![]() ![]() His intent, born out in his creation, was to mold Christian values, European literary structure and Native American culture into a single great “American” epic to rival those of the European classics. Longfellow’s poem was much more than a retelling of traditional Ojibwe tales for a white audience. Before this ending, Hiawatha defeats malevolent gods, and gifts his people with greater crop yields, and the invention of reading and writing. In the end, he leaves after white settlers arrive, feeling his time has passed and that his people will manage. The poem traces his life from childhood adventure, falling in fast love with Minnehaha, marrying, and losing her from illness. Later, Hiawatha’s grandmother falls from the moon, and he is eventually born. Before Hiawatha’s arrival, the reader enjoys various interwoven scenes, such as the case of the personified South Wind, Shawondasee, falling in love with a dandelion he takes to be a golden-haired young woman. Its main focuses are the adventures of a fictional Ojibwe hero, Hiawatha, his gifts to his people, and his tragic love story with a Dakota woman, Minnehaha. Primarily, the epic poem highlights the stories of the Ojibwe people of the Lake Superior region. ![]() Longfellow used rhythmic poetry to convey various Native American myths to a popular audience. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |