One major characteristic of ethnopoetics that caught my attention was its way of making the writer reach a Shamanic state and world of imagination. These two texts connect because both writers, Waldman and Anzaldua believe that writing can be a connection to the spiritual world. For example, Anzaldua explains how ancient Aztecs believed that poetry with metaphors and symbols would allow communication with the Divine (187). Also, she described how writing heals her by reconstructing the traumas she holds (187). Waldman demonstrates agreement with Anzaldua when she says, “ poetry always seemed an aspect of the spiritual path” (176). She elaborates further on this idea when she mentions Sabina’s knowledge in using the power of language to heal. Sabina says, “ Language makes the dying return to life. The sick to recover their health when they hear the words taught by the saint children. I cure with Language, the Language of the saint children…” ( 180). Therefore, both authors believe that language has power because it enables us to imagine and to transform ourselves into a shaman. As Anzaldua states, “ The ability of story ( prose and poetry) to transform the storyteller and the listener into something or someone else is shamanistic. The writer, as shape-changer, is a nahual, a shaman” (184).
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Reading Response 10/06
The excerpts, From Borderlands/La Frontera:The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldua and From Fast Speaking Women by Anne Waldman, discusses about the distinctive characteristics of ethnopoetics and its impact on world literature. Waldman, for instance, informs her readers about the process she went through when creating her poem, “Fast Speaking Women.“ She claims to have gotten inspiration from Maria Sabina, a Mazatec curandera or healer that was known to be the Saint Mother of the Sacred Mushrooms. Maria Sabina however, was not just a spiritual women that did rituals, she was also recognized for her poetry and chants. Her poem, “La sacerdotiza de los hongos,” presented to Waldman the ethnopoetic structure of poetry. Waldman was fascinated by Sabina’s potent voice and therefore decided to interwove some of her lines in her poem, “Fast Speaking Women.” The reason why she did this was so that she could demonstrate power within language. Waldman states, “ A woman list. And declaration of power through accretion/ repitition. Efficacy through language” (178). Certainly, her constant repetition of “I” and “ women” is to give women the power they did not have during the time period the poem was written. Waldman continues, “I enjoyed the bold equation of human “ I” identity being at one with animal, word, lantern. Now it would be omnipresent with “ women” (175). Waldman liked the strength that oral poetry demonstrated especially, when she was presenting feminist ideas. Her goal was to represent through her language the shouting women and speech women mentioned in her poem.
One major characteristic of ethnopoetics that caught my attention was its way of making the writer reach a Shamanic state and world of imagination. These two texts connect because both writers, Waldman and Anzaldua believe that writing can be a connection to the spiritual world. For example, Anzaldua explains how ancient Aztecs believed that poetry with metaphors and symbols would allow communication with the Divine (187). Also, she described how writing heals her by reconstructing the traumas she holds (187). Waldman demonstrates agreement with Anzaldua when she says, “ poetry always seemed an aspect of the spiritual path” (176). She elaborates further on this idea when she mentions Sabina’s knowledge in using the power of language to heal. Sabina says, “ Language makes the dying return to life. The sick to recover their health when they hear the words taught by the saint children. I cure with Language, the Language of the saint children…” ( 180). Therefore, both authors believe that language has power because it enables us to imagine and to transform ourselves into a shaman. As Anzaldua states, “ The ability of story ( prose and poetry) to transform the storyteller and the listener into something or someone else is shamanistic. The writer, as shape-changer, is a nahual, a shaman” (184).
One major characteristic of ethnopoetics that caught my attention was its way of making the writer reach a Shamanic state and world of imagination. These two texts connect because both writers, Waldman and Anzaldua believe that writing can be a connection to the spiritual world. For example, Anzaldua explains how ancient Aztecs believed that poetry with metaphors and symbols would allow communication with the Divine (187). Also, she described how writing heals her by reconstructing the traumas she holds (187). Waldman demonstrates agreement with Anzaldua when she says, “ poetry always seemed an aspect of the spiritual path” (176). She elaborates further on this idea when she mentions Sabina’s knowledge in using the power of language to heal. Sabina says, “ Language makes the dying return to life. The sick to recover their health when they hear the words taught by the saint children. I cure with Language, the Language of the saint children…” ( 180). Therefore, both authors believe that language has power because it enables us to imagine and to transform ourselves into a shaman. As Anzaldua states, “ The ability of story ( prose and poetry) to transform the storyteller and the listener into something or someone else is shamanistic. The writer, as shape-changer, is a nahual, a shaman” (184).
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I found it interesting how both authors connected their writing to the spiritual world. It shows us that they are really passionate when we read about their influences and experiences. Many people can relate to them because they have gone through the things that they discuss in their writing.
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