Joy Harjo Poem

Define art. Most individuals would have some trouble doing so. Art is not something that can be tied down into one genre, person, or medium. From ancient times to modern day, means of art have constantly evolved and its definition has become more loose and inclusive to other senses. Meena Alexander writes “There is an important stream of underground history I have learnt to recognize: secret letters, journals, inscriptions, scribblings on bits of paper” (Alexander). All kinds of different embodiments of writing may be an art form of some sorts to a human being. The debate has raged on regarding the evolution of the artistic qualities in song lyrics, and how that relates to the old ways of poetry. The poem “Remember” by Joy Harjo is elevated
in terms of artistry through the use of personification and free verse, while the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole is unique by means of its distinct qualities of rhyming, alliteration, and dialogue. However, there are several alternative poetic devices used by both pieces, and therefore makes them of equal artistic levels.
In each piece, the artists address the powerful theme of appreciating what the earth and its inhabitants have to offer, while using similar analytical elements. This similar theme that is experienced in both pieces is the idea of nature, and the elegance that it includes. They authors then use like elements to get this theme across to the readers. For starters, they are sharing their work for the purpose of opening up the people’s eyes and getting them to recognize the importance of seeing the beauty in one’s surrounding. The title of Joy Harjo’s poem, “Remember” is a form of subtle command telling those to reminisce on the best aspects of life. The song by Kamakawiwo’ole takes more of a personal route, but uses the lines “And the brightness of the day highlight the dark / and I think to myself / what a wonderful world” to highlight the significance of recognizing the positive parts of every day and value the world (lines 20-21). The reader is able to fully comprehend this intended message because of the likeness in the tones of each work. Both have an extremely appreciative tone, as seen when the author writes “Remember the
plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their / families, their histories too. Talk to them, / listen to them” (Harjo lines 14-16). Appreciation, and also a sense of optimism can be discerned in “Somewhere.” The lyrics go, “Somewhere over the rainbow / blue birds fly / and the dreams that you dreamed of / dreams really do come true” (Kamakawiwo’ole lines 5-8). Kamakawiwo’ole is showing that he can hope for good times ahead, and is willing to accept happiness through nature, not necessarily material items. Though they are somewhat different, the authors use the speakers as a pair of metaphorical eyes for the the audience to see the content through. The speaker of “Remember” is presumed to be someone older and wiser, as they know how to keep the past alive, while being able to fully live in the present. In “Somewhere,” Kamakawiwo’ole expresses the speaker as someone traveling through a personal realization about the beauties of the world, and where one can find them. These speakers allow both the purpose and the tone to make logical sense and heighten the overall artistic genius in the poem and song. Not only do these pieces share a universal message, but they also get such a message across with the use of similar poetic devices.
Comparisons with metaphors or similes are prevalent when drawing the connection with something real to an abstract idea, and this then creates a sense of intensified beauty. The line “Where trouble melts like lemon drops” is a key example of this concept (Kamakawiwo’ole line 11). Kamakawiwo’ole takes the idea of trouble and worry, and allows it to beautifully flow into the idea of a lemon candy. Similarly, Harjo’s line “Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their / tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, / listen to them. They are alive poems” provides the comparison of nature, to poems. Both of which share their own sense of beauty, but is shown in different ways, thus making them perfect subjects to compare. In addition, the authors use the strategy of repetition to emphasize and almost exaggerate their point. For example, the word “remember” is repeated sixteen times throughout the twenty six line poem, and the chorus of “Somewhere” is repeated a total of two times. One article writes, “Lyrics depend heavily on repeated content, usually refrains or choruses. The development of ideas must take account of the repeated sections, and in the ideal case, transform or deepen the meaning of that same content each time we hear it” (Lyric Writing V. Poetry). This is saying that the use of repetition, in either case,
makes the reader know the exact intentions of the author and what they want the audience to find as the most important parts of their work. Through the device of imagery, Kamakawiwo’ole and Harjo are able to make the words of their work come to life off of the paper into the reader’s mind. Journal writer Julie Dean Kessler published “‘You need to sit down and be quiet, take a break from busy lives. If you’re reading to yourself, it’s good brain activity as the brain works to create images. If you are reading to someone, you are aware of every breath” (Kessler). Both authors are able to do just this, permitting the reader to embrace all that is beautiful in their words. Keeping with the theme of nature, Kamakawiwo’ole writes “trees of green and red roses too;” (line 15). Harjo then writes “Remember the earth whose skin you are: / red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth, / brown earth, we are earth” (lines 11-13). By using similar poetic devices, one is able to compare them on artistic levels more precisely, and come to the conclusion that they are accordingly equal. Now, this poem and song are not identical copies of each other. They each have characteristics and device usage that allows them to remain unique and become their own artistic masterpiece. The song “Somewhere” has rhyming throughout, and it adds to the dreamlike or sentimental tone that Kamakawiwo’ole is giving off. The lyrics go “Way up high / and the dreams that you dreamed of / once in a lullaby” (Kamakawiwo’ole lines 2-4). The lyrics themselves add the creative feature one looks for in a work of art. The ABA pattern of this section keeps the mood light and connects to the purpose of the song: appreciating earth and its allure. “Remember,” on the contrary, is a free verse, and relates to the speaker by giving the sense of an inspirational lecture being told. Kamakawiwo’ole also uses alliteration in his work, with the lines “what a wonderful world” and “dreams that you dreamed” (lines 3, 18). Harjo taker her own spin on art by not using and verbal devices such as rhyme or alliteration, but instead masters the use of personification. She writes “Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the / origin of this universe” and “know each of the star’s stories. / Remember the moon, who she is” (Harjo lines 2, 17). Harjo utilizes this personification to allow the words to connect more in depth to the feelings and emotions of humans, who are the ones reading it. These differences allow us to see that works do not need to be the same to be great. In fact, it is quite the opposite. They each need their own individualistic ideas to stand out against the others, and both the poem and song, do an ideal job accomplishing this. To summarize, though Joy Harjo’s “Remember” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole use some different poetic devices, they both have a similar theme and use the distinct qualities of metaphors, repetition, and imagery, making them equally artistic. Considering this, one should appreciate these works as the art they were intended to be.