Black Elk Speaks Questions

1.      It’s very based on literal descriptions of things, in how they remember past times by some distinct feature of what happened rather than a ‘objective’ unit of time.

2.      The bitten moon refers to a crescent moon, as it looks somewhat like a bite was taken out of it.  Their language seems to describe everything in ways that make everything understandable in practical terms everyone will get, rather than ‘technical’ ones, that require learning a definition which some may refer to as being a simple language.

3.      It shows their language’s way of dealing with things practically, and how it doesn’t really revolve around physical properties.  They perceive things and give them value based on their practical value of how they can be used in their lives.  For example, unlike other societies, they don’t value gold, as it doesn’t have a practical use for them.

4.   Their language is more literal and logical than English.  They value the meaning of names, and seem to be closer to nature and looking at things they way they are.  It seems to be closer to my parents’ first language, Yoruba, my ‘technical’ mother tongue.