Imagery
This line of the poem appeals to the reader's sense of sight in SWT.
What is turquoise lakes (line 2)?
This is what a theme is.
What is the message of a work of literature?
Poetry paragraphs
What are stanzas?
tundra
What is a frozen biome that is treeless?
The speaker emphasizes the unique characteristics of this location by repeating this phrase in SWT.
What is "Up here"?
This line of the poem shows that the person who joins the speaker and her friends on the spirit walk is very connected to nature in SWT.
What is line 20 "She is wearing designs like flowers, and a fur of ice"?
A theme can not be stated as one or two words, but this can.
What is a topic?
A type of poetry that doesn't follow any particular rules or structure.
What is free verse?
permafrost
What is soil that remains frozen throughout the year in polar regions?
These are the two images that help us to know that the speaker is most likely feeling anxious on her flight to Nome. SWT
What are "vibrates our bones" and "light cracking ice"?
The imagery created by this line shows the energizing effect the cold of the tundra has on the spirit walkers in SWT.
What is line 24 "We are refreshed by small winds"?
One of the major of themes in this poem (SWT) is the impact place has on this.
What is a person's identity?
The speaker saying they will forgive “after the salmon swim home” is an example of what figurative device?
What is symbolism?
convey
What is to communicate or send a message?
Who is speaking in the poem (PW)—an individual or a collective voice?
What is a collective Native American voice?
This recurring natural image represents cultural survival and renewal in the poem in PW.
What is the salmon?
Many traditional stories, along with this poem (SWT), highlight the connections between these two things.
What are humans and nature?
A writing technique that uses sensory details to help the reader visualize what is being described.
What is imagery?
The word “powwow” in the title refers to what cultural tradition?
What is a Native American gathering or ceremony?
This is how the friend's son proves that you can live in the modern world while still honoring old fashioned traditions. SWT
What is playing video games and spirit walking in the same day?
This line of the poem shows that life can exist in harsh weather conditions in SWT.
What is line 17 "Little purple flowers come up from the permafrost"?
These three lines of the poem show the relationship that Alaska natives have with nature in SWT.
What are lines 9-11?
This is the type of figurative language used when the speaker of the poem describes the shadow of the plane as walking. SWT
What is personification?
somber
What is serious and sad?
This is the reason that the poet repeats images that are related to death, such as bones, marrow, hunters, spirit, and dried animal bladder.
What is to show that life and death are a natural cycle that everyone experiences?
The speaker describes floodwaters bursting dams and reaching the Pacific. This is an example of what type of imagery in PW?
What is visual imagery?
The central theme of the poem (PW) highlights the struggles and determination of this group of people.
Who are Native Americans?
What is the speaker?
solemn
What is formal and serious?
For the speaker, this Native American tradition most likely symbolizes a path to self-knowledge. SWT
What is spirit walking?
This line shows that the woman in stanza 6 lives in harmony with the natural environment in Alaska in SWT.
What is line 22 "Her smell is sweet like blossoms coming up through the snow"?
The repeated call to “forgive” emphasizes what deeper theme about injustice and healing in PW?
What is that forgiveness requires justice and cannot be forced?
“I am told by many of you that I must forgive” repeated throughout the poem is an example of what device? PW
What is repetition/anaphora?
The “Grand Coulee Dam” is not just a literal dam—it represents what kind of barrier?
What is a cultural/historical barrier to Native survival?
Why does the speaker refuse to forgive immediately?
Because true forgiveness can only happen after justice and restoration of what was lost.