In Maria Viramontes’ Under the Feet of Jesus Estrella is a confused, angry girl who is attempting to figure everything out. Estrella is unable to figure anything out without the help of Perfecto Flores, but with his help she is able to create some understanding about the importance of education and becomes less angry. Viramontes uses tone and figurative language to help show Estrella’s growth and development. The beginning of the passage has an angry tone.
In the except from the novel “ Under the feet of Jesus” by Helena Maria Viramontes shows the development of Estrella from being angry to understanding what she needed to do to succeed. The author uses figurative language and selection of detail to show the changes Estrella’s character went through, which reveals that knowing what things are is beneficial. The author uses figurative language like similes and metaphors to show Estrella’s frustration with her teacher and her understanding of tools. The author says, “ all that a jumbled steel inside the box… seemed as confusing and foreign as the alphabet she could not decipher.”
Sandra Cisneros, well known activist and feminist, is an author with very detailed writing who has written a collection of books such as, A House of My Own, Vintage Cisneros, Caramelo, and Have You Seen Marie?. In her book, The House on Mango Street, A young girl named Esperanza tries to find herself in a dangerous chicago neighborhood during the 1980s era. In this story, there is much figurative language used to help emphasize many important details in this story, such as symbols, To Begin, Cisneros uses ny symbols to emphasize topics such as the dangers in Esperanza's neighborhood and poverty. An example is in the following quotation, “You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you
In Gwendolyn Brooks’ novel, “Maud Martha,” the titular character uses colour to explore her world and experiences. Maud Martha exists in a world of metaphor, since metaphor is when something represents something it is truly not. She is told that her skin colour means something that is not true, that she is somehow less than people whose skin colour represents higher value. This seems to be why Maud Martha uses colour as a metaphor in her thought processes to create meaning in life. This is supported by bell hooks’ review of the film “Blue” by Derek Jarman.
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.
In the narrative poem “ Orange ” Gary Soto he uses personalities and it helps the reader understand. Gary Soto uses “ Tiered like bleachers,” a smile. It helped me understand figurative language about the narrative. Also, the poem says “The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve, Cold, and weighted down with two oranges in my Jacket, “ which describes the narrator’s Characterization, the reason he had two oranges in his pocket. Gary Soto uses indirect Characterization to use his narratives.
Margarita Engle's Margarita Engle grew up in Los Angeles but started a strong relationship with her mother's homeland in cuba over the long summers she spent there. She was trained as a botanist and agronomist before becoming a full-time poet. And she now lives in Central California, where she enjoys hiding in the wilderness to help train her husband’s search and rescue dog. Engles influenced society and promoted cuban life through her works The poet slave of cuba, The surrender tree, and drum dream girl. Engles text The Poet slave of cuba brought awareness to the everyday life of a slave in cuba.
In 1773, there were slaves all over colonial America working in plantations, and cleaning their masters houses. It wasn’t common for a slave to be writing poetry with their owners consent. Phyllis Wheatley’s success as the first African American published poet was what inspired generations to tell her story. It was her intellectual mind and point of view that made her different from others, both black and white. Phyllis’s story broke the barrier for all African American writers, and proved that no matter the gender or race, all human beings are capable of having an intelligent state of mind.
Despite Phillis Wheatley being an African American former slave in the 1760's, Phillis managed to overcome unimaginable obstacles that and become a successful poet. Around the age of seven Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped and was sold into slavery to the Wheatley's. Unlike many white slave owners the Wheatleys cared deeply for Phillis, so they decided to teach her how to read and write, which was illegal during this time. Phillis Wheatley played a very vital role in American history, despite being sold into slavery Phillis manage to overcome all obstacles and break down barriers to become the well known astounding poet she is today. One of Wheatley’s poems that received the most attention is the one she wrote for George Washington, 'To the King's Most Excellency Majesty'.
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, born on September 24, 1825, was a leading African American poet, author, teacher and political activist. Although she was born to “free” parents in Baltimore, Maryland, she still experienced her share of hardships. She lost her mother at the tender age of three, was raised by her aunt and uncle, and fully employed by thirteen. Though all odds seemed against her, she triumphed over her obstacles, publishing her first book of poetry at the of age twenty and her first novel at the age of sixty-seven. Outside of writing books, she was a civil rights leader and a public speaker in the Anti-Slavery Society.
When thinking of a historical figure, many imagine a president, king, or general that lead a country to greatness, but never realized some could be the ones who influence the minds of society. Although not thought of as anything, writers and poets hold the key to shaping the society’s mindset without even knowing it. Being a civil rights activist, social activist, and role model for women makes Maya Angelou a historical figure who has made a huge impact in American society and in American history. Born poor and black, she was a childhood victim of rape, shamed into silence. She was a young single mother who had to work at strip clubs for a living.
In today’s society, people think that if the problem isn’t about them, it doesn’t affect them. This was a recurring problem during the civil rights movement for African American freedom. In Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” speech, he describes African American protests for freedom and equality. In these documents, he uses persuasive language that appeals to logic and emotion to attempt to change the discrimination in his society.
I. Introductory Paragraph and Thesis Statement Phillis Wheatley has changed the world of the literature and poetry for the better with her groundbreaking advancements for women and African Americans alike, despite the many challenges she faced. By being a voice for those who can not speak for themselves, Phillis Wheatley has given life to a new era of literature for all to create and enjoy. Without Wheatley’s ingenious writing based off of her grueling and sorrowful life, many poets and writers of today’s culture may not exist. Despite all of the odds stacked against her, Phillis Wheatley prevailed and made a difference in the world that would shape the world of writing and poetry for the better. II.
European authors use the literary devices personification, loaded words, and imagery throughout their poems to convey internal and external conflict in the theme man versus self. European authors use personification in their poems to convey
Furthermore, “what makes her exceptional is that she accomplished it while being a slave” (“Contribution…Literature). During this period, slaves did not receive the same blessings as white people did, yet Wheatley prevailed through those barriers. Therefore, Phillis Wheatley’s life accomplishments have greatly impacted the world of poetry and literature that would influence the abolitionist movement and American