Maddie Stamos

Period 2
September 2015
Poem Analysis
In Chrystoss I Am Not Your Princess, repetition and parallel
structure are both utilized in order to create a feeling of guilt and
familiarity in the reader, emphasizing the authors point and amplifying
her meaning.
Chrystos begins the poem off in what seems to be a weird way,
initially coming off as angry at the reader for misinterpreting and
abusing her culture, but then going on to give a recipe for a traditional
Native-American flatbread. The recipe seems fairly generic, not akin to
the stereotypical depiction of Native-American foods or traditions. This
recipe only makes sense at the end of the poem, when she repeats it in
a nearly identical manner. She then says, remember this is only my
recipe. There are many others, making an indirect comparison
between the stories of people like her and the recipe. There is a feeling
of guilt that is then inflicted onto the reader, as they understand the
complexity of what seemed to be something as simple as bread. The
reader may have initially glossed over the recipe, not paying it much
attention, and this in itself proves the authors point; those who are
unwilling to listen are those who do not understand what she is trying
to say, or what people like her are trying to say. If they dont listen to
what seems like a simple recipe, why would they stay for something as

complex as the entire recipe book? This guilt powerfully forces the
reader to go back and look at the recipe again, even allowing them to
visualize the process, the story.
Chrystos also creates a sense of familiarity with her utilization of
parallel structure, which then goes on to inflict personalized guilt in the
reader. She angrily states, I wont chant for you, I admit no spirituality
for you. Line after line, she uses the same angry, blunt tone to firmly
tell the reader that she is not there for their pleasure. Many specific
examples are given, meaning the wide range of blows shes heard
have more than likely been thought of at least once by the reader. This
personalized reflection, as well as the sharp tone, allows the reader to
see things from her point of view, deepening the guilt they feel, as
they then feel personally victimized by her. In this way, they can only
hope to feel some of the pain and anger that she has felt over the
course of her life. This attack is masterfully done at the beginning of
the poem, meaning the reader is then more inclined to pay attention to
the poem as if it was meant for them specifically. She even says, I
dont think your attempts to understand us are going to work. This line
seems to be almost completely directed at a defensive reader who
may feel that her accusations are unjust or inaccurate. Even the
sheer fact that a line like this was included in the poem, that she could
predict exactly what the reader would say without even having to hear
it, deepens the impact of her words. This rebuttal, mimicking the same,

blunt manner and structure as the rest of the poem, once again allows
the words of the poem to wholly permeate the reader, rather than to
be quickly looked over without much thought.
The poem comes full circle, guilting, then teaching, then again
guilting the reader into listening to her words and story, allowing them
to see real meaning in what she says. The personalized guilt
emphasizes Chrystoss point in the readers mind, making the poem hit
harder, ultimately making it a lot stronger.