Grandmother , Ray Young Bear
Summary
Short Questions
1. What are the four things that Ray Young Bear remembers about his
grandmother?
2. What is the main idea of the poem 'Grandmother' by Ray Young Bear?
3. What impression of grandmother does the speaker give in the poem
'Grandmother'?
4. What descriptions of the grandmother can be found in the poem? Which
senses are they connected to?
5. What kind of life styles does the poet describe of his grandmother?
Long – Question
1. The poem ‘Grandmother’ is a recollection of the poet’s moving love
for his grandmother. On the basis of your childhood recollection, write about
what relation you had with your grandmother or grandfather.
1. Grandmother
Ray Young Bear
Character
Poet - American Indian
Grandmother - Poet's grandmother
Theme : Inspiration is necessary for the personality development.
Summary
In this poem, “The Grandmother,” Bear concentrates on his grandmother. Literally, he draws a picture of his all-loving and all-inspiring grandmother, and symbolically, the poet tries to reflect upon the vanished communities of Native American tribes in general and the Mesquaki tribe in particular.
Ray Young Bear draws a realistic picture of his grandmother, all-loving, all-inspiring and remember the remarkable shape, movement, voice and activities, of his grandmother. He shows deep love towaras her. Though his grandmother is no longer in this world, the image of her ‘wearing a purple scarf round her head and holding a plastic shopping bag in her hand’ often comes to the poet. The poet says that he can not see his grandmother’s shape, nor feel her hands on his head, nor hear her voice coming from the rock. She is no more with him. If he could see her face from a distance, from a mile away, he would quickly know that it was his grandmother with the purple scarf and plastic shopping bag. If he could feel hand on his head, he would know her warm and damp hands from where she would come with the smell of roots. If he could hear a voice coming from the rock he would know that it was his grandmother’s voice. He would feel her words flowing inside him. The flow of her words would be like the light coming out of the sleeping fie at night. The poet says that her voice would be the source of inspiration for him.
The memory of his grandmother
takes the poet back to his childhood when they trembled with cold at night and
his grandmother would move the fire from the thick ashes to create warmth.
Though the poet’s grandmother left him many years before but her images, voice,
love, inspiration and memory are still fresh in the mind and heart of the poet.
Likewise the activities, behaviours, intructions, shape and so many other
memory of his grandmother are the source of living for him, which encourage him
at all the moment.
Short Questions
1. What are the four things that Ray Young Bear remembers about his
grandmother?
Ray Young Bear is an American –Indian poet. He always remembers his grandmother and draws a picture of her because she was very loving and inspiring to him. The four things that he remembers about her are his grandmother's purple scarf, plastic shopping bag, warm and damp hands and her voice.
2. What is the main idea of the poem 'Grandmother' by Ray Young Bear?
The poem is composed by the American-Indian poet Ray Young Bear. He represents the Mesquaki Tribe. In this poem he draws the picture of his all-loving and all-inspiring grandmother. He says the lost cultures of his tribe and shows the attitudes, activities and life-style of his own tribe. In short, his main theme in this poem is the contemporary American-Indian's search for identity.
3. What impression of grandmother does the speaker give in the poem
'Grandmother'?
Ray Young Bear is an American-Indian poet. In the poem 'Grandmother' the speaker gives his grandmother's impression that his grandmother is all-loving and all-inspiring. She is the source of lost culture, identity, love, knowledge etc. Her impression towards others is unforgettable. Though she is dead, her impression controls the senses of the speaker.
4. What descriptions of the grandmother can be found in the poem? Which
senses are they connected to?
The poet describes his grandmother as all-loving and all-inspiring. She used to wear purple scarf and carry plastic shopping bag. Her hands were warm and damp having the smell of roots. Her voice was soft, loving and inspiring as sleeping fire.
In this poem, the four senses are used. Purple scarf, plastic shopping bag and sleeping fire are connected to the sense of sight. The warm and damp hands are connected to touch. The smell of root is connected to the sense of smell. The voice is connected to the sense of hearing.
5. What kind of life styles does the poet describe of his grandmother?
The poet describes a very simple life style of his grandmother in the poem. The poet describes many types of images such as plastic bag, purple scarf, smell of roots; sleeping fire etc. these are closely related to the activities and life styles of poor tribal people. Such people do not enjoy rich and luxurious life. They are often forced to buy ordinary things. Natural things like roots are their food. They get the light and warmth from the fire. They are the villagers living in the rural area. Actually, the poet is describing the life style of Mesquaki Indian tribe of North America.
6. How does the speaker remember his grandmother?
Long – Question
1. The poem ‘Grandmother’ is a recollection of the poet’s moving love
for his grandmother. On the basis of your childhood recollection, write about
what relation you had with your grandmother or grandfather.
I had my grandfather some years ago. He was a guide in my whole life. He always inspired me to be a good person. He was very good in manner. Now he is only in my remembrance and memory and heart. But every time I keep a look on his photograph he is a source of inspiration to me. I remember all of those things with him.
Actually he brought me up. He looked after me all the time. He was a good guru to me. I was always eager to follow him. I used to play hide and seek with him. If there was any difficulty he would be the first person on the spot to help me. He understood me very well. His kind behaviour always lured me. I never had my rice with my own mom. He used to fed me rice and bathe me daily. Usually I used to sleep with him. When all the family members were at work, he was my playmate. I was fond of listening to his stories especially stories from religious books, fables, legends etc.
He was illiterate but he had got a good common sense. Although he was not educated himself, he taught me many things. He used to go with me up to school yard. When the school closed he would be there to take me home. He never scolded me. My all-loving and all-inspiring grandfather is not with me now. When I look at his photograph, his shape of image comes in to my mind as fresh as before. He always wore Daura Suruwal and Dhaka Topi. At the age of late eighties there were many wrinkles on his face. Later his eyesight was poor. His polite voice still echo into my ears. He taught me good manners and gave me moral instructions. His love and reminiscence makes me aware of my life. I always recollect his manner, inspiration, moral instructions, and behaviour in my life.
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