The poem, Useless Boys,is one that portrays a feeling of indignation, rebellion and finally, understanding by two boys who grew up with bitter views of their fathers’ onerous jobs. The narrator believes that the only reason his father stays at his job is for the money. In his naivety the son does not realize that at times living selfishly is the way things have to be. Sometimes commitments are made in a self-sacrificial and cowardly manner. No matter how “wrecking” his father’s career, he stays in order to provide for his family.
My longform has appeared in The Denton Record Chronicle and The Dallas Observer, among others. I hold an MFA in nonfiction from the University of Iowa where I was an Iowa Arts Fellow and am pursuing a PhD in English and creative writing at the University of North Texas. Thank you so much for your consideration. I’ll include some links to my work below, and I can be reached by return e-mail or telephoned at (615)
Both Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Langston Hughe’s “Po’ Boy Blues” present Walter Lee Younger and the speaker of the poem as men with similar stories, however both reach different conclusions with their struggles. Both men at the start of their stories have hopes and dreams. Later, their trust is betrayed and they lose their thoughts of happiness. However, at the end, Walter is able to regain his determination to keep fighting and surviving, while the narrator of the poem is unable. Both protagonists believe in their dreams, and have high hopes for the future.
Elijah Anderson, a Yale professor, developed the concept or theory entitled the “code of the street” which explains the reasoning for high rates of street violence among African-American juveniles in a Philadelphia community. The “code of the street” is the way of life for many living in poverty-stricken communities which attempt to regulate behaviors. Anderson observed that juveniles in inner-city neighborhoods who are exposed to racial discrimination, economic disadvantages and alienation from mainstream society may lead violent behavior. The strain, social learning, and labeling theories are all directly related to Anderson’s work.
Instead, he implores them to be more political. His goal in writing is to make people aware of the social injustices occurring. The Negro writer who seeks to function within his race as a purposeful aren has a serious responsibility. In order to do justice to his subject matter, in order to depict Negro life in all of its manifold and intricate relationships, a deep, informed, and complex consciousness is necessary; a consciousness which draws for its strength upon the fluid lore of a great people, and more this lore with concepts that move and direct the forces of history today (Wright,
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.
Have you ever thought about how African Americans achieved ability to register and vote for their rights? That is explained by Selma, which was a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. After the historic demonstrations there were multiple poems about what occurred. A few examples of poems written about Selma include “The Road From Selma” written by June Brindel and “Selma 1965” written by Gloria Larry House. It is interesting to see the same event written by two different people, it led to better
Good Muslim Boy is a novel that tells the story of a young Muslim boy named Osamah Sami. Sami grew up in a small town in west Melbourne. Sami was born on 10 March 1983 in Qom, Iran. Over the course of the novel, Osamah Sami is portrayed as a young man who struggles to balance his cultural heritage with the expectations of his father and keep up with the demands of his cultural heritage. Sami gradually learns to accept himself over the course of the novel, and even opens up to his father about the way he feels and what he wants from life.
As I read many of the essay in This I Believe edited by Jay Allison I felt like many of them related to my life, some more than others. Out of the many essays in This I Believe my favorite is “Remembering All the Boys” by Elvia Bautista. This is my favorite essay because her and I share many of the same beliefs and views on treating people with kindness and compassion no matter what wrong they’ve done to you or your family, which are core values my family instilled in me at a young age. At one point in her essay she says, “My brother was sixteen when he was shot by someone who liked red, who killed him because he liked blue”(17). A few lines later she says “And we will go together and bring a big bunch of flowers enough for both of these
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.
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.
Poems can be analyzed in various ways ranging from their complexity to the emotions they convey to readers. The poems, “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes and “The Harlem Dancer” by Claude McKay will be analyzed based on their similarities and differences to name a few. The poems may describe different events; however the overall connection between the two can be identified by readers with deeper reading. Comparisons between the poems may easier to analyze and identify compared to the contrasts based on the reader’s perception. Overall, the concept and much more will reveal how the poems are connected and special in their own way.
In contrary though, they sometimes write about matters happening around them. The poet Terrance Hayes from South Carolina, has a very literal poem called “Talk”. The poem “Talk”, is about a young African American boy in middle school. This boy is on his school’s basketball team.
An Unfolding of Robert Hayden’s “Names” Throughout the history of Black culture in America, poet Robert Hayden represented Black history explaining and illustrating it through his poetic works. Although it is one of Hayden’s lesser known works, Names, is an extremely powerful poem that takes the reader on a journey of the trials and tribulations of slave life in America. “Once they were sticks and stones I feared I would break my bones,” provides a concise opening line as Hayden utilizes this idiom to relate the situation of the speaker to something that the reader can relate to. Hayden continues in the first stanza to explain a situation in which slaves feared “Four Eyes,” meaning a slave owner.
He is burdened by sadness and pain, thus leading to the word “weary” in the title. Many also assume that Hughes may have derived the title of the poem from “Weary Blues”, a song released in 1915 by African-American songwriter, pianist, and ragtime composer Artie Matthews (Shmoop). “The Weary Blues” is one of Hughes’ most recognized poems to date, and has drawn rapturous praise from innumerable critics and readers throughout the world. My thesis is that “The Weary Blues” is a noteworthy poem due to the establishment of a relaxed, yet depressing mood through the accurate portrayal of a certain blues
