Analysis Of Remember By Joy Harjo

I read the poem Remember by Joy Harjo. The poem Remember, true to its name, has a very reminiscent tone. It repeats the same word at the beginning of each line “Remember”. The point of this poem is to cause someone to think about the past, but still hold onto it. Many pieces of poetry or literature ask the reader to move on and grow from the past. Harjo asks the reader to hold onto the past and instead use it and remember what it is like. As a senior here at Hillsborough Highschool I believe this poem is very similar and has many connections to my current life. As I graduate I am at a point where I will move away from everything I have ever known and branch out. I will no longer be around all of these people, places, and even things that

I relate the stars to each person I have ever interacted with here at Hillsborough. We have such a big town however each person can make a huge impact. It is important to remember not only the people themselves but the lessons that they taught me. Learning from each of these people's stories and their interactions with me can allow me to be a better person. One can only grow as a person after experiencing failure. So by having these stories and failures by my side, they can help me grow. The poem then goes into specifics about each thing that one should remember. Every line tells the reader to remmeber one thing, but it goes much deeper than that. Each line is a symbol that has an underlying comparison to daily life. The line that strikes out to me most is ”Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you” (Harjo 23). I took this as everything is always changing and you are changing with it. This comparison perfectly sums up this point of my life. As I go off to college I will experience a lot of change in my life. I will leave behind my home. Leave behind my friends. Leave behind my family. All of these things will change however I will change alongside it. As I make new friends, live in a new place, experience new things I will change as a person. The world is in constant motion and my life will continue to go whether I want it to stop or not. Before I undego a metamorphasis like going into college is it is important to recognize the change I am aboout to