The Song of Hiawatha

The Song of Hiawatha 

• Genre: Fiction; Epic Poem; American Literature 
• Originally Published: 1855 
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult 
• Structure/Length: Divided into 22 chapters; approximately 238 pages; approximately 3 hours and 57 minutes on audiobook 
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The poem follows the life of Hiawatha, a legendary Indigenous American hero, from his miraculous birth to his departure to the Isles of the Blessed. The central conflicts involve his efforts to unite the tribes, his battles against enemies, and his personal losses and triumphs. It explores themes of nature, peace, and culture through the lens of Indigenous American folklore, albeit from a non-Indigenous perspective. 
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Cultural appropriation and misrepresentation; romanticized and inaccurate portrayal of Indigenous cultures; use of stereotypes

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Author 

• Bio: Born 1807; died 1882; one of the most popular American poets of the 19th century; known for his lyric poetry, which often features American historical themes and subjects; Longfellow’s work has been widely translated and has contributed significantly to the building of the American literary tradition, though his portrayals of Indigenous American cultures in works like The Song of Hiawatha have been critiqued for their lack of authenticity and perpetuation of stereotypes. 
• Other Works: Evangeline (1847); The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858); Paul Revere’s Ride (1861)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide: