Analysis Of How To Write A Poem In A Time Of War By Joy Harjo

Baylie Reisch

Katherine Usik

ENC 1102

3 February 2023

Text Analysis of the Themes within “How to Write a Poem in a Time of War”

In “How to Write a Poem in a Time of War,” Joy Harjo shares a story about a community that is torn apart by the impending war. The story begins by setting the scene as the community realizes that the war has arrived; their worst fears have come true. The soldiers took whatever they wanted and destroyed the rest. Unfortunately, the poem seems to indicate that the people of the region never expected this to happen; there is sort of a state of oblivion in the scene (Harjo lines 25-27). As one reads this story, there are certain themes that materialize in the mind of the reader. In this poem, there are themes

The loss of purity and innocence is a common theme in many art forms, including poetry; many of these pieces focus on where the protagonist begins and the simple, mundane state of the character/being (Golan par 2). Human ordeals are a central focus in many mediums of art. People are born innocent and are shaped into who they become through life experiences. There are often specific instances that represent the loss of innocence. Through the poem that is being evaluated, there are specific examples listed to represent the original, pure state of the people: beauty was stripped from a self-created dress by being torn and representation of the shoe of a baby still loosely holding on (Harjo 28-32). These clothing items convey the changes in these people by presenting ordinary objects and adding the complications of the situation. For instance, the dress was hand-made with much effort and love, yet it is torn similar to the innocence of the community. As for the baby’s shoe, the baby itself is representative of innocence and the shoe that is falling off depicts the fact that innocence is being stripped away from them. These are pieces of this society that are precious, yet they cannot hold onto them. Harjo mentions that such memories had simply become memories “left here with the tress” (line 28). The trees seem to symbolize a sort of echo or a keeper of the

The war itself created great sorrow for the people of the village, and the background of the poem emboldened the events that lead to such suffering. Said events changed the perspective of the people, and many things that they held dear were damaged, including their innocence. In spite of all the anguish that the war and the soldiers caused, the people and their perspectives, their stories would live on for generations to come. Each stanza leaves the reader immersed in the setting, among the characters. Overall, Joy Harjo expressed the background and the consequences of the story in a way that conveyed suffering, mourning, and finalized with a hint of hope. This is a poem that was well done and will be passed on for generations to