On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood up and spoke out about inequality from an African American’s perspective during the March on Washington. About forty years later, two women, Sara Abou Rashed, a Palestinian, and Diane Burns, a Native American, write about their struggles in America with inequality and hate speech. Even though Burns was older than Rashed when she wrote her poem, Rashed can pull at the heartstrings of her readers far better than Burns can. She executes this by using the appeal of pathos when connecting to her losses, and by using metaphors to sympathize with her audience in the poem "Welcome to America"(2016). The first and main difference in how both authors connect with their audience is how they emphasize …show more content…
She writes about "the way fear and revolution play tug of war on doorsteps, uproot loved ones from framed pictures on walls, steal a father from the dinner table"(Rashed 41-44). With such descriptive memories and experiences, using Pathos, the audience can sympathize with Rashed. Unlike in Burns’ poem where she guilts the audience, mainly white Americans, for what some of the population does. Instead of using her poem and pathos to urge the reader to do something in response, she makes the readers feel insignificant and the ones to blame. Furthermore, “Welcome to America” introduces another type of loss, or in this case, being lost. Throughout the poem, the audience is able to watch Rashed struggle to fit into her new, forced home. She is judged for being a Palestinian from Syria, looking like a ‘terrorist’, and dealing with a language barrier. Rashed writes about the grief of getting pulled away from her home, and losing it all in the process. Her friends “saw [her] house tear asunder like it was never there: the old gate, the dolls, grandma’s garden and every dream [they]’ve built on the roof with hands too small to plant
The female, adolescent speaker helps the audience realize the prejudice that is present in a “melting-pot” neighborhood in Queens during the year 1983. With the setting placed in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, the poem allows the audience to examine the experience of a young immigrant girl, and the inequality that is present during this time. Julia Alvarez in “Queens, 1963” employs poetic tools such as diction, figurative language, and irony to teach the reader that even though America is a place founded upon people who were strangers to the land, it is now home to immigrants to claim intolerance for other foreigners, despite the roots of America’s founding.
In Audre Lorde’s bildungsroman essay “The Fourth of July” (1997), she recalls her family’s trip to the nation’s capital that represented the end of her childhood ignorance by being exposed to the harsh reality of racialization in the mid 1900s. Lorde explains that her parents are to blame for shaping her skewed perception of America by shamefully dismissing frequent acts of racism. Utilizing copious examples of her family being negatively affected by racism, Lorde expresses her anger towards her parents’ refusal to address the blatant, humiliating acts of discrimination in order to emphasize her confusion as to why objecting to racism is a taboo. Lorde’s use of a transformational tone of excitement to anger, and dramatic irony allows those
The civil rights movement may have technically ended in the nineteen sixties, but America is still feeling the adverse effects of this dark time in history today. African Americans were the group of people most affected by the Civil Rights Act and continue to be today. Great pain and suffering, though, usually amounts to great literature. This period in American history was no exception. Langston Hughes was a prolific writer before, during, and after the Civil Rights Act and produced many classic poems for African American literature. Hughes uses theme, point of view, and historical context in his poems “I, Too” and “Theme for English B” to expand the views on African American culture to his audience members.
The book Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals explains what it was like to be an African American dealing with integration and the hardships that she faced, and how she dealt with them to help the civil rights movement. Beals uses Warrior’s Don’t Cry as a way to reveal how outside factors influence integration. Beals’ purpose
This poem is written from the perspective of an African-American from a foreign country, who has come to America for the promise of equality, only to find out that at this time equality for blacks does not exist. It is written for fellow black men, in an effort to make them understand that the American dream is not something to abandon hope in, but something to fight for. The struggle of putting up with the racist mistreatment is evident even in the first four lines:
David Treuer's succinct biography delves into the bittersweet tales of his parents and their encounters with America, portraying both the kindness and unkindness they experienced. Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham Jail, written following his arrest during a nonviolent demonstration, provides a unique perspective on the American experience. In their respective works, Treuer and King offer different yet parallel insights into the intricate relationship between individuals and America, shedding light on the ways it can both uplift and challenge us. Despite the disparities, both authors cautiously acknowledge the positive facets of America's impact on their lives, contributing to a nuanced exploration of American ideals.
A number of stories provide insightful insights into the ongoing fight for equality and dignity in the complicated racial environment of America when it comes to the literary examination of racial injustice and social inequality. Together, Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson," James Baldwin's "Notes of a Native Son," and ZZ Packer's "Brownies" provide a comprehensive analysis of the difficulties African Americans endure in the face of systematic oppression. Characters and themes from these works are juxtaposed to create a moving narrative that highlights the lasting tenacity of oppressed populations, the terrible impact of prejudice, and the struggle for empowerment. This article will examine the complex ideas presented in these writings and show
In lines one through two of the poem, African Americans are victimized and encouraged to “come home from the movies,” leaving behind the false reality of the standard of living that they’ve seen depicted by white culture in the ‘movies’ (line 1). The author of this poem uses symbolism, diction, repetition, and comparisons to portray the prejudice African Americans face during the era of racial segregation. Since this poem takes place during a time of racial inequality, the poem not only highlights the struggles African Americans faced, but also encourages them to go beyond the stereotype they’re given and to change the negative stigma that they’ve been branded with.
There are multiple viewpoints for every situation. Opinions made about the United States and its future are often associated with other attitudes that have once been acted out. In Arna Bontemps’ “A Black Man Talks of Reaping” and Claude McKay’s “America,” both poets show aspects of America, yet they have contrasting opinions of the situation. Still, Arna includes environmental metaphors and hyperbole to illustrate the harsh conditions African Americans have received, while McKay personifies the cruel circumstances with bold similes to suggest that he honors America for making him stronger. In Arna Bontemps’ poem, he uses environmental metaphors and hyperbole to clarify how brutal it was for African Americans to survive in America during the Harlem Renaissance.
In Pat Mora’s “Legal Alien” and Toi Derricotte’s “Black Boys Play the Classics,” there’s a clear display of the interactions between race and social status that displays the significance of the experiences and ambitions of non-white individuals who must deal with the prejudices and misconceptions deeply-rooted in our society. Minorities, specifically in the U.S., often face marginalization and find themselves within the fringes of society—facing systemic barriers and intolerance that limit their opportunities & resources for participation in more social, political, occupational, and economic domains. Through lucid descriptions and moving narratives, these poems illuminate the complicated consequences of societal perceptions and prejudices on
The main themes of “America” include the inner turmoil of the speaker about conflict between the country of America and it’s own citizens in which they are oppressed. Through the exploration of religious themes, Claude McKay's "America" and Phillis Wheatley's "On Being Brought from Africa to America" present perspectives on the African American experience in America, with McKay expressing discontent and conflict and Wheatley finding redemption in America's religious landscape but still struggling with both her religious identity and her race. Both poems explore the relationship between identity, race, and the American experience. By analyzing these poems, we remember the affect racism has on our society and on individuals today. Claude McKay’s “America” begins with a striking and contradicting opening, representing the speakers feelings within the context of the African American experience.
“It takes great courage to open one's heart and mind to the tremendous injustice and suffering in our world.” (Gallagher, 2006) Injustice is prevalent all over the world, and throughout history, but as courageous victims of these injustices speak up, the inactivity of those around them is also uncovered. Ain’t I A Women by Sojourner Truth (1851), and What to the Slave is the 4th of July? by Frederick Douglass (1852), both highlight the injustices of their time, addressing the effect they have had in their lives.
Throughout American history there has been many achievements and accomplishments that set America apart from the rest of the world, but what society fails to notice is the racial oppression and violence that the blacks have endured throughout history and today. In the essay, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the poem, Between the World and Me by Richard Wright, the authors both use language to convey a message that how America’s history has been violent against blacks and how it hasn’t changed much. This is seen in the way both authors approach the ideas of how blacks have been mistreated through history and how many Americans today cover the facts of the past up. But in comparison of each other, the essay written by Coates
The Importance of African-American Literature: Empathy and Understanding African-Americans’ history in the US has been full of constant conflict. From slavery to white supremacist groups to police brutality in today’s world, African-American authors and poets have written pieces displaying their experiences with racism in poems, narratives, etc. Such authors are seen as very important and influential in modern society because of their pieces of writing. Reading works of African-American literature is essential to building an emotional connection to African-Americans in order to recognize the struggles they faced during slavery and its effects, such as discrimination and racism, in today’s society.
It is a sad fact that discrimination and stereotypes are still deeply rooted in today’s times. In the resilient poems, “The White House” by Claude Mckay and “These are the Times We Live In” by Imtiaz Dharker, the poets recognize and express the need for change in society. Both poems express the resilience of the minority groups of the United States as they fight for equality and in general – what is right for the people. While “The White House” discusses discrimination and the fight against white supremacy, whereas the poem ‘These are the Times We Live in” also writes about discrimination, but also discusses the dreadful experiences of immigration. Though different in experiences and eras, both poets hold themselves confidently to make their