Response When I first read “On Broadway” by Claude Mckay, there were four main ideas/concepts that stuck out to me. My initial thought was that it was just a poem of a man who had a dream of being on Broadway, this is evident in the first and final stanza of the poem within the last few lines of each. Secondly, the person telling the poem mentions “Desire naked”. That concept makes me think of vulnerability, I interpreted this as him being vulnerable and sharing his one true desire and that this idea of being on Broadway was the core of his being. The glow of Broadway lights was mentioned twice, these were thought to be a metaphor for hopes and dreams of a brighter and better future. Lastly, I took Broadway as a metaphor. Broadway is known …show more content…
However, beneath the surface of this bustling scene lies a deeper layer of emotion. Despite the outward display of activity and cheerfulness, the narrator reveals a profound sense of loneliness and isolation. The repetition of the refrain "My heart, my heart is lonely" punctuates the poem, highlighting the stark contrast between the external world of Broadway and the internal landscape of the narrator's emotions. Broadway, in this context, serves as a powerful metaphor for the illusions and distractions that characterize modern society. The bright lights and colorful displays symbolize the superficial desire for fame, pleasure, and materialism, drawing people into its orbit. Desire and Passion, personified as they "goes strutting by in brazen fashion," represent the hedonistic pursuits and superficial desires that dominate the cultural landscape of Broadway. However, the narrator's heart is unaffected by the external display, even despite the glitz and excitement on the
The speaker begins the poem an ethereal tone masking the violent nature of her subject matter. The poem is set in the Elysian Fields, a paradise where the souls of the heroic and virtuous were sent (cite). Through her use of the words “dreamed”, “sweet women”, “blossoms” and
Motion pictures from Hollywood had taken Broadway’s place as the king of entertainment. The main reason behind this was that because it was culturally relevant and coming out with new flashy techniques such as Todd-AO and Cinerama.
Musicals are usually known for their upbeat songs, dances, and the lighthearted stories that they tell through the art form known as theatre. What many people don’t know, is that since the beginning of theatre, musicals have dealt with serious social issues that have taken place within our society. Musicals have taken unique approaches in projecting impactful social movements and issues. In the past, musicals have made certain ideals, values, and perspectives easier for the people in society to understand and accept. One of the most prominent theatre production companies to deal with major social issues and that has had influence through their musicals is Rodgers and Hammerstein.
The theatres in Chicago have a very vast and interesting history. Starting in the 1920’s, it has been around for a long time. Stephen Schwartz once said “I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return”(goodreads.com). Broadway can help teach people morales. Broadway is one of the most exciting parts of downtown Chicago. Broadway in Chicago is undoubtedly less recognized then what it should be due to its talent and national status.
Feelings can twist reality in the most peculiar ways. Emotions push the mind to the most stunning conclusions, and stir within the soul the strangest storms. In fact, senses reach their peak in David Wagoner’s poetic work “The Best Slow Dancer”. In the poem, Wagoner brings out the height of sentiment through the eyes of a teenage boy at a school dance, who overcomes the teenage social hierarchy and his own fear to share in the longed-for dance with one special girl. All the while Wagoner takes his readers into depths of wafting dreaminess, romance, and intimacy they are projected through an unbroken flow of words uninterrupted by punctuation, rhythm, or strict lines.
...t she has put on a new “costume” and is now a completely different person. The stockings are “night-black” representing the backyard and its negative connotation. In line twenty, the author writes that she wants to “strut down the streets with paint on [her] face,” again emphasizing Brooks’ new rebellious nature since crossing over into the backyard. The “paint” suggests that her rebellion is just and act, and as soon as she removes the paint, she can return to the front yard if she pleases. The repetition of “and” at the beginning of the last three lines illustrates Brooks’ desire to completely rebel against her mother and the front yard life since it shows how she wants to rebel in so many ways. The main theme of the poem highlights the desire people have to experience what they do not have and live life on their own terms.
One of the very first electrified streets in the United States was Broadway. This gave it many opportunities to become a large icon for our nation. As we know now it is one of the most well-known places for great entertainment. However Broadway was not always the iconic entertainment center it is today; it was stolen, had New York City emerge around it, and persevered through many difficult economic and cultural times.
“I’m the end of the line; absurd and appalling as it may seem, serious New York theater has died in my lifetime.” This quote was said by the famous playwright, Arthur Miller. He was not the only person thinking that Broadway’s end is near. Theater industry members, scholars and journalists believe that Broadway is going extinct. “Many belief that American theater is suffering an artistic death” (Wollman). Many people think that Broadway is dying. I strongly disagree with that opinion. Broadway is alive and well and appearing nightly in the Time Square area of New York City.
Purpose: The purpose of this poem is to show that people are not always who they appear to be. Moreover, the people that seem to have it all may still be emotionally unstable and act irrationally such as committing suicide.
To begin, the episodic shifts in scenes in this ballad enhance the speaker’s emotional confusion. Almost every stanza has its own time and place in the speaker’s memory, which sparks different emotions with each. For example, the first stanza is her memory of herself at her house and it has a mocking, carefree mood. She says, “I cut my lungs with laughter,” meaning that...
Miller, D. A. Place for Us: Essay on the Broadway Musical. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. Print.
This lack of action continuously emphasizes the lack of empathy and care of the narrators and highlights to the reader the importance of acting differently from them. Through both of these poems the reader is shown that everyone faces struggles and how important it is to help others in their times of need because they too will face them at some
The use of the word “heart” emphasises this passion as the heart is considered the most important organ and so demonstrates how his passion (the “summer” in the sentence) is alive. Within these three poems, the use of nature as a mechanism impacted the poems, allowing them to convey meanings in an ambiguous sense yet still get across the general meaning of the poem.
But, the question is still posing: What is broadway like now? Has Hamilton even changed anything? Well as you can see, I’m arguing that it certainly has. What exactly are those changes? Well to start off this illustration, “Hamilton is the kind of transformative theatrical experience that has only happened a few times in the history of American musicals.” (The Guardian). This means that Hamilton does not completely stand alone in the way it has shaped, broadway, but it most certainly has brought a whole new set of ideas and inspirations to the table of musical theatre. Another thing that makes Hamilton so special and inspiring, is that it was put together by one man. This person is Lin-Manuel Miranda. He wrote the musical, the lyrics, and a best selling book all about Hamilton. Miranda was not the first to do this, but there is only one other man who can take on this much pride in the history of musicals. This man was Stephen Sondheim. But the difference between the two men, was that Miranda musical was a blockbuster and Stephen’s was not. Moving on, I mentioned how outrageously expensive musicals are. But I want to build on that. Miranda in short is quite upset about this. He wants to share Broadway theatre with anyone who wants to hear it or see it. But he knows he cannot give everyone the opportunity to sit in the audience of such a show. But he can control the music.
Emotions are evoked with the aim to free persons from disturbing emotions. In instances of pity and fear persons tend to accumulate these feelings, which is harmful to the soul. In tragedy, however, whatever sufferings witnessed are not in our control and these emotions are easily released thereby relieve the excess in our souls. Tragedy transforms these distressing emotions into “calm of mind”, thus, the emotional appeal of poetry leads to pleasure. In addition, esthetic emotion in poetry translates to pleasure. The reader and the listener of the poem are prompted through figurative language to visualize what is in the real world. The vividness of the imaginary world that is experienced by the reader, poet and listener generates to a new spiritual knowledge or understanding which gives pleasure (Berlant, p.189). To add on, melancholy as an aesthetic emotion is a source of pleasure. Melancholy involves a variety of emotions; a yearning, sadness, feeling uplifted and even an elusive excitement. It has both pleasure and displeasure aspects. The displeasure aspect lies in the feeling of grief, fear of the unknown, loneliness and emptiness. The pleasurable aspect is entirely about reflecting on elaborate illusion and happy memories. Melancholy is therefore deliberately pursued by finding seclusion. In seclusion reflection is deepened which in turn prolongs the pleasure. Dylan in his poem reveals instances of melancholy Gale, Cengage Learning,