Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Crazy Horse Speaks: 3" by Sherman Alexie deepens the exploration of identity, cultural dislocation, and the power dynamics inherent in language. This poem, like its predecessors in the series, provides a complex psychological portrait of Crazy Horse, the revered Native American leader, while also offering a broader commentary on the experience of indigenous peoples in America.

The opening lines draw attention to the skin as both identity and burden: "I wear the color of my skin / like a brown paper bag / wrapped around a bottle." Here, skin color is likened to a brown paper bag, a commonly used item to discreetly carry alcohol. This metaphor suggests the tension of visibility and invisibility, indicating how Crazy Horse's skin color marks him in the society, but also serves as a vessel for something more, something hidden yet substantial. The "bottle" could represent anything from a history of stereotypes associated with alcoholism to a vessel of rich cultural heritage.

The line "Sleeping between / the pages of dictionaries" is a striking visual metaphor for the linguistic constraints and struggles faced by Native Americans. Dictionaries, supposed arbiters of meaning, become confining spaces rather than enabling tools. It portrays how the English language, represented by the dictionary, imposes itself on the native tongue, literally causing it to tear and lose strength. This reflects a broader theme of cultural erasure and the enforced adoption of colonial language and norms.

The phrase "your language cuts / tears holes in my tongue" also extends the imagery of violence and violation to the realm of language. This resonates with the broader theme of colonial imposition and how it has severed communities from their native languages, creating generational gaps and cultural loss.

The poem culminates in a powerful statement about the emotional toll of these experiences: "until I do not have strength / to use the word 'Love'." Love becomes a complicated, almost unattainable concept in a society that fails to understand or respect Crazy Horse's cultural background. In a city where everyone is "Afraid-of-Horses," a literal translation of Crazy Horse's name, the possibilities for love, understanding, and even basic human connection are fundamentally compromised.

In this poem, Sherman Alexie effectively highlights how language can act as a tool of both creation and destruction. For Crazy Horse, the language he is forced to navigate is a landscape of erasure and subjugation, a system that not only physically but emotionally and spiritually disrupts his sense of self. By focusing on these nuanced forms of violence, the poem challenges the reader to consider the deeper implications of cultural and linguistic colonization.

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