“If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.”- Jesse Jackson. Jesse Jackson quote and Ha Songnan short story “Waxen Wings” both promote the lesson. In “Waxen Wings”, Songnan’s protagonist, “Birdie”, aspires to fly but faces many obstacle that shoot her dreams and yet she continues to fly.Jesse Jackson quote relates to Ha Songnan short story because even though, “Birdie”, gets hit with laborious obstacles, she never gives up. Songnan’s use of fractured narrative , Imagery and Symbolism, and 2nd person point of view demonstrates Birdie’s superfluous tribulation to never give up on dreams. Ha Songnan incorporates the structure of Fractured Narrative in her short story “Waxen Wings.”
So is “Waxen Wings” a tragedy? No not at all, on the contrary, this short exposition is something to look at for inspiration. Ha Songnan clearly points out to never give up, even if it gives you obstacles that seem hard to face in life.Looking back, Birdie had difficult obstacles to get through in life to become a good gymnast, but that didn’t stopped Birdie, she kept on wanting to fly. This short story gives excellent use of Fractured Narrative,second person point of view ,and Imagery. All these components tied up to make a inspirational story about a little girl.
What we hope for is not always what we need. This is prevalent in the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston where the characters have his or her dream crushed for the sake of fate. This is especially true for Janie who strives throughout the novel to have her dream of “the pear tree” realized, and Hurston shows this using a variation of metaphor, imagery, and personification.
...a working class man, but nothing to show for his labor. “There’s no one left to see his hands lifting from the engine bay, dark and gnarled as roots dipping river mud [and] how my father drags his body into a beat-up van and gropes for the ignition” (66-67). As a reader, although I see the struggle, I find no comfort at the end, because there is no reward. My favorite in this section is “Former Future King.” This poem perfectly captures the elusiveness of the American dream which is like sitting “on a bench in front of the crown you ought to have worn, which reside on a pillow, in a locked glass box, in the furthest wing” (71). It shows the disappointment that comes with an unfulfilled dream.
Have you ever had a time when you had to never give up? Never giving up means keep trying until you get it. In the story, Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, the theme is never giving up. The first reason to support the claim is the bird, who never gives up on trying to get out of the airport. The second reason to support the claim is the dad, who never gives up on finding a school that Andrew can go to. The last to support the claim is Andrew, who never gives up on earning money for him and his dad to buy an apartment. Those are three reasons to show how the theme of the story, Fly Away Home, is never giving up.
A dream is a deep ambition and desire for something; everybody tries to reach their dreams no matter how far away they may seem. The characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s stories strive for nothing less than “The Great American Dream”. This is the need to be the best of the best, top of the social ladder, and to be happier and more successful than anyone has been before. Fitzgerald writes about this American Dream that every character has but can never achieve; the dream is kept unattainable due to obstacles, the disadvantages of being low on the social ladder, and also the restrictions of having a high social status.
Hope is an attribute in life that many people cling to. It gives people courage and reasons to continue striving in everyday life, especially in the toughest of times. The autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, published in 1969, followed Angelou’s childhood growing up in the South as a minority, the problems that she faced because of that, how she overcame those problems, and how she still found hope. The theme represented in this autobiography is that in every storm faced in life it may feel like there’s nothing left; however, there will always be hope that can still be found.
Langston Hughes was an activist for the African-American community and made significant artistic contributions to the Harlem Renaissance throughout his career. In one of his most famous poems, “Harlem [Dream Deferred]”, he addresses the limitations and oppression of African Americans after the Great Depression. Many African Americans dreamed of equality, but often times that dream became neglected and pushed aside. In his poem, Hughes responds to a question about a deferred dream with a series of vivid similes, inquiring what happens to a constantly ignored dream.
Success is determined by somebody’s dedication to strive for their goals and overcome any obstacles preventing them from reaching their full potential and these themes are present in Battle Royal, Dust Tracks on a Track, and If We Must Die. This theme is shown in the short story, Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison. In Battle Royal, the protagonist has to endure through a battle royal in order to deliver his speech. The speech symbolizes the dreams or goals that people may have and the battle royal symbolizes hardships and adversity. This parallels to the real-world where dreams cannot be achieved easily, one must work hard to achieve it. Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston also displays these themes. In the story, Hurston lives in a time
“Fly Bird,” I whispered, “Fly Away Home!” Said Andrew in the book,“Fly Away Home” by Eve Bunting, the main character and narrator, Andrew, is hopeful. Things that show that he is hopeful, is that he is optimistic, and also helpful and hardworking.
Hughes usage of diction and imagery illustrates an oppressed African American mother who continues to climb higher, despite the many challenges she has already overcome. The theme of never giving up highlights many key triumphs that blacks have conquered and have yet to conquer. Like Hughes voiced through his poem, keep “a-climbin' on,” because there will always be something standing in your path to success.
(36 points) Figurative LanguageQuoteMeaningMetaphorPoem: Dreams Quote: Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.If you ever give up on your dream, later down the line you will regret it.Poem: DreamsThis quote
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly” said Langston Hugh. He wrote this to address the importance of following your dreams because once you stop working hard for the dream, it dies and leaves you heartbroken. In his poem, “Harlem”, Hugh criticizes the consequences of what might happen if dreams are put on hold. His poem include a lot of poetic elements such as simile, personification, diction, rhetorical question etc. Hugh uses simile to compare a dream to different things to portray the aftermath of a delayed dream.
From a toddler’s first steps to a senior graduating high school, dreams have been embedded within an individual for their entire lifetime. It is these dreams that drive an individual to take certain risks and struggle periodically in order to achieve their ultimate desires. It is these dreams that bring individuals to challenge their capabilities to higher standards. It is these dreams that would help one’s well being, and inspires others to perform better as well. The formation and creation of dreams have inspired fictional characters such as Santiago of The Alchemist written by Paulo Coelho. It also applied to the real life Mirabal sisters of In the Time of the Butterflies written
As dreams and wishes are made countlessly, only a handful of them come true without work or effort being made into them. However, the mindset that dreams can true with only a wish will cause people to believe they do not need to try for their dreams to come true. In my sonnet, “Dreams”, I write about dreams are being made, however multiple people are disappointed when their aspiration do not become reality. I state how dreams linger in many minds throughout the day, however they continue to stay as dreams due to no one working at them. In my poem, “Dreams”, I use multiple forms of figurative language and the structure of the sonnet to express the idea that dreams and wishes need to be worked for in order to be granted.
We all have a dream, but the difference is how we realise our dream, how we obtain our dream, and how our dream changes us. This is evident in our learning of dreams and aspirations through the texts Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? by Lasse Hallström, and through my own studies of Million Dollar Baby by Clint Eastwood. These three highly acclaimed texts represent the same ideas on dreams and aspirations, which can be defined as hope, desire or the longing for a condition or achievement, but these texts express the same ideas differently, shaping our understanding of dreams and aspirations.