Request of Analysis of Poem - White Bear by Joy Harjo

Question

Slight Context: Joy Harjo is a mixed woman, both of Native American and European origins.

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She begins to board the flight

to Albuquerque. Late night.

But stops in the corrugated tunnel,

a space between leaving and staying,

where the night sky catches

her whole life

she has felt like a woman

balancing on a wooden nickel heart

approaching herself from here to

there, Tulsa or New York

with knives or corn meal.

The last flight someone talked

about how coming from Seattle

the pilot flew a circle

over Mt. St. Helens; she sat

quiet. (But had seen the eruption

as the earth beginning

to come apart, as in birth

out of violence.)

She watches the yellow lights

of towns below the airplane flicker,

fade and fall backwards. Somewhere,

she dreamed, there is the white bear

moving down from the north, motioning her paws

like a long arctic night, that kind

of circle and the whole world balanced in

between carved of ebony and ice

oh so hard

the clear black nights

like her daughter's eyes, and the white

bear moon, cupped like an ivory rocking cradle, tipping back it could go

either way

all darkness

is open to all light.

Answer 1

"White Bear" is a poem by Joy Harjo that explores themes of identity, transition, and balance. The speaker is in an airport, in the "space between leaving and staying," and experiences a moment of reflection as she looks up at the night sky. This moment leads her to consider her life and her identity as a mixed woman of Native American and European heritage.

The poem opens with the speaker about to board a late-night flight to Albuquerque. However, she stops in the "corrugated tunnel" and looks up at the sky. The description of the space as "corrugated" suggests a sense of roughness or unevenness, which could symbolize the turbulence of the speaker's emotions or the transitional nature of her situation.

As she looks up at the sky, the speaker reflects on her life and her sense of identity. She has always felt like a woman "balancing on a wooden nickel heart," which could symbolize a sense of precariousness or insecurity. She has lived in different places, from Tulsa to New York, and has used both "knives" and "cornmeal" to navigate these transitions. The use of these specific objects suggests the speaker's connection to her Native American heritage.

The speaker then recalls a conversation she overheard on a previous flight, where someone talked about flying over Mt. St. Helens and witnessing its eruption. This memory triggers another memory for the speaker, of her own experience witnessing the birth of her daughter. The use of the word "violence" to describe this birth could suggest the pain and struggle of bringing new life into the world.

As the speaker watches the towns below the airplane, she dreams of a white bear moving down from the north. The image of the bear, a powerful and revered animal in Native American culture, could represent the speaker's connection to her heritage. The bear's "motioning her paws / like a long arctic night" suggests a sense of circularity or continuity, as if the bear is performing a ritual or dance that has been passed down through generations.

The speaker then describes the "clear black nights / like her daughter's eyes," which could symbolize the clarity and wisdom of youth. She also describes the "white bear moon, cupped like an ivory rocking cradle," which suggests a sense of nurturing and protection. However, the moon is also "tipping back," which could suggest a sense of instability or imbalance.

The final lines of the poem suggest that "all darkness / is open to all light." This could be interpreted as a message of hope or resilience, suggesting that even in the darkest moments, there is the potential for light and growth. The poem ends with a sense of uncertainty, as the moon could "go / either way" and the world is "balanced in / between carved of ebony and ice / oh so hard." This final image could suggest the delicate balance between life and death, or between different cultural identities. Overall, "White Bear" is a powerful exploration of identity, transition, and the ongoing search for balance and meaning.