Within the 20th century European epoch a new kind of poetry emerged, one permeated by its current political situation, both complicating and encouraging contemporary writer’s ability to exercise agency. Carolyn Fouchè, an American poet and Human Rights activist found her in this situation whilst working in El Salvador for Amnesty International. It was in these journeys that Fouchè came face to face with the gross human injustices of twentieth century which she perhaps, like many other individuals, chose to silence. In exposing the dictatorship littering the Eastern European, Fouchè becomes concerned with a central thread of contemporary literature – human rights. In an interview with Bill Moyers, she notes that the colonel’s actions were his …show more content…
Derived from the Latin word ‘columna’, meaning column, it is so named because a mid-rank officer originally headed the first column or a regiment. The title appears to speak directly to the form of the poem; which is portrayed as a thick, dark column centred neatly on a clinically white page with the upright officer infront. Furthermore, in hearing the title it triggers an association to a word with a much darker connotation – colonialism. Thereby harkening back to a time in which the human body was brutally violated and tortured. The title thus takes its rightful place standing upright above a dark body of words, proving crucial to the poem’s thematic purpose. An ominous foreshadowing is therefore set from the start and continues throughout in minor disturbing details of the colonel’s ordinary, domestic home, sticking out like lifted bricks on a smooth path, these horrifying details cause one to stumble over them in disarray. Fouchè’s use of capitalisation in the first sentence introduces a confessional tone by proclaiming a truth of our contemporary previously contested. In doing so she not only invites the reader to listen but implicates us in this truth through the use of personal pronouns which continue
Poetry’s role is evaluated according to what extent it mirrors, shapes and is reshaped by historical events. In the mid-19th century, some critics viewed poetry as “an expression of the poet’s personality, a manifestation of the poet’s intuition and of the social and historical context which shaped him” ( Preminger, Warnke, Hardison 511). Analysis of the historical, social, political and cultural events at a certain time helps the reader fully grasp a given work. The historical approach is necessary in order for given allusions to be situated in their social, political and cultural background. In order to escape intentional fallacy, a poet should relate his work to universal
The powerful poem ‘Weapons Training’ showcases a sergeant, through malicious words, guiding his troops. However it is through ‘Homecoming’, where Dawe exposes the brutal hopelessness brought forth by the futility of war. Therefore it can be seen that war has an emotional toll on both families and the soldiers. Both poems have a recurring message that all war does is bring loss, death and mourning, showcasing Dawes strong opinions about a futile
Carolyn Forche’s “The Colonel” discusses the lack of value towards human life by totalitarian government and the United States’ stake in investigating these powers and challenging them. The speaker in this poem recounts his experience meeting the colonel to show the audience both the amount of presence of the United States in this foreign setting and the Colonel’s lack of regard toward human rights. Figurative language, such as similes, metaphors, and symbols, as well as the speaker’s first-person point of view descriptions reveal her experiences in El Salvador with a cruel military government. These elements in Forche’s poem successfully convey themes of oppression and cruelty, as well as heavy
In this paper, I plan to explore and gain some insight on Audre Lorde’s personal background and what motivated her to compose a number of empowering and highly respected literary works such as “Poetry is Not a Luxury”. In “Poetry is Not a Luxury”, Lorde not only gives voice to people especially women who are underrepresented, but also strongly encourages one to step out of their comfort zone and utilize writing or poetry to express and free oneself of repressed emotions. I am greatly interested in broadening my knowledge and understanding of the themes that are most prominent in Lorde’s works such as feminism, sexism and racism. It is my hope that after knowing more about her that I would also be inspired to translate my thoughts and feelings
Yusef Komunyakaa, the poet of war, vividly describes his vacillating emotions about the Vietnam War and his relation to it as an African-American veteran in the poem, “Facing It.” Komunyakaa, the protagonist of his narrative, reflective poem, contemplates his past experiences as he promenades around the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, struggling to conceal his ardent emotions and remain hard and cold as “stone.” He writes one stanza in a dark mood, and by using metaphors and visual imagery, he paints a picture with his words for all to see.
Phillis Wheatley is recognized as the first African American female poet published in America, among many other titles. When she was only seven years old she was brought to America and sold into slavery. Fortunately, her masters did not abuse her; instead they actually cared for her and educated her. Although much of her work is forever lost, some of her published pieces still remain, among them “On Being Brought from Africa to America” and “To the University of Cambridge, in New England”. The former work is a short poem that describes two of her most life-altering experiences: being sold into slavery and becoming redeemed by God. Wheatley, however, views them as one great transformation. The latter work is a poem written to the students of Cambridge University, urging them to learn everything they are capable of. She also cautions them, however, to be wary not to forget their Creator. In these two works, Wheatley portrays three key elements of her identity: her social position, racial identity, and religious affiliation.
Uttering the final goodbye is never an easy thing to do. In many cases we never have the chance to say goodbye. Deep in our subconscious, we know our final moments in this world will eventually come. The question that leaves everyone in fear is when our final moments in this world will be, and whether we are able to say goodbye to the ones we love. Literary writers compose great pieces of writing that revolve around death. Sometimes it is not the death of a person, but rather, having something being ripped out of our hands; having no control. Take English poet Anne Bradstreet’s poem, “Upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666,” Bradstreet allows us to feel what she feels; when losing her home, she is rattled with anger towards God, but
“Silence is a sounding thing, to one who listens hungrily.” Gwendolyn B. Bennett was an author, journalist, educator, and artists. She was a woman of the Harlem Renaissance. But despite all the struggles of being an African American woman, Gwendolyn B. Bennett made herself into the woman she was in the 1900s. Therefore, the strong woman she became is shown through her work.
To read the Civil War diary of Alice Williamson, a 16 year old girl, is to meander through the personal, cultural and political experience of both the author and one's self. Her writing feels like a bullet ricocheted through war, time, death, literary form, femininity, youth, state, freedom and obligation. This investigation attempts to do the same; to touch on the many issues that arise in the mind of the reader when becoming part of the text through the act of reading. This paper will lay no definitive claims to the absolute meaning of the diary, for it has many possible interpretations, for the journey is the ultimate answer. I seek to acknowledge the fluidity of thought when reading, a fluidity which incorporates personal experience with the content of Williamson's journal. I read the journal personally- as a woman, a peer in age to Alice Williamson, a surrogate experiencialist, a writer, an academic and most of all, a modern reader unaccustomed to the personal experience of war. I read the text within a context- as a researcher versed on the period, genre, aesthetics, and to some degree the writer herself. The molding of the personal and contextual create a rich personalized textual meaning .
In France Ellen Watkins Harper poem, “A Double Standard” the theme is gender wars/battle of the sexes, the genre is a poem, media is audio and literature, and the author is France Ellen Watkins Harper. The poet used repetition, the stanza is quatrain and anaphora were utilized in the in beginning. In society, there is an abundance of double standards for men and women even though we are all human beings. However, women just seem to cannot get a break towards gender equality. Everything that some men do there is always this phrase of exculpating that boys will be boys, but now it is time to hold men accountable for their actions. Society perceptions of women are that they should not cheat, it is their fault if the man leaves, and are emotional.
When sorting through the Poems of Dorothy Parker you will seldom find a poem tha¬t you could describe as uplifting or cheerful. She speaks with a voice that doesn’t romanticize reality and some may even call her as pessimistic. Though she doesn’t have a buoyant writing style, I can empathize with her views on the challenges of life and love. We have all had experiences where a first bad impression can change how we view an opportunity to do the same thing again. Parker mostly writes in a satirical or sarcastic tone, which can be very entertaining to read and analyze.
The drug problem in the U.S. and around the world is an important issue and seems to be a difficult problem to tackle across the board. The inflow of drugs has become one of the largest growths in transnational crime operations; illicit drug use in the United States makes it very difficult for nation states police and customs forces to get a handle on the issues. War on drugs, drug trafficking has long been an issue for the United States. There has been a proclamation of “war on drugs” for the past 44 years.
Poetry like so many other things in life is complicated and easily misunderstood, similar to the poem entitled “Poetry” by Marianne Moore. Through her unique way of writing Moore uses literary devices imagery and personification to make the readers question why it is she has come to “dislike”(line 1) poetry. In particular, her word choice leaves a lot of room to wonder exactly why she has chosen to write it this way. A main theme that is represented in this poem is conformity and whether or not it is something to be followed.
This type of writing interests me because it was used as a tool to open people’s eyes to the brutality of war. In a way it protested and spoke up against this injustice and most importantly gave a voice to the people who became the biggest victims of war – the soldiers themselves.
Literary Analysis of Emily Dickinson's Poetry. Emily Dickinson is one of the most famous authors in American history, and a good amount of that can be attributed to her uniqueness in writing. In Emily Dickinson's poem 'Because I could not stop for Death,' she characterizes her overarching theme of Death differently than it is usually described through the poetic devices of irony, imagery, symbolism, and word choice. Emily Dickinson likes to use many different forms of poetic devices and Emily's use of irony in poems is one of the reasons they stand out in American poetry. In her poem 'Because I could not stop for Death,' she refers to 'Death' in a good way.