His most famous fictional character is Jesse B. Semple, nickname Simple, who uses humor to protest and satirize the existing injustice. Hughes, however, writing from a black man’s perspective, is much less optimistic about what America has been or will be. While Whitman’s’ poem was very unstructured in blank verse, Hughes’s poem is more tightly controlled with rhyme, tone, rhetorical questions, and more unified with repeated anaphora. Langston Hughes uses connotation well in this poem to evoke all of the wonderfully patriotic images of America but also to make the reader question this images. These images are very vivid; the idea of scars connotes all the violence and beatings of slavery, which makes the reader even more passionate of the reading.
Starting out with their literary style of writing, both poets have written descriptive, non-rhyming poems broken down into a lengthy amount of stanzas. Each depicts their own views on the America they see around them from Ginsberg’s travels in an urban New York City, to Whitman’s Long Island home where the land was divine and natural. For the most part, Whitman makes himself known to be the speaker by starting out most of the stanzas with the word “I”. He, himself wants to connect with the readers as well does Ginsberg, who also depicts to the reader his personal thoughts. For instance, “Howl” begins with the line “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness” while Whitman’s begins with “I celebrate myself, and what I assume you shall assume”.
In regards to literature in both of their eras, it becomes seemingly and obviously so that Whitman both inspired and paved the way for Ginsberg. Both Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg are reflecting upon political and cultural controversies they are experiencing in the times they are living in. While they again are living in different times and generations, they both are writing in respects to their own personal thoughts and opinions regarding their own personal political and societal changes within their current America. However, this is not where the similarities of the two end, while the likeness is expressed in the content of both author’s works, the structure and style in which each poem is written is also notably alike. Walt Whitman writes his poem in independent stanzas that despite flowing flawlessly with the rest of the poem could just as effortlessly tell a story on their own.
The name of the poem implies that the poet was a proponent of war, but contradictorily we discover that he was not. Undoubtedly, Owen had the practical, realistic knowledge to informatively and effectively portray the war scene. He experienced first-hand the physical, psychological and emotional effects of war on a human being. Although both speakers had contradictory concepts about war based on their own values, knowledge and experiences, they presented their theories with equivalent zeal, tenacity and passion. The speakers are fixated in their beliefs, and adamant about their concepts of war.
Both poems feature a range of strategies and techniques to feature similar and different points, such as how both poems contain certain criticisms towards the ideals and values carried by blind patriotism. ‘Flag’ explores how patriotic symbols can unite masses and nations together and yet, can also influence people to create barriers against one another, eventually forcing them apart. While E.E Cummings was infamous for his views on pacifism, and uses ‘next of course god america i’ as a method to criticise how people encourage patriotism in others, making the poem satirical. In both poems, the poets explore the power of patriotic symbols, such as the uses of flags, the national anthem and the pledge of alliance. In the poem ‘Flag’, John Agard states that the flag is just a piece of cloth fluttering in a breeze but is capable of bringing “a nation to its knees”, which can be seen as a sign of respect or oppression.
If Turner’s frontier helped people understand America, Limerick claims that her West helps people understand the world. The western frontier is full of any experiences that changed the frontier. Each significant even has an important role on the shaping of society and way it influenced a ne nation. Each author brought a new perspective and though process to the western experience which either contradicted Turner or Limerick. Whether Turner and Limerick were being contradicted or agreed with, their thesis explained the western frontier and
If we ask for a theme, is it okay for them to write a poem?” (Perez) Chris Semansky says “In his poem “Theme for English B,” Langston Hughes complicates the idea that the lyric “I” is a reflection of a coherent, stable identity by calling into question the notation that one can reveal the truth simply by expressing oneself. Instead, Hughes suggests that the self, rather than being coherent and autonomous, is actually the effect of relationships. These relationships inevitably involve power and, in Hughes’s case, include race, age, national, and professional identity.”
One of the most known poems in of his book “Leaves of Grass” is Song of myself. In a scary translation of life and the real experiences of Americans post World War II, “Howl” is a mind blowing and disturbing poem by Allen Ginsberg. In this essay I’m going to compare Whitman’s “Song of Myself” to “Howl” written by Beat generation poet Allen Ginsberg. There are a number of ways that Whitman’s influence can be noticed in Ginsberg’s work “Howl”, including a similar style of format and structure, a similar impact on the literary world and a concern with American people. Another significant influence that Whitman has for Ginsberg is the fact that Whitman had been an outcast from the literary circle of his era, with his long -winded style, free verse, sexual exposure and his appearance as a plainly dressed workman rather than a high society poet.
Walt Whitman Shaping the American Character History Lauren Kilroy Walt Whitman, one of the oldest known poets of democracy, who has writing that has influenced the national character, during the 1840s in places like New York. Walt Whitman is important to the american character because his works inspired patriotism in the United States. "Whitman...spoke to the intrest of the day and from a particular class perspective"(Folsmon 3). During the time of his writings he wrote things that were very taboo subjects like black people. In his writing he did not concern the colored people as dirty or anything bad he empowers them and makes them seem like they are equals to the white men that own them.
They were singing about war, drugs, and love instead of war. There lyrics were from the heart of these incredible artists. It provoked feelings of rage for the government, and love for one another. The rock and roll movement began out of enclosed energy that had to be released in a positive manner. It had very pure, honest intentions.