Everything you need to understand or teach Anasazi by Gary Snyder.
Lines 1-2:
A discussion of the meaning of "Anasazi" must include mention of its style, as the form of the poem - its rhythms, its sounds, even its look - is intrinsic to what it tells us. The first two lines appear to be only a repetition of the title. In fact, they are. And, yet, these two one-word lines also set the tone for the poem's celebratory effect. Read aloud, they should be read slowly, allowing each syllable equal voice in the incantation: ah-nah-sah-zee, ah-nah-sah-zee. On an obvious level, they simply describe the subject of the poem, but they also imply the author's feelings about that subject. In essence, he prepares us for the "song of praise" that follows.
Lines 3-4:
Line 3 of the poem refers to the cliff dwellings that the Anasazi people constructed on the steep sides of the mountains, particularly in the Mesa Verde, Colorado, region. They eventually... View more of the Anasazi Summary
Gary (Sherman) Snyder