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Symbolism in modern poetry
Symbolism in modern poetry
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Most Meaningful Word in a Text In the poem "Identity", by Julio Noboa Polanco, the most meaningful word is "free" because it conveys the theme of it more important to be independent and disliked than to live by other's opinions and be admired. The author is compares himself to other people, described as "flowers", beautiful and loved, but are restricted to the "flowerpot" that they are in. The author does not want to be one of these people, preferring to make his own choices and experience the freedom of life, even if it meant they would be an ugly weed, despised by everyone. The author reveals this theme when he writes about how he wants to live freely and not be constrained by anything. The poem has a part where it talks about being able to have excitement and have new experiences in their life, instead of everything just being there with no chance of change. On lines one to three, the author also writes, "Let them be flowers, always watered, fed, guarded, admired, but harnessed to a pot of dirt." The phrase "harnessed to a pot of dirt" means that in some way the "flowers", or the people who are loved and admired, can't do things they want to without being held back. The "flowerpot" is what restrains themIn the poem, the theme is demonstrated when the author writes that he does not want to be like the other people, …show more content…
because he doesn't want to have to take the judgement of others. The word "free" means not restrained by anything, like someone's thoughts about you.
That is what this poem is partly about. On lines 21-22, the poem reads, "If I could stand alone, strong and free, I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed." This is the conclusion of the poem, where the author tells the reader about his final thoughts. The author wrote that he does not care about what others say about them, as long as he is allowed to have his own thoughts and choices. That makes the word "free" reflect the theme. In general, The author says that they don't want to have to live by those rules of the flowers, or other people, instead, they want to be
free. All in all, the poem "Identity" can be summed up in the word "free" found in the poem. This word reveals the theme of how it is preferable to live your life as you want it, instead of only focusing on what others think of you. This theme influences the whole text and what ultimately the reader brings away from it, so because of the word "free" the reader can understand what the author was writing.
In a story of identity and empowerment, Juan Felipe Herrera’s poem “Borderbus” revolves around two Honduran women grappling with their fate regarding a detention center in the United States after crawling up the spine of Mexico from Honduras. While one grapples with their survival, fixated on the notion that their identities are the ultimate determinant for their future, the other remains fixated on maintaining their humanity by insisting instead of coming from nothingness they are everything. Herrera’s poem consists entirely of the dialogue between the two women, utilizing diction and imagery to emphasize one’s sense of isolation and empowerment in the face of adversity and what it takes to survive in America.
The exact idea on the American identity differs from each person. In Okita's poem, "Response to Order 9066," and in Cisneros's short story, "Mericans," they both touch on their own ideas on what makes an American. The poem tells of a young Japanese girl's experience as an American before and after Order 9066. It describes how the girl and her friend's relationship broke due to the negative views on Japanese-Americans soon after the order. In the short story, a young Mexican girl doe not enjoy or embrace her own culture and would rather do activities other Americans do for fun. Later in the the story, the girl and her siblings surprise an American photographer that they could speak English soon declaring that they are "Merican." Both Okita's poem and Cisneros's short story show that cultural heritage and physical appearances do not determine what it means to be an American.
Sonia Sanchez is an African-American writer regularly connected with the Black Arts Movement. She has composed over twelve books of poems, and in addition short stories, essays, plays, and kids' books. She was a beneficiary of 1993 Pew Fellowships in the Arts. In 2001, Sanchez was the recipient of the Robert Frost Medal for her poem and has been compelling to other African-American female artists, including Krista Franklin. Sanchez was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 9, 1934. Her mom died when Sanchez was just two years old, so she stayed with different family members for a while. One of those was her grandma, who passed when Sanchez was six. In 1943, she moved to Harlem to live with her dad, her sister, and her stepmother, who was
In Tim Seibles' poem, The Case, he reviews the problematic situations of how white people are naturally born with an unfair privilege. Throughout the poem, he goes into detail about how colored people become uncomfortable when they realize that their skin color is different. Not only does it affect them in an everyday aspect, but also in emotional ways as well. He starts off with stating how white people are beautiful and continues on with how people enjoy their presence. Then he transitions into how people of color actually feel when they encounter a white person. After, he ends with the accusation of the white people in today's world that are still racist and hateful towards people of color.
Kim Addonizio’s “First Poem for You” portrays a speaker who contemplates the state of their romantic relationship though reflections of their partner’s tattoos. Addressing their partner, the speaker ambivalence towards the merits of the relationship, the speaker unhappily remains with their partner. Through the usage of contrasting visual and kinesthetic imagery, the speaker revels the reasons of their inability to embrace the relationship and showcases the extent of their paralysis. Exploring this theme, the poem discusses how inner conflicts can be powerful paralyzers.
Martin Espada’s poem is a tragic view of what people living in poverty were subjected to. Several lines of this poem, paint a horrific picture of their lives. As the poem progresses the tone changes to what his hopes and dreams were for the future of these people. The author wrote this to help other people be aware of the tragedies that have and could happen again.
I would like to investigate the many struggles of women, whether it be race that differentiates them or an event that any woman could experience that brings them together. Beauty is not easily defined, and women everywhere struggle with not only pleasing the people around them, but themselves. Wanting to describes themselves and feel beautiful is one of the many struggles women experience throughout their lives. “Las Rubias” by Diana García from Fire and Ink represents a common example of what women of color experience while comparing themselves to the “beauty” of white women. The poem is divided into eight numbered sections, each containing their own experience or thought. This is effective because by the end of the poem, the reader has almost
In society, it is imperative that an individual holds on to their uniqueness. Unfortunately, many individuals feel so pressured by the woes of life that they end up conforming to an image that is deemed as acceptable, which is what Polanco is explaining in his poem “Identity”. The poem Identity is about a person who would like to be a weed that is free rather than a sheltered flower. Instead of simply stating his thoughts, the speaker of the poem creatively presents similes, personification and imagery to display why he would rather be a weed.
The poem “Always Something More Beautiful” by Stephen Dunn is certainly about running a race, but the speaker is also arguing that pursuing something beautiful can help guide us through life. Through the title, we can see that we should constantly look for more beautiful things in life. The poem begins with the speaker describing his experience before a race. He uses words like “best” and “love.” The tone is extremely enthusiastic. In the first line, he talks about coming to the starting place. This can be a metaphor for beginning our lifelong journey. The speaker also implies that we need to approach it with a positive attitude. In the next few lines, the speaker indicates being tested in excellence
"The Yellow Violet" vividly expresses the nature of life in a very simple way. Bryant takes the cycle of a yellow violet and uses it to describe the humanistic world around him. It is very clever, too, that when he does this, he uses personification. A "modest flower" (2674) pops out from the dark, damp leaves below and "[makes] the woods of April bright" (2675). While the rest of the forests and fields go on with their life cycle this tiny flower does itsí best to make things pretty and happy. The persona describes this sight as an "early smile" (2675) and that is what kept a smile on his own face. Even the various blooms and colors that surface in May are not as joyful because when the violet blooms, it is the first color you see after a long winter of gray. This modesty of the meek flower is compared to that of a person. It's usually the poorer, less known people in the world that are the ones who really cheer you up. They will never let you down. As the persona in the poem points out, "So they, who climb to wealth, forget" (2675). This is the most important line of the entire poem. It is basically saying that those who are wrapped up in material things are just th...wrapped up. They are not dependable. Thus, the yellow violet is the modest person, which are far and few, who you can always count on to stand by you in the end and brighten up your day. This is the illustration of the nature of life.
The poem is divided not only into stanza, but also lines. Most of the separate lines connect to other lines. "Our want is just one of many in line of wants & the line of wants is ancillary to the line of needs/ people close to you are hungry & you have ignored it. People close to you have lost their jobs" (Williams lines 10-13). This is an example of two sentences from the poem that connect with each other. This quote is connected with a similar idea, that your desire is secondary to your needs. The structure of the poem is significant because emphasizes the main idea of the separated lines. " Which she has done, which is what it means to want, but not have/ in a city stacked with desire, to know that desire is our most ruinous trait," (Williams lines 7-8). This demonstrates that desires could ruin people; furthermore, people have more important needs that should come before anything else. The poem's structure is significant in understanding the central message because it emphasizes the needs that should come before your
Leer la poesía de Julia de Burgos es abrirse paso a un mundo de emociones, luchas y temas múltiples. En sus tres poemarios, la poeta inaugura un estilo y unas temáticas que en ocasiones coinciden y en otras se apartan de los poetas entre los que convivió (López Jiménez, "Julia de Burgos” 141). Julia buscó abrirse paso hacia nuevas formas de escritura y trazar rutas alternas a los cánones establecidos, tanto por sus contemporáneos como por la tradición literaria. Poema en veinte surcos, su primer libro publicado en 1938, representa ese anhelo de trazar múltiples rutas mediante las cuales pueda realizar una búsqueda de nuevas voces, perspectivas y temáticas. Precisamente, en la poesía de Julia, sobre todo la de su primer poemario, se advierte un deseo de definirse y afirmar sus principios poéticos y políticos. Según Ivette López Jiménez, muchos poemas de su primer libro se destacan porque “se alejan de las fórmulas de la poesía criollista” y porque en ellos “la voz se afirma como una ‘rama desprendida’ o como ‘brote de todos los suelos de la tierra... de todos los hombres y de todas las épocas” (“Julia de Burgos” 143). Hay pues, un intento por alejarse de los discursos autorizados, lo que la lleva a identificarse con los espacios y los sujetos marginados. Desde esta perspectiva, Julia de Burgos pasa a ocupar el rol de “poeta cívico” y su discurso a ser uno de denuncia y protesta. Por ello, propone una reconsideración de los espacios marginales, del “otro” con el objetivo de traerlos a primer plano. Con esto, establece una “actitud a la avanzada del pensamiento y de las costumbres, sobre todo lo relacionado con los cambios necesarios en la sociedad”, en palabras de Manuel de la Puebla (16).
My first and immediate explanation for the poem was an address from one lover to a loved one, where distance became a factor in their relationship. The lover has it far worse than the desired partner and the solitude builds nothing but longing for this person at a time when his love is the greatest. He says " What have I to say to you when we shall meet?... I am alone" with my head knocked against the sky”. He further asks, “How can I tell if I shall ever love you again as I do now?” There is uncertainty because he is wondering over the next encounter with his loved one. He says, “I lie here thinking of you” and is compelling when he wants the loved one to see him in the 5th stanza and what love is doing to his state of mind. He is hopeless and expresses it by asking questions he is unsure of, conveying his troubled state. Williams enforces imagery along with sound effects to demonstrate the despair of the man in a realm that is almost dreamlike with purple skies,spoiled colors, and birds. Stating he is alone and that his head collides with the sky may underline the man’s confusion. He also uses imagery in the “stain of love as it eats into the leaves”, and saffron horned branches, vivid and easy-to-imagine images that captivate the reader. The line stating “a smooth purple sky” and this stain which is “spoiling the colours of the whole world” easily formulate a very distinct picture. Through consonance words like “eats” and “smears with saffron” become fiercer in the eyes of this lover as they cancel out a “smooth sky”.
“Citizens of Deaths gray land” a typical view of a solider that is fighting in a
Freedom is a human value that has inspired many poets, politicians, spiritual leaders, and philosophers for centuries. Poets have rhapsodized about freedom for centuries. Politicians present the utopian view that a perfect society would be one where we all live in freedom, and spiritual leaders teach that life is a spiritual journey leading the soul to unite with God, thus achieving ultimate freedom and happiness. In addition, we have the philosophers who perceive freedom as an inseparable part of our nature, and spend their lives questioning the concept of freedom and attempting to understand it (Transformative Dialogue, n.d.).