A Life for A Life

Luci Tapahonso was born on November 8^th, 1953 in Shiprock New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation. According to a biography piece, Tapahonso is one who still considers Shiprock to be home though she spends time away from the reservation. In much of her writing, Tapahonso finds difficulty, “Separating [herself] from the place, [her] home, [her] land, and [her] people…[because] the place of [her] birth is the source of the writing.” (Native American Poet)

“Dear Alvin,” a poem by Luci Tapahonso, tells the story of her experience with Alvin’s death. Throughout the first lines of the poem Tapahonso reminisces on the life Alvin lived. Then, there’s an element of oral tradition where Tapahonso describes, “We talking: making pans and telling stories laughing and remembering all sorts of things…” (Tapahonso). Through this oral tradition, it describes how they gathered and shared stories about Alvin so that though his life was over, he could still be alive in his memories he left in everyone.

The tone of the poem then shifts drawing pathos towards the grief as the family laid Alvin to rest. In this section of the poem, Tapahonso uses imagery to describe the setting where, “The clouds were low [with] heavy veils of gray…” (Tapahonso). Throughout the next lines, the burial of Alvin was filled with songs that allowed Alvin to be returned to the Earth.

There’s another shift in the tone of the poem along the drive back to Albuquerque where rain began to fall. Through the rain, Tapahonso describes how, “They say it only rains when a good person dies. It rained. It rained” (Tapahonso).  Through the repetition of the phrase it rained, Tapahonso establishes the characteristics of Alvin—being that he is a good person. As their arrival to Albuquerque came, the setting shifted to being sunny and described as clean. By the end of the poem, Tapahonso elaborates on the concept of newfound strength because of how much Alvin gave to the Earth. In this new strength, the idea of a rebirth of Alvin is introduced.

The video that I chose for this passage is based on death as well. The story is about the singer, Nahko, who is traveling to visit the man who murdered his father. Throughout this journey, he allows the man to be forgiven for his wrongful actions and have a new rebirth to freedom. I found this song to be relatable due to Tapahonso’s setting where Alvin grew to be free and have a rebirth as well.

Overall, this piece incorporated imagery, pathos, and oral tradition to tell the story of Alvin who was laid to rest. The overall theme of the poem is death and the how the grieving process was taken place for Tapahonso.

Works Cited:

"Luci Tapahonso: Native American Poet." Luci Tapahonso: Native American Poet. http://nativeamerican-authors.com/tapahonso.html. 20 Feb. 2017.

Tapahonso, Luci. A breeze swept through. Albuquerque: West End Press, 1994. Print.

“San Quentin.” Nakho 07 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Feb. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTLnB8E5ejY.