The Grandmother - Grade 12 - Heritage Of Words - Summary & All Answer Questions.

The Grandmother

By Ray Young Bear

In this poem the American - Indian poet, Ray Young Bear, draw a picture of his grandmother, all- loving , all- inspiring. His grandmother would wear a purple scarf round her head of warmth also quitnd she would go to market with a plastic shopping  bag in her hand. Her shape was ale remarkable. If the poet saw her from a long distance, he could tell that she was his grandmother. She would come home working in the field and wash her hands. They were wet and had the smell of roots. She would put her hands on his head and caress it lovingly. Although they were wet. they would be warm out of love. Before he looked at her face, the smell and warmth would make him guess that it was his grandmother. Sometimes the poet would go to her grave. He would imagine to have heard a voice coming from the tombstone. He could feel to be his grandmother. He could feel that her words were moving smoothly inside him like a stream. They would inspire him. In his sad life he would find a faint glimpse of cold. His grandmother would wake up and try to move the fire which was covered with thick ashes and he would see her from his bed and hope that he would warm his body by the open fire.

1. What images do you find in this poem written by a member of the Sauk and Fox ( Mesquaki) Indian tribe of North America? To what sense do these image appeal?

Ans: The poet has given two example of Metaphor and one example of simile. The metaphors are 'rock' and 'flow'. Here 'rock' stand for the gravestone and the word 'flow' reminds us of 'the smooth movement of the stream'. And like to light......at night' is  an example of simple. The poet has successfully drawn a picture of his grandmother. These images appeal to all senses. 'Her shape', ' the purple scarf', 'the plastic shopping bag', 'the light', ' a sleeping fire appeal to our sight'. 'The smell of roots' appeal to our smell. 'Warm and damp' appeal to our touch. 'A voice' and 'her words' affect our hearing.

2. How does the speaker feel towards his grandmother? In what words or lines does he make his feeling clear?

Ans: The Speaker finds his grandmother all-loving and all-inspiring. 'Warm and damp' shows how deeply she loved him and 'her words flow inside me like the light' shows how he is inspired by her. Her words would thrill her.