Anniversary

What is the main conflict in Anniversary by Joy Harjo?

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Joy Harjo's "Anniversary" is a "creation" poem— that is, it attempts to recount how the world began and when humankind came to be. It is included in the aptly titled collection Map to the Next World, but it differs from many other poems in this book in that its themes and language are not as pessimistic and they do not center on human cruelty. Published in 2000, on the brink of a new millennium, and subtitled "Poetry and Tales," Map to the Next World takes readers through stories, in both prose and verse, of America's brutal history, the long suffering of Indians, and memories of the poet's own bitter past. However, some of the poems in this collection offer hope for a better future and describe the miracles of human nature instead of its brutality. "Anniversary" is one of these.