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Ceremony

Leslie Marmon Silko's poem 'Ceremony' emphasizes the power of stories as essential tools for combating illness and death, particularly within Native American cultures. It highlights how storytelling preserves culture and creates a legacy through generations. The poem employs figurative language, metaphors, and tone to illustrate the profound impact of narratives on individuals and communities.

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Madison C
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275 views2 pages

Ceremony

Leslie Marmon Silko's poem 'Ceremony' emphasizes the power of stories as essential tools for combating illness and death, particularly within Native American cultures. It highlights how storytelling preserves culture and creates a legacy through generations. The poem employs figurative language, metaphors, and tone to illustrate the profound impact of narratives on individuals and communities.

Uploaded by

Madison C
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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"Ceremony"

by Leslie Marmon Silko

I will tell you something about stories,


[he said]
They aren’t just entertainment.
Don’t be fooled.
They are all we have, you see,
All we have to fight off
Illness and death.

You don’t have anything


If you don’t have the stories.

Their evil is mighty


But it can’t stand up to our stories.
So they try to destroy the stories
Let the stories be confused or forgotten.
They would like that
They would be happy
Because we would be defenseless then.

He rubbed his belly.


I keep them here
[he said]
Here, put your hand on it
See, it is moving.
There is life here
For the people.

And in the belly of this story


The rituals and the ceremony
Are still growing.

Laguna-Pueblo, 19
The poem expresses how strong stories are emphasized through figurativr
language. Further, narrative stories provide more than mere information. For many cultures,
especially Native American cultures, storytelling is a way of conveying vibrant culture. Stories
are often spoken aloud, and their message impacts each person who hears it. These stories are
often passed down through generations, creating a legacy that lives on through words.

Silko uses metaphors and tone to convey the cultural depth that narrative storytelling provides.

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