Comparing The Poetry Reading And I Lost My Talk

In Joan Crate’s “The Poetry Reading” and “I Lost My Talk” by Rita Joe, the poets comments on how their respective characters had their voice is taken from them. In “The Poetry Reading”, the voice taken is from Pauline Johnson. However, the voice taken from “I Lost My Talk” is the poet herself. Pauline Johnson’s audience disregards her poetry. She is upset that no one in her audience takes any notice of the importance of a single voice. Rita Joe talks about her experience of losing her heritage and culture. Pauline Johnson and Rita Joe uses poetic devices to convey their respective views on how their voice is silenced, forced to abandon their Indigenous identity and surrender their voice.
In John Crate’s “The Poetry Reading”, the poet portrays voice from the perspective of Pauline Johnson. Pauline Johnson tells the readers about “a world [that was] swallowed in one quick gulp/ with only crumbs remaining.” (2 and 3) The …show more content…
She uses repetition and simile to emphasize the troubles she was facing during her years at Shubenacadie, “I speak like you/ I think like you/ I create like you.” (6-8) She informs the readers how she was forced to change into something she had no choice in. Up until she moves to a residential school, Rita Joe had only known to speak in her native language and she had only known the way of her ancestors. However, after her so-called ‘transformation’, Rita Joe is no longer able to ‘process’ like the way of her ancestors. Instead, she speaks and thinks how the teachers taught her. Rita Joe uses symbolism to suggest her helplessness and her weakness, “When I was a little girl.” (3) This quote symbolizes her not being able to fight for what she wants. Rita Joe is being forced to ‘give up’ her voice and her identity. This poem has a theme of courage, as Rita Joe asks permission to study her language, so that she can educate the readers