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The literary analysis of all summer in a day
The literary analysis of all summer in a day
The literary analysis of all summer in a day
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In Steve Lawhead’s poem “The Sun Goes Down on Summer,” Lawhead was encouraging students to come out of their personal shell by relating to his years as a student. Everybody has a shell of some sort. Barriers that hold them back from doing the things that they want to do. Steve Lawhead had those barriers as a student as well. He wanted to be himself, but school held him back. There were things he did simply because people expected him to do it, like participating on the football team, until he told himself "No. I’m not going to do it because it’s not who I am. School changes me, and I’m scared if people will label me ‘weird’ simply because of the fact that I am acting like the person I know that I am." Although change is a risk, surpassing those
barriers is a risk, we have to do it if we want to become closer to our real selves.
Edmund Perry’s maintaining the same personality toward both his peers from home and Exeter is a mental journey by itself. Dealing with racism at Exeter has put Edmund through a journey mentally trying to keep his temper and follow his personality and qualities, although the racism finally bothered him to a maximum point that Edmund change. Edmund has experienced a journey by altering environments drastically from predominantly black neighborhood to a predominantly white school that might have strength his personality. At Exeter, Eddie was the strong student that he showed to be in Junior High. Edmund tells us a testimony of Herney, “He was, said those who had taught and coached him, matured for his age, serious, studious, determined and not at all in awe of the strange new world that was Phillips Exeter.”(114) I maintain the same qualities that his teachers and coaches saw him as. I also see a similarity in the way we use these qualities, to excel in education as Edmund did. After a situation at Exeter, explained in the book, Edmund says that “Eddie didn 't let any group or clique tie him down, which is kind of amazing… He could be with black people, and he could be with white people and he could be with himself.” (165) I connect strongly to this feeling or way of life. I feel as though, I do not need to have a certain group or clique to be with, all I need is myself. I am not racist nor judgemental so can be with and enjoy myself with any group nor clique. Recently, I have entered an art piece into the Teen Arts annual festival. I was placed in a group that had individuals that I have never conversated. This journey has pushed me to make conversation and still enjoy myself, and I took the opportunity to get to know them and create a sort of friendship. Being tied down to a specific group will aid you to lose a chance of getting to know other individuals and
The ideas of land and County are demonstrated through Eckermann’s poem, ‘Ngingali’, as well as through Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poem, ‘Community Rain Song’, both depicting an Aboriginal link to the land and Country. Another idea of land and Country is expressed through Martin Harrison’s short story, ‘Country and How to Get There’, concentrating on the outcomes of European settlement which included the issues involving the land and Country.
As mentioned before numerous times, the story takes place in high school. High school is a very confusing place, which undoubtedly represents growing up. As Scott states, “I spotted more freshman. Familiar faces from Tom Paine Middle School, looking like Easter eggs in their new clothes” (9). This shows how everyone is ready for change, by dressing up in their nice clothes, even though they have no idea what is coming their way. As for Scott, all he needs are tips in the new environment of high school, “Tips about high school would have been nice, too. Today would have been so much easier if I’d had advice from someone who’d already been there” (29). When one is growing up it is common to want advice and tips, and especially in high school. Finally, the setting of high school has many, many, many scenarios that can relate to growing up. Specifically, when it comes to people's confidence about high school, “ ‘High school,’ Mouth said, staggering to the side as someone pushed him out of the way. ‘Here we come. This is going to be great. We’re going to rule this place.’ Wrong, Mouth. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong” (14). As you can see both Mouth and Scott have different views towards high school, which chow show different people deal with change different ways. In the final analysis, it is obvious that the setting of the story, which is high school, helps create the overall meaning of the story.
“School can be a tremendously disorienting place… You’ll also be thrown in with all kind of kids from all kind of backgrounds, and that can be unsettling… You’ll see a handful of students far excel you in courses that sound exotic and that are only in the curriculum of the elite: French, physics, trigonometry. And all this is happening while you’re trying to shape an identity; your body is changing, and your emotions are running wild.” (Rose 28)
Many people have heard the old phrase “if one jumped off a cliff, would you follow them?” that concerns conforming into society and following other people’s actions. In “Stargazer”, by Dara Weir, being a conformist is seen to be a negative way of life for one to pursue. Upon initially reading “Stargazer”, I was overwhelmed with the depth of the poem. I had a strong sense of the poem being about society, but I had it had taken a few readings to get a stronger background of the meaning. After doing so, I felt more positive emotions throughout the poem, as it thoroughly describes opportunity that an individual is given throughout their life. With this, though, conformity can be a factor that may affect the opportunities one receives. Although
was found guilty and hanged (Dieters, 2012). Seven years later, Fitzpatrick’s former roommate confessed to the murder on his deathbed. Residents of Detroit were outraged that an innocent man had been put to death. Then, two years following Fitzpatrick’s execution, another Detroit resident, Stephen Simmons, was tried and convicted of killing his pregnant wife during a drunken rage. His execution was made into an event resembling a carnival, complete with a band, local merchants selling their goods, and a seating section for spectators.. When asked if he had any last words, Simmons recited a poem. His “appeal to the heavens” shocked witnesses. The execution was called “cruel and vindictive” by onlookers. The result of these two cases was an
At this point of the story it is reflective of a teenager. A teenager is at a time in life where boundaries and knowledge is merely a challenging thing to test and in some instances hurdled. Where even though you may realize the responsibilities and resources you have, there is still a longing for the more sunny feelings of youth.
Just like Richard Rodriguez one can have struggles with school and home, for instance at home one is taught to speak their mind, told that everyone will understand. At home formal does not exist; serious and organized is an option. Yet at school one must learn to think before speaking, to raise your hand and to make sure you sound just like everyone else. At school one is taught to not make a fool out of themselves, to be serious and formal to be just like everybody else. But yet again as a student, although one has been taught to be like everyone else, one can still feel like an outsider, like Rodriguez describes you still don’t fit in. As a student one must learn the difference between formal and informal and when to use both, for some students like me formal and serious might be the only way to socialize. And just like Rodriguez one
Robert Hayden poem ”Those Winter Sundays” explores his father as an unsung hero and it also presents an acknowledgement of poets lack of gratitude for his father. The speaker reflects on the childhood memories of his father and goes on to find all kinds of disabilities he had in terms of realization regarding the pain father bared for the poet. Story is very emotional in the way that the speaker reveals sacrifices of his father during his childhood throughout the poem. It is agonizing and the words used in the poem are really an expression of desperation and sadness as he is really missing that time. There are a number of sacrifices made by the father during the harsh winter season of writer’s childhood. In his childhood he was not actually aware about the harshness of those lovely and affectionate feelings that his father had about him. In the poem ”Those Winter Sundays” Robert Hayden uses imagery and sound devices to portray his father as an unsung hero and to acknowledge his own lack of gratitude
Robert Creeley, a famous American poet, lived from 1926 to 2005. Creeley was normally associated as a Black Mountain poet because that is where he taught, and spent most of his career. Throughout his life, Creeley wrote many different pieces of poetry. Four great poems by Robert Creeley are, “For Love”, “Oh No”, “The Mirror”, and “The Rain”. The poem “For Love”,was written by Creeley for his wife. In this poem Creeley explains, the love someone has for another person, and how complicated it is making his life because the person doesn’t know how to explain their love. “Oh No” is a poem that is literally about a selfish person who ended up in hell, but this poem has a deeper meaning. Part
The feeling of fitting in is something that most people look for at least once in their life. Some people want to be liked by others. While the few that do not care if people like them just want to be comfortable with themselves, but there are a few that do not fit in either of these categories. There is a few people in this world that just feel as if they do not matter in society; some may not care if they do not matter but, some dwell on the fact that they have no impact on the world in any way. Both Krebs, from “Soldiers Home,” by Ernest Hemingway and Sammy from John Updike’s “A&P,” feel as if they do not matter in society.
To be a teenaged girl means many things in this modern society. There are numerous expectations set for the average sixteen year old female: she must be pretty, popular, thin, preferably intelligent, but not too intelligent, and she must subjugate her will to the group. This world has a tendency to shun females who are too independent, who seek too much power, and who attempt to break from the stereotypical female mold. I have personally experienced this spurning, especially from my peers. There exists a dichotomy somewhere in my own soul, a rift between that which I am expected to be and who I really am. Harry Haller, in Hermann Hesse's novel Steppenwolf, experienced a similar predicament. He was torn between the life of a socially acceptable, "decent" man, and the primal, lupine nature of the Steppenwolf. I find myself caught between wanting to be a socially acceptable, "popular" girl, and being the independent, intellectual, and strong person that I actually am. There are a number of parallels between Haller and I, each further proving that the dichotomy of the Steppenwolf and the division within myself, the teenaged girl, are of the same essence.
By leading carefree conversations, by being energetic and positive all the time I believed I was only meeting the expectations of a new society while my another, thoughtful, pensive, sometimes melancholic and sensitive self was hiding somewhere behind. In the very beginning of the semester, I would lie down on the Quad, look at the humongous moon and the sky full of stars and reflect on life. In the middle of the semester, I looked at the sky with the same intention to think and analyze, but I was deeply disappointed to discover that my reflections had become as superficial and shallow as my daily life, I was not able to find thoughtful Elene, the one I was hiding so carefully. I encountered what a philosopher Martha Nussbaum defines as an “ultimate irony of the divided life”: live behind a wall long enough, and the true self you tried to hide from the world disappears from your own view! The wall itself and the world outside it become all that you
“Pay no mind to what other people say; whatever makes an individual happy is what he or she should do.” This quote comes from my grandmother, who tries her best to teach me about an individual’s personal identity. An individual’s identity represents who he or she truly is; it is something that allows a specific person to stand out from the crowd. During an individual’s life, he or she will come across many obstacles that will shape her or his being and will further shape her or him into someone with particular traits, or an identity. During my life, I grew up with six older siblings who each had voices and opinions quite different than mine. Although I felt different from everyone else, there was always one person who I related to, my grandmother. All throughout the years of growing up and going through changes, I always seemed to be filled with encouraging words of wisdom from my grandmother, and, most importantly, she was very accepting of the paths I had chosen to follow despite the fact that they were different from my family’s paths. Throughout the book The Norton Mix, which is an anthology of different texts, many aspects of identity are explored. The selection that I believe relates to me the most in this book is “Professions for Women” by Virginia Woolf, a 1931 speech about Woolf's work as a writer. Another text that I believe presents many characters with different identity aspects is the novel Hairstyles of the Damned, by Joe Meno; the novel is about a teenage boy searching for his identity. After analyzing both texts and listening attentively to my grandmother’s advice, I have concluded that everyone needs to understand that no two identities are alike, and individuals should follow their dreams no matter what...
Whereas, Hughes depicts a speaker that struggles with personal identity issues because he hasn’t developed a sense of self-perception and, as a result, lacks the capability to define himself as a person. The character of Dave in Wright’s story struggles with the concept of personal identity because he wants to alter the way others perceive him by going on a quest to prove his manliness and earn the right to be respected. However, Dave’s attempt to alter their perceptions of him ultimately destroys their impressions of him since he failed to own up to his actions like a real man would in order to gain the respect that he sought. The speaker of Hughes’ poem struggles with the concept of personal identity because he lacks the capability to define himself since he hasn’t had the opportunity to reflect and discover his inner self in order to gain a sense of self-perception. Most of the time personal identity issues occur in real life but they also take place in works of literature as well since these stories portray characters or speakers in different scenarios that struggle with the concept of personal identity. There are numerous reasons of how these two stories portray characters or speakers that struggle with the concept of personal identity but this is only one example of the ways they