Speaking

=Speaking =

Simon Ortiz
//I take him outside // //under the trees, // //have him stand on the ground, // //We listen to the crickets, // //cicadas, millions years old sound. // //Ants come by us. // //I tell them, // //"This is he, my son. // //This boy is looking at you. // //I am speaking for him." //

//The crickets, cicadas, // //the ants, the millions of years // //are watching us, // //hearing us. // //<span style="color: #0a0d61; font-family: Georgia,serif;">My son murmurs infant words, // //<span style="color: #0a0d61; font-family: Georgia,serif;">speaking, small laughter // //<span style="color: #0a0d61; font-family: Georgia,serif;">bubbles from him. // //<span style="color: #0a0d61; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Tree leaves tremble. // //<span style="color: #0a0d61; font-family: Georgia,serif;">They listen to this boy // //<span style="color: #0a0d61; font-family: Georgia,serif;">speaking for me. //



<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">About Simon Ortiz
<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Born on May 27, 1941 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ortiz grew up speaking the Acoma Pueblo Indian tongue. Ortiz is now one of the leading figures in modern Native American Literature. With his love for detail and literature, Ortiz's father used to refer to him as "the reporter" for he would pay close attention to the verbally told stories of the tribe. These traditional stories are what would later inspire Ortiz's creative work. Ortiz attended Fort Lewis College, The University of New Mexico, and the University of Iowa where he obtained a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing in 1969. Ortiz's career as a creative writer began in the 70's while he was teaching at various different universities. In 1982 Ortiz earned a Pushcart Prize for From Sand Creek and later published a book called Woven Stone which was a blend of poetry and short stories.

<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Theme
<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">The overall theme of Speaking is growth and closeness to nature. During this poem, the speaker takes his baby son outside and shows him the beauty of nature while also pointing out the constant change in the environment. This theme is illustrated in each stanza of the poem. The growth is first represented by nature, which then transitions over to the growth of the young boy. "We listen to the crickets, cicadas, million years old sound." This line represents the ever lasting nature, which have grown for millions of years. In the next stanza, the speaker says "This is he, my son. This boy is looking at you. I am speaking for him," the speaker is now showing his son the beauty of nature and attempting to express the boys possible feelings through his own words since his son is not yet able to speak. Finally, the last stanza illustrates the boys ability to express his excitement about the new environment he has been introduced to, which is when the speaker ends the poem with, "they listen to this boy speaking for me." The overall layout of the poem illustrates growth, which is shown through the transition of the father speaking for the boy, to the boy speaking for the father.

<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Literary Devices
<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Personification- In the poem the insects are given the human characteristic of watching over the man and his son, just as the two characters are watching over nature. Later on in the last stanza of the poem, leaves are also personified in the line, "tree leaves tremble. They listen to this boy." The trees are given the human characteristic of movement and hearing. <span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Repetition- Affects the flow of the poem because in the first stanza, the speaker states that him and his son are listening to the crickets and cicadas, while later in the poem, the speaker turns this around and says that the crickets and cicadas are watching, and "hearing" the father and son. This is important to the poem because it supports the central theme of growth and change, illustrating the transition of the father and son listening to the insects, to the insects listening to the father and son.

<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Form and Meter
<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">While there is no rhyme scheme illustrated in the poem, the format of the poem does contribute to the theme, and the message the speaker is trying to portray. The poem is split into two main stanzas, the first illustrating the youth of the boy during his first interaction with nature. The second stanza goes more in depth about the growth of boy and his closeness to nature. The organization of these stanzas is essential to the main theme of growth, for it illustrates the growth of the young boys relationship to nature.

<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Emotion
<span style="color: #0a0e5e; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Speaking conveys an appreciative tone for both the father and son relationship, as well as the speakers appreciation for nature. Illustrated in the poem is the speakers desire for his son to grow up with the same appreciation he has had for nature his entire life. This is evident in the way the speaker shows his son nature so closely, using such an admirable tone when speaking of the complexity of nature and all of the reasons to appreciate it. The father in the poem looks proudly upon his sons growth, which is reflected upon within the two different stanzas of the poem. Ortiz most likely wrote this poem to reflect upon his appreciation for nature, and the Native American values he grew up with, which has had great influence on his writing. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">

<span style="color: #010d4a; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Works Cited
<span style="color: #010d4a; font-family: Georgia,serif;">“Simon J. Ortiz.” eNotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015. <http://www.enotes.com/topics/simon-j-ortiz/critical-essays/ortiz-simon-j>. <span style="color: #010d4a; font-family: Georgia,serif;">“Simon J. Ortiz.” The Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/simon-j-ortiz>. <span style="color: #010d4a; font-family: Georgia,serif;">“Simon J. Ortiz.” Wordpress. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. <https://nataliajosephine.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/speaking-poem-by-simon-j-ortiz/>.