Essay Questions

Give one example of how the author uses personification in his literary work.

The author has beautified his work with personification. He has given the forest the human abilities to communicate to the reader that forgiveness is a virtue from God. He says that despite the harsh treatment from human beings and natural destructions that kills her children, the forest can rise again and even become more beautiful. The message here is that despite the harsh treatment from the whites, the Indians should not be discouraged but rather remain strong and shine better than before to prove that the creator is there for all people regardless of race and originality.

“If the forest can survive the murder of all her children, and rise again ones more in beauty, should I not, too, be able to survive the murder of my people and once again raise my hear towards the sun?”

What does the author mean in this statement “Let the grasses grow over our scars, they say, and let the flowers bloom over our wounds”?

The author is referring to the intimidating language used by the whites towards the Indians who are demanding justice and equality. The white people tell them that there is nothing they can do at this moment because their complaints are ignored. The white man implies that there is no room for an Indian to be treated as a white person at this moment. Such a statement by the whites adds more injury to the current suffering the Indians are going through. The white person is not merciful because he goes ahead to tell the Indians that despite having wounds and scars, they do not care even if the grass grew on their wounds. Similarly, they do not mind if flowers bloomed on their scars. Therefore, such insults add more pain to the Indians and unfortunately, their plea for equal treatment falls on deaf ears.

Explain how the author appeals the sense of sight to the reader

As the story progresses, the imagery of sight becomes prevalent as the author uses descriptions to paint a picture of what is happening on the roadside as he walks across. Beside the road, passersby put broken cigarettes on top of a historical rock. Out of this description, the reader can create an image of that rock being described by the author. The author intends to help the reader visualize what is happening as the story progresses. Additionally, such visualization increases the urge of reading more pages to uncover how the story ends. He says:

“And I wasn’t the only one who had seen something more than a history lesson in that roadside enclosure. On the top of the rock, insignificant to anyone who did not understand, some previous passersby ad placed a few broken cigarettes."