In analyzing the poetry of Mona Feather, we are confronted with three different yardsticks by which to measure her work. We could consider the poems as the product of a twentieth-century artist in the tradition of James Joyce, T.S.Eliot, and Wallace Stevens. However to do so would be to ignore a facet of her which informs every word she writes, and which stems from her identity as a woman. Yet, to characterize her solely as a woman poet is to deny her cultural heritage, for Mona Feather is also the first poet of modern stature who is also an American Indian.
Stanley Wilson, has argued compellingly that the huge popularity Feather enjoys among the Indian reservation school population of the United States is creating a whole new generation of poetry enthusiasts in an age when the reading of poetry is on the wane. While this is undoubtedly true, the praise of Mr. Wilson gives the impression that Feather's readership is limited to her own culture—an impression which hints that Mr. Wilson is himself only measuring her by one yardstick.
Radical feminist writers have long found in Feather's poetry a sense of self-pride which struck a chord with their own more political philosophies. Her imagery, which always made use of the early Native American traditions in which the woman had an important role, was seen as the awakened sensibility of a kindred spirit.
Yet for all the "feminist" touches in her writing, it would be a disservice to consign Feather to the ranks of politicized writers, for her message is deeper than that. The despair which characterized twentieth-century modern poets is to be found in Mona Feather's work as well; she writes of the American Indians of the 1930's confined to ever-shrinking reservations, and finds that a metaphor for all of modern mankind trapped on a shrinking earth of limited resources.
Stanley Wilson, has argued compellingly that the huge popularity Feather enjoys among the Indian reservation school population of the United States is creating a whole new generation of poetry enthusiasts in an age when the reading of poetry is on the wane. While this is undoubtedly true, the praise of Mr. Wilson gives the impression that Feather's readership is limited to her own culture—an impression which hints that Mr. Wilson is himself only measuring her by one yardstick.
Radical feminist writers have long found in Feather's poetry a sense of self-pride which struck a chord with their own more political philosophies. Her imagery, which always made use of the early Native American traditions in which the woman had an important role, was seen as the awakened sensibility of a kindred spirit.
Yet for all the "feminist" touches in her writing, it would be a disservice to consign Feather to the ranks of politicized writers, for her message is deeper than that. The despair which characterized twentieth-century modern poets is to be found in Mona Feather's work as well; she writes of the American Indians of the 1930's confined to ever-shrinking reservations, and finds that a metaphor for all of modern mankind trapped on a shrinking earth of limited resources.