This week I chose to talk about the poem "I Give You Back" by Joy Harjo. I read each poem and short story this week, but Harjo's writing left an impression on me. As you read this poem it seems that the author is talking about letting go of fear, but fear of what. It appears that a person's life as been turned upside down by outsiders invading her home. This poem goes deeper than leaving a fear. It talks about letting go of anything that is holding you back. You become one with your fear and you need to just let it go so that you can go on with your own life. One line in the poems states "I release you. you were my beloved and hated twin, but now, I don't know you as myself." This shows that when you hold onto such an intense fear it really turns you into a person you don't necessarily want to be. It can ruin your life.
"I Give You Back" is a dark piece. Harjo talks about soldiers burning her home down, killing her children, raping her siblings, and starving her people. It is not an easy thing to talk about and share with others. This can positively and negatively affect her work. For some, this kind of writing is too gruesome to read. It is so depressing and upsetting. However, you really get deep into someone else's life and their experiences through a poem like this. You see how they have suffered from their fears and how they overcome it to live their life. It can be really inspirational to write about something that is so personal to another person.
I only hope that I can write something inspirational to another person. I hope that I will feel comfortable to talk about something so personal to me. As I continue to write I hope that one day I hold less and less back. I want to express my deepest feelings through writing. If I get to that point eventually, I will feel accomplished.
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