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On the subway by sharon olds analysis
Use of Symbolism
On the subway by sharon olds analysis
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More handpicked essays just for you.
On the subway by sharon olds analysis
Use of Symbolism
On the subway by sharon olds analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
1920’s society offered a prominent way for blacks that look white to exploit its barrier and pass in society. Visible within Nella Larsen’s Passing, access to the regular world exists only for those who fit the criteria of white skin and white husband. Through internal conflict and characterization, the novella reveals deception slowly devours the deceitful. In Passing, Clare and Irene both deceive people. They both engage in deceit by having the ability to pass when they are not of the proper race to do so.
Novels are often used to exploit the political and social issues that regularly plague society as a whole. This is exemplified in the book A Gathering of Old Men. In this book, author Ernest J. Gaines illustrates the social tensions between African Americans and the white population in the Deep South during the 1970's. In his story, a white Cajun man is shot in the front yard of an African American man on a plantation. When the sheriff gets there, he finds eighteen old African American men all with the same caliber shotgun and empty shells.
The Modern Triumph of Napoleon If you take a scroll in Brooklyn Museum on a rainy afternoon, you will notice an intriguing piece called “Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps” by Kehinde Wiley. There may be many reasons why this painting catches your eye. It could be the enormous size of the painting, the elaborate golden frame that stands out from other frameless contemporary art, or perhaps the excess of detail and sharp realism rather than the abstractness that is common in other pieces of the gallery. A second glimpse of the piece will bring about the feeling that you’ve seen this piece somewhere else before, in fact.
In The Gathering of Old Men, by Ernest J. Gaines, and The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, the authors follow the story of different black communities and how they are affected by oppression. In The Gathering of Old Men a white man, Beau, is found dead in a black man’s yard, Mathu. Mathu’s ‘daughter’ brings together all of the black men in the surrounding neighborhoods to say that they were the ones who shot Beau. In The Bluest Eye a black child, Pecola, is oppressed in many ways throughout the story and near the end is raped by her father. The most substantial part of the story however, is afterwards and how she eventually becomes insane from the onslaught of oppression she faced.
Sexuality vs. Race in Nella Larsen’s Quicksand Helga Crane a character in Nella Larsen’s novel Quicksand confronts the challenge of embracing her emotions and feelings and of falling into the danger of being painted as a primitive, exotic, sexualized black female. The nightclub scene is arguably the most aesthetically striking scene in the novel. It is full of color, rhythm, and movement which illustrate the physical, psychological, and sexual characteristics of Helga Crane and further emphasize the struggle between sexuality and race for Helga Crane. Progressively, Helga Crane’s double consciousness in which she is unable to embrace white or black culture or her sexuality pushes her deeper into depression and angst as she does not feel in
In the 1980’s black women are faced with a lot pressure in society, Because women of color are both women and racial minorities, they face more pressure in which lower economic opportunities due to their race and their gender. This pressure is reflected both in the jobs available to them and in their lower pay. Also because they are women of color they are likely to be the giver of the house and also within the families. Through the use of anecdotes,rhetorical questions, anaphora, ethos and metaphors, "In The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism, Audre Lorde argues that women of color need to respond to racism with anger spurred from their fear and that not a bad thing depends on how anger is portrayed.
It’s been 53 years since President Lyndon Johnson enforced the Civils Rights Act of 1964, but racism is still an ongoing issue to this day, whether it’s intentionally or inadvertently caused by the people in our society. Cornelius Eady evaluates the concept of racism through his poem, “The Cab Driver Who Ripped Me Off,” which focuses on the views of a prejudiced cab driver. Eady’s literary works focuses largely on the issue of racism within our society, centering on the trials that African Americans face in the United States. “The Cab Driver Who Ripped Me Off” from Autobiography of a Jukebox is an influential poem that successfully challenges the problems associated with racism, which is a touchy, yet prevalent problem that needs to be addressed.
Moreover, demonstrate consequences are taken to oppress racial and ethnic minorities to keep them in a subservient position. Overall, this film has provided me with a visual depiction of how stereotypes are a mental tool that enforces racial segregation and self-hate. The label of “White” became a necessity for Sarah Jane to achieve in society. To attain it she needed to move to a new city, change her name and deny her mother.
Society in today’s world is very alike to society years ago, with different social classes and stereotypes. In “Just walk on by” by Brent staples, a variety of rhetorical devices are used in order to convey the message of how a black man is trying to show society that he is so much more than the color of his skin. The author explains how the character was characterized as violent and dangerous because he was black. Staples continues on a sort of journey with the character to show how he overcomes that stereotype, by whistling classical music to give the idea that he is mature and less threatening. Throughout the piece, Staples uses devices that will help the reader better understand the struggles that the character has to face on a daily basis.
Throughout his essay, Staples is able to make the audience understand what he has to deal with as a black man. Staples does this by using words and phrases such as, “...her flight made me feel like an accomplice in tyranny” and “... I was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area…” (542). By writing and describing how he (Staples) feels, the audience is able to get an inside look into how black men are treated and better understand why society’s teachings, play a vital role in how we see each other. Staples’ powerful writing also allows the reader to take a step back and see how as a society, people make judgements on others based on appearance alone.
Author and editorial writer, Brent Staples acknowledges this issue as well as experience many situations in which people distinguish him from others. Brent Staples message in his essay titled “Just Walk On By” is conveyed to the audience through many rhetorical devices in which he suggests that stereotypes of race and gender can impact someone 's life in the easiest ways. Brent Staples use of pathos creates an emotional connection and pulls the reader into his essay, through his anecdotes and diction. His intro paragraph tells an interesting story, in a way that readers often forget what type of passage they are reading. Staples uses of phrases such as “my first victim”, “seemed menacingly close” “picked up her pace” and notably “running in earnest” (1-2).
The discrimination against the white race begins with a gradual distinct treatment of the African Americans who appear to have a trace of the white race. Helene proves to have a more formal dialect as she asks for “the bathroom” (23) and the black woman cannot understand until Helene finally refers to it as “the toilet” (23). The difference in word choice distinct Helene from the African Americans in the Bottom. The fact that Helene also has fairer skin than the African Americans gives the black woman a reason to believe Helene has a trace of white. Therefore, when Helene approaches the black woman on the train, “[the woman fastens her eyes]…on the thick velvet, the fair skin, [and] the high tone voice” (23), as if surprised and shocked to see an African American women appear in such a manner.
“On the Subway,” written by Sharon Olds, is written from the perspective of what is presumed to be an upper class white woman, who finds herself on a subway with a lower class black boy. In “On the Subway”, Olds focuses on the controversial issue of racial conflict, and the theme of White v. Black. She does so by use of contrast between whites and blacks, by using harsh enjambments, powerful imagery, and by using the tone to convey the purpose. A major strategy used by Olds throughout the poem is contrast; in this case, the contrast between blacks and whites.
Have you ever wondered why most American movies portray people with color or origin as terrorists, maids, or just secondary characters? Have you ever thought of why specific ethnicities and races are represented most of the time as inferiorities? The representation of race, gender, and ethnicity in the media is accompanied by a stuff stereotype, and this is leads to the negativity and discrimination in our society today. I have chosen the movie “Maid in Manhattan” since it portrays and handles the issues of race discrimination and social class inequality. I will be handling each issue separately.
The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping helps westerners to gain a deeper understanding of the struggles faced by marginalised groups in society, through Nichols’ use of word choice, idiomatic language and various aesthetic features. The Fat Black Woman