Louise Erdrich's Poem, "Dear John Wayne"

Paper Summary:

This paper describes Erdrich's use of diction, image, tone, metaphor, irony, theme, and symbol in her poem, "Dear John Wayne", which describes the white culture's extortion of land and culture from a Native American perspective.

From the Paper:

"The poem begins with a description of group of young Native American men lying on the hood of a Pontiac car, watching the face of John Wayne as he defeats a group of Indians in a spaghetti western. Here, John Wayne, the American cowboy, himself symbolizes the white invasion of the west, and the white man's taking of Native culture and land. Wayne himself is the ultimate fighter against the Indians, the individualistic and rugged cowboy that symbolizes the white desire for land and power. The poem describes "hordes of mosquitoes", which represent the white invasion, and their relentless attacks and numbers that make them largely unstoppable."

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