DetailedAnalysis of the Text
Structure of theText
I. The opening paragraph gives a lyrica ldescription of the author’s ancestral land, which plays a key role in his exploration of his Kiowa identity. (Para. 1)
II. Theauthor explains the purpose of his visit to Rainy Mountain: to be at hisgrandmother’s grave. This part serves as a transitional link between thedescription of the land in the first paragraph and the narration of hisgrandmother’s and his people’s stories in the following paragraphs. (Para. 2)
III. Theauthor weaves the story of his grandmother and the history of his Kiowaancestors in seeking of his racial and cultural heritage. In this main sectionof the essay the author traces the three stages of the Kiowa history---emergence,evolution, and decline. (Paras. 3-13)
1. Theauthor sums up the history of the Kiowa as a Plains Native culture—the goldentime and the decline in their history. (Para. 3)
2. Byinvolving himself with the landscape, the author explores the three stages ofthe Kiowa culture—emergence, evolution and decline. His grandmother serves as afocus or a link by which the author moves his narrative from one stage toanother. (Paras. 4-9)
3. Theauthor concentrates only on his grandmother’s story rather than mixing it withthe history of the whole Kiowa tribe. He shifts the focus of depicting thelandscape to describing a person—his grandmother Aho as an old woman. (Para.10)
4. Thispart depicts the old houses at Rainy Mountain, where the author’s grandmotherand other Kiowa used to live and the reunions of the Kiowa people took place.(Paras. 11-13)
IV. Duringhis visit of his grandmother’s house, he creates an impressive image of thecricket against the moon. (Para. 14)
V. Theessay ends with the narrator’s last two significant actions. “Looking back”means remembering the past; “coming away” indicates a determination to startafresh from Rainy Mountain with a rich heritage. (Para. 15)
1. Whatis the role of Paragraph 1?
Theopening paragraph of the essay is a lyrical description of the author’s ancestralland, which plays a key role in his exploration of his Kiowa identity. The landis crucial for Momaday because the migration of his people took place here. Theland witnessed the tribal history. The old days are gone forever. The Kiowawarriors are dead. The culture has almost disappeared. What remains is the landwhich is the visible embodiment of their people’s past. By directly involvinghimself with the landscape of his ancestors, the author is able to identifymore closely with them and relive their experiences in his imagination morevividly. The descriptions of the land are very pictorial. As a writer and apainter, Momaday wants to see things in his writing literally and he wants thereader to see what he is talking about, to have a visual impression.
2. A single knoll rises out of the plain... theWichita Range. (Para. 1)
knoll: ahillock
WichitaRange: Wichita Mountains, located in southern Oklahoma.
range:a series of connected mountains considered as a single system.
Translation:一座孤零零的小山拔地而起……
2. …it is an old landmark. (Para. 1)
Alandmark is any prominent feature of the landscape, such as a tree, a hill or abuilding, serving to identify a particular locality. Rainy Mountain had specialmeaning for the author as it is where his grandmother lived and died, buriedwith his grandfather and many other Kiowa warriors.
4. The hardest weather in the world isthere. (Para. 1)
Hyperboleis used here. Details are given in the next sentence to prove this statement: winterblizzards; hot tornadic winds in spring; the prairie like an anvil’s edge insummer, brittle and brown grass, steaming foliage writhing in fire, etc.
5. ... and in summer the prairie is ananvil’s edge. (Para. 1)
Metaphor.
Paraphrase:Insummer the earth of the prairie is extremely hot and hard (because of dry andhot weather).
anvil:aniron or steel block on which metal objects are hammered into shape. Here theword anvil is used metaphorically.
Translation:到了夏天，草原又硬又热，就像铁匠用的铁砧。
1. Thegrass turned brittle and brown. (Para. 1)
Alliteration.
brittle:easily broken and cracked because it is hard and inflexible.
Note:Both brittle and brown begin with the sound “b”. This rhetorical device is calledalliteration, which is the repetition of an initial sound, usually of a consonantin two or more words of a phrase, a line of poetry, etc. In the same paragraphthere are willow and witch hazel, and great green-and-yellow grasshoppers.There are many examples of alliteration in this essay. The frequent use ofalliteration shows the author’s special interest in the sound of language, therhythm of language, how words sound to him and to the reader.
7. There are green beltsalongthe rivers and creeks, linear groves of hickory and pecan, willow and witchhazel. (Para. 1)
Therivers and creeks are lined with groves of green hickory, pecan, willow, andwitch hazel.
8. At a distance in July or August thesteaming foliage seems almost to writhe in fire. (Para. 1)
foliage:(uncountable)the leaves of a plant
towrithe: to twist and turn the body as in agony. Example: Helay on the floor writhing in pain.
Note:Byusing words like steaming and fire, the author is continuing with hisfigurative language to show how hot and dry the place is.
Translation:从远处望去，七、八月里的树叶热得冒烟，犹如在火中挣扎。
9.... popping up like corn to sting the flesh. (Para. 1)
poppingup like corn: When a grasshopper hops, it pops up,making a sudden, explosive movement like corn being roasted.
Translation:像玉米花一样爆裂开，刺得人痛。
10. Loneliness is an aspect of the land.(Para. 1)
Lonelinessis a major quality of this landscape. As we can see, the depiction of the landis injected with the author’s own emotions and imagination, bringing out thespirit of the place. The author emphasizes loneliness perhaps because thisquality enables one to concentrate one’s mind on the earth.
11. All things in the plain are isolate;there is no confusion of objectsinthe eye. (Para. 1)
Note: “Inthe eye” is a set phrase, not in the eyes. The word eye is used in the singular not to mean the concrete organ ofsight, but man’s power of seeing or observing. Some other idioms with the word eye in the singular form:
tohave your eye on something: to have noticed something
notto see eye to eye: to disagree with someone
tohave a good eye for something: to be good at noticing andrecognizing what is attractive, valuable
tomy eye: in my opinion
morethan meets the eye: more complicated than it seems to be atfirst
Translation:平原上的一切都是疏离开来的，所见之物没有混杂在一起,而是清晰可辨，一目了然。
12. … but one hill or one tree or one man (Para.1)
Theusing of “one” instead of an indefinite article “a” emphasizes the fact thatthere is only one hill, only one tree or only one man.
13.To look upon that landscape in the early morning, with the sun at your back, isto lose the sense of proportion. (Para. 1)
tolose the sense of proportion: It means that some objects mayseem larger (or smaller) than they really are. And the sense of proportion isabout life, creation, etc. and so it is a philosophical comment, not just aboutthe physical.
Translation:清晨，太阳在你的背后冉冉升起，此时观看大地，你会失去通常的比例感。
14.Your imagination comes to life, and this, you think, is where Creation wasbegun. (Para. 1)
Paraphrase:Thelandscape makes your imagination vivid and lifelike, and you believe that thecreation of the whole universe was begun right here.
Translation:大地的景色激活了你的想象力，使你相信整个宇宙的创始就从这里开始。
Note:Differentcultures and religions have different myths about how the universe began. TheCreation, with a capitalized “C” and the definite article “the,” is atheological term, meaning the act by God, according to the Bible, of making theuniverse, including the world and everything in it. Here the author capitalizesthe word but omits the article “the,” perhaps to show that he is talking aboutthe creating of the universe as a Kiowa imagines. Later in the essay he talksabout the emergence of his people according to the Kiowa myth.
15.What is the function of Paragraph 2?
In the second paragraph the author explains thepurpose of his visit to Rainy Mountain: to be at his grandmother’s grave. Thisparagraph serves as a transitional link between the description of the land inthe first paragraph and the narration of his grandmother’s and his people’sstories in the following paragraphs.
16.She had lived to be very old and at last infirm. (Para.2)
infirm :weak or ill especially because one is old
17.I was told that in death her face was that of a child. (Para. 2)
Indeath, she was peaceful and free from all earthly worries and miseries. Herface looked like that of a child. Only in death can one return to childhoodinnocence and peacefulness. The wordchild is repeated in the next sentence of the next paragraph: “I like tothink of her as a child.” Structurally the two paragraphs are smoothlyconnected. In meaning, the author seems to say that life is a circle—one beginsas a child and ends like a child, and in death one returns to where one begins.
18.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
This paragraph sums up the history of the Kiowa as a Plains Nativeculture—the golden time and the decline in their history.
19.I like to think of her as a child. (Para. 3)
Why does the author like to think of her as a child? His grandmother wasborn (around 1880) at a time when the Kiowa were still living in their goldentime or to be more exact, the last moment of their golden time. Starting from Paragraph3 the author links his grandmother with the history of the Kiowa. Thisnarrative structure will continue in the following parts of the essay.
20.For more than a hundred years they had controlledthe open range from the Smoky Hill River to the Red, from the headwaters of theCanadian to the fork of the Arkansas and Cimarron. (Para.3)
fork:thepoint where a river is divided into two or more branches, or where branchesjoin to form a river
21….they had ruled the whole of the southern Plains. (Para. 3)
TheIndians of the Great Plains inhabited two major sub-regions. The northernPlains, from Dakota and Montana southward to Nebraska, were dominated byseveral large tribes who spoke Sioux languages, as well as by the Flathead,Blackfoot, Crow and some other Indian tribes. The other major concentration ofPlains Indians was in the central and southern Plains. The so-called “FiveCivilized Tribes” pursued an agricultural life there. In western Kansas livedthe Pawnee. Surrounding these were the truly nomadic tribes of western Kansas,Colorado, eastern New Mexico, and Texas—the Comanche, Kiowa, and Arapahoe.
22.But warfare for the Kiowas was preeminently a matter of dispositionratherthan of survival. (Para. 3)
Paraphrase:Warfare was important for the Kiowa more because of their militant tendencythan because of their need for survival. In other words, the Kiowa often foughtjust because they were good warriors, because they fought out of habit, character,nature, not because they needed extra land or material gain for the sake ofsurviving and thriving.
disposition:a particular type of character which makes someone more likely to behave orreact in a certain way; temperament; an inclination, tendency. The word disposition is used to refer to thenormal or prevailing aspect of one’s nature. 性情，性格，癖性，意向
Examples of disposition:
a) Hehad a cheerful disposition.
b) Hehad a disposition to quarrel.
amatter of: a situation that involves something ordepends on something
amatter of disposition: 出于性情
Somephrases with the word matter. Notethe different meanings of the word matterin these phrases:
—a matter of opinion: a question ofdifferent views
—amatter of life and death: an extremely serious or dangerous situation thatcould end in death
—amatter of time: used to say that something will definitely happen sooner orlater
—a matter of taste: depending on yourtaste, your judgment
—a matter of seconds: only a few seconds
Translation:对于基奥瓦人来说，打仗主要是性情使然，而不是为了生存的需要。
23.… and they never understood the grim, unrelenting advance of the U.S. Cavalry.(Para. 3)
Paraphrase:The Kiowa didn’t know why the U.S. Cavalry kept advancing toward them socruelly and relentlessly.
grim:fierce; cruel; savage.
unrelenting:relentless, refusing to yield; inflexible.
Note: Whydidn’t the Kiowa understand the grim, unrelenting advance of the U.S. Cavalry? Warswere common among different Indian tribes. The cause of war was simple. Theyeither fought for the simple necessity of survival or to display their bravery.When one side won a battle, they would typically stop advancing upon theirdefeated enemy but would celebrate their victory. Yet, the U.S. Cavalry seemeddifferent. They never gave up advancing even when they won. This puzzled theIndians. The truth is that the U.S. Cavalry was sent to accompany and protectthe non-Indian, mostly white, settlers. In the 19th century, the Americanfrontier kept moving westward. This westward expansion brought constant conflictsbetween Native Americans and non-Indian newcomers. When such conflictsoccurred, the U.S. Government and Army would invariably be on the side of thelatter.
24.When at last, divided and ill-provisioned, theywere driven onto the Staked Plains in the cold rains of autumn, they fell intopanic. (Para. 3)
ill-provisioned:withoutadequate supplies, especially, food 供应不足
25.In Palo Duro Canyon they abandoned their crucial stores to pillage and hadnothing then but their lives. (Para. 3)
stores:When used in the plural form, the word means supplies, especially food,clothing, arms, etc.
pillage:theact of plundering
buttheir lives: except their lives
26.My grandmother was sparedthehumiliation of those high gray walls by eight or ten years. (Para. 3)
Paraphrase:Luckily, my grandmother did not suffer the humiliation of being put into aclosure for holding animals, for she was born eight or ten years after theevent.
to spare:to save or free a person from something (e.g. to spare someone trouble)
Translation:幸运的是，我的祖母晚出生了十来年，所以她免受围困在灰色高墙里当囚犯的耻辱。
27.… but she must have known from birth the affliction of defeat, the darkbrooding of old warriors. (Para. 3)
Paraphrase:From her early childhood on, she must have heard what had happened from herparents and grandparents. Therefore she must have known about the great painand distress brought by defeat, and she must have seen how they had keptthinking about their defeat in a gloomy and hopeless way.
tobrood: to keep thinking about something in a distressed ortroubled way. The Kiowa kept thinking abouttheir defeat because they were unable to forget thepast wrong done to them, because the humiliation was too deep for them toforget.
28. What is the main idea of Paragraph 4?
Thisparagraph is about how the Kiowa migrated from western Montana and how themigration transformed the Kiowa. Like Paragraph 3, this section uses theauthor’s grandmother’s story as a focal point, but quickly moves on to thestory of the Kiowa people. Words like “she belonged to the last culture” and“her forebears” smooth the transition.
29.… the last culture to evolve in North America. (Para. 4)
Beforethe arrival of the Europeans, there had been numerous Native Indian culturesthat had existed for a long, long time in North America. After the Kiowa’smigration to the Great Plains from Montana three centuries ago, they acquiredhorses and the Sun Dance culture. They changed their old ways of living anddeveloped their new culture gradually. The author says that this was the lastculture to evolve in North America.
30.… whose language has never been positively classified in any major group.(Para. 4)
Note:The Native Indian languages are classified mainly geographically, notlinguistically. Perhaps because of the migration of the Kiowa, their languagehas never been definitely classified in any major group of the Native Indianlanguages.
Translation:他们的语言从来没有明确地归类于任何主要印第安语言组里。
31.It was a long journey toward dawn, and it led to agoldenage. (Para. 4)
Metaphor.
Paraphrase:Theytraveled a long way moving toward the east, where the sun rises, and alsotoward the beginning of a new culture, which led to the greatest moment intheir history.
Note:The word “dawn” has two meanings: the beginning of daylight; daybreak and thebeginning of something. Both meanings suit the context here in that the Kiowapeople not only moved toward the sun, but also toward the beginning of a newera in their history.
goldenage: a period during which something is very successful,especially in the past. 黄金时代，鼎盛时期
Translation:这是朝着黎明的长途跋涉，最后达到黄金时代。
32.Along the way the Kiowas were befriended by the Crows. (Para. 4)
Indian wars were frequent in history. Yet, in the process of theirmigration, the Crow helped the Kiowa by giving them horses and the religion ofthe Plains, both of which were essential for the transformation of the Kiowafrom a mountain people to a plains people.
33. … their ancient nomadicspirit was suddenly free of the ground. (Para. 4)
Note: Asa nomadic people, they had no permanent home and were constantly on the move.When they lived in the mountains in Montana, they had no horses and thereforethey had to walk on foot all the time. In a sense they were tied to the ground.Now they were able to gallop on horseback. This gave them a new freedom ofmovement, thus completely liberating their ancient nomadic spirit.
nomadic:of, characteristic of nomads, who are members of a tribe or group of peoplehaving no permanent home, but moving constantly in search of food, pasture,etc.
Translation:他们古老的游牧民族精神突然获得了充分的行动自由。
34.They acquired Tai-me, the sacred Sun Dance doll, from that moment the objectand symbol of their worship, and so shared in the divinity of the sun. (Para.4)
Paraphrase:TheKiowa came into possession of Tai-me, the object and symbol of theirworship—the Sun Dance religion. This object was worshiped by all tribes thatregarded the sun as deity.
Tai-me:Tai-meis the sacred object of worship in their Sun Dance religion. It is alsoreferred to as the Sun Dance doll or fetish. In other places in his workMomaday describes it as a bundle of medicine, which has great healing power.For more information, see Note 15 to the text.
SunDance: The Great Plains Indians worshipped the sun as theirgod. The Sun Dance was their religious ceremony. The dance was attended withsymbolic rites. One of the rites was to hang Tai-me, the Sun Dance fetish, abundle of medicine from a tree. That was the only time when it was exhibited forviewing. The Sun Dance period took place in mid-summer and was considered to bevery festive and sacred.
35.Not least, they acquired the sense of destiny, therefore courage and pride.(Para. 4)
notleast: last but not least, equally important
destiny:fate; an inevitable succession of events as determined supernaturally or bynecessity, implying a favorable outcome
Translation:同样重要的是，他们获得了使命感，从而得到勇气和骄傲。
36.No longer were they slaves tothesimple necessity of survival; they were a lordly and dangerous society offighters and thieves, hunters andpriests of the sun. (Para. 4)
Note:The inversion of the sentence order is used foremphasis.
slave:a person who is completely dominated by some influence, habit, person, etc.Note the preposition used with it is “to”, not “of”. Example: Many modern youngcouples don’t want to be slaves to mortgaged houses.
lordly:(adj.)haughty, like a lord. The word “lordly” echoes the word “pride”. And it iscontrasted with the word “slave”.
priestsof the sun: pious believers participating in theSun Dance religion
37.According to their origin myth, they entered the world through a hollow log.(Para. 4)
Note:theirorigin myth: According to the myth about where they originally came from, theybelieved they entered the world from a hollow log. In the first chapter of hisbook The Way to Rainy Mountain, Momaday writes, “You know, everything had tobegin, and this is how it was: The Kiowas came one by one into the worldthrough a hollow log. There were many more than now, but not all of them gotout. There was a woman whose body was swollen up with a child, and she gotstuck in the log. After that, no one could get through, and that is why theKiowas are a small tribe in number. They looked all around and saw the world.It made them glad to see so many things. They called themselves Kwuda, “comingout.”
ahollow log: a log with an empty space runningthrough it
38.From one point of view, their migration was the fruit of an old prophecy, forindeed they emergedfroma sunless world. (Para. 4)
Paraphrase:Ina sense, their migration confirmed the ancient myth that they entered the worldfrom a hollow log, for they did emerge from the sunless world of the mountains.
an oldprophecy: This refers to their origin myth.
thesunless world: This refers to the mountains of Montanawhere they had lived before their migration to the Great Plains. Thosemountains were so high and were covered with such dense forests that thesunlight could not penetrate them.
Translation:从某种意义上说，他们的迁移证实了他们的古老神话传说，因为他们确实来自一个不见阳光的世界。
39.What is the role of Paragraph 5?
Paragraph5 explains the purpose of the author’s journey to places where his ancestorslived.
40.Although my grandmotherlivedout her long life in the shadow of Rainy Mountain, the immense landscape of thecontinental interior lay like memory in her blood. (Para. 5)
Paraphrase:Althoughmy grandmother never left Rainy Mountain in her long life, the immenselandscape of the Great Plains lay in her memory as if she had lived thereherself.
thecontinental interior: referring to the Great Plains
Translation:虽然我的祖母漫长的一生都居住在雨山的影子里，但大平原的广阔景色刻在她的记忆中，似乎她亲自生活在那里。
41.I wanted to see in realitywhatshe had seen more perfectly in the mind's eye, and traveled fifteen hundredmiles to beginmypilgrimage. (Para. 5)
Note:There is a contrast between “in reality” and “in themind’s eye”.
themind’s eye: in imagination. Aho had never been toplaces like the Black Hills, but she had seen them quite well in imagination,for she had heard so much about them from the older generations. It is throughthe oral tradition that the Kiowa cultural heritage has been handed down fromgeneration to generation.
pilgrimage:a journey made by a pilgrim, especially to a shrine or holy place; any longjourney to a place of historical interest. For Momaday, the journey is indeedto a holy place, a place where his ancestors lived and thrived in their goldenage.
Translation:我要看看我祖母心目中曾看到的更完美的景象在现实里究竟是什么样子，因此我不远千里而来，开始了我的朝圣。
42.What is the main idea of Paragraph 6?
TheKiowa felt a sense of confinement in Yellowstone, Montana.
43.But, beautiful as it is, one might have the sense of confinement there. (Para.6)
beautifulas it is: although it is beautiful
confinement:stateof being kept within limits; restriction, imprisonment
Translation:虽然黄石地区十分美丽，但人们可能有受束缚、被禁锢的感觉。
44.The skyline in all directions is close at hand, the high wall of the woods anddeep cleavages of shade.(Para.6)
skyline:the line along which the sky seems to touch the earth; visible horizon
closeat hand: very close
cleavage:division,split
Note:The phrase “the high wall of the woods and deep cleavages of shade” is inapposition with the word “skyline”, a further explanation of the word.
Translation:放眼望去，四周天际线近在咫尺，伸手可及。这天际线是一道道树木形成的高墙和一条条幽深的裂缝。
45.There is perfect freedominthe mountains, but it belongs to the eagle and the elk, the badger and thebear. (Para. 6)
Paraphrase:Thereis perfect freedom in the mountains, but only animals can enjoy this freedomthoroughly. The Kiowa did not feel free at all.
Note:Here this sentence echoes the idea of “the sense of confinement” expressedearlier.
Note: Theeagle and the elk, the badger and the bear: Alliteration again. Of all animalsinhabiting in that large area, the author chooses a pair beginning with “e” anda pair with “b” to achieve a poetic effect. Also the author uses the singularform of the noun with the definite article “the” to denote a group.
46.The Kiowas reckoned their stature by the distance they could see, and they werebent and blind in the wilderness. (Para. 6)
Paraphrase:Ashunters, it was very important for the Kiowa to be able to see far. So if aKiowa could see very far, he would be respected by his fellow Kiowa. In otherwords, their stature was measured by the distance they could see. Yet, becauseof the dense forests, they could not see very far, and they could hardly standstraight, thus bent and blind in the wilderness.
Note: Payattention to the repetition of the initial sound “b” in bent and blind. Beside,the author employs the rhetorical devise of hyperbole to make the descriptionmore vivid and effective. Hyperbole is exaggeration for effect and not meant tobe taken literally. Although they felt a sense of confinement, they werecertainly not bent and blind.
toreckon: to judge, consider, estimate
stature:the degree to which someone is admired or regarded as important.
Translation:基奥瓦人衡量他们的水准是靠他们能看多远，然而在黄石地区的荒野中，他们站不高，看不远。
47.What is the main idea of Paragraph 7?
This paragraph is a depiction of thelandscape which they came upon when they got out of the highlands of Montana.The new landscape is open, limitless and sunlit, allowing them a new visioninto unknown distances. This forms a sharp contrast with the sunlessmountainous landscape of Yellowstone. The sense of confinement and limitationin the mountains gave way to a sense of freedom in the plains.
48.Descending eastward, the highland meadows are a stairway to the plain. (Para.7)
Simile
Note: Thesubject of the verb “descending” is the highland meadows. The highland meadows,which are on the slope of the Rocky Mountains, descend from west to east.
Note:The word “stairway” is used metaphorically. The sloping meadows are like astairway going down from a higher level to a lower level.
Translation:他们朝东下山，高原的草甸犹如通向平原的阶梯。
49.In July the inland slope of the Rockies is luxuriant with flax and buckwheat,stone crop and larkspur. (Para. 7)
theinland slope: the side of the Rocky Mountains facingthe Great Plains, not the side facing the Pacific Ocean lying to the west ofthe Rocky Mountains
luxuriant(with): growing strongly and thickly
Translation:七月，落基山脉面向平原的内坡上长满了亚麻、荞麦、景天和翠雀等各种植物。
50.Clusters of trees and animals grazing far in the distance cause the vision toreach away and wondertobuild upon the mind. (Para. 7)
Paraphrase:The earth unfolds and the limit of the land is far in the distance, where thereare clusters of trees and animals eating grass. This landscape makes one seefar and broadens one’s horizon.
Note: Rememberthat they could not see far into the distance in the forest-covered mountains.
causethe vision to reach away: make one see far into thedistance, broaden one’s horizon
cause...wonderto build upon the mind: cause wonder to grow, make theirimagination grow
Translation:一丛丛的树以及远处吃草的动物使得人们的视线变得开阔，增强了想象力。
51.The sun follows a longer course in the day, and the sky is immense beyond allcomparison. (Para. 7)
Note:Why does the sun follow a longer course in the day? Because of the low horizon,the sun rises early and sets down late, thus making the day longer and nightshorter than in the mountains.
beyondall comparison: 无可比拟，无与伦比
Note:This sentenceis in contrast with the sentence in Paragraph 6: “The skyline in all directionsis close at hand.”
Translation:白天，太阳走的路线更长，天空辽阔无比。
52.The great billowing clouds that sail upon it are shadows that move upon thegrain like water. (Para. 7)
Metaphorand simile
Paraphrase:Clouds swell like large waves and move like sails upon the sky, casting shadowson the grain fields. As the clouds move, the shadows move too, making somepatches of land brighter and some darker.
Note:Figures of speech connected with water are used here: billowing, sail, likewater. When you use an extended metaphor, stick to the same metaphor and avoidusing mixed metaphors.
tobillow: to surge, swell in large waves of water
Translation:波浪起伏的大片云彩像帆船一样在空中飘过，向农田投下的影子像流水一样移动，使得田野上的光线有明有暗。
53.Sweet clover takes hold of the hillsand bends upon itself to coverandsealthe soil. (Para. 7)
to takehold of: to get control or possession of
sealthe soil: cover the soil tightly to prevent itfrom being washed away
Translation:草木犀长满了山丘，它低垂的枝叶盖到地上，密密地封住土壤。
54.The sun is at home on the plains. (Para. 7)
Paraphrase:Thesun is at ease/comfortable on the plains.
Translation:在平原上，太阳感到自由自在。
55.Precisely there does it have the certain character of a god. (Para. 7)
Note:Inversionof the sentence order is used for emphasis. The word “there” is being stressed.
thecertain character of a god: Here the word “certain” meansunquestionable, not to be doubted.
Note: Aftertheir migration to the plains, the Kiowa began to worship the sun as their god.The Sun Dance was their religious ceremony, and Tai-me was the Sun Dancefetish, their object of religious worship.
56.When the Kiowas came to the landofthe Crows, they could see the dark lees of the hills at dawn across the BighornRiver, the profusion of light on the grain shelves, the oldest deity ranging afterthe solstices. (Para. 7)
theBighorn River: 741 km. long, this river is formed inwest central Wyoming and flows north to join the Yellowstone River in southernMontana.
profusion:apouring forthwith with great liberality; abundance; a great amount or quantity
grainshelves: terraced fields of grain
theoldest deity: referring to the sun
57.Not yet would they veer southward to the caldron of the land that lay below; theymust wean their blood from the northern winter and hold the mountains a whilelonger in their view. (Para. 7)
Paraphrase:They would not yet change the direction southward to the land lying below whichwas like a large kettle. First, they must give their bodies some time to getused to the plains. Secondly, they didn’t want to lose sight of the mountainsso soon. Note the inversion of the sentence order.
toveer: to change direction, change course
thecaldron of the land: the land that is like a caldron. Theuse of implied comparison and the noun “caldron” instead of the attributiveclause makes the description more vivid.
Other examples:
Theylived in a palace of a house.
It isa dark cave of a room.
Before him stood a little shrimp of a fellow.
theland that lay below: Now they are stopping by the BighornRiver in Wyoming, mid-way between the highlands of Montana and the GreatPlains.
towean: The word “wean” originally means to withholdmother’s milk from the baby (断奶) or the young mammal and substituteother nourishment for it. It is used here metaphorically. The Kiowa paused ontheir way, not in a hurry to go on toward the southeast because they wanted togive their bodies some time to get accustomed to the change of weather andother physical conditions.
Translation:他们不忙于改变方向朝南而行，那边的山下的土地形状像一把大壶；他们需要让他们的身体适应从北方的严冬到平原的变化，还想多看看熟悉的高山。
58.They bore Tai-me in procession to the east. (Para. 7)
Theycarried Tai-me in their migration to the east. With the acquisition of Tai-me,the sacred Sun Dance fetish, the Kiowa entered into an alliance with the sun,their highest deity.
59.What is the main idea of Paragraph 8?
In thisparagraph the author describes Devil’s Tower and tells the Kiowa’s legend aboutit.
60.The land was like iron. (Para. 8)
Theland was barren and hard. This sentence echoes the expression “the prairie isan anvil’s edge” in Paragraph 1.
61.At the top of a ridge I caught sight of Devil’s Towerupthrustagainst the gray sky as if in the birth of time the core of the earth hadbroken through its crust and the motion of the world was begun. (Para. 8)
Devil’sTower: The rolling hills of the Devil’s Tower Park has asize of 1,347 acres, covered with pine forests, woodlands, and prairiegrasslands. Deer, prairie dogs, and other wildlife are abundant. It wasproclaimed in 1906 as the first national monument by President TheodoreRoosevelt. Millions of people will recognize the shape of Devil’s Tower fromthe movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, which featured the Tower as thelanding spot of the awesome Mother Ship. Devil’s Tower is one of the legendaryplaces in American Indian cultures. There are different versions of the originof the Tower. Some tribes call it Bears Lodge. It is an important place in theKiowa history. When Momaday was a baby his parents made a trip to the BlackHills with him. There, Momaday was given a Kiowa name—Tsoaitalee, “Rock TreeBoy” in English, which was derived from the Kiowa story about Devil’s Tower.
upthrust:a geological term meaning an upheaval of a part of the earth’s crust
core:the central portion of the earth
crust:the solid, rocky outer portion or shell of the earth
Themotion of the world was begun: Everything in the world was madeto move. The use of the passive voice suggests that there was a force thatbegan the motion of the world.
Translation:在一座山脊顶上，我看到魔鬼塔高高插入灰蒙蒙的天空，似乎在时间诞生之时，地核打开，地壳破裂，宇宙的运动从此开始。
62.There are things in nature that engender an awful quiet in the heart of man.(Para. 8)
toengender: to bring into being, bring about,produce
awful:inspiring awe, full of awe. The sentence means that people are awe-strickenwhen they see spectacular things in nature.
Translation:大自然中一些事物让人的心中产生敬畏的宁静。
63.Two centuries ago, because they could not do otherwise, the Kiowas made alegend at the base of the rock. (Para. 8)
Paraphrase:Two centuries ago, because the Kiowa could not explain how Devil’s Tower wasformed in scientific terms, the only thing they could do was to make up a storyat the base of the rock, using their imagination.
Translation:两个世纪前，因为基奥瓦人不能有其他的解释，他们只好在石头脚下创造出一个传奇故事。
64.Directly there was a bear where the boy had been. (Para. 8)
Note: Whydid he become a bear, not some other animal? In Kiowa culture, the bear isregarded as the most powerful of all animals. In an interview with BettyeGivens in 1982, Momaday says, “Bears are wonderful creatures. They are human-like,adventurous, powerful, curious, extremely confident in their elements. If youtook a lion and you pitted him against the bear, I would bet on the bear. Bearsare powerful.” He also says, “I identify with the bear because I’m intimatelyconnected with that story. And so I have this bear power. I turn into a bearevery so often. I feel myself becoming a bear... The boy who turns into a bear,what does that mean? What is the metaphor? What is the symbolism there? I suspectit is that part of man which is subhuman. Primitive. Most people cannot recovernature. At one time, we lived in nature. But somewhere along the way, we weresevered from nature. And we cannot any longer comprehend the creatures ofnature. We don’t know about them as we once did. But this boy is an exception.He turns into a bear; that means that he reconstructs that link withnature.”
65.It reared against the tree and scored the bark all around with its claws.(Para. 8)
Paraphrase:The bear rose upright on its back legs and scratched the bark of the treearound with its sharp claws.
Note:In this legend, Devil’s Tower was that tree, and the marks on the rockformation were scratches left by the bear.
Translation:熊站立起来，用它尖利的熊爪在树干的四周抓树皮。
66.They became the stars of the Big Dipper. (Para. 8)
the BigDipper:（大熊座内的）北斗七星
Note: Theseven sisters became the stars of the Big Dipper.
67.From that moment, and so long as the legend lives, the Kiowas have kinsmen inthe night sky. (Para. 8)
Note:What isthe symbolic meaning of this legend? In the legend the seven sisters areimmortalized. With this legend, the Kiowa established a kinship with the stars.They had already been allied with the sun through Tai-me. Now that they wererelated to the Big Dipper through the myth of Devil’s Tower, they had achieved theuniverse. The sun and the stars protected them day and night. This preparedthem for the coming of their golden age.
Translation:从那时刻起，只要这个传奇故事存在，基奥瓦人就与夜空有着亲属般的密切关系。
68.Whatever they were in the mountains, they could be no more. (Para. 8)
They were a mountain people in Montana,and now they had been completely transformed into a plains people. The meaningof the sentence is explained by the next sentence.
69.What is the main idea of Paragraph 9?
In thisparagraph the author tells about the last days of the Sun Dance culture byusing his grandmother as a witness.
70.My grandmother had a reverence for the sun, a holy regard that now is all butgoneoutof mankind. (Para. 9)
reverence:a feeling or attitude of deep respect, love, and awe for something sacred; holyregard 敬畏
allbut gone out of mankind: In American spoken English, theword “but” is used to emphasize what you are saying. Example: Go there butfast.
Translation:我的祖母对太阳心怀敬畏，那是一种人类已经完全失去的神圣尊敬。
71.She was a Christian in her later years, but she had come a long way about, andshe never forgot her birthright. (Para. 9)
Paraphrase:Whenshe was old, she became a Christian, but she had changed a lot before becominga Christian and never forgot her cultural heritage as a Kiowa.
birthright:a right or rights that a person has because of being born in a certain family,nation, etc.
72.As a child she had beentothe Sun Dances; she had taken part in those annual rites, and by them she hadlearned the restoration of her peoplein the presence of Tai-me. (Para.9)
Therestoration of her people in the presence of Tai-me: Tai-mewas the most powerful medicine the Kiowa possessed. During a Sun Danceceremony, it was hung from a tree and worshiped as the bringer of good luck.This was the only time when it was exhibited for viewing. In the presence ofTai-me, the Kiowa were revived, healed and energized. After the ceremony, animportant member of the Kiowa tribe was responsible for keeping Tai-me. Onlythis keeper had the right to open it.
73.The buffalo were gone. (Para. 9)
The buffalo not only supplied theKiowa with food and clothing, but also was the animal representation of thesun.
74.In order to consummate the ancient sacrifice--to impale the head of a buffalobull upon the medicine tree--a delegation of old men journeyed into Texas,there to beg and barter for an animal fromthe Goodnight herd. (Para. 9)
toconsummate: to make complete, perfect
sacrifice:the act of offering something to a god, especially in former times by killingan animal or a person in a religious ceremony
toimpale: to push a sharp pointed object through something orsomeone; One of the Sun Dance rites was to pierce the head of a buffalo bulland hang it upon the medicine tree.
tobeg and barter: Alliteration. To barter means to tradeby exchanging goods or services without using money.
herd:a number of cattle, sheep, or other animals feeding, living, or being driventogether
75.… as a living Sun Dance culture (Para. 9)
After the Sun Dance culture wasforbidden and destroyed, it ceased to exist.
76.They could find no buffalo; they had to hang an oldhide from the sacred tree. (Para. 9)
hide:ananimal’s skin, especially when it has been removed to be used for leather
77.Before the dance could begin, a company of soldiers rode out from Fort Sillunder orderstodisperse the tribe. (Para. 9)
underorders to disperse the tribe: The orders came from the U.S.government. Judged by the values of Christianity and European civilization, theNative American cultures appeared to be inferior and backward. The U.S.government perceived the Sun Dance as idolatry and therefore abolished it byforce. For the Kiowa people, the Sun Dance was their holiest religiousceremony. Forbidden to practice their own religion, they were cut off from thelife-sustaining power of the sun.
todisperse: to break up and scatter in alldirections. Example: The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
78.Forbidden without cause the essential actof their faith, having seen thewild herds slaughtered and left to rot upon the ground, the Kiowas backed awayforeverfromthe medicine tree. (Para. 9)
Forbiddenwithout cause the essential act of their faith: Withoutcause they were forbidden to perform the most important part of their religion.No reason was given for abolishing the Sun Dance religion.
withoutcause: without a good reason毫无理由
havingseen the wild herds slaughtered and left to rot upon the ground: Thewhite new comers and merchants killed buffalo in large numbers for commercialpurposes, mainly for the hides. So after killing the animals, they would leavethe dead bodies rotting on the ground. To slaughter means to kill large numbersof (animals, people) in a cruel or violent way.
Note: Theabove two phrases explain why the Kiowa backed away forever from the medicinetree. The medicine tree was the tree from which the Sun Dance medicine bundlewas hung.
Translation:当基奥瓦人被毫无理由地禁止举行他们信仰仪式时，当他们看到大群的水牛被屠杀并横尸遍野时，他们永远地退离了药树（这树上挂着他们跳太阳舞时崇拜的药包）。
79.That was July 20, 1890, at the great bend of theWashita. (Para. 9)
bend:a bent or curving part of a river
theWashita: The Washita River, 720 km. long, risesin the Texas Panhandle near the Oklahoma line and flows southeast to the RedRiver.
80.Without bitterness, and for as long as she lived, she bore a vision of deicide.(Para. 9)
Note: Whywithout bitterness? Maybe the Kiowa had suffered too much to feel bitter, ormaybe they accepted this as their fate.
deicide:the killing of a god. “-cide” is a suffix forming noun. It means (i) a killer(e.g. pesticide); (ii) a killing (e.g. suicide, genocide)
Translation:没有流露悲痛，但她活着的每一天，杀神的景象都在她的眼前。
81.In summing up we can see that in Paragraphs 4 to 9, the author, by involvinghimself with the landscape, explores the three stages of the Kiowaculture—emergence, evolution and decline. His grandmother serves as a focus ora link by which the author moves his narrative from one stage to another.
82.What is the main idea of Paragraph 10?
For the first time, the author concentrates only on his grandmother’sstory rather than mixing it with the history of the whole Kiowa tribe. Also forthe first time, the author shifts the focus of depicting the landscape todescribing a person—his grandmother Aho as an old woman.
83.Now that I can have her only in memory; I see my grandmother in the severalpostures that were peculiar to her: standing at the wood stove on a wintermorning and turning meat in a great iron skillet; sitting at the south window,bent above her beadwork, and afterwards, when her vision had failed, lookingdown for a long time into the fold of her hands; going out upon a cane, veryslowly as she did when the weight of age came upon her; praying. (Para. 10)
Note:This isa long sentence with several participle phrases portraying the differentpostures peculiar to his grandmother. Each posture is described in precisedetails—standing at the wood stove on a winter morning, turning meat in a greatiron skillet, sitting at the south window, bent above her beadwork, lookingdown for a long time into the fold of her hands, going out upon a cane veryslowly, and praying. The method the author uses here is similar to montage, atechnique often employed in films as well as in literature and music. Montageis the art or process of selecting, editing, and piecing together separatesections of cinema or television film to form a continuous whole; the techniqueof producing a new composite whole from fragments of pictures, words, music,etc.
posture:the position or carriage of the body in standing or sitting; bearing. The wordrefers to the habitual or assumed disposition of the parts of the body instanding, sitting, etc.
skillet:a flat heavy cooking pan with a long handle
beadwork:decorative work in beads. American Indians like to wear beads as a decoration.
vision:the ability to see
to fail:tobecome weaker, cease functioning; break down.
Examples:
Her health is failing.
The engine has failed.
He broke down with a heart failure.
Translation:现在我只能在记忆里看到我的祖母；我看到她几个熟悉的姿态：一个冬日的早晨站在木头炉子前，用一个长柄平底锅翻动着烹饪的肉；在南窗下，埋头做她的珠子饰品，后来，当她的视力不济后，长时间地注视着相握的双手；岁月的压力使她不得不拄着拐杖缓慢地行走；以及祈祷的姿势。
84. She made long rambling prayers out ofsuffering and hope, having seenmanythings. (Para. 10)
Paraphrase:Since she had seen many things, experienced a lot in her long life, she talkedabout suffering and hope in her long and disconnected prayers.
Translation:由于她见过的事情太多了，她的长时间的断断续续的祈祷里既有饱受的苦难也有对未来的希望。
85.… so exclusive were they of all mere custom and company. (Para. 10)
Paraphrase:Themeaning of this sentence is that his grandmother’s prayers did not follow anycustomary way of praying, and she did not want anyone else to hear them.
exclusive(of): not including or allowing for (e.g. the costexclusive of taxes)
customand company: Alliteration again. “Custom” means ausual practice, a habitual way of behaving; habit. “Company” means companionship,a group of people gathered for a social purpose, etc.
Translation:祖母的祷告既不遵守习惯，也不需要别人的参与。
86.The last time I saw her she prayed standing by the side of her bedatnight, naked to the waist, the light of a kerosene lamp moving upon her darkskin. Her long, black hair, always drawn and braided in the day, lay upon hershoulders and against her breastslike a shawl. (Para. 10)
Note:Unlikethe first sentence of this paragraph, which juxtaposes several posturestogether, these two sentences focus on only one posture of hisgrandmother—praying by the side of her bed at night. Here the author uses thetechnique of close-up instead of montage. With words he creates a memorableportrait of his grandmother. Apparently, as an artist, he knows how to uselight in painting the portrait. This is a fine example demonstrating the author’sability to create a visual impression.
nakedto the waist: She didn’t wear anything on the upperpart of her body above the waist. Note the preposition “to”.
drawn: pulledup
shawl:a piece of fabric, usually rectangular and often folded into a triangle, wornover the shoulders or head or wrapped round a baby
Translation:最后一次我见她，是在夜晚，她站在床边祷告，上身没有穿衣服，煤油灯光在她黝黑的皮肤上摇曳。白天总是梳成辫子的黑长发，此时散披在她乳房上，犹如搭了一个披肩。
87.… but there was something inherently sad in the sound, some merest hesitationuponthesyllables of sorrow. (Para. 10)
sad inthe sound: alliteration
inherently:existingin someone or something as a natural and inseparable quality
somemerest hesitations: very small hesitations
syllablesof sorrow: alliteration
88.She began in a high, descending pitch, exhausting her breath to silence; thenagain and again--and always the same intensity of effort, of something that is,and is not, like urgencyinthe human voice. (Para. 10)
Paraphrase:She began in a high pitch but it became lower and lower as she used up all herbreath and finally she became silent. Then she would begin again and pray inthe same manner, and then again—always with great effort, with something thatwas, or was not, like urgency in the human voice. Since the author didn’t speakKiowa, he could not understand his grandmother’s prayers, and he felt that inher voice there was something like urgency but he was not sure of that..
pitch:the degree of highness or lowness of a tone
Translation:开始祷告时她的声调很高，声音越来越低，一口气说到了无声为止，然后再提高嗓门，并再一次一次地降低声音，每一次都用足了力气，祷告里似有似无地表现一种人声的紧迫感。
89.Transported so in the dancing light among the shadowsof herroom, she seemed beyondthereach of time. (Para. 10)
Paraphrase:Inthis way she was entranced in the dancing light among the shadows of her room,and she seemed to be timeless; it seemed that she would live forever.
to transport:carry away with emotion; entrance
beyondthe reach of time: timeless. The implied meaning is thatshe would live forever.
Translation:她是那样的情不自禁，在屋影的跳动光线中，她显得超越了时间的掌控。
90.But that was illusion; I knew then that I should not see her again. (Para. 10)
Thatshe was timeless was a false idea, not in accordance with the facts of life.The fact was that I realized that this was going to be my last time to see her.The implied meaning is that she would die soon.
91.Paragraph 11 is about the old houses at RainyMountain, which the author’s grandmother and other Kiowa used to live in, butwhich are now empty. This paragraph serves as a transition between thedepiction of Grandma Aho and the reunion at her house.
92.Houses are like sentinels in the plain, old keepers of the weatherwatch. (Para. 11)
Simile.
sentinel:a person sent to guard a group
keepersof weather watch: those who keep watch for changes ofweather.
93.There, in a very little while, wood takes on the appearance of great age.(Para. 11)
There,in a very short time, wood will look as if it were very old (because of thewind and rain).
94.The windowpanes are black and opaque; you imagine there is nothing within, andindeed there are many ghosts, bones given up to the land. (Para. 11)
windowpane:a single piece of glass in a window
opaque:notletting light pass through, not transparent
Note:Theimplied meaning of the sentence is that for an outsider, the old house looksempty; but for someone who knows and cherishes the history of the Kiowa, thehouse reflects the undying spirit of the Kiowa people, who gave their lives tothe land.
95.What is the main idea of Paragraphs 12 and 13?
Thesetwo paragraphs describe the reunions that were once held at his grandmother’shouse when the author was a child. We can see that the author accepts changeand loss as facts of life. He neither denies nor defies them. Imagination helpshim strike a balance between them. So, after depicting his dead grandmother’sold house, he brings to life the joy and activity that once filled it. As achild Momaday took part in those events. By re-creating such scenes, he remindshimself of who he is.
96.The Kiowas are a summer people; they abide the cold and keep to themselves; butwhen the season turns and the land becomes warm and vital, they cannot holdstill; an old love of going returns upon them. (Para. 12)
Paraphrase:TheKiowa are active and feel at home in summer; in winter, they put up with thecold and avoid going out; but when summer comes and the land becomes warms andfull of life and vigor, their old love of going out returns to them and theybecome active again.
toabide: to put up with
to keepto oneself: to avoid contact with others
97.The aged visitors who came to my grandmother's house when I was a child weremade of lean and leather, and they bore themselves upright. (Para. 12)
madeof lean and leather: The word “leather” means animal skinthat has been treated to preserve it or allow it to be used for making shoes,bags, etc. The author uses the word here because their skin had become as roughand hard as leather due to the over exposure to the sun and wind. Also “lean”and “leather” are placed together for alliteration.
borethemselves upright: carried themselves upright 腰板挺得很直
98.They rubbed fat upon their hair. (Para. 12)
They used fat as hair lotion.
99.Some of them painted their faces and carried thescars of old and cherished enmities. (Para. 12)
oldand cherished enmities: battles that took place in thepast and were remembered fondly by the old warriors
enmity:the bitter attitude or feelings of an enemy or of mutual enemies, hostility,antagonism
100.They were an old council of warlords, come to remind and be reminded of whothey were. (Para. 12)
Paraphrase:They held these reunions to remind themselves and other people of who theywere, to remember the past.
council:agroup of people called together for consultation, discussion, advice, etc.
warlord:a military leader, especially an unofficial one fighting against a governmentor king
Translation:他们是一群善战的首领，聚集在一起，告诉自己同时也告诉别人，他们是谁。
101.The women might indulge themselves; gossip was at once the mark andcompensation of their servitude. (Para. 12)
Paraphrase:Onsuch occasions, the women could do what they liked to do but normally couldn’tdo, such as gossiping, joking and making loud, elaborate talk among themselves.Gossip revealed their position as servants of men and was also a reward fortheir servitude.
toindulge oneself: to give way to one’s own desires
Translation:在这样的场合，妇女们可以借机稍事放纵，做点自己喜欢做而平时不能做的事，比如聚在一起七嘴八舌地闲聊，这既表明她们的伺候男人的地位，也是对服务劳动的回报。
102.They made loud and elaborate talk among themselves, full of jest and gesture,fright and false alarm. (Para. 12)
jestand gesture: Note the alliteration. Jest is amocking remark; a joke, witticism.
frightand false alarm: Alliteration again. The women might betelling ghost stories so that they were frightened, but there was no realdanger.
103.They went abroad in fringed and flowered shawlsbright beadwork and German silver.(Para. 12)
wentabroad: went outside
fringedand flowered shawls: shawls with flower patterns and atrimming of threads. Another example of alliteration.
silver:Silverusually refers to spoons, forks and other kitchenware made of silver. But hereit means silver jewelry, ornaments made of silver.
104.In Paragraph 14, the author talksabout his return to his grandmother’s house and he creates an impressive imageof the cricket against the moon. With this image Momaday brings his essay toits climax.
105.Now there is a funeral silence in the rooms, the endless wake of some finalword. (Para. 14)
Note:Theword “funeral” cannot be replaced with the word “dead”. Dead silence meanscomplete silence. But funeral silence means the kind of silence that characterizesa funeral. Here the author uses it together with the word “wake”, which means awatch over or viewing of a corpse before burial (守夜，守灵) and the word “mourning” in thefollowing sentence.
somefinal word: So the wake is not for his grandmother,who died and was already buried, but for something abstract, maybe the dyingculture of the Kiowa.
106.My line of vision was such that the creature filled the moon like a fossil.(Para. 14)
Paraphrase:I happened to glance in that direction, and there the cricket was perfectlyframed by the full moon as if it were a fossil in it.
Translation:当时在我的视线中那只蟋蟀就像一块化石镶嵌在满月之中。
107.It had gone there, I thought, to live and die, for there of all places, was itssmall definition made whole and eternal. (Para. 14)
Paraphrase:The cricket is a small insect with nothing special about it. But if it could goto live and die on the moon, the small meaning of its existence would becomelarger and eternal.
Translation:我猜想，那蟋蟀到那里去生活和死亡，因为只有在那里它的渺小价值才能变得完整和永恒。
Note:Herethe author has created an impressive image of the cricket against the moon. Asreaders we ask, “What does the image mean? What does the cricket represent?”Different people may have different interpretations. One may see the cricket assymbolic of the Kiowa culture. The Kiowa culture may seem small in definition,but its significance depends on how you look at this culture, or on the anglefrom which you view it. Maybe the cricket has a deeper meaning than that. Inhis essay “Poems of Frederick Goddard Tuckerman” Momaday discusses the symbolicmeaning of the cricket in Tuckerman’s poem “The Cricket.” He says, “Theubiquity of Tuckerman’s cricket is the ubiquity of death. Unlike man, who hassevered his existence from primitive nature, the cricket is an integral part ofnature. And, like death, it has absolute existence in a dimension incomprehensibleto man. Therein lies the validity of the cricket as a symbol of death and ofthe inevitable frustration of man’s quest to know the meaning of death.” Thesewords may throw light on our interpretation of the image.
108.A warm wind rose up and purled like the longing within me. (Para. 14)Longing for what? Nobody knows for sure, except the author himself. Thisstatement is deliberately ambiguous.
109.The next morning I awoke at dawn and went out onthe dirt road to Rainy Mountain. (Para. 15)
thedirt road: road made of dirt, earth, not a dirtyroad
110.There, where it ought to be, at the end of a long and legendary way, was mygrandmother’s grave. (Para. 15)
This sentence echoes the words “I wanted tobe at her grave” in Paragraph 2. The end of a long and legendary way means thedestination of a journey.
111.Looking back once, I saw the mountain and came away. (Para. 15)
Theessay ends with the narrator’s last two significant actions. “Looking back”means remembering the past. Out of his exploration into the past grows anattitude of acceptance and a desire to hold on to cherished memories. “Comingaway” indicates a determination to start afresh from Rainy Mountain with a richheritage that will continue to have a powerful influence on the life of the modernKiowa people.
