The poem “Where There’s a Wall” by Joy Kogawa uses various imagery and symbolism to further enhance the effectiveness of the poem and its message. Like most other poems, “Where There’s a Wall” contains several layers of meaning, which is why it requires the reader to dig through the little details and examples in order to see the big picture.
One segment of the poem makes reference to peaceful methods to approach the obstacle of a wall standing in one’s way. It states, "Where there's a wall/ there's a way/ around, over, or through/ there's a gate/ maybe a ladder/ a door." The gate, ladder and door represent solutions to overcome this obstacle, and these solutions represent “the right way” to approach this obstacle. The part of the poem that says, ““Helicopters, rockets, bombs/ bettering rams/ armies with
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The image of the “gates of heaven” is meant to symbolize a life that is devoted to God. Furthermore, it represents "the right path" that one should follow. If everyone followed this path, the world as a whole would be a better place. Quite often, some individuals choose to use another path to get what they desire and this path may not be pleasant for everyone. The image of the “gates of hell” is meant to symbolize how people can turn to violent conduct, thinking that they would be able to get what they want immediately. This may be the case, but if they just take a moment to think about the negative repercussions their actions will have, they may think twice. The two paths used in the collage are used to demonstrate that there is always two ways of reaching a goal: by following "the right path", where even if it takes longer to accomplish your goal, nobody is going to get hurt, or by following "the wrong path", where individuals get what they desire, however, the path may not be pleasant for