"In 1864" and "How to Make Good Chili Stew"

These two poems took on two very different forms but interestingly covered similar content. Reading "How to Make Good Chili Stew"I did not feel as dark and saddened as I did reading "In 1864". Food shortage is a central theme to the recipe, but there seemed to be an overall sense of gratitude for once knowing the taste of the missing ingredients and an ability to make due with what was had. With each step in the recipe, the cook instructs followers to appreciate sensory details smelling the ingredients, listening to the individual sounds that each step contributes to the harmony of the whole process. I thought that the instructions were actually somewhat beautiful in the attention paid to the little things having to do with cooking. A sense of spirituality is brought into the cooking process paying attention to the earth, wind, and the sun as they all contribute to the dish. Community is also a big theme towards the end of the poem when you are instructed to invite those you see around to dine with you. 

As for "In 1864," terrible subject matter is covered as the Native Americans are not only uprooted from their land but their entire sense of livelihood and in some cases actual lives are taken. They do not know how to move on from the loss of their sheep and land as this comprised a large part of their lifestyle. A sense of community is also seen in their efforts to get through the march together with a common goal of first survival and second rebuilding. The soldiers seem to manipulate the importance of community as they force Natives to leave behind the elderly and those who cannot keep up. This seems to be a way of further breaking down the tribe. The man remembering these horrors in the car with his daughter does seem to exhibit some sort of hope in what he will tell his daughter of their new life one day, making the new bread and the velvet shirts for the men.