Gregory Scofield's I Knew Two Metis Women: An Analysis

Gregory Scofield wrote a thematic book of poetry within I Knew Two Metis Women. The main theme within this book of poetry is mainly one of pride and hope. Scofield and his mom are proud of their heritage. Of course, they are a relatively poor family, but they still enjoy the way they live and value it. Scofield portrays this theme remarkably well through his poems. He portrays the theme of pride and hope through symbolism, but often by just the plain and simple way he and his mother lived.

Two Cradle Songs is written about Scofield's mother. He knows that even though they live a different kind of life than most people, it is still a good life, "She'd rub my back, draw letters that spelled GREG or LOVE."(pg.28) Basically, this poem is one that proves that even though things look different on the outside, they still live life as any other family would on the inside, and that is a life filled with love, which is what makes life valuable. This poem is characteristic of hope. Scofield is saying that even though things were sometimes bad, there was often something good to accompany the bad. For example, "houses, apartments or shacks,"(pg.28) accompanies "she'd rub my back."(pg.28) It didn't matter where they were or what kind of living conditions they had at the moment because he knew he always had his mother's night-time routine to look forward to, which was a kind of assurance to him. Another significance of hope within this poem is the use of rain, "wet with rain."(pg.28) In poetry, rain often is significant of life-giving or life-destroying. However, rain can be significant of both life-giving and life-destroying in this poem. It can be significant of life-giving because his mother is giving him life as she continues to give him support and assurance. However, it could also be significant of life-destroying because it is immediately followed by, "drumming sad in the night,"(pg.28) which is not a portrayal of life-giving. It is emphasizing the sadness in their lives and the bad things they do have to deal with in their day-to-day lives. The use of dawn within the poem is another portrayal of hope, "the hours till dawn," (pg.29) this shows that Scofield and his mom have a chance for happiness and improvement. As they wait for dawn to approach, they also wait for an improvement to their lives. Therefore, it is within this poem that there is a portrayal of hope, however Scofield also gives us a sense of how much they value their lives together. Even though they are poor and not living within the best standards, they are happy with the way they live, and that is what is most important to them.

Aunty is another one of Scofield's poems, which is significant of how much they value what they have. Scofield and his mom and aunty enjoy what they have. They don't take anything for granted because there is nothing for them to take for granted, which is why Scofield values what he has so much. For example, this poem is proof of how much he values his nightly routines with his aunty Georgina, and how no matter what was going on in their lives he could always count on it and her:

No matter how

young or old,

sober, half-cut

or gone

She'd fluff the pillows,

spread and tuck

her homemade quilts

under my chin, (pg.30)

Furthermore, Aunty Georgina is portrayed as a figure of resistance within Scofields memories. No matter how hard life is for her or Scofield, she still keeps up her facade. If not for herself than for Scofield, which is why she is seen as a figure of resistance. She is strong, and is able to laugh off the harder times in their lives, and instead look at the good, as well as what they do have, which is each other. She is a portrayal of hope to Scofield, because of this resistance and strength that she carries with her. A main thing valued in their lives is that of routine because it is through their daily routines that they are able to keep their minds on the happier things in their lives and the hope for better times to come.

They Saw is a poem about pride. Not the kind of pride that is shown to other people through the way a person acts though. They Saw is significant of what the outside world saw concerning Scofield's mother. They saw a poor old woman, a drunk in their eyes:

And they saw

What all their parents said-

Indian women her age

were walking corpses

scrounging for a drink (pg.96)

They didn't see what Scofield saw, which was a loving mother. Someone who could bring out the best in him when need be. A woman who was proud of where she came from, and who taught her son to always be proud of his heritage because where a person comes from is what makes him. Scofield's mother was proud of her heritage and she taught Scofield to be proud too. She didn't want to ever forget where she came from, and she didn't want Scofield to forget either,

Running to meet her,

I saw her eyes charm up a smile.

"Look!" she said,

glowing in her new sweatshirt:

METIS & PROUD OF IT. (PG.97)

Sometimes, Scofield's mother could be just like a kid herself, and the end of this poem proves so. Just by the wording in this, the reader can tell how excited and proud she is of her new sweatshirt. It is letting the readers imagine the excitement in her eyes, which is significant of her feelings. Eyes are often a symbolism of the gateway into a person's soul. They also symbolize honestly, because by looking into a person's eyes, you can often tell how a person is feeling and how truthful they are being. Scofield is portraying his mother's eyes as smiling, which is significant of the truthfulness of her pride and excitement and hope concerning her heritage.

In conclusion, Scofield's book, I Knew Two Metis Women, is a book that carries with it a strong influence of hope. It portrays the ties that can hold a family together, which are hope, love, and pride. A person needs to carry all three of these things with them in order to be happy in life. Scofield shows us how successful he is with this, and how little he had, but how happy he was at the same time, and how much he valued the life he led with his mom and aunty Georgina.