Only in Death

Within “Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation,” the poet, Natalie Diaz, rejects colonization’s ideals and utilizes irony in order to fully show how she is returning to her own body. Diaz, throughout the poem, uses “angels” as a way to characterize white men and women, but ironically states that angels are “no good for Indians.” Generally, angels are associated with heaven, a good place, a divine presence– Diaz, instead, rejects the angels, the supposed divine presence. Through the irony of rejecting something traditionally “good,” Diaz makes room for Native Americans, rejecting white culture in religion. The irony creates a powerful message of Diaz would rather rot in Hell than be subject to their white colonizers, and that she would rather just be herself, with her past and culture, than subject to a culture imposed upon them.

Further, since Native Americans have been moreover silenced and tried to be erased, Diaz, in her rejection of white culture and religion through a rejection of angels, helps to fully push out the white influence to leave room once more for Native American culture. Diaz states that “we’re better off if they stay […] in their own distant heavens,” directly giving a call to action, where once again, irony takes its part, as Diaz seeks to keep a supposedly good thing as far away as possible; this just makes her point even clearer, however, as she seeks to reclaim herself, no matter the supposed cost, and further, she pushes white imposition so far away, that it’s inaccessible unless she’s in a grave, leaving all the room for the living, or rather, for Native Americans. The utilization of heaven seeks to show that Diaz sees white imposition as far away as possible, letting Native Americans know that there is a place for them, and that their colonizers can’t come back, as they’re already dead. It’s a signal to return to how they were before colonization, as the white man cannot touch them anymore– they’re gone, dead, and there’s all the more room for them to be themselves now; if the white man is residing with angels in heaven, then Native Americans are able to roam the Earth freely, as only in death will the white man rule over them.

Isaak Puth

Angels?

Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Reservation by Natalie Diaz portrays a captivating message using an interesting approach to do so. In her work, Diaz explains how there are no angels on her home Native American reservation. She states that the closest thing they have to an angel would be “Bats” (Ln. 1), “owls” (Ln. 1), and the outlaw man who “flies around in stolen cars” (Ln. 10). Later she also adds, “Maybe in a Christmas pageant or something” (Ln. 13), however later concludes that this could never happen as the term ‘angels’ is actually used to refer to white people for the purposes of this poem. The speaker solidifies this by stating that the ‘angels’ are “living on clouds or sitting on thrones across the sea wearing velvet robes and golden rings, drinking whiskey from silver cups” (Ln. 21-22). Finally, she states that she wishes the angels had stayed in Europe, so they could enjoy their heaven without having to remove Native American tribes from theirs. 

The way Diaz explains the white man as ‘angels’ and most likely Europe as their “heaven” provides a very powerful satire commentary on the fact that these very people removed the Natives from their heaven. This is accomplished by using these religious symbols in a more grounded context than seen in other poetry. Diaz’s whole work revolves around the symbols of  ‘angels’ and ‘heaven’, obviously using heavy themes of religion. However, these references to religion don’t tear the reader away from the scene by forcing them to visualize traditional images of ‘angels’ and ‘heaven’. Instead, they work to ground the reader in reality, showing them that the elevated perspective of the whites is incorrect. She uses these images in contrast to whimsical, spiritual images as a way of pulling the reader back to reality, and showing them what the white man’s version of ‘angels’ and ‘heaven’ truly mean. This grounding effect ends with a grounding statement, as Diaz finishes the poem by stating that these ‘angles’ have treated her and her people in the opposite way that an angel would treat somebody, as they only show up on the reservation to march you away to hell.

Animal Sacrifice or Easter Eggs?

-Rilee Hoch

Both of these poems convey very strong Christian messages, and both use this form of arranging the text to create an image. However, the Christian stories they are discussing are different. The poem “The Altar” is discussing Exodus/Deuteronomy and the creation of God’s stone Altar, which would be used for sacrifices to the Lord. The poem “Easter Wings” is discussing Easter, which is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ. Both poems celebrate Christianity and are used by the author as a form of worship to God, they are his way of glorifying Him and thanking Him for His grace and mercy. These poems can be placed in to two distinct categories, the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament before God sent Christ to earth to be the atonement for humanity’s sins, they had to sacrifice animals on an altar as a payment for their sins. However, in the New testament Jesus suffers and dies on the cross as the final and perfect payment for all sins, thus animal sacrifice became unnecessary.

I would argue that “Easter Wings” conveys a stronger Christian message, because Altars were only used as a temporary solution to the problem of sin, whereas Christ’s death and the gospel of Easter are the foundation upon which the entire religion depends upon. In “The Altar” the speaker is comparing his heart to the raw stone used to make the altar, and says that he wishes for the sacrifice to be his, and the altar to be God’s (Lines 15,16). However this is not as strong of a Christian message because as I mentioned before, in New Testament law, which is what we live under now after Christ, we are no longer called to make the sort of animal sacrifices that took place on these altars. That is not to say that God doesn’t call us to make other kinds of sacrifices like ones of time or treasures, but it is not the same.

In “Easter Wings”, the most important aspects of Christianity are discussed. It speaks of how man fell into sin and was separated from God and the Garden of Eden (Line 2), and that because of this God sent His son to die for our sins so we could re-establish our relationship with Him. It is the most important piece of Christian theology which is called the Gospel. Thus, I would argue that it conveys a much stronger Christian message, one of redemption and forgiveness of sins, not by works (animal sacrifice) but by faith (believing in Jesus and accepting Him as savior). He speaks of this flight (Line 1 and 20), which could be referencing going to Heaven, which is the gift we receive for believing the Gospel. In Christianity if you do not acknowledge the message that is referenced in “Easter Wings” you are not a saved follower, and you will eternally be separated from God. I would argue that avoiding eternal damnation is a much more important message, than previous practices of the Israelites before Jesus was even born.

within the meaning.

By: Jocelyn Lemus

The creation of poems takes a large space within its true meaning. We must dive in, in order to learn how to swim, it is not just a matter of whether I can just dip my toes into cold water. As reading George Herbert’s poems of “The Altar” and “Easter Wings” my brain had a major debate of which poem demonstrates a more power Christian message. Being able to grab the topic of religion into a master piece of  a poem must have been a challenge for Herbert. Certain topics can become extremely severe and delicate when it can be controversy. I found myself deeply analyzing both poems and coming into conclusion that the two drive Christianity in a different perspective. One takes the religion into a church, while the other one upon the sky. This was extremely important for me because both poems strive a similar, but also different point of views

To begin with, George Herbert’s poem of “The Altar” drives us into a meaningful theme of Christianity from the perspective within an altar. If one focuses extremely closely to how Herbert decided to shape the poem, it is literally the shape of an altar. This talks so much about his imagination and how he created certain details to his poem. An altar is a symbol of a Christian set of table that holds the bread and wine for those who confess. This becomes important because we notice that Herbert begins his poem, “a broken ALTAR”(1). This tiny piece he decided to begin his poem with symbolizes true meaning of his perspective Christianity.  Initially, when we compare the shape of his poem to his first phrase, they seem to give different perspectives. Why is the altar broken inside the poem, but not abstractly? Not only that, but we can also notice how he capitalizes the word “ALTAR” and how the connotation of the word shifts from something soft to something loud. It is as if the poem was shouting at us or as if the religion of Christianity decides to crawl under our skin because it is described as something broke. To continue, another phrase that shows how this poem touches the topic of Christianity was when he mentions, “To praise thy name”(12). This is also about religion because in an altar God is being worshiped and we are being renewed in a religion sense. Herbert’s poem “The Altar” does give a message within the Christian religion.

Furthermore, George Herbert’s poem “Easter Wings” also demonstrates a powerful theme when talking about the Christian religion. First of all, just like his other poem, I found myself questioning the way he decided to shape this piece. As I analyzed its shape after I read the poem, I found myself thinking of either two pairs of wings or two pairs of hourglasses. Herbert begins this poem with a connection that majority of all know about. He begins his poem with the connection from the bible, the piece about Adam and Eve. When he mentions, ” createdst man in wealth and store”(1), this implies how God created them of not actual wealth and not a store but out of nourishment within the kingdom they were offered to stay in. He continues with, “foolishly”(2), which becomes an important term because this explains how the bible describes betrayal within Adam and Eve. The way they were not grateful with what they had, and ended up biting the fruit from the forbidden tree. Herbert continues his poem by elaborating more into detail of the continuation of the tragedy by adding, “with sicknesses and shame. / Thou didst so punish sinne” (12-13). The ideas Herbert keeps implementing into his piece becomes a major part of the Christian religion. This is significant because he uses lots of strategies in his poem in order to guide the connection within its religious theme. One strategy I saw that becomes meaningful was how he mentions, “the flight in me” (10/20) two times and they are in the endings of each stanza. This is important because he really wants the reader to take into consideration that he is implementing a deeper thought with who reads the piece. Whether it is me or him or even you. Therefore, this poem was able to grab the Christian religion and shape it.

So out of both poems, I must say they are both extraordinary in a way where he shapes and connects them from one line to another. However, the one poem that digs deeper into the sense of the Christian religion was “Easter Wings” because in this poem, Herbert was able to make a connection within the pages of the bible. Not only that because he was able to grab those sheets and make it his as he was writing his poem. It takes a big step to include allusions that create a major connection inside the poem. Herbert’s “Easter Wings” was able to grab the biggest story of the bible of Adam and Eve and shape it into the biggest ideas of Christianity. Therefore, I believe that the poem “Easter Wings” sends more of a Christian message.

Wings That Fly To Heaven

Arlyne Gonzalez

When one opens themselves to religion, more specifically, Christianity, they envision a tranquil and light presence that encompasses purity and innocence through the symbolism and imagery of creatures such as birds and angels. Although both George Herbert’s “Easter Wings” and “The Altar” both deliver a Christian message, “Easter Wings” performed a more compelling message because the title immediately gave me a vibe of what is associated with Christianity. In other words, it is global knowledge that Easter is an imperative holiday to be celebrated among the Christian community, and wings have always been a symbol for a bird or an angel that symbolizes purity and freedom. We know “Easter Wings” is set during Easter because, in line 9, the speaker asks to sing “this day” Christ’s victory over death. On lines 1-2, it is obvious that Herbert is providing imagery to describe Adam’s creation, he utilizes the words “wealth” and “store”, capturing the richness of Eden’s life with this metaphor of material security. The actual garden was similar to a monopoly, not in terms of actual money, but it was rich in trees filled with fruit, lakes of shining waters, and green grass, therefore, actual heaven. Regarding the shape of the poem, it immediately reminded me of how song lyrics are formatted, in this case, it is how lyrics of Christian worship is inscribed. Not only do wings give the poem its physical shape, but they also contribute to Herbert’s central imagery of remorse. Christ’s resurrection on Easter signifies that he rises from the dead. By describing how he will rise with Christ, Herbert compares himself to birds that use wings to fly into heaven.

On lines 7-9, with a lark’s simile, Herbert provides a literal elaboration to his speaker’s rise and links his worship with the beauty of birdsong. The speaker “sings” the news of Christ’s Easter resurrection as “harmoniously” as any lark. On lines 19-20, Herbert communicates an odd metaphor to describe his relationship with God. When he is too ill or sinful to recover on his lonesome, God will give him his helping hand, in this case, a helping wing. Continuing on lines 19-20, the speaker is indeed too fragile to act on his own. He intends to “combine” with God on Easter Sunday, but he is too ill to rise without help. Utilizing a metaphor, Herbert emphasizes that, according to him, only God is the all-powerful to heal all and give all spiritual strength.

 

 

 

Heavenly Lovers

By Dijonae Davis

Rumi’s poem “Like this” uses allusion in order to represent love and lust between two people. The poem alludes to this idea of heaven. Throughout the poem it becomes clear that the sex between these people are the closest thing to heaven. The allusion to heaven is especially apparent in the ninth stanza, where Rumi says, “If anyone wonders how Jesus raised the dead, don’t try to explain the miracle. Kiss me on the lips.”. This poem is very romantic in the sense that he compares this love that he has for this person to heaven. This is a heavy comparison because heaven is seen as this place that is full of light and has this almost majestic aspect to it. The comparison to heaven suggests this love is perfect (because bad things do not happen in heaven). One can infer from lines 1- 5 of the poem, “ If anyone asks you-how the perfect satisfaction-of all our sexual wanting -will look, lift your face- and say..”(Rumi), that this person has at least some element of sexual attraction to this person.  In response to whether or not my interpretation of the poem would change if it was written by a non-Muslim or non-Iranian poet, it would not. The poem is about heavenly love, and the religious undertones of it could have been from any religion. The purpose of the poem is to showcases the perfection of this love, and I believe the poem did just that without mentioning the background of the poet.