Itemize Books Concering The Song of Hiawatha
| Original Title: | The Song of Hiawatha |
| ISBN: | 1595400354 (ISBN13: 9781595400352) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Hiawatha, Minnehaha, Mudjekeewis |
| Setting: | United States of America |
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Paperback | Pages: 184 pages Rating: 3.9 | 2595 Users | 205 Reviews
Define Regarding Books The Song of Hiawatha
| Title | : | The Song of Hiawatha |
| Author | : | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 184 pages |
| Published | : | September 1st 2004 by 1st World Library (first published 1855) |
| Categories | : | Poetry. Classics. Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Literature |
Description Conducive To Books The Song of Hiawatha
I seem to have successfully avoided reading much of anything by Longfellow for nearly 58 years. But late last year I read Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie and decided I should see what else this famous American poet had to say.When I picked The Song Of Hiawatha, I admit I was a little concerned that I would have visions of the Bugs Bunny cartoon running through my head the entire time I was reading. Bugs starts out reading the poem, young Hiawatha comes floating down the river on a rabbit hunt, and the rest is poetic hilarity.
But I concentrated. I said 'I can read this poem without seeing Bugs Bunny, I can, I know I can!' And I did. I was caught up in the story itself right away, and of course in the rhythm Longfellow chose to use. Then my quest became a struggle not to fall into 'thumpety-thumps' as I read, and I mostly managed that, so I have to say my reading experience of this epic poem was a success.
Supposedly Longfellow based his poem on actual Native American legends, but he sort of mixed them all up a bit, and it turns out (during post-reading research) that his main source was not entirely accurate in the first place, having edited his information to suit his own way of thinking. For Longfellow, Hiawatha becomes a figure of mythic powers, responsible for bringing together in peace the various tribes of the region, creating picture writing to remember great deeds and send messages, clearing rivers, killing evil creatures, etc. This makes for a dramatic, exciting story, and when the romance between the lovely Minnehaha is added, the poem becomes even more charming.
But it should not be read for authentic Native American concepts. And I did not at all care for the ending. I wish I could avoid spoilers, but I must say that (view spoiler)[ when Longfellow had Hiawatha accept the white man's priest and religion as the answer to a vision, then has him sail away to the West never to be seen again, I was disgusted. It was the classic 'the Red Race is dead, long live the White' attitude of the day and was terribly disappointing to me. (hide spoiler)]
I simply do not think the real Hiawatha would have behaved that way. And yes, Virginia, there was a real Hiawatha. Here is the Wiki link to read about him, if anyone is interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiawatha
Longfellow was a poet. He took some interesting ideas and turned them into a lovely epic saga that captured the public's imagination in various ways for many years. And certainly the name of Longfellow's mythological hero will live forever. The actual Hiawatha deserves at least that much.
Rating Regarding Books The Song of Hiawatha
Ratings: 3.9 From 2595 Users | 205 ReviewsWrite-Up Regarding Books The Song of Hiawatha
The first time I read this I was in middle school. Back then I read it quickly to be in time for the deadline and didn't think much of it - it seemed too straightforward to me. Now, a decade later, I reread it and absolutely loved it. Firstly, I am now a bigger lover of poetry and really appreciated both Longfellow's masterful verse and stylization, and Bunin's brilliant translation. I read the parallel text in this bilingual edition, so you could say I read it twice just now.Secondly, I'veBefore I began my current Longfellow poetry kick, I would have pegged "The Song of Hiawatha" as an embarrassingly dated relic of the 19th century. I can picture cartoon versions of the characters, Disnified into cute little scamps. But this is a reflection of how pervasive the poem once was in American culture. (A similar thing happened to Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," incidentally. There are versions with Mickey Mouse et al.)Longfellow took Ojibwe tales (collected in a book
I have loved the rhythm of this poem since I was a kid. I could read it over and over and over.
Beautiful images, interesting stories.
Angel says: FAMILY APPROVED!Another classic that I can't believe it took me so long to read! How absolutely enthralling! No wonder this was required reading for so many years. Free verse poetry that tells a beautiful, captivating story. The descriptions are so specific and paint such beautiful pictures. The notes from Longfellow on how the names are accurate and the stories are all based on actual stories in Indian lore...this is absolutely mesmerizing. It would be great fun to read aloud and
To gain its full flavour, this is a poem to read aloud. I read it as a child, I read it to my son when I was pregnant with him, I read it to him when I fed him as a baby and for the last time I read it to him when he was old enough to enjoy it. He didn't. He hated it, so my favourite book was put on one side, but every now and again I like to read about the West Wind and Minehaha, Laughing Water.
Before I began my current Longfellow poetry kick, I would have pegged "The Song of Hiawatha" as an embarrassingly dated relic of the 19th century. I can picture cartoon versions of the characters, Disnified into cute little scamps. But this is a reflection of how pervasive the poem once was in American culture. (A similar thing happened to Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," incidentally. There are versions with Mickey Mouse et al.)Longfellow took Ojibwe tales (collected in a book
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