Essay Questions

What could be the "crimson rambler’’ appearing in the poem entitled "Crimson Rambler’’?

First of all, it is important to define the world rambler. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a rambler is a person who enjoys taking walks for no other reason than walking. The rambler in the poem climbs on the roof of the house of the narrator and then slowly makes his way inside. The world rambler suggests that the person made his way inside in a slow and calculated way, without the people living inside the house knowing what was happening. The rambler affects the house and the people inside until the narrator is no longer sure he can positively maintain his life because of the presence of the rambler. Thus the rambler could be used here as a symbol for the probable divergences that may arise between the man and the woman living in the house.

What is the message transmitted through the poem entitled "A Coin’’?

In the poem entitled "A Coin’’, the narrator uses the image of a coin to discuss the duality of American history, the one told by the white settlers and the one told by the Indian tribes. The narrator looks at how the two histories are completely different from one another even though they took place on the same land. Through this poem, the narrator wants to transmit the idea that one should analyze historical events from more than one perspective and should be careful when taking sides because the truth may be far more complex than one may think.

Who was Inez Milholland?

The name Inez Millholland is mentioned in the poem with the name "Repetitions’’. In the poem, the narrator and other people mourn the death of Inez Milholland who died suddenly. Inez Milholland is the name of a woman who lived in America at the beginning of the 20th century. She was a member of a well-off family and she later became a member of the Women's Suffrage movement. Si is considered an important member of the movement by many feminists and is seen as being one of the first women to push the movement forward. Because of this, she is still remembered today as a remarkable woman who fought for women’s rights.

How does this Buffalo Dusk talk of the effect of colonialism?

The poem, "The buffaloes are gone," can be seen as a symbol of the profound and devastating impact of European colonization on Indigenous peoples in North America. The buffalo, or bison, was not just a vital source of food, clothing, and shelter for many Indigenous tribes, but it also held significant cultural and spiritual importance. Thus, the disappearance of the buffalo herds, as described in the poem, is symbolic of the destruction of Indigenous ways of life and the trauma inflicted upon their communities.

The poem's reference to "Those who saw the buffaloes" suggests the passing of generations who lived in harmony with nature, including Indigenous peoples who relied on the buffalo for their survival. The buffalo's disappearance represents the loss of traditional Indigenous knowledge, practices, and lifeways, as well as the disruption of their cultural connection to the land.

Furthermore, the poem's description of the buffalo herds "pawing the prairie sod into dust" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the destructive forces of European expansion, including the encroachment of settlers, the displacement of Indigenous communities, and the ecological devastation wrought by the buffalo's near-extinction. These forces led to the loss of Indigenous lands, livelihoods, and autonomy.