Even today in 2011 there are people from different origins that wish to be white; this issue was raised in 1980 in this book, and still is prevalent today. Wong goes on in this poem and describes the ways in which she wished she were white. Furthermore, she explained the reasons to why it would be better to be white such as this line refers: “when I was growing up, my sisters with fair skin got praised for their beauty, and in the dark I fell further, crushed
V.B.” about her mother Vivian Baxter, who was one of the first black females to join the merchant marines. It also contains an untitled poem about the similarities between all people, despite their racial and cultural differences. In this reflection, I will talk about certain chapters in the book that relate to my life either professionally or personally. New Directions This chapter talks about a woman named Mrs. Annie Johnson. She found herself a single mother with not much education and two young sons to care for and raise.
Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief portrays how change can allow an individual to become more wise and independent. At the very beginning of the novel, Liesel was depicted as a young, naive nine year old girl. The novel is narrated through death’s perspective as he would occasionally describe his emotions through the use of strong colours, for instance “First up is something white, of the blinding kind.”
Running Header: THEME AND NARRATIVE 1 Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story Deborah Burdette English 125: Introduction to Literature Instructor: Marnie Nollette 10 September 2012 Themes 2 Ernest Hemingway's short-story “Hills Like White Elephants” is an intriguing piece. In true Hemingway style, the reader is given a minimum of information necessary to figure out and understand the meaning of the piece. I would love to discuss the many symbols in this story and relate them to the theme, which is about how Jig can see herself being happy keeping her baby, while the American boyfriend cannot see beyond his own childish, selfish need to be unencumbered by the “white elephant” in order to live a happy life. This theme is further reinforced by Jig's repeated assertions that she “feels fine.” I will discuss, however, the three main symbols, being first the hills, second white elephants, and third the railroad station that Hemingway uses to develop his theme. At first read “Hills Like White Elephants” appears to be nothing more than a superficial conversation between a man and a woman sitting in a railroad station somewhere in Spain.
In Mrs Tilscher’s class” by Carol Ann Duffy is about rites of passage, the transition from childhood to adolescence and the things we learn at school, from our teachers and from our peers. Duffy writes this accessible poem using a variety of techniques that make it a memorable read. The opening stanza has no real hint of what is to come: Duffy shows us a typical day in Mrs. Tilscher's class:You could travel up the Blue Nilewith your finger, tracing the routewhile Mrs Tilscher chanted the scenery. Throughout the poem Duffy refers to "you”- while really she is referring to her own memories- but by writing in the second person she invites us to share her experience. The image itself tells of the wrapped concentration of the children, although I think that primary seven is a little old to be so advently following the river “with your finger”, it does convey the level of eagerness of the children.
Poe Girl As a kid growing up and moving through elementary school, I never thought of poetry as anything more than writing something to make a girl like you. A poem would start out with the dry, decrepit, and overly used line, “Roses are red, violets are blue” and then would end with some witty rhyme to show the girl how “creative” you were. Poetry involves more than rhymes, I have learned. When used correctly, an author can pull on your heart strings, build your excitement, or even bring you down into the pits of despair. It is a great power to be able to mold words that will affect one’s emotions and conscience.
In the short story “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros, the main character Rachel is characterized as a shy, innocent, and gentle girl. She is formally addressed as someone that would sit in the corner and just go with the flow of everyone else and give off the impression that she is somewhat of a crybaby about being accused of something that she wouldn’t have been able to control without evidence. Cisneros uses different methods of literary techniques to give allusions of what it’s really like to be eleven years old. Stating that when you turn eleven you are also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one. Through the various techniques incorporated throughout the short story, the image and identity of Rachel’s character begin to come alive in between the lines of the text itself.
The poems are about Heaney’s childhood, in his poems he explains the change of attitude to the natural world, and the poems both have two parts: the childhood and his views as an adult. His poems describe his experience as a child. The reader knows that Heaney is describing his childhood in “Blackberry Picking” because in his poem he shows a vivid account of picking blackberries which shows us that it can only be done by child. A quotation to prove this is “I always felt like crying. It wasn’t fair”.
Critical Essay – The Choosing “The Choosing” by Liz Lochhead is a poem that shows a vivid personal experience. It is a poem where the poet and her childhood friend – Mary – end up growing apart because of choices Mary’s parents made. The theme of the poem is that the choices that are made by our parents can affect your future. I will be discussing how Lochhead uses several different techniques to help show a vivid personal experience. At the beginning of the poem, where she tells us about the girls’ time at primary school, the poet uses repetition to emphasise how alike the girls were.
Kimberly Uzoaru Prof Bonar English 2: Presentation 3 December 2012 Sylvia Plath “Daddy,” written by Sylvia Plath is a nursery rhyme like poem with deep metaphorical meanings. Similar to Franz Kafka’s, The Metamorphosis, Sylvia Plath creates a poem that mirrors her own personal life. This biographical poem reveals the dramatic events that Plath faces in regards to her father. The poem also represents the importance of freedom. The beginning stanza begins, “you do not do, you do not do/any more, black shoe” (1-2) Plath is trapped in a shoe that belongs to her father in which she cannot live in anymore.