It’s Not So Hot in Paradise As an American from the Midwest, the image that comes to mind of life on a Caribbean island is paradise which evokes a feeling of peace and tranquility. A place where one can escape the snow and freezing temperatures during the long winter months. A place one could enjoy beautiful beaches, tropical trees and green foliage year round. Everyone has their own perspective of things whether they have experienced it first hand or through second hand information. In Judith Ortiz Cofer’s poem, “On the Island I Have Seen” she gives a glimpse of what life in Puerto Rico is like from a unique perspective. Her use of imagery contributes to the theme of the poem which illustrates the struggles of life on the hot Caribbean island. Cofer was born in Puerto Rico, but growing up she moved back and forth between Puerto Rico and America. She stated in an interview: “But I think culture is very complex. You could say that I’m Puerto Rican by birth. I …show more content…
It evokes an image of stress and worry as well as a hope through faith for a better life. It goes on to say: “The ones who are lost to God and mothers/may take the fields/the dry fields” (20-21). The reference to “dry fields” emphasizes the heat and lack of rain and also illustrates the unpleasant working condition. This also symbolizes how they are bound to the island with no other options, trapped. The last two lines say: “where a man learns the danger of words/where even a curse can start a fire” (22-23). The reference to fire and heat pertains to the men and their inner struggles. Heat in the fields is not only experienced as a physical quality, but a mental one as well. This provides added imagery of the men working in the fields, that wasn’t offered in the beginning of the poem, creating additional imagery to support the struggles of working in the
The terrible conditions were minimising the amount that you could grow. So, the main connection off of this idea is that when someone takes something away from you during this time, it affected you greatly, sometimes costing you your life. Another connection I can make between the poem and the book is Lennie and
In William Golding novel “Lord of the Flies” Golding juxtaposes Jack’s island and Simon’s to illustrate that when man is faced with a certain environment, he will chose to either make the best of what he has by staying positively calm or look at it in a negative aspect. Golding’s novel transpires when a bunch of kids plane was shot down. The boys all survive and land on an uninhabited island. The boys do not have an adult figure as their authority. The boys are split into two separate camps.
Exigence’s of The Invisible Island Imagine losing your mother, father, or even giving birth to a still born child without ever being given the opportunity to pay respect to them and giving the proper burial they deserve. Imagine never being notified about the death of a grandmother or best friend who you may have lost touch with a few years before, then later finding out it is practically forbidden to ever able to visit their grave. Christopher Maag brought this problem to the attention of many by creating this heartfelt and informative article to raise awareness about this mass grave that is practically nonexistent to the public eye.
Although I often get confused for different ethnicities/races than the one bestowed upon me at birth, due to my relatively ambiguous features, I know that I am an authentic pure Mexican girl and that no one can change that aspect otherwise. With having two pure Mexican parents, it is not very difficult for me to find out that I too was of Mexican descent. Spanish was my first language when I was growing up, and up till this day I still only speak Spanish in my household when it comes to discussing any sort of topic with my parents; when it comes to my siblings though, I do tend to speak more English than Spanish to them since the younger ones tend to understand it more than Spanish. As I was growing up, the notion of being of Latino/a descent
Karen Hesse stated that, “the way I see it, hard times aren’t only about money, or drought, or dust. Hard times are about losing spirit, and hope, and what happens when dreams dry up.” But she is wrong about Billie Jo who holds onto her sense of self as well as optimism and admirations. Many farmers in this time left and never returned, as they gave up on their hopes, but Billie Jo did return after running away as she realized that she still had hope.. Readers can learn from Billie Jo, that you can recover, and rebuild after difficult
Actions with to Much Power Always Have Consequences In the novel “ The Island of Dr. Moreau” written by H.G Wells many themes are shown but one that is most interesting is, how one of the three essentially “human” characters abuse the power they have and end up paying for their actions. But all this people in the position of power often believe that nothing can stop them, that they are a “god” an example being Dr. Moreau. The power that is being abused in this novel not only shows that sometimes we see ourselves like god, but also what consequences can occur if we want to much power that we can't handel. First of all, in the novel written by H.G Wells has the “antagonist” of the story be the person in power of the community that lives on the
For instance, descriptive imagery along with metaphorical language were used to compare the harsh conditions at camp to the calming natural surroundings. These differing simultaneous occurrences brought on the mood of seriousness, bitterness, and uncertainty of the future. This can be thoroughly demonstrated, in one of the rising actions of the story, in the fifth and sixth paragraphs of page 33, when the Jews were being selected either for labour or for death. The text says, "The world? The world is not interested in us.
Since I was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico I have learned that I do not share a lot of my characteristics with others here in the United States. A place like Puerto Rico can change the way you see the environment, culture, and the way it reflects on you as a person. Puerto Rico has changed me in many positive ways such as: the appreciation of the environment, my language, environmental issues, and the culture of my people. Home to me is Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has made me fall in love with the beauty of the environment.
Pilar’s opinion of Cuba becomes more outright, as she states “I have to admit it’s much tougher here than I expected, but at least everyone seems to have the bare necessities” (486), and “I know now it’s where I belong—not instead of here, but more than here” (488). This admittance of Cuba’s imperfection and acceptance of her home in Brooklyn shows how once cannot be quick to pass judgment. Through her many conflicting opinions with her mother, Pilar often thought of Cuba as a utopia and was reluctant to believe its flaws pointed out by her mother. Instead, upon actually visiting Cuba for herself, Pilar finds that it is not an ideal society and that she fits in much better in the US. This theme was brought to light due to Pilar’s mental conflict, as her lack of actual experiences in Cuba as well as her desire to rebel against her mother’s views led her to a false idealistic view.
Steinbeck may also be using the word “fire” to foreshadow that George and Lennie’s American Dream might not come true and will die away just like the fire . When Curley’s wife is blocking the sunlight from entering, by standing in front of the doorway, Steinbeck is using darkness to foreshadow that she is ominous and dangerous for George, Lennie and their dreams. The sun streaks were high up on the wall now, the light was growing soft now”, this symbolizes that Curley’s wife’s soul was rising up and away from the Earth, taking George, Lennie and Candy’s dreams with it. “ Sun streaks” represents Curley’s wife’s soul and their dreams. “Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan Mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun.”, gives the impression that something malicious was going to take place.
(Cummings Line 16)This line shows the love in the person’s life and how important the character’s lover was to him. Imagery in the poem reinforces the theme. “Star rain sun moon” (Cummings Line 21)“spring summer autumn winter”(Cummings Line 3) These are all things we see or experience in a cycle. In the context of the poem this could mean a cycle of carelessness.
With everyone now aboard the cruise ship, I can’t even hear myself think! The sound of adults and children overwhelmed with excitement and bursting with laughter fills the sea air. “We’ll be departing for the Caribbean islands shortly,” exclaims Captain George Johnson. This is my cue to start making way to my compact yet cozy room to unpack my belongings for my ten day trip.
In the story “Girl”, Jamaica Kincaid illustrates the talk given to a young Antiguan girl about what is expected of her in order to make a point about the cultural pressures and unfair social boundaries that come with being a girl in the Caribbean. The author plays with word choice and sentence structure in a way that makes this unconventional writing style enjoyable and metaphorically resonant. Though it is possible to read this prose as a mother talking directly to her daughter and the daughter interjecting, it is actually indicative of a larger conversation between a Caribbean society and its young women; this can be most clearly seen in the discussion of Benna, of plant, animal, and human life, of promiscuity, and of manners. Benna is a musical genre similar to calypso; its lyrics often discussed British political scandals and had lewd double meanings. The daughter is instructed not to sing it in church, because the songs are about sexuality, politics and open rebellion - however, this instruction has a much larger societal meaning.
When one reads her essay, he or she can be confused by her writing style because it isn’t like any other usual books. It writes with anger and proper English, which can be hard to read sometimes, and structure like no other. But still her writing is unique because she shows great passion, anger and bitter humor. In A Small Place Jamaica Kincaid describes the beauty of Antigua. How beautiful the sunset looks over the ocean and the blue sea, like no other (Kincaid 77).
When I Was Puerto Rican When I Was Puerto Rican is a memoir written by Esmeralda Santiago. She writes of her childhood life in Puerto Rico and how she lived in primordial conditions. Santiago paints a vivid picture of her early life which creates unforgettable memories of her childhood. The author talks about her life from her rural home in Puerto Rico to Brooklyn, and to her graduation in Harvard University.