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Impact of American history on American literature
History of american poetry
History of american poetry
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Recommended: Impact of American history on American literature
The author’s use of diction create an uplifting patriotic tone in in the poem “America the beautiful.” Bates begins each stanza with the same three words, “o beautiful for…” focusing not on America’s flaws but all the beauty in our country. For instance at the start of stanza four, she writes, “o beautiful for heroes / proved in liberating strife who more than self her country loved / and mercy more than life.
Through oxymoron she showed that magic truly can exist in the most simple of circumstances. With imagery she provided a detailed visual of what that looks like, how it sounds and gave readers an understanding of what magic feels like. Finally, characters told the tale with ambiguity so that each and every member of the audience could relate and draw references to the people in their own lives. The poem perfectly unified beauty with basics, showing that true beauty does not always have to be elaborate. True beauty lies within the simplistic details, the character of those involved, the love that is felt and the goodness of mankind, that alone is magic. The theme that all moments are worthy of gratitude no matter how often they occur or how simple they appear was beautifully exemplified in the poem “Common Magic”. Imagine the peace if everyone allowed themselves to feel gratitude for everything and allowed their hearts to be warmed by the day to
In "I, Too," Langston Hughes is obviously in conversation with the earlier poem, Walt Whitman 's "I Hear America Singing." Both poems explore the idea of American identity -- who and what is an American? What characterizes the people of this nation? The two poets, however, reach somewhat different conclusions in response to these questions.
Wheatley’s poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America” is part of a set of works that Henry Louis Gates Jr. recognized as a historically significant literary contribution for black Americans and black women (Baym et al. 752). Addressed to the Christians who participated in the slave trade, the poem is meant to reveal the inconsistencies between their actions and the Christian Ideal. Whether perceived as a work of sincerity or a work of irony, the poem conveys the message that an individual’s behaviors are influenced by the examples of others and that all people are equal. Understanding Phillis Wheatley’s intent in her poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” is gained by considering all of the aspects of her existence when analyzing her work and even though perception is based on individual perspective, analysis and explication will reveal the contrariety Phillis Wheatley observed between society and the Christian Ideal and evidence her desire for the dissolution of every inequality.
Poems are expression of the human soul, and even though, is not everyone’s cup of tea when the individual finds that special poem it moves their soul one with the poet. There are many poets in the world, but the one that grab my attention the most was no other than Langston Hughes. It would be impossible for me to cover all the poems he wrote, but the one that grab my attention the most is called “Let America Be America Again.” It first appeared in “1938 pamphlet by Hughes entitled A New Song. Which was published by a socialist organization named the International Worker Order” (MLM) and later change back to its original name. I have never felt such an energy coming out of a poem like this one which is the reason that I instantly felt in love with it.
E. E. Cummings displays his adamant anti-war, anti-patriotic sentiments in the satirical poem “next to of course god america i.” Through his use of unorthodox form and structure, Cummings was able to effectively convey the perversity of blind patriotism. Though the voices of liberty may be loud, they are not always honest. Too much adamancy of any kind can lead to radicalism, and even when loving one’s country, one must love correctly.
There are many stories told throughout life some bad and some good as some could be
Allos was a young boy from a little province of Binalonan located on the central part of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. He lived with his dad, who farms on their own land, which is the primary source of their living. His mom, living in the town, selling goods in the market. They were among the peasants who worked very hard for the rich landlords just to feed their family. When his brother Leon came back form a war in Europe, he met a girl from another town who he liked. They got engaged and married. There was a tradition during those days that if the girl wasn’t a virgin, the man would have to return her to their village. And when the people found out that the girl deceived Leon, they tied them on a tree and started beating them. Allos’ dad stopped them and when it was over, Leon left the town with his bride and started a new life. Amado, the youngest of his four brothers, who was attending grade school in town living with his mother and their baby sister. His father brought him to the village to help them on their farming. His other brother, Luciano was on camp serving the United States. They all worked so hard for his brother Macario, who was attending high school at the province capital. They needed money for Macario’s education so his father sold a hectare of their four-hectare land. When they needed more, they sold more land. They gave up almost everything they owned just to make their son Macario go to school. One day when his father and his brother Amado were farming, Amado started beating up the carabao. His father stopped him and Amado told his father that he couldn’t live like this anymore. So he ran away from home, leaving Allos as his father’s only helper on the farm. When his brother Macario went home to visit, Allos was speechless. He’s not used to see an educated man. He dressed formal, talked and acted like a real gentleman. When they all gathered on house, Macario said that he needed more money to finish three more months of school. But the money wasn’t enough for three months. So their father decided that they will sell the remaining hectare of their land telling his son not to worry at all.
Katharine Lee Bates word choice in the poem by using the words in a certain way. Bates begins each stanza with the same three words, “O beautiful for spacious skies.” Katherine also talks about how much she loves and supports her country. She was inspired by her country because of the beauty in it. She has faith in her country probably because she lives in it and it is a free country.
The first paragraph of the song “America the Beautiful” is used to show that people in America are connected even though they may come from many different backgrounds. The first part of the song itself has important meaning to the people that live in America because it is something that most Americans learn at an early age in elementary school. Everyone is able to bond over the song because they all know the words to at least one portion of the song. To have such a special song sung in seven different languages shows that America truly is, a “melting pot”, which is a united but mixed and diverse country. The lyrics and harmony says that Americans can work together regardless of the differences that exist. The part of the song “America the Beautiful” that was used in advertisement has a deeper meaning behind it:
My feet are sore from rushed reps, and the sun is beating down on my back as I spin the routine for “America the Beautiful” for the umpteenth time. Mr. Rice had no sympathy despite this being the last day of band camp. The longer that I spent marching circles around the school, the more nervous I was about running out of time. It wasn't necessarily anybody's fault that the clock was ticking down, and that I was afraid of losing everything. The metronome beat endlessly, speeding up as if it wanted rest as much as we did.
America- What comes to mind when that name rings through your head? Freedom? Religion? Humanity? What comes to my mind when I think of America are the national heroes- the people who work hard and make sacrifices in order to build upon this country for our good.
...s being anxious. Every deep reader is an Idiot Questioner.” Sometimes everyone has difficulties in understanding poetry. We are anxious for not knowing the message which the author addressed to us. We are constantly seeking the answers and reject not knowing the truth. It is that way in every aspect of our lives and is the part of human nature. Why is that so? Maybe because there are so many things to search the answer for and plenty of them to admire to. In another words, beauty is everywhere, as Keats says in one of many of his letters to Fanny Brawne: “I have loved the principle of beauty in all things”. Lester Burnham, the protagonist of ‘American Beauty’, says something similar in his monologue at the end of the film: “It's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. “ The world is enigmatic and therefore beautiful. The same is with the poetry.
When you look back, no American author is more influencing then Walt Whitman. He is celebrated as the father of free verse.
E.E. Cummings poem “next to of course god America i” can be interpreted, on the surface, as a stark criticism of patriotism in general. However, he is not just criticizing patriotism, but, criticizing blind patriotism and abusing blind patriotism to further an agenda. The poem itself is a reflection of the picturesque American life portrayed in snap shots of patriotic songs and colloquialisms that are indicative to American life. These snap shots help highlight how excessive patriotism begins and how it can be overwhelming.
The Theme of Freedom in Poetry Write about three poems on freedom: On Liberty and Slavery (George Moses Horton), Sympathy (Paul Laurence Dunbar) and Caged Bird (Maya Angelou). I have chosen to write about three poems on freedom: On Liberty and Slavery (George Moses Horton), Sympathy (Paul Laurence Dunbar) and Caged Bird (Maya Angelou). The full text of the poems is attached.