ehind the words of the refusal:" . . . even if she couldn't say it that/ that would mean when the old one died she would be/ less dependant on her spirit so..."(Giovanni 468). This means that the girl wants to be dependant on her grandmother even after she dies. Many younger children have a fear of being alone and having no one to take care of them. Therefore, her conflict lays in her words and thoughts. Some part of her may want to learn how to make rolls, but the thought of no longer needing her grandmother outweighs her desire for knowledge. So even after the grandmother passes away, Giovanni will always rely on her to make the best rolls. Linda Hogan has no such doubts or reservations like that. She is just taking in all the information her grandmother and family members give her. She pictures her grandmother as loaded with information, from how tobacco is used as medicine, to how consuming the meat of deer will help you travel many miles swiftly. In the last stanza, there are many mentions of travel. It seems that Hogan's tribe is nomadic by nature, as many southwestern Indian tribes are. This could be the meaning behind the last line " From my family I have learned the secrets/ of never having a home." (Hogan 473). In essence, a nomadic people would never have a home, only a strong sense of family. This entire poem stresses the closeness of the family members to each other, on how they rely on each other for strength and wisdom, much like the speaker in Giovanni's poem wants to forever rely on her grandmother. Giovanni and Hogan's grandmothers may seem a whole world apart from one other, but they are actually very much alike. They both have a strong sense of family, and both care deeply for their granddaughters. They both try to pass on a lifetime of information onto the younger generation. In essence, this is the meaning of both poems. The families and traditions may be different, but the end result reached for is the same: the ...
