A Cycle of the West · Chapter
I: The Sowing of the Dragon explained
The chapter opens after the Civil War, describing the return of soldiers to a diminished domestic world and the surge of westward expansion driven by the 'Aryan urge.' It contrasts the settlers' vision of abundance with the Native American
What happens
The chapter opens after the Civil War, describing the return of soldiers to a diminished domestic world and the surge of westward expansion driven by the 'Aryan urge.' It contrasts the settlers' vision of abundance with the Native American perspective of loss and doom, as tribes like the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho witness the destruction of the bison and their lands. The chapter foreshadows inevitable conflict, with war erupting along the Platte and Smoky Hill rivers, marked by attacks on wagon trains and railroad workers.
Themes in this chapter
Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion
The chapter vividly portrays the post-Civil War westward surge as a 'Cadmian breed' driven by an 'ancient and compelling Aryan urge,' framing expansion as an inevitable, almost mythic force.
Conflict and Cultural Collision
The poem contrasts the settlers' vision of 'princely acres' with the Native American perspective of 'sacred things and dear' being destroyed, leading to war and the 'end of things Inexorably shaping.'
Loss and Nostalgia
The chapter evokes a sense of loss for the 'ancestral pastures' and 'holy places of their dead' as seen by Native Americans, while also reflecting the soldiers' nostalgia for a world that 'had gotten strange.'
Fate and Inevitability
The poem emphasizes the inescapable doom of the tribes: 'What should be / Already was to them. And who can flee / His shadow or his doom?'
Key passages
“At last the four year storm of fratricide / Had ceased at Appomattox”
The four-year Civil War finally ended at Appomattox.
Sets the historical context of the post-war era.
“Again the bugles of the Race blew west / That once the Tigris and Euphrates heard.”
The call of westward expansion echoed again, reminiscent of ancient migrations in Mesopotamia.
Frames westward expansion as a recurring historical pattern.
“The wise ones heard prophetic whisperings / Through aching hushes; felt the end of things / Inexorably shaping.”
The wise Native American leaders sensed the inevitable destruction of their way of life.
Highlights the theme of fate and inevitability.
“To perish facing what they could not kill.”
To die fighting an enemy they could not defeat.
Summarizes the tragic heroism of the Native American resistance.