his experiences as an indigenous American with ancestry from several tribes. His best-known book is The Lone ranger and Tonto Fistfightin Heaven (1993) which was adapted as the film Smoke Signals (1998). Alexie’s stories have been included in several short story anthologies, including The Best American Short Stories (2004). Most of the works of Alexie, including short stories, novels and poetry explores theme of despair, poverty, violence and alcoholism among the lives of the Native American people. His writings are meant to evoke sadness, but at the same time he uses humour and pop culture which leaves the readers spellbound with respect, compassion and understanding. According to Quirk, Alexie do not solely rely on traditional Indian forms but he successfully “blends elements of popular culture, Indian spirituality, and the drudgery of poverty-ridden reservation life to create his characters and the world they inhabit.” Alexie’s first novel Reservation Blues received a 1996 American Book Award. His first young adult novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007), is a semi-autobiographical novel that won the 2007 U.S national Book award for Young People’s Literature and the Odyssey Award as best as 2008 audio book for young people. His 2009 collection of short stories and poems, War Dances, won the 2010 PEN/ Faulkner award for Fiction.

Summary and Critical Analysis The poem, ‘Crow Testament’ by Alexie Sherman Alexie presents a picture of the hardships suffered by Native Americans through the metaphorical image of a crow. In ‘Crow Testament’

the fate, work, despair and hardship caused by European influences among Native peoples is a common issue that seems to be a reoccurring element in his Alexie’s most of the works. Through the use of figurative language, Alexie is able to transcribe those issues onto paper by using metaphors and illusions to describe emotions conveyed by the Native people. The poem begins with the speaker describing a scene from Genesis in which Cain kills his brother Abel. The presence of Cain and Abel in the poem sets the stage for an intricate commentary about the way white men and women treat one another and the role made for Native Americans in this narrative. The narrative follows crow as he is taken advantage of the white man in the form of a falcon, and abused by, and from within the, wars that men wage. The poem continues on, passing more commentary on the way that man uses the Bible to justify his actions. Native Americans are placed in the battle of Jericho, and are born into ashes of the fallen city. This is their past and future, as further represented in the following stanzas. Alexie’s speaker states that Crow is able, through the collection of beer bottles, to make five cents at a time. This pitiful amount is gained through the suffering of the population, many of whom are afflicted with alcoholism, and the suffering of Crow who is only able to take one bottle at a time. The poem concludes with Crow riding into a powwow on a pale horse. He is now representing Death, as portrayed in Revelations. No one is shocked to see him, it is as if it has been known from the beginning that “Death” is how their world would end. In the first section of this piece the speaker begins with the sons of Adam and Eve.Cain uses “Crow” to kill his brother Abel. Right from the beginning of the poem “Crow” is being used by the white man without his consent. In this case, Alexie has chosen to portray ‘Crow’ as a weapon. Crow knows, from this first brutal action that, “This is just the beginning” In the second half of the section Crow exclaims, professing his understanding that his mistreatment is just beginning. Crow will stand in as a symbol for the Native populations of the Americas and Alexie will take the reader through varying symbols representing the white settlers, and the present white majority of America. The second section is written in a similar fashion to the first in which Crow finds himself taken advantage of. Alexie has chosen to portray the “white man” as a “falcon.” The embodiment of the white man doesn’t just appear as a falcon, he is “disguised” as one. This adds an additional level of cunning to the scene: “The White man, disguised

as a falcon, swoops in and yet again steals a salmon from Crow’s talons.” The falcon swoops down from the sky and steals directly from Crow’s hands, or “talons.” This theft is a clear reference to the endless damage down to Native Americans, from the theft of land to the mass exterminations that took place at the hands of the United States government and all leaders in North and South America. In the shorter second half Crow reflects that if he was able to “swim” he could have “fled this country years ago.” If he had been born with this ability, he could have let himself be taken out to sea, and away from the damage he is living in.

The speaker takes a different approach in the third section in which he further reflects on the role of religion in modern society. The poet presents for the reader “The Crow God” that appears identical to the crows that worship him. He then provides commentary that leads to an explanation of this shift. Crow is considering the absurdity of worshiping a god that looks like itself. At the same time he is pointing out the vanity in this depiction. Only the “White Man” would make a god such as this, as the familiar image makes worship, so much easier.

In the section four, the speaker continues to describe the place of Native Americans, through the Crow metaphor. The narrative is now expanding to include other events from the Bible, such as the Battle of Jericho. During this pivotal Biblical moment, the Israelites destroy the city of Jericho. In Alexie’s narrative the city stands in for the entire population of native people who were decimated by the arrival of the white man. In this case, the “ashes of Jericho” are home to the son of Crow” This destruction is their inheritance and is home to their futures.

The fifth section speaks up that not only does Crow have to be cautious of the white man in his many forms; Crow often “fights Crow.” It is in these instances that the most damage is done and the sky seems to “rain feathers.” It is clear that any division between the Native peoples further hurts their chances of finding a way out from under, or a way to stand up against, the white man.

The sixth section of the poem is the longest one which takes the speaker into present day in which has not abated, but only changed forms.

On a contemporary reservation, Crow, still seen as a representative of the Native peoples, is flying around searching for, “empty beer bottles.” The collection of these bottles provides him with a very limited income, but also serves as commentary on the health of the reservation. Alcoholism is one of the most rampant diseases on reservations and the poet’s choice to have beer bottles provide Crow with a small stipend, is quite poignant. Crow battles through poverty, alcoholism, and even then, the transportation of the bottles is impossible. He is only able to carry one at a time, making his journeys back and forth endless. At last the Crow realizes “redemption/ is not easy.”

In the final section of the poem Alexie brings the narrative to a close by referencing the end times as portrayed in Revelations. Crow rides into a “crowded powwow” on a “pale horse.” In the scene Crow has come to represent death itself. In Revelations, during the coming of the four horsemen, one rides a pale horse. This rider is Death who now finds himself within the body of a Crow. While in other circumstances this entrance would be shocking to all who observed it, in this case “none of the Indian panic.” None of the attendees are shocked to see this rider on his pale horse, it is as if they all knew what was coming and had learned to expect it a long time ago.

The use of the crow metaphor, the poet wants to comment on how someone can worship who is in his exact image. Alexie mocks Christian beliefs as a whole by subtly pointing out the arrogance in the white man. Through the poem, it is evident that Alexie uses humor by mocking this religion with how ridiculous is to worship a god in man’s image. Alexie uses another reference from the Bible by mentioning the Battle of Jericho from the Book of Joshua. The poet allows its readers to go through the different levels of the poem similar to the stages of depletion and exploitation of the Native American dominance in America. For example, the end of the second stanza where the white man disguised as a falcon steals the salmon, the crow mentions that he would have left the country years ago if he knew what was to become of his people. The poetry of Alexie Sherman Alexie is marked with his stylistic experimentalism. His stylistic interplays render him more than a mere poet of resistance. He is now referred to as a postmodern procure kind of balance in style along with her thematic concerns. Discarding balance and intermingling different genres and discourses in his poetry are his specific resisting strategies as

a poet- writer to accord ambivalence to his literary career. Displacement and sordid aftermaths for the Indians is the other subject matter to which Alexie turns his hands. His critical and at times cynical treatment of this issue shows his anger at colonization. Alexie politicizes his treatment of nature and natural elements which are essential to their Native worldviews, but unlike them he projects on man-nature relationship as a mixed Indian being caught up in the hybrid colonial encounter.

Themes Religion Religion is the prominent theme which has greatly coloured the poem. Throughout the poem, imagery from Bible and Christian metaphors are being alluded which provides the poem a religious appeal. The poem begins with the speaker describing a scene from Genesis in which Cain kills his brother Abel. The presence of Cain and Abel in the poem sets the stage for an intricate commentary about the way white menand women treat one another and the role made for Native Americans in this narrative. “Cain lifts Crow, that heavy black bird And strikes down Abel.” The poem continues on, passing more commentary on the way that man uses the Bible to justify his actions. The poet presents for the reader “The Crow God” that appears identical to the crows that worship him. He then provides commentary that leads to an explanation of this shift. Crow is considering the absurdity of worshiping a god that looks like itself. At the same time he is pointing out the vanity in this depiction. Only the “White Man” would make a god such as this, as the familiar image makes worship, so much easier. “The Crow God as depicted In all of the reliable Crow bibles Looks exactly like a Crow. The use of the crow metaphor, the poet wants to comment on how someone can worship who is in his exact image. Alexie mocks Christian beliefs as a whole by subtly pointing out the arrogance in the white man. Through the poem, it is evident that Alexie uses humor by mocking

this religion with how ridiculous is to worship a god in man’s image. Alexie uses another reference from the Bible by mentioning the Battle of Jericho from the Book of Joshua.The battle of Jericho is described to be the first battle of the Israelites throughout their conquest of Canaan. Joshua led the Israelite army in his campaign for the long sought Arc of the Covenant, killig everyone in his path. Perhaps Alexie had included this religious anecdote to represent the people of Jericho as the Native Americans and the Israelites as the white men. The white men had wiped out the majority of the Native American populations, just like the citizens of Jericho in the Book of Joshua. The “millions nests soaked in blood” therefore stands for the natives who had lost their innocent lives during the European conquest of the American land. Suffering The theme of suffering of the Native American people is quite evident in the poem, ‘Crow Testament.’ Alexie presents this theme in a metaphorical way rather than an explicit manner. This subtle theme has been reflected through the poem, ‘Crow Testament’ whichpresents a vivid picture of the hardships suffered by Native Americans through the metaphorical image of a crow. In ‘Crow Testament’ the fate, work, despair and hardship caused by European influences among Native peoples is a common issue that seems to be a reoccurring element in his Alexie’s most of the works. Through the use of figurative language, Alexie is able to transcribe those issues onto paper by using metaphors and illusions to describe emotions conveyed by the Native people.

Significance of the Title The title of the poem comprises of two words, ‘Crow’ and ‘Testament.’ Alexie Sherman Alexie presents a picture of the hardships suffered by Native Americans through the metaphorical image of a crow. The word ‘testament’ means ‘something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality.’ In this case, the poet probably wanted his expressions to be preserved by using the crow metaphor and making it a testament. Religion is a prominent theme in many of Alexie’s works. His “Crow Testament” revolves around the influence of white religious on native people. In the Bible, crows and ravens stand for evil, omens, darkness and impurity but the poet seems to be exploiting this discourse b having the crow represent the natives because the white men throughout manifest destiny view the natives as crows. Falcon is the metaphor to represent the white man because falcon is symbolic

to when the Europeans in general first came to America with open arms and friendly ways to the natives. But, gradually the white men had savaged the native’s land. Thus, in ‘Crow Testament’ the falcon steals the salmon from the crow, which represents how the white man took advantage of the natives’ openness and purity. The Crow questions the beliefs of the white man, by saying ‘The Crow God as depicted in all the reliable Crow Bibles look exactly like a Crow.” Alexie used “Crow God” instead of “Falcon – God” because he has been comparing their God to humans, which allows the readers to understand that Alexie is saying how the white man’s god is also in the Native’s image as well. The poem, ‘Crow Testament’ by Alexie Sherman Alexie presents a picture of the hardships suffered by Native Americans through the metaphorical image of a crow. In ‘Crow Testament’ the fate, work, despair and hardship caused by European influences among Native peoples is a common issue. Through the use of figurative language, Alexie is able to represent the issues and emotions being felt by the Native people which they had never shared. Therefore, the title of the poem is apt not only because it is able to address the content of the poem but also stands to be the ‘testament of the ‘crow’s’ (here native’s) voice and opinions.

Reference to the Context 

The white man, disguised as a falcon, swoops in and yet again steals a salmon from Crow's talons. Damn, says Crow, if I could swim I would have fled this country years ago.

The above-mentioned lines are taken from the poem, ‘The Crow Testament’ by Alexie Sherman Alexie which speaks about the hardships faced by the Native Americans in a figurative way. Through an allegorical representation of a crow, Alexie Sherman tries to present the turmoil of the Native Americans, caused by the conflict with the Europeans. The poem starts with the speaker depicting a scene from Genesis in which Cain murders his sibling Abel. In this area, Crow is being utilized as a weapon.

The “white man” is none other than the European disguised as “falcon” who tries to steal the “salmon” from the “Crow.” In simpler terms, the Europeans had always been trying to dismiss the existence of the Native Americans and hence, the Native Americans had to go through existential crisis. The falcon swoops down from the sky and steals directly from Crow’s hands, or “talons.” This theft is a refence to the endless damage done to Native Americans by the Europeans, starting from the theft of land to the mass exterminations that took place at the hands of the United States government and all leaders in North and South America. In the shorter second half Crow reflects that if he was able to “swim” he could have “fled this country years ago.” If he had been born with this ability, he could have let himself be taken out to sea, and away from the damage he is living in. Thus, the push and pull conflict between the Europeans and the Native Americans has been addressed by Alexie Sherman.

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Among the ashes of Jericho, Crow sacrifices his firstborn son. Damn, says Crow, a million nests are soaked with blood.

The above-mentioned lines are taken from the poem, ‘The Crow Testament’ by Alexie Sherman Alexie which speaks about the hardships faced by the Native Americans in a figurative way. Through an allegorical representation of a crow, Alexie Sherman tries to present the turmoil of the Native Americans, caused by the conflict with the Europeans. The poem starts with the speaker depicting a scene from Genesis in which Cain murders his sibling Abel. In this area, Crow is being utilized as a weapon. Here, the speaker uses the Crow metaphor and continues to depict the place of the Native Americans. By making a connection with different events from the Bible, for example, the Battle of Jericho, the poet makes an effort to legitimize his narrative. During this pivotal Biblical moment, the Israelites destroy the city of Jericho. In Alexie’s narrative the city stands in for the entire population of native people who were decimated by the arrival of the white man. Therefore, it is seen that Native Americans are put in the skirmish of Jericho. They are naturally introduced to the fiery debris of the fallen city. This is their past and future, as further spoke to in the accompanying stanzas.

Probable Questions Q. “The poem ‘Crow testament’ is an allusion and symbol of Native American Folklore.” Discuss. Q. Critically analyze hoe the poem ‘Crow Testament’ voices the Native Americans’ strife for their identity and existence. Q. Examine how Alexie Sherman connects the historical past to present the Native American issues in the poem, ‘Crow Testament.’ Q. “Alexie’s ‘Crow Testament’ is filled with figurative language, symbolism and Biblical reference.” Discuss Q. Critically analyze the prominent themes evident in the poem, ‘Crow testament.”...