Read the excerpt from “Last Rites of the Indian Dead.” The country must recognize that the bodies of dead American Indian people are not artifacts to be bought and sold as collector’s items. It is not appropriate to store tens of thousands of our ancestors for possible future research. They are our family. They deserve to be returned to their sacred burial grounds and given a chance to rest.
Why does Harjo use the word sacred, instead of words like valued or spiritual?

It has a weaker connotation to indicate the burial grounds lose meaning once they have been vandalized by collectors.

Sacred has a stronger connotation and emphasizes the cultural and religious importance of American Indian burial grounds.

Sacred has a more negative connotation to convey American Indians’ fear of death and questions about the afterlife.

It has a more positive connotation and confirms the burial grounds can again be respected once the American Indian remains are returned.

“tell me o swan, your ancient tale” by kabir “the swan” by rilke “spanish dancer” by rilke “your laughter” by pablo neruda “birthplace” by shaffarzadeh “it’s this way” by nazim hikmet “counting small-boned bodies” by robert bly choose two poems that you would like to write about. analyze each poem. study the perspective, or point of view, of the speaker in each of the two poems that you select for this assignment. consider these questions: who is the speaker in each of these poems? what is the speaker’s tone? is there a conflict? is there a message? what does each of the poems have in common? what is different about each of the poems? which literary devices are used in the poems? are these literary devices found in both of the poems? what does the speaker hope to achieve in each of the poems? how are these achievements/goals been met? directions: using the two poems of your choosing, write a clear, concise, two hundred and fifty word essay that compares and contrasts the two poems. make sure you include at least two of the following to support your thesis: tone, point of view, literary devices, and meter.