Joy Harjo Analysis

A Short Biography of Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo is a mother, activist, painter, poet, musician, and author. She was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a member of the Muscogee or Creek Nation. She didn’t have a great childhood. She had an abusive father and stepfather with a mother who was not strong enough. She eventually left home at a young age. Her work is influenced by the activism that was present during the American Indian Movement in the 1970s. Harjo’s witting and music reflect the life of woman as individuals and the whole culture of Native Americans. Nature, Native American culture, and white culture really drove her work. She had strong woman influences in her life through her aunt and grandmother. Art was an important part of her life. Especially
She didn’t start out with a great life, but with her love for art she gave her and her family a prospering life. She also had great influence on lives of many women and the Native American population. She received many awards for her writing. She has won the William Carlos Williams award from the Poetry Society of America, the Delmore Schwartz Award, the American Indian Distinguished Achievement in the Arts Award, and two creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her life as a feminist and Native American poet is one of immense
This book was written about the oppression of all women, Native American or not. She writes in a manner that reflects her Native American heritage. The poem is like a chant, repeating rhythm and the words to get her point across. She starts every line with the words “She had horses” which stands as meaning for the different experiences of Native American women and how they express their identity. This poem has women looking for a personal identity and who they are independently. Women were looking for who they were independently in the face of