Author Louise Erdrich argues her views about the treatment of Native Americans in her poem “Dear John Wayne”. Erdrich’s tone and who she is really addressing are intermingled together to paint a picture of attending a drive-in to watch an old western movie in which Wayne is the starring role. The poem is somewhat like a letter with a beginning introduction and a closing disguised as the beginning and ending of a movie. The way Erdrich approaches her argument is strange and leaves the reader wondering what the point is that she’s trying to get across. Rather than blatantly state why she dislikes John Wayne and the treatment towards Native Americans, she hides her opinion within the lines of the poem.
The way Erdrich addresses John Wayne is interesting. Erdrich uses events from movie and history to give an insight on her real issues and uses Wayne's words to add to her opinion. In the second …show more content…
While it’s clearly stated “Dear John Wayne” as the title, It’s hard to figure out when Edrich is focusing her attention on Wayne or when she is calling out to the reader. As the poem concludes, Wayne seems to be the center of attention as the audience. Erdrich brings up the treatment of the Native Americans to show the war between cowboys like Wayne and themselves. Wayne vs. Indians. She Includes quotes like “ His face moves over us, a thick cloud of vengeance, pitted like the land that was once flesh” to get her point across and make Wayne seem like the villain in the situation. By using him in third person, the reader can question whether Wayne’s actions are focused towards the Native Americans or Erdrich in the case of him looking out from the movie screen. She later personalizes the poem by attacking the fact that he died of cancer when she says “Even his disease was the idea of taking everything. Those cells, burning, doubling, splitting out of their
The way Erdrich addresses John Wayne is interesting. Erdrich uses events from movie and history to give an insight on her real issues and uses Wayne's words to add to her opinion. In the second …show more content…
While it’s clearly stated “Dear John Wayne” as the title, It’s hard to figure out when Edrich is focusing her attention on Wayne or when she is calling out to the reader. As the poem concludes, Wayne seems to be the center of attention as the audience. Erdrich brings up the treatment of the Native Americans to show the war between cowboys like Wayne and themselves. Wayne vs. Indians. She Includes quotes like “ His face moves over us, a thick cloud of vengeance, pitted like the land that was once flesh” to get her point across and make Wayne seem like the villain in the situation. By using him in third person, the reader can question whether Wayne’s actions are focused towards the Native Americans or Erdrich in the case of him looking out from the movie screen. She later personalizes the poem by attacking the fact that he died of cancer when she says “Even his disease was the idea of taking everything. Those cells, burning, doubling, splitting out of their