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Shakespeare literature and theatre essay
Shakespearean theatre essay
Shakespeare literature and theatre essay
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“Today more than 14 million men, women, and children have been forced to flee their homes, towns, and countries because they are afraid to stay” (Gilbert 9). In the book, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Ha, a young girl, grew up in Saigon, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Before the war she was just like every other girl living in South Vietnam. She went to school, had friends, played with her doll, and she is a little stubborn but who could blame her. Ha is the only girl out of the four children.
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.
A variety of issues are examined in Dawe’s poetry, most of which, aren’t uniquely Australian. In ‘The Wholly Innocent’, the poet utilises the narrator being an unborn baby to express their opinion on abortion. The emotive language; “defenceless as a lamb” and comparisons of abortion to “genocide”, all turn this poem into a type of activism, for pro-life; a concept that is certainly not uniquely Australian; as abortion is only legal (on request) in 4 states and territories. These issues aren’t always directly referenced in Dawe’s poetry, much like in ‘The Family Man’, which chooses to explore suicide and it’s effect. The man who killed himself had no name - he was just a statistic, that had “all qualifications blown away with a trigger’s touch”.
Ha and the Universal Refugee Experience “The families from eight rows down were complaining about the smell it was coming from brother Khoi.” (Lai 84 Ha had a refugee experience because she left home and went to another country, she fled from war, and her and her family were looking for a safer better life. Ha left home and went to another country. Her Vietnam home was under attack.
”(92) Mary Anne acted as if visiting Vietnam was for a vacation. She did not care for “things like ambushes and snipers and the stopping power of an AK-47.”(92) Since she was innocent and new to the entire war situation, she thought of it very lightly. Although, throughout her entire stay, her old innocence, disappeared.
In the book Inside out and back again, written by Lai, is a story about Ha and her mother, father, teacher, and classmates. Ha lives in Vietnam in 1975 and eventually moves to Alabama because of war. Her story is just like a refugees story. They both left their country in hope of finding safety. All refugees have struggles they need to overcome.
The 1970s were a rough year for African-Americans, still fighting for social and political rights in the United States. Consequently, women still did not receive equal rights. However, in 1972, “Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution, which reads: ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex’ (History.com Staff).” Out of the thirty-eight necessary states only twenty-two ratified it right away, it was relieving for the moment because the feminist advocates had been trying to be ratified since 1923. The First African-American woman elected into Congress was Shirley Chisholm.
She faces racism, discrimination, loneliness, and, over time, a growing sense of love for her new home. Ha’s life is turned “inside out and back again”. Before Ha had to flee Saigon, she was headstrong and selfish, but she was also a girl who loved her mother and couldn't wait to grow up. She wanted to be able to do something before her older brothers did it, and do it better. But most of all, Ha wanted to fit in, to be liked.
In the poem “Ego-Tripping” by Nikki Giovanni, she normalizes her worth by continuing to royalist herself as a black woman who is essential to mankind. Giovanni creates a vision throughout the poem, which leaves a thought in mind of how woman should look at themselves with much confidence as Giovanni does. “Ego Tripping” was written by Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, Jr. who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943. G9iovanni is a writer, poet, activist, and educator whose work was influenced during the Black Power Movements and the Civil Rights Movement. The poem was released in 2002.
Naomi Shihab Nye focuses on the concept of solitary and independence in “The Boy and Egg”. Throughout the poem Nye uses alliterations, imagery and personification to create a literal situation. However, in “Famous” the author uses the poem to make the reader develop a new perspective on the definition of the word ‘famous’. The poem uses similes, irony, imagery and tone to show how the author views the world.
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.
If there's one thing I would know about this vietnam war is that for the southern vietnamese people they all wanted to leave that country because it was becoming a war torn country and everyone wanted a better life because that’s not what they wanted. And so for HA’ it was kind of I’m not really sure because she really loved it there and she had abandoned her own home and couldn’t do anything but do what her mom said because she was the only parental person who was taking care of all them and using some stuff. Besides the older brother might be able to help out again like he had done down in saigon before they had left and she wouldn’t be made fun of or anything! Well?
This verse novel is an award-winning story that revolves around a young girl moving from South Vietnam to America during the Vietnam War and the struggles that she and her family endure during these times. Being such a moving story, it is expected that more meaning is to be drawn from the story than just the
Joy Harjo’s poem “Perhaps the World Ends Here” implants an impression of the world as a kitchen table: “The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live.” (1). As I interpreted the poem, I perceived it as a brief analysis of life. Harjo elaborates life as one protracted feast, and our life ends when we eat the concluding bite of our meal: “Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.”
“Poem for My Sister” written by Liz Lochhead, is a poem describing the relationship between two sisters and their experiences. As with almost all siblings, the younger sister looks up to her older sister and strives to be like her whereas the older sister in this poem has been through numerous hardships and troubles in her life and warns her stubborn sister to not follow in her footsteps. The reader can relate to the poem as they are either an adult or a child and both ages apprehend the feelings and emotions that the characters are experiencing. A deeper meaning this poem suggests is that the experience of adulthood should be seen as advice for the upcoming generations.
