“A Navajo Monument Valley Tribal school” is a literary work done by Sherman Alexie. The poem displays football as a symbolic activity that facilitates bonding between Indians in this school. Playing football together makes these Indians have the feeling that they are warriors. The act of competing against each other is the one that makes them feel so. Everyone is seen as an important person in the game; that's why the poet says, "everyone's son being the quarterback."(Anderson, Hassler and Coles, P 129). It also means that the person of one person or two in the team, makes the team or nation fail to perform efficiently. The poem portrays the Indian community as a very strong, and a unique group of people.
In this poem, Alexie uses traditional American sports as a way of connecting with the tribal sports at Navajo.He also uses juxtaposition through the football field as a way of manifesting the interactions between different tribes in a nation. The author describes the unity portrayed by the Indians as Native American tribe living in the mainstream American society. The Indians lived in America even before it was founded. The poem described the struggle and strained relationships between the Americans, and the Indians, and also stresses the importance of reserving culture. The juxtaposition used in the poem illustrates the identity crisis that these Indians suffer, living in a society full of Americans. "The football field rises, to meet Mesa." (Anderson, Hassler and Coles, P 129). Alexi uses a very thoughtful juxtaposition since he compares human interacting with a manmade human field. The poem describes the Identity of America as a heterogeneous nation it has always been.
Alexie also describes the strained relationships between Indians, through the juxtaposition. He says “This is an eternal football game, Indians versus Indians.”(Anderson, Hassler and Coles, P 129). Apparently, there is no chain of command or any formal organization, and this describes why they have always been suffering. The quote also justifies the mixing theory which argues that when people from different origins mix up, they fit into the society in their way. It is up to the members of these societies to choose to embrace the cultural practices of the other group or remain reserved.
The poet has successfully created a relatable scenario since he uses American examples such as cheerleading, and the use of the animal metaphor. Alexie has continuously used the native tradition theme and blended it with football, which makes this poem t continuously sound very America. The life, freedom and energy in a football match can be compared to the spirit of the natives. Alexie also uses the football match to show that even native people have American traits in them. Football is American, and this makes the natives become Americans by principle.
Work Cited
Anderson, Maggie, David Hassler, and Robert Coles. Learning by Heart: Contemporary American Poetry About School. , 1999. Print.
