1. Poems
Stars
Sometimes,
When I feel lost at night, I look to the sky
And remember the lights.
Up there,
Those stars shine bright—
In their constellations
I find my rites,
Patterns that guide
My wandering flights.
Sometimes
They hide from sight
Behind clouds and darkness,
But this doesn’t mean I am alone. The stars are always there, Just like my people—
Constant, even when I cannot see their glow.
They Tried
They tried to silence us,
But our voices still rise with the drum.
They tried to erase our traditions,
But our feet still dance at powwows.
They tried to steal our land,
But our roots run deeper than their reach.
They tried to break our spirits,
But here we remain— Unbroken.
They can continue to try,
And try they will.
But we have survived this long
Through winter counts and broken treaties,
Through boarding schools and stolen children.
We will continue to tell our stories,
We will continue to sing our songs,
We will continue to plant our seeds
In the soil, they said, it was no longer ours.
They tried to silence us.
Our voices have never been louder.
We Are Strong
We are strong.
We come from those who walked hundreds of miles, Who carried everything they owned
Across endless land.
Who survived cold nights
Under fur and hide,
And rose with each dawn.
Our ancestors walked through it all—
Through seasons of plenty and famine,
Through forced removals and broken promises. They gathered strength through prayers and teachings, Passing that fire to future generations,
To us.
They tried to silence us,
But our voices remained loud.
They tried to break us,
But our roots held firm.
We are strong.
We come from survivors,
From warriors whose spirits
Refused to surrender.
Their fire still burns within us,
Bright as the morning star,
Steady as the drum.
2. Poem Analysis
In the first poem, “Stars,” the primary literary devices used are imagery and symbolism. It uses both to paint a picture of finding guidance in the stars in the reader’s mind. “Stars” is a three-stanza free-verse poem with no set structure or rhyme scheme, though it does contain repetition and a bit of rhyming, there is still no set structure. The theme of the poem is finding guidance among cultural connections, told in a hopeful tone. The use of imagery is evident in the first stanza, beginning with the line “When I feel lost at night, I look to the sky.” As a reader, you can imagine me gazing up at the sky and finding peace among the stars. From there, the imagery is used in the descriptions of the lights by highlighting the contrast between the light and the dark. The way the stars, or lights, shine bright, signifying the guidance they bring, but then the darkness in their absence, only because they are covered by clouds, crafts a story of going through a rough time and feeling lost.
As for the symbolism in the first poem, stars are a symbol of cultural guidance because I was always told that guidance and teachings can be found among the stars, and stories are kept within the different constellations. They symbolize the ancestors, the teachings, and overall, they represent cultural guidance that can be found in them. The word choice is deliberate to paint a vivid picture of finding guidance among the stars, showing that they guide me and how I find comfort in them because I see my people in them, “my rites.” I chose the word ‘glow’ to show that even when the stars are not visible, they are still there, still shining brightly beneath the clouds. All words I incorporated into my poem.
The second poem, “They Tried,” is another free-verse poem, this time with four stanzas. The primary literary devices used are repetition and parallelism. For repetition, the phrase “they tried” is used to show how, with each failed attempt, our people remained. Within this repetition, I incorporated parallelism by contrasting their continued attempts at assimilation with the continued perseverance of my people. Each “they tried” was parallel to the outcome of my people, highlighting their resilience. This leads me to the overall tone and theme of my poem. The tone is confident, used to show how Indigenous people remained strong despite attempts at assimilation, which leads me to the theme of my poem: survival and resistance. The literary devices are all used to present the message of the government trying to erase my people but ultimately failing. To further convey this message, symbolism and imagery are used.
I used symbolism in “They Tried” by showing how the drum represents our voices, our songs, and traditions. I knew I wanted to incorporate symbolism into my poem, and through the use of the drum, I was able to do so. I also used it in the description of roots running deep, by comparing our cultural roots to the roots of a tree, because there were attempts made at pulling us from our roots, our homelands, but we held firm. There is also the use of imagery in this poem, which is seen through the descriptions of my people dancing at powwows. You can imagine their feet tapping to the rhythm of the drum. This deliberate use of imagery was used to present the image of a resilient people, continuing to thrive on the land that was trying to be stolen from them. The word choices are also intentional. I started each stanza as a statement, leading to the perfect ending of “our voices have never been louder,” because, despite all the attempts at assimilation, our people remain strong as ever.
The final poem is titled “We Are Strong,” and it is another four-stanza free-verse poem. The primary literary devices used are repetition and imagery, but there is also the use of symbolism, allusion, and metaphor. The repetition comes through the statement, “we are strong,” and after each declaration of strength, there are testaments to these strengths given through the use of imagery. It utilizes imagery through the description of travels, the way our people lived, and the teachings imparted during those times, which all contribute to the strength we have today, stemming from our ancestors. Through them, we receive ancestral guidance and inherit their strength and resilience. These are all themes of my poem. The poem has a central theme of survival and perseverance, of finding identity and strength in your heritage, told with a strong, confident tone that shows the pride I hold in my culture.
The allusion in this poem is evident through the references to forced removals and broken promises. While not explicitly saying it, it is clear from this line that I am alluding to the stolen children and broken treaties. There is also the use of metaphor, as the fire represents the traditions of our people living on through us. It doesn’t mean an actual fire is burning, but rather the spiritual fire that burns within us, descending from our ancestors. Like in my previous poem “They Tried,” the drum is once again a symbol of our voices and our survival after so many hardships. Overall, this poem uses imagery the most, painting the picture of a resilient people in the reader’s head, but uses the other literary devices mentioned to get that theme of resilience and strength across.
3. Reflection
When it comes to the creative process behind my poems, I must say that I drew a lot of inspiration from the Taiwan Indigenous Poets and the Sami Poets. In their poems, I found themes of resilience, assimilation, and strength. After studying the themes within the Sami women’s poetry, I gained perspective regarding what I wanted to write. These themes led me to create three of my own poems, which explore themes related to my heritage and the experiences of my people. I drew inspiration from the attempted assimilation of the Indigenous people in Canada through residential schools. How they tried to decimate our culture, to eradicate us, but we are resilient and have survived this long, and we will only continue to survive. I kept our traditions in mind when creating these poems, and that’s how I ended up with my first poem titled “Stars.” In my culture, there are stories amongst the stars and in the constellations, and I wanted to tell the story of finding guidance among the stars because that is where my people are. I did face some challenges regarding the act of writing poetry.
The challenges I faced when creating these poems were knowing how to properly utilize literary techniques, as I have no prior experience with writing poems. I didn’t know what to write about or how to write it. I couldn’t figure out where to begin or what message I wanted to convey through my poems. I ended up with poems I did not feel entirely proud of, but after refreshing my knowledge of literary techniques, reading poems by the Sami, and revising my poems with the help of others, I was able to create poems I didn’t realize I was capable of and it made me think of what I could do if I had more time to write poems and practice performing them.
I have to admit that I realized I should have practiced the poem I wrote more before performing in class, because if I had, I would have been able to recognize that it lacked imagery and wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be. After I performed my poem, I was inspired to revise it because it felt like it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. After going through revisions, I believe I ended up with better versions of the poems I created, including the one I read during my performance. Performing it made me realize that I needed to use more imagery to really get the message of strength I wanted. I realized I should have shown strength in my writing, rather than just stating that I am strong. The poem I performed was initially titled “Generations Strong,” but after revisions, I ended up with the poem “We Are Strong.” With the first poem, I was only telling readers about the poem instead of letting them see it through the use of imagery. After the class performance, I changed it to demonstrate the strength instead of just stating it, as poetry is intended to convey meaning to readers, not just tell them.
As for the performance of the poem itself, I was a bit nervous about doing it in front of the class, but after sharing it, I felt at ease and even proud, considering I was quite shy beforehand. Yet despite all the nerves, I ended up being able to do it and actually tried my best to give a good performance by using my voice. It led me to the discovery that poetry is much different than just speaking through writing; it is about conveying a message through a few stanzas and words. After the performance, I received a few good jobs, along with some constructive criticism, which I was truly grateful for because it resulted in me changing my poems for the better.
I enjoyed this assignment, despite the struggles I faced with it, because in the end, I learned more about poetry through it and about the shared experiences of the Sami and my own people. Before this assignment, I had no experience writing my own poems, except back when I was in school. I have always done well in writing, but when it comes to poetry, I always thought I could never do it. I had thought it was too complicated, but after completing this assignment, I realized that with the proper practice and hard work, I could eventually create poems I could feel proud of with ease, just like I had experienced with my past writings. It just requires time and a passion for the craft.
Instructor's Remarks
This assignment requires students to create their own poems, analyze the poetic techniques they incorporated, and reflect on their poem-writing process. Kelsey Ansder’s submission effectively illustrates the learning journey and outcomes of the poetry-creation process with three poems: “Stars,” “They Tried,” and “We are Strong.”In “Stars,” the most impactful moment occurs in the final stanza, highlighting that while stars may not always be visible, they remain constantly present. This idea beautifully reflects on “my people,” creating a poignant connection between the stars and humanity, enhancing the poem’s emotional depth.
“They Tried” conveys themes of cultural resilience and features a strong, defiant voice. The repetition of “They tried…” establishes a rhythmic insistence that underscores persistence. Beginning and ending with the declaration “We are strong,” the speaker encapsulates the unyielding spirit of generations. The vivid imagery of ancestral journeys illustrates resilience, depicting individuals carrying their belongings and driven by hope and a desire to survive. (Dr. Ying Kong)