Joy Harjo Poem

Define art. Most individuals would have some trouble doing so. Art is not something that can be tied down into one genre, person, or medium. From ancient times to modern day, means of art have constantly evolved and its definition has become more loose and inclusive to other senses. Meena Alexander writes “There is an important stream of underground history I have learnt to recognize: secret letters, journals, inscriptions, scribblings on bits of paper” (Alexander). All kinds of different embodiments of writing may be an art form of some sorts to a human being. The debate has raged on regarding the evolution of the artistic qualities in song lyrics, and how that relates to the old ways of poetry. The poem “Remember” by Joy Harjo is elevated
In each piece, the artists address the powerful theme of appreciating what the earth and its inhabitants have to offer, while using similar analytical elements. This similar theme that is experienced in both pieces is the idea of nature, and the elegance that it includes. They authors then use like elements to get this theme across to the readers. For starters, they are sharing their work for the purpose of opening up the people’s eyes and getting them to recognize the importance of seeing the beauty in one’s surrounding. The title of Joy Harjo’s poem, “Remember” is a form of subtle command telling those to reminisce on the best aspects of life. The song by Kamakawiwo’ole takes more of a personal route, but uses the lines “And the brightness of the day highlight the dark / and I think to myself / what a wonderful world” to highlight the significance of recognizing the positive parts of every day and value the world (lines 20-21). The reader is able to fully comprehend this intended message because of the likeness in the tones of each work. Both have an extremely appreciative tone, as seen when the author writes “Remember the
Comparisons with metaphors or similes are prevalent when drawing the connection with something real to an abstract idea, and this then creates a sense of intensified beauty. The line “Where trouble melts like lemon drops” is a key example of this concept (Kamakawiwo’ole line 11). Kamakawiwo’ole takes the idea of trouble and worry, and allows it to beautifully flow into the idea of a lemon candy. Similarly, Harjo’s line “Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their / tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, / listen to them. They are alive poems” provides the comparison of nature, to poems. Both of which share their own sense of beauty, but is shown in different ways, thus making them perfect subjects to compare. In addition, the authors use the strategy of repetition to emphasize and almost exaggerate their point. For example, the word “remember” is repeated sixteen times throughout the twenty six line poem, and the chorus of “Somewhere” is repeated a total of two times. One article writes, “Lyrics depend heavily on repeated content, usually refrains or choruses. The development of ideas must take account of the repeated sections, and in the ideal case, transform or deepen the meaning of that same content each time we hear it” (Lyric Writing V. Poetry). This is saying that the use of repetition, in either case,