NASA made a decision to include a golden plaque on a satellite named Lucy that was to complete its mission in 12 years and then stay in its orbit for an indefinite time. The plaque contains messages from different people related to science and art, including Joy Harjo and Amanda Gorman. Their messages are both in the form of poems, yet they are different in terms of their meaning. Nevertheless, both of them play a significant role along with other messages and are intended to be interpreted in a certain way by the readers.
The poem Remember by Joy Harjo emphasizes the importance of memory. Yet, it does not address the simple concept of memorizing things in life. It refers more to historical memory and knowledge. “Remember your birth, how your mother struggled to give you form and breath” does not address the literal memory of a person’s birth (Harjo, 1981). Instead, it calls for remembering the knowledge of what one’s mother has gone through to give birth. Generally speaking, the poem might be interpreted as a call to remember that a person can not be unrelated to the world they live in. Every human is related to other humans, to history, to society, to nature, and to the universe. Remembering this is intended to bring to connection and result in care about the environment an individual exists in.
The poem Blessed be the people who see by Amanda Gorman is a manifest of hope and wish for humanity to prosper and live in peace and wealth. It is important to note that even though the author addresses the people who read the message, the poem itself does not call for anything and does not contain knowledge that has to be adopted by the reader. Instead, she seems to address the world and the future to be kind to humans, as if they are not able to affect the circumstances influencing them. Yet, it indirectly shows the author’s wish for people to behave in a certain way. “May ancient hope implore us, At our uncompromising core” does not address the reader directly (Gorman, 2021). Yet, there is a clear desire of the author for people to be wise and treat each other and the earth with love and care.
When comparing Harjo’s and Gorman’s poems included on the Lucy satellite plaque, it is necessary to look into the message behind them. It is apparent when looking at a specific aspect of the approach adopted by authors. These two poems are different primarily for how they address the reader. Whereas Harjo calls the reader to perceive the world and treat it in a certain way, Gorman wishes humankind to live in peace and prosperity with the universe being kind to it. In other words, if the poems are attempted to be described and compared in a short phrase each, they would be “a call for action” and “a wish to prosper”. Nevertheless, this does not mean that one of these poems is better or more significant in any terms. Instead, it seems that the presence of them both creates a balance by them complementing each other.
It seems that the NASA team has decided to include poems because of the historical background of poetry. This form of expression emerged long ago and took a significant place in art before the 21st century. Nowadays, poetry seems to have slightly lost its popularity, and maybe in the future, poetry will only be used as a supplementary tool for songwriting. Whereas in the 20th century, successful poets were famous at least nationwide, in the modern world, the places taken by them were net reoccupied by new geniuses. This happens not because of the lack of talent in contemporary poetry but for the reason of decreasing interest in this art. This might be one of the reasons why poems were included.
Regarding these specific poems by Harjo and Gorman, they seem to be appropriate options for Lucy’s plaque. They address the future of humanity in their own ways, and instead of confronting each other or being parallel, they complement each other. Harjo’s call for action and Gorman’s wish for prosperity harmonize and complete one unified message. This message calls people to treat the world they live in properly and the world to be kind and forgiving to them.
The significance of literature in its relation to STEM is developed through these poems. Literature has been one of the major sources of inspiration and a cause for change in people. Reading books and poems made many geniuses who they were, and this connection is undoubtable. Taking these two pieces in specific, they call people to be interested in researching, understanding and changing the world to be a better place to live, yet not to forget to care about the consequences of these changes. There is a significant influence of values on people to choose a profession that they will dedicate their life to.
Works Cited
Harjo, Joy. ‘Remember’.
Gorman, Amanda. ‘Blessed be the people who see’