Muriel Rukeyser In Da House

 "Life Goes On" -2Pac

How should we represent the dead?...

        I personally feel that there is a very different relationship between poet and reader when comparing Book of the Dead and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd. While Whitman LoOoOoOved being all inclusive in poems like Song of Myself and Song of Occupations, I feel like Lilacs is more of a personal presentation. Whitman does end up gaining companions in Lilacs in the form of some creepy death-representing dudes, but I feel Lilacs was mostly Walt looking at himself by looking at the world, trying to find answers for himself, by himself. A lot of people go through some sort of self-reflection when dealing with death, so Lilacs represents that inner-struggle well. Book of the Dead feels more didactic, seeking to teach, or perhaps, just REMIND people of the construction of our nation. In the first 5 stanzas, Rukeyser is basically saying to me "Yo! Don't forget how we came to be here in this nation. Don't forget the people that died in the construction of this nation. Don't forget who used to live on the land you own. Don't forget."
Rukeyser says it herself:  

What three things can never be done?
Forget. Keep silent. Stand alone.

        Rukeyser refuses to forget or keep silent. Book of the Dead is proof. She remembers. She speaks on what happened. And she stands with those who have died, straight up representing for the Dead.

        In this way, I feel like Book of the Dead reminds me more of Song of Occupations. In that poem, Whitman was more like "Hey, sup guys. Whitman in da house. Don't forget about all these people that make the country run. Without work, this country would not work. Respect that. Don't forget. I won't stay silent about it. And I stand with the workers."
Rukeyser's poem feels like it was written by someone with anger in their heart over America's forgetful nature, but through her pen, she wrote stoic poetics that are firm, yet filled with respect for her people, which in this poem, are The Dead.
        
      The word "You" in Lilacs is used to describe the bird, the star, death, and generally, things that are NOT human. In Book of the Dead, using the word "You," Rukeyser seems to point a finger at the writers of history much of the time, or simply just those people who are inclined to forget history. She is putting a spotlight on things that people may not notice (like Whitman in Song of Occupations). She may even feel that the writers of history hide the whole truth in order to make sure people DON'T notice the real truth of the lives this country was built on. So, Rukeyser says "Fuck that shit. Here, Imma bust the facts for yall." And she does.

        In Lilacs, I definitely feel the poet has come to a feeling of resolution from tragedy. For Whitman, there is a beauty he finds in nature, and finding death to be natural, he eventually finds the beauty in death. For Rukeyser, she finds ugliness in the failure to recognize the sacrifices people have made. During the last section of the poem, she describes the miners from the Hawk's Nest Incident, and places them within the greater history of our nation, letting us know that just as the injustices and tragedies in our nation's early years won't be forgotten, neither will the lives and injustices of those workers in those mines. If a resolution can be found in Book of the Dead, it is in the fact that the poet, using her best vehicle for delivering her message (poetry), delivered her message, did not forget, and did not stay silent.

Here is Muriel Rukeyser's "Book of the Dead" in song form... if it were done in a not-so stoic manner.