Essay Questions

What is the implication of the French names in “Indian Reservation-Caughnawaga”?

The Native Indians have taken up the French names instead of retaining their Indian names. Consequently, the relinquishment of the Native Indian names has contributed to the loss of the Indian culture as names are crucial in the endurance of a culture.

What conclusions can the reader draw about the pale animals in “Indian Reservation-Caughnawaga”?

The paleness of the animals depict the fading culture. Once the culture fades, it becomes ineffectual in the lives of the Native Indians. Eventually, the culture will become moribund; hence, it will not knit the Native Indians together like it did before it was eroded.

What is the religious allusion involved in “St. Joseph’s ladder” that is included in the poem “The Cripples”?

According to the Bible, Joseph, who was a carpenter (hence could fabricate ladders), was Jesus’s earthly father. The Biblical allusion to Jesus’s father in the poem illustrates the extent to which that the physically disabled people utilize religion to cope with their disability. The ladder, in the context of the poem, connotes the prayers that the cripples make so that God can intervene in their incapacitation.