I Lost My Talk By Erica Violet Lee

After reading and analyzing various poems, I have immensely deepened my perspective and understanding of resilience in poetry through the many problems of struggle, identity, and recovery. In "I Lost My Talk" by Rita Joe, the loss of cultural identity because of forced assimilation is depicted in the desperate plea of the speaker to be able to "find my talk" (Joe 14), which illustrates a strong urge to reclaim their true self and share it. In "You Are Love(D)," Erica Violet Lee describes intense resilience and resistance with the use of detailed imagery, for example, "broken shards of tools and the rubble of nations" (Lee 10-11) which furthers learning and cultural pride. Similarly, in "I'm Sad and Lonely," by Carl Sandburg, the blunt expressions