TOW #14: The Way to Rainy Mountain

In the essay, The Way to Rainy Mountain, N. Scott Momaday tells of the customs, history and practices of his people and ancestors, the Kiowas. Momaday is a well-known Native American Author and is very in touch with his culture. He appears to address the masses and I believe that this piece was really intended for anyone who is willing to read it. Through his use of imagery and figurative language, he is able to paint a vivid picture in the mind of the reader in order to educate them about his people's way of life. Momaday emphasizes the fact that the kiowa people are a plain tribe and he talks much about nature and their home. He says, "The grass turns brittle and brown and cracks beneath your feet.. Great green and yellow grasshoppers are everywhere in the tall grass, popping up like corn to sting the flesh…". This is just one instance that the author uses this incredibly descriptive and detailed language and really helps the reader get a true glimpse into the home area of the Kiowa tribe. Momaday also uses a lot of figurative language. One quote that really stuck out to me was, "The sun follows a longer course in the day, and the sky is immense beyond all comparison. The great billowing clouds that sail upon it are shadows that move upon the grain like water, dividing light." His strategic use of metaphor gives the audience a better understanding of what the sky really did and how he perceived it to be. Over all, I thought that Momaday did an excellent job in achieving his purpose. I felt as though I was standing there next to him, in the southern plains as he vividly described his people's home and way of life. I really enjoyed, The Way to Rainy Mountain, and have never read a text with such detail and description.