TOW #10- The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday (written text)

The Way to Rainy Mountain was written by N. Scott Momaday. Momaday is an award-winning Native American author, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his fiction writing in 1969. This particular essay was published in The Reporter in 1967, which is a reputable news source for the general public. Momaday wrote this essay to inform people about his dying culture to spread awareness. Throughout the essay, and especially in the beginning, Momaday uses nature imagery. When describing the weather, Momaday describes the harsh climate and how “the grass turns brittle and brown, and it cracks beneath your feet” (1). Instead of simply saying that is was very hot and dry, Momaday gets his point across more descriptively by describing the effects of the weather on the grass as opposed to just describing the weather. This helps the reader to more clearly understand the hardships through which Momaday’s tribe, the Kiowa, lived and to feel a stronger appreciation for them, as well as more easily understand their habitat. Momaday also uses anaphora in the beginning to describe the desolate landscape, saying, “...there is no confusion of objects in the eye, but one hill or one tree or one man” (1). By doing this, Momaday is emphasizing the plain, emptiness of the prairie, which helps the reader to understand the home of his tribe and how alone they were. Finally, Momaday uses personal anecdotes about his memories of his grandmother in order to  give a more personal connection to the reader. The reader is more likely to sympathize with Momaday and his culture when they hear personal stories about it than if Momaday were to just speak in general terms. For example, Momaday writes, “Once there was a lot of sound in my grandmother’s house, a lot of coming and going, feasting and talk” (3). Throughout the description of his personal memories, the reader feels as though he/she was there, which makes him/her feel sympathy that the Kiowa tribe is dying. Therefore, Momaday successfully achieves his purpose by using nature imagery, anaphora, and personal anecdotes.