Imagery In Louise Erdrich's Dear John Wayne

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The poem by Louise Erdrich, “Dear John Wayne”, was written as a way to express the Native American’s contempt for the way they have been demonized in the media by what John Wayne represents. John Wayne starred in many Westerns and consequently, represents the American dream. It is this role in these westerns that the Natives hate so much, and what led to the creation of this poem. This hatred is conveyed through the use of imagery. Mrs. Erdrich uses Imagery in many ways. She uses it to describe the war between the Natives and the Settlers, but she also uses it to describe the story on the surface of the poem. On the surface she tells a story about people who go to watch a John Wayne movie, “August and the drive-in picture is packed. We