Comparative Essay Sample: Buffy Sainte Marie and Rupi Kaur

Poetry and music are two forms of art that have the potential to positively impact each of our lives. With vocal or instrumental sounds combined, music has a method of expressing one's feelings from the singer to the listener. Poetry is a form of expression in which the poet reveals deeper feelings and emotions through rhythm and flow. Buffy Sainte Marie and Rupi Kaur are two Canadian artists who share a passion for writing. Though the writing styles and formats differ, the passions and the messages Rupi and Buffy portray are comparable.

Rupi uses poetry to communicate her feelings, whereas Buffy uses music. Similarly, both have a strong passion for writing about identity. Rupi and Buffy had a difficult childhood. Buffy is a Cree First Nation who was removed from the Cree reserve when adopted.  Buffy's song "Now That the Buffalo's Gone," which includes the lyrics "That we've been mistreated and wronged," is a way of expressing how people viewed Buffy differently as a Native American.

Furthermore, The Kaur family had no choice but to come to Canada when Rupi was three years old. Rupi never had the opportunity to learn about authentic Indian culture as a child. The poem "first generation immigrant" Rupi emphasizes  "To lose home at the risk of never finding home again" which describes how difficult it was to be away from home in India. After all, both Rupi and Buffy had rough childhoods, but these women embrace it through platforms to express each identities.

Rupi and Buffy's works both convey similar messages. Therefore, trauma is the message portrayed. Marie’s 1964 hit song "Cod'ine" was about the anguish she went through after being addicted to the drug while ill with bronchitis. Buffy stresses the trauma experienced when doing codine, hence the lesson of the song was to not take drugs. In addition, Kaur's debut book also includes poetic works that reveal the trauma she has experienced. Rupi was abused as a child by the men in her family and was compelled to keep quiet about it. In the poem "the father," Rupi confesses, "you were so afraid of my voice I decided to be afraid of it too." Both Buffy and Rupi's works, which conveyed trauma-related messages, have aided readers and listeners in overcoming similar traumas.

On the contrary, although both Kaur and Saint Marie use two different formats, both are very powerful at portraying a message to the audience. Buffy sings about emotions, identity as a Cree First Nation, and trauma in a Folk rock type of format, which is quite a complex genre. On the other hand, Rupi writes poems in a simple, candid form. Every letter in Kaur's poetry is written in lowercase. Rupi Kaur reveals on her website "The letters are treated the same. I enjoy the simplicity" This expresses the equality included in all of Kaur's work. Whether through a folk-rock or a simplistic candid manner, each of these artists has a unique way of utilizing their platforms. 

Buffy Sainte Marie and Rupi Kaur are two Canadian artists who both love to write. Though their writing styles and formats differ, Rupi and Buffy's interests and thoughts are similar. Both of these women utilize artistic voices in very similar ways, but through Rupi's simplistic poetic ways and Buffy's folk-rock complex ways, they are both forever unique.