Comment 5 of 5, added on March 19th, 2013 at 2:48 PM.

In the poem, Hiawatha’s Wooing, the youth, Hiawatha, is in love with a
girl named Minnehaha of Laughing Water. It is a love poem. I can feel
what Hiawatha is feeling. He longs for her, hoping that she would become
his wife. He thinks that she would make a wonderful wife.
An old man, Nokomis tells Hiawatha to marry a maiden of his people. When
Hiawatha said "Dear old Nokomis,very pleasant is the firelight, But I like
the starlight better, better do I like the moonlight!", I think that he was
trying to say that he prefers someone who he thinks is suited for him. But
Nokomis told him what were the expectations: "Bring not here an idle
maiden, Bring not here a useless woman, Hands unskilful, feet unwilling;
Bring a wife with nimble fingers, heart and hand that move together, feet
that run on willing errands!"
Hiawatha tells the old man that he will bring the most beautiful woman,
Minnehaha. Nokomis did not want a “stranger” to enter his place and urges
the youth to marry another tribe to be united and have peace. Hiawatha
left on his journey to the land of Dacotahs. While he was walking, he saw
herds of fallow deer and shot a roebuck.
He walked on to the land of Dacotahs and saw Minnehaha making mats.
Minnehaha was thinking about her future. She wanted to marry a handsome,
young, and tall hunter. Hiawatha came to buy her father’s arrows. He was
welcomed in their home. Hiawatha told Minnehaha about his life. Then he
asked her to marry him. She accepted. They journeyed together to
Nokomis’s place. Hiawatha thinks that Minnehaha is perfect. “Brought the
moonlight, starlight, firelight, Brought the sunshine of his people,
Minnehaha, Laughing Water, handsomest of all the women In the land of the
Dacotahs, In the land of handsome women.”

Allison Louie C6 from United States

Comment 3 of 5, added on March 19th, 2013 at 2:48 PM.

In the poem, Hiawatha’s Wooing, the youth, Hiawatha, is in love with a
girl named Minnehaha of Laughing Water. It is a love poem. I can feel
what Hiawatha is feeling. He longs for her, hoping that she would become
his wife. He thinks that she would make a wonderful wife.
An old man, Nokomis tells Hiawatha to marry a maiden of his people. When
Hiawatha said "Dear old Nokomis,very pleasant is the firelight, But I like
the starlight better, better do I like the moonlight!", I think that he was
trying to say that he prefers someone who he thinks is suited for him. But
Nokomis told him what were the expectations: "Bring not here an idle
maiden, Bring not here a useless woman, Hands unskilful, feet unwilling;
Bring a wife with nimble fingers, heart and hand that move together, feet
that run on willing errands!"
Hiawatha tells the old man that he will bring the most beautiful woman,
Minnehaha. Nokomis did not want a “stranger” to enter his place and urges
the youth to marry another tribe to be united and have peace. Hiawatha
left on his journey to the land of Dacotahs. While he was walking, he saw
herds of fallow deer and shot a roebuck.
He walked on to the land of Dacotahs and saw Minnehaha making mats.
Minnehaha was thinking about her future. She wanted to marry a handsome,
young, and tall hunter. Hiawatha came to buy her father’s arrows. He was
welcomed in their home. Hiawatha told Minnehaha about his life. Then he
asked her to marry him. She accepted. They journeyed together to
Nokomis’s place. Hiawatha thinks that Minnehaha is perfect. “Brought the
moonlight, starlight, firelight, Brought the sunshine of his people,
Minnehaha, Laughing Water, handsomest of all the women In the land of the
Dacotahs, In the land of handsome women.”

Allison Louie from United States

Comment 1 of 5, added on May 23rd, 2007 at 3:34 PM.

I liked this poem because it told me that this was a true love story. Also
the poem told that Hiwatha loved Laughing water and so he traveled without
resting and even shot a deer for her. My favorite part was when Hiwatha
asked if he could have Minnehaha as his wife and she said yes.

Yujinia Lee from United States