Mary Tallmountian Essay Example

Mary Tallmountian Essay How does the mouth say goodbye to the heart? Mary Tallmountian writes in her poem, There Is No Word For Goodbye about how the Athabaskan people can do no such thing. How can one person say such a phrase as there is no word for goodbye? Of course there is, there are hundreds of ways to say goodbye in many different languages. For example; bye, bye-bye, so long, chao, peace out, dont let the door hit you where the good lord split you, and other crazy sayings like the last couple. The general public would never think twice, and for that matter not even once about saying goodbye to someone and thinking what that really means. However, the Athabaskan people along the Yukon River in Alaska have thought about what goodbye means and they have come to the conclusion that goodbye is means forever. By stating that there is no word for goodbye Tallmountian says that we will always see one another again sometime here on this Earth, that we are truly never apart, and even in death that we never le ave eachother. Goodbye is the ultimate ending. When two good friends say bye to each other after school does that mean that they will never see one another again or let alone ever talk via e-mail or the phone or how about even in a letter? Of course not, they will probley see each other later in the day or week to go off to some party together looking to pick up women and have a good time. What if by some reason that these two gentalmen never did have the chance to see one another or talk to each other again. Was that goodbye final? We will write a custom essay sample on Mary Tallmountian specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mary Tallmountian specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mary Tallmountian specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In, There Is No Word For Goodbye, by Mary Tallmountian, lines one through four, she describes about Sokoya looking through the net of wrinkles into the wise black pools of the her aunts eyes. To notice a feature so distinctive as that one would never forget those eyes. Tallmountian is saying that even if Sokoya and her aunt never see each other again that Sokoya will always rember her by those eyes. That image of the eyes will always be with Sokoya, therefore, never truly being away from her aunt. The two young men from earlier have met back up and are now leaving the party which they have been drinking at and are in no shape to drive, but unfortunatly, they still do. On the way home the driver runs a stop sign and hits another car killing his friend with him in the truck, but the friend driving, walks away. At the funeral he neals down before the casket and tells his friend goodbye once again. Is goodbye now the ultimate end because death is involved? Tallmountain says no that it is not the end. We always think youre coming back, but if you dont, well see you someplace else (Tallmountian, 24-26). Here Sokoyas aunt tells Sokoya that even in death we will see you in that someplace else. That someplace else could mean heaven or hell or what ever the Athabaskan people believe in for what comes after death. So, Tallmountian speaks of death as not the ultimate ending for a person, but as just another step in a longer journey. Tallmountian raises a very intresting question, when does your mouth say goodbye to your heart? Tallmountian tells that we never truly say goodbye not when two people are seperated for a length of time or even in death. She says that we are always together no matter what because people never leave our hearts. Maybe we should incorporate what the Athabaskan people say instead of goodbye. They say, tlaa which roughly means see you. What a great way to think. What else do we say to each other without even thinking about what those words mean?