Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Group

Question:

heney
heney
Teacher
High School - 10th Grade

Is the title Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee from a direct quote?

I would like to know if the title of the book is taken from a direct quote by a First Nations leader. I've never read the book, but I just watched the movie. If it is a direct quote, or if it is part of a longer excerpt from the book or a poem, I would like to know where to get this excerpt, quote, poem etc

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Posted by heney on Friday February 27, 2009 at 8:36 AM and tagged with bury my heart at wounded knee, quotes, title.

Answers:


  1. ladyvols1 Teacher
    High School - 9th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    No, the title of this book is not a direct quotation from anyone.  The phrase of  Bury my heart at Wounded Knee," appears at the beginning of Dee Brown's novel but the idea for the quote and the title came from a poem by Stephen Vincent Benet called, "American Names."  The poem has nothing to do with the novel at all and simply had a phrase that impressed Mr. Brown. 

    I shall not rest quiet in Montparnasse.
    I shall not lie easy at Winchelsea.
    You may bury my body in Sussex grass,
    You may bury my tongue at Champmedy.
    I shall not be there. I shall rise and pass.
    Bury my heart at Wounded Knee.

    Sources:
    http://home.comcast.net/~bryant.katherine/names.html
    http://www.enotes.com/bury-heart/style
    http://www.enotes.com/bury-heart/summary

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    Posted by ladyvols1 on Friday February 27, 2009 at 10:17 AM