‘Morning Rain’ by Hisaye Yamamoto and ‘Chang’ by Sigrid Nunez are short stories in the center of which remains a father – daughter relationship motif. It is not a very common topic in Asian American literature, and according to Wong and Santa Ana its representation in a literary texts is ‘a fairly recent phenomenon.’ Both Yamamoto and Nunez are creating the picture of the fathers through the eyes of their daughters. In these short stories, the children are discovering various parts of their dads’ identities by looking at their words and silences. The latter aspect of their behaviour becomes especially important, in understanding the true selves of the fathers, as they are an extremely quiet characters.
Jimmy Santiago Baca’s Self Revelation Through Poetry A man with nothing to lose could be considered more dangerous than a man with everything to gain. The back and forth, up and down, side to side story of Jimmy Santiago Baca’s life shows that a man fighting for survival yearns more than a man fighting for simple possessions. Prison takes a toll on people differently, but those people have to accept the fact that jail is now their home for the time being. Some may continue along the beaten path, consuming themselves with regret, anger, or denial; but, some may seek a smoother path, digging deep and figuring out how to modify their lives for the better.
The poet slave describes the life of a boy as a slave. She puts the book into many little poems describing how he was kept like a pet and shows how people were treated back then. “Now my owner is ghostly inside her skeleton of powder but I, being only a poodle, can watch I am allowed to know these truths about shadow and light”(The Poet Slave of Cuba).This quote shows how broken he was at the time. It also shows how many were treated at this time to make the reader realize just how hard times were.this book impacted the history part of Cuban past times.
During the poem “Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane” by Etheridge Knight, the inmates spoke very highly of all the bad things Hard Rock has done in prison. Hard Rock was known strictly for his violent behavior. When he returned from the hospital to the prison the atmosphere began to change right before the inmates’ eyes. Hard rock was no longer that powerful source that the inmates could depend on. His mind had been instructed to present pleasant behavior.
Arna Bontemps had written many poems, out of all the poetry he had written three famous poems one of those poems is called “Day-breakers”. His poem Day-Breakers express the African American rich history thought the community. His poem expresses its history from beginning of slavery and their freedom later on though out the years. Bontemps poem had a reflection on the bravery and valiance that African American people in Harlem had during that time. The overall tone of the poem is bold and courageous, the tone speaks for the emotions for the African American
Poetry is an effective means used to convey a variety of emotions, from grief, to love, to empathy. This form of text relies heavily on imagery and comparison to inflict the reader with the associated feelings. As such, is displayed within Stephen Dunn 's, aptly named poem, Empathy. Quite ironically, Dunn implores strong diction to string along his cohesive plot of a man seeing the world in an emphatic light. The text starts off by establishing the military background of the main protagonist, as he awaits a call from his lover in a hotel room.
There may seem like there is no good to his life’s story, but he then applied the negative energy he encountered, and emerged himself into the world of literature. Hayden loved to write poems about African Americans and reflect back on his childhood neighborhood. He is most known for his two famous works: The Middle Passage and Those Winter Sundays. In Those Winter Sundays, Hayden allows the speaker to taste the remorse and pity he now has, after decades of not understanding his Father’s love.
Reaching the time in the day when the sun settles down and the moon wakes up, the air turns the sultry day into a chilly night. As the last of the beach goers leave, the only things that can be heard are the tides hitting the shore and the seagulls flying above our heads. My husband, Trent sets about to make a fire for the night. I call to my daughters to come change into their pajamas. After everyone changes and the fire blazes, the whole family sits around the fire wrapped in an enormous flannel blanket.
Julia Alvarez, in her poem “’Poetry Makes Nothing Happen’?”, writes that poems do play a role in people’s lives. She supports her idea by using relateable examples of how poems might change someone’s life. Her first example is simple, poetry can entertain someone on long drives. This does not only aply to long dirves however, Alvarez uses this to show that poetry does not have to have a big influence on someone’s life, instead it can affect a person in the smallest of ways, such as entertainment. The second example describes poetry comforting someone after the loss of a loved one.
During the time Baca was in prison, he taught himself to read and write. He then realized that he had a talent for poetry. His poetry consists of “rich imagery and lyrical language” (Jimmy). “Baca unlike a growing number of “prison writers” who injects their
Poetry Analysis Once the poem “History Lesson” was written numerous poetry foundations celebrated it for many reasons. “History Lesson” not only makes an impact on literature today it has also impacted people also. This poem inspires people and moves them to the point to where they can find a personal connection to the poem itself and to the writer. Not only does it hold emotional value for those who were victimized and those whose family were victimized by the laws of segregation, but the poem is also celebrated for its complexity. The poem uses many techniques to appeal to the reader.
In today's world, many people are very ungrateful for their current state they are in and complain without taking any action, only adding negativity to their lives. In the slam poem "Complainers" by Rudy Francisco, it demonstrates that one's constant focus on negativity and complaints towards life with no action results in failure to recognize the joys life has to offer. Throughout the slam poem, the author makes effective use of allusion, metaphor, and repetition to inspire and encourage readers to make positive changes in their lives and to strive towards self-improvement. Firstly, the author uses allusion to draw on the reader's pre-existing knowledge of the subject matter and establish the context of the discussion. " May 26th 2003 Aron Ralston was hiking, a boulder fell on his right hand.
Lidia Torres’ poem “Adrift” primarily conveys a sense of loneliness and youth while yearning for a time gone by. The speaker reminisces about sneaking into a deserted pool at a community college late at night, swimming until the lights went out, and spending intimate moments with the lifeguard. The poem captures a brief time in the speaker's life, but it also explores vulnerability, intimacy, and self-discovery. Furthermore, the speaker reflects on the physical changes in their own body as well as the passing aspect of youth. Torres successfully creates a feeling of nostalgia and desire for the past through the use of sensory images, symbolism, and metaphor.
People of any and every background face difficulties. Many people do not even know how many people support and care for them. For example, when a family's house in a community burns down, it is reassuring to see their neighbors, friends, family, and even strangers, come together in order to protect and help the family in a time of need. In Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Shoulders,” she shows just how important protecting loved ones is. “Shoulders” is about a father who needs to protect his son from the rain in order to let him sleep.
In the poem “For Poets”, by Al Young, the theme is the challenge of stepping out of your comfort zone and seizing moments in life. Young expands and argues his theme through the literary devices used in the poem. These literary devices include symbolism, hyperbole, and metaphor. Al Young portrays life’s obstacles, our society’s attitude towards self expression, and experiencing nature. In conclusion, life is a big obstacle and in order to live it, you must go out of your comfort zone and try your best to give it all you’ve
