Genesis chapter 2 verse 15 says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” [5]. Eden was a place of beauty and wonder of which Adam was allocated to care for it and the plants and animals around it. Just as this God placed man in the Garden of Eden, Black Elk Speaks conceptualizes the idea that Black Elk had been positioned by h
is six grandfathers, “the Powers of the World” to have the powers to “make live…and to destroy” amongst the earth (221). left photo [2].
above photo [1]
This photo of the Garden of Eden was of particular interest to me because it asserts itself as a reminder that thunder and lightening are not meant to be a negative aspect of nature, but rather as beautiful through the light that it brings to the world and through the natural speaking of the earth to its inhabitants. Thunder was a constant character throughout Black Elk’s recollection of memories. Thunder was more ceaseless than any human character introduced. Thunder is not only a powerful, dependable source to Black Elk, but it sustains the people’s, the animals’ and plant’s physical selves. “Thunder beings live to send [the people] rain” which is inevitably necessary to sustain life (217). In addition to thunder being a necessity to survive, it also served Black Elk as a leader. As Black Elk’s Great Vision was coming to an end, all of the Powers of the World had left him except the “little cloud that bore me…and in them thunder beings lived and leaped and flashed” (219). Thunder in nature may come appear as terrifying and sudden, similar to Black Elk’s Great Vision, yet each of these has hidden beauty within its terror. “It was beautiful, but it was also terrible…they looked beautiful; but they looked fearful too” (225, 231).
Pebbled throughout Black Elk Speaks were contradicting ideas, which lead me to be suspect of Black Elk’s lack of confidence as the chosen one of his grandfathers. Although the Great vision was layered with a melody of different colors, each bound to a different meaning and purpose, “a rainbow was the open door of it” (220). A mosaic of colors was the door to the great vision. Although each color within the vision had its own role, it took the collaboration of all colors to make the vision complete. “And while I was crying, something was coming from the south. It looked like dust far off, but when it came closer, I saw it was a cloud of beautiful butterflies of all colors” (239). Deception of the many colors of the butterflies mirrors the misinterpretation of thunder and of Black Elk’s vision. According to David’s Butterflies & Moths, “Mimicry is the ability to appear to be or to imitate something other than what you really are” [4]. Mimicry is deception at its finest.
What may seem terrifying and unknown is actually welcoming, when the unknown is familiarized. right photo [3]
[1] "Brunswick County 4-H."Brunswick County 4-H. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2010. http://brunswick4h.files.wordp.htm.
[2] Davies, Geoffrey. "2009 July « Brunswick County 4-H."Brunswick County 4-H. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2010. http://brunswick4h.wordpress.htm.
[3] Prior, David . "Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder... on Flickr - Photo Sharing!." Flickr - Photo Sharing. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2010.
[4] S, David. "David's Butterflies and Moths." Home.cogeco.ca . N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2010. .
[5] Zondervan. NIV Bible. New Ed ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1987. Print.
