Whereas

Long Solider is using poem form social/historical critique throughout the book in many ways. Part One of Long Solider talks about abortion, motherhood, miscarriage, death, etc.  The emotions seem very depressing and sad. For example, in the poem "Look" it describes grasses are being pulled up from the ground and their life being taken away:

“less light
quick dead
grass
  skulls
weight
less pile
dry mound
in cupped palm.” (Soilder 12).

She shows us emotion by the imagery and description of words she uses in her poems. For example, Dakota 38 really provides an image in my head. The details and how specific this poem is provides an image in my head of what happened to the thirty eight men:

"The Dakota 38 refers to thirty-eight Dakota men who were executed by hanging, under orders from President Abraham Lincoln.

To date, this is the largest “legal” mass execution in U.S. history.

The hanging took place on December 26th, 1862—the day after Christmas." (Soilder 49)

When I analyzed this part of the poem, I imagined it being very cold outside with lots of snow. Since it was the day after Christmas, I pictured the tree that they were hung from were still decorated. I went back into what era it would be in and it was when Lincoln was president. Throughout the poem, the story was so well told. I imagined every single line. 

Poetry is good for these emotional because of emotional buildup. Maybe Soilder has experienced a miscarriage or death in her life. She is expressing her pain through her poems so we can try to understand how she feels. There is probably and overwhelming amount of stress weighing on her shoulders and expressing how she feels gives the readers an idea of how she is coping. 

The second half of the book is an apology to Native people. She talks about federal sequestration of funds from reservation programs. Times when she has been bullied and she’s afraid of her daughter going through the same thing, hiding it behind her smile and pretending everything is alright. I read something about how Native’s are treated with their health: 

“Yet the root of reparation is repair. My tooth will not grow back. The root, gone.” (Soilder 84).

Long Solider practices documentary poetry through Native people and their expreices, herself included. I talked about Dakota 38 in regards to her historical critique. She talks about the injustice through her poems. How is fair that Native people are getting crappy health care?