My Analysis of "I lost my talk"

                                                           My Analysis                                       

                                                                           of 

                                                                               Rita Joe's Poem 

                                                                                                    "I lost my talk"                                         

By: Michelle 

                  Desbiens

        "I lost my talk".  A sentence that has stayed in my mind and maybe for others too. From the title, I learnt that the author has expressed that she has lost her talk. Before I share my analysis, I would like to share some information on Rita Joe. 

     Rita Joe was a Mi'kwaq poet. She was a Canadian. Rita was from a reserve in Nova Scotia. By the age of 12, she entered the Shubenacadie residential school. She was forbidden to speak her language. This plays a significant factor in her poetry. She was a residential school survivor.

    The start of my analysis is finding literary devices. I have found 4 devices in her poem. It started off with irony: "I lost my talk, The talk you took away." The second one that I have found is repetition 1: "I speak like you, I think like you, I create like you." There was also mood and metaphor.

    This poem is written in a way that the author can interpret their emotions and storytelling. The effect it has on the reader is to make them feel the emotions that the author is feeling throughout the poem. 

    It shows something has been taken from her, or from others that have attended the residential schools. She is expressing how a piece of hers has been lost/ taken away. It was shown in repetition 1 and repetition 2 

("Two ways I talk, Both ways I say, Your way is more powerful.")

    The main idea of the poem is about losing a part of who you are because people could not see eye to eye with people of other ethnicities. I am positive about my answers because I have done research on the author prior to reading her poem to have a better understanding. The title relates to the theme because the author has used the verse "I lost my talk" in the opening of her poem. 

 

    "So gently I offer my hand and ask, Let me find my talk, So that I can teach you about me." This part stood out to me because it made me realize how I truly felt. I have always wanted to "fit in" and to be "normal". But not everyone can be. I have learnt the hard way. To some people being different is not good and for others good. Now since I am becoming older, I want to help others to have a better understanding of others' differences. 

    The poet's gender is not reflected in this poem. The reason it does not reflect is that anyone with a certain ethnicity (Native) would have been treated the same as the poet. 

    Lastly, this poem has shown a lot of resilience, determination, and perseverance. In the poem, it says " I speak like you, I think like you, I create like you, The scrambled ballad about my world." This shows that the author has proven resilience. 

                                           

                                             And that was the end :) have a wonderful day...

    -MD