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With Reference To At Least Four Different Poems, Explore How Cultural
Identity Is Represented By The Various Poets
The four poems I have selected to focus on all portray a cultural
identity in their own unique way. 'Wherever I hang' and 'The Fat Black
Woman Goes Shopping', are both written by Grace Nichols, a poet of
Guinean background. I have also chosen to explore 'Dream Variation' by
Langston Hughes as well as 'Half-Caste' by John Agard. I have chosen
this selection of poetry because I feel that each poem has great merit
in successfully challenging the racial disparities of the modern
world.
Grace Nichols unsurprisingly tends to base her poems around the
inequality between the black and white communities; this is reflected
in her poem 'Taint'. The poems I have chosen to investigate by her are
'The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping' and 'Wherever I hang'. I chose to
include these poems because they are in contrast to many of her other
poems and it's content mainly comments on how white and black
lifestyles differ rather than her usual theme of black persecution.
The other two poems I have chosen by the two different poets both
concentrate more on black discrimination like 'Taint' and are more
similar to that poem, in this respect, than the two poems I chose by
Grace Nichols.
Langston Hughes writes a detailed analysis of the desires of the
average Black man in his poem "Dream Variation". Hughes was related to
John Mercer Langston, who was the first Black American to be elected
to public office, in 1855. Born into a family with a strong sense of
culture but a desire to be accepted, it is foreseeable that his poem
reflects his aspiration of cultural freedom. Hughes uses
representative imagery to portray...
... middle of paper ...
...e wants to live she will live despite all
obstacles-despite all cultural differences.
The four poems use various methods to convey their points, overall the
most effective being the humorous approach. Grace Nichols most
effectively conveys her cultural identity via her sarcastic and
amusing method of writing. This encourages the reader to think more
deeply about the poem and understand the idea of culture identity,
which could help acceptance of various cultures in Britain. Despite
this, I personally feel "Half-Caste" is the most striking poem,
stirring emotions deeper than mere amusement. The poem allows us to
understand how people of mixed race must feel when this term is used
and the implications of such a word. Although fairly aggressive, this
poem conveys most constructively the message of the necessity for
acceptance, to whoever the reader may be.
Presentation of Family Relationships in Carol Anne Duffy's Poem Before You Were Mine and in One Poem by Simon Armitage
Poems and other readings with strong racial undertones such as Strange Fruit allow me to reflect back on the role race plays in my life as a black young woman and analysis if much has changed in terms of racism in the American society today.
In his poems, Langston Hughes treats racism not just a historical fact but a “fact” that is both personal and real. Hughes often wrote poems that reflect the aspirations of black poets, their desire to free themselves from the shackles of street life, poverty, and hopelessness. He also deliberately pushes for artistic independence and race pride that embody the values and aspirations of the common man. Racism is real, and the fact that many African-Americans are suffering from a feeling of extreme rejection and loneliness demonstrate this claim. The tone is optimistic but irritated. The same case can be said about Wright’s short stories. Wright’s tone is overtly irritated and miserable. But this is on the literary level. In his short stories, he portrays the African-American as a suffering individual, devoid of hope and optimism. He equates racism to oppression, arguing that the African-American experience was and is characterized by oppression, prejudice, and injustice. To a certain degree, both authors are keen to presenting the African-American experience as a painful and excruciating experience – an experience that is historically, culturally, and politically rooted. The desire to be free again, the call for redemption, and the path toward true racial justice are some of the themes in their
Dream Variations, also by Langston Hughes, is a strong poem that conveys his cultural identity. In this poem, Hughes uses the light and dark hours of the day to represent the cultures of white and black people. Hughes says, “To fling my arms wide in some place of the sun. To whirl and to dance till the white day is done. Then rest at cool evening beneath a tall tree while night comes on gently, Dark like me-That is my dream!” Hughes compares the daytime to the white man 's work day and correlates the night to himself and his race. This poem clearly conveys Hughes cultural
During this era African Americans were facing the challenges of accepting their heritage or ignoring outright to claim a different lifestyle for their day to day lives. Hughes and Cullen wrote poems that seemed to describe themselves, or African Americans, who had accepted their African Heritage and who also wanted to be a part of American heritage as well. These are some of the things they have in common, as well as what is different about them based on appearance, now I shall focus on each author individually and talk about how they are different afterwards.
Because of that, his writing seems to manifest a greater meaning. He is part of the African-American race that is expressed in his writing. He writes about how he is currently oppressed, but this does not diminish his hope and will to become the equal man. Because he speaks from the point of view of an oppressed African-American, the poem’s struggles and future changes seem to be of greater importance than they ordinarily would. The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing.
These stories have both symbolism of horse and contemporary American culture integrated into the Native American ways. This is expressed through the modernism in some of these poems. For example, 3 A.M is a poem about two Indians waiting at the Albuquerque airport for a flight. Also shown is the stigma the flight attendant has for these to Indian people and why they are at the airport looking for a flight. Also mentioned is how they remember a friend I assume named Simon took a yellow cab out of Albuquerque, which cost him twenty-five dollars. The way American culture shines through this poem is interesting because the stigma we have for the Native people is that they do not fly on airplanes and they do not take cabs. Also they do not use forms of currency like dollar bills. However this stigma is wrong and you see this through this poem and for me I see it through the eyes of the flight attendant.
is similar to the feelings in her heart. In the same way that there is
wisdom Do you think that is true of the poems of Frost and the other
When humans and nature come together, they either coexist harmoniously because nature's inhabitants and humans share a mutual respect and understanding for each other, or they clash because humans attempt to control and force their ways of life on nature. The poems, "The Bull Moose" by Alden Nowlan, "The Panther" by Rainer Maria Rilke, "Walking the Dog" by Howard Nemerov, and "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop, describe what happens when humans and nature come together. I believe that when humans and nature come together they either clash and conflict because individuals destroy and attempt to control nature, which is a reflection of their powerful need to control themselves, or humans live peacefully with nature because not only do they admire and respect nature, but also they can see themselves in nature.
Langston Hughes was a writer who wanted to capture the oral and imaginative traditions of black culture in written form. In Hughes poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” he says,
Over the course of the century chronicling the helm of slavery, the emancipation, and the push for civil, equal, and human rights, black literary scholars have pressed to have their voice heard in the midst a country that would dare classify a black as a second class citizen. Often, literary modes of communication were employed to accomplish just that. Black scholars used the often little education they received to produce a body of works that would seek to beckon the cause of freedom and help blacks tarry through the cruelties, inadequacies, and inconveniences of their oppressed condition. To capture the black experience in America was one of the sole aims of black literature. However, we as scholars of these bodies of works today are often unsure as to whether or not we can indeed coin the phrase “Black Literature” or, in this case, “Black poetry”. Is there such a thing? If so, how do we define the term, and what body of writing can we use to determine the validity of the definition. Such is the aim of this essay because we can indeed call a poem “Black”. We can define “Black poetry” as a body of writing written by an African-American in the United States that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of an experience or set of experiences inextricably linked to black people, characterizes a furious call or pursuit of freedom, and attempts to capture the black condition in a language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm. An examination of several works of poetry by various Black scholars should suffice to prove that the definition does hold and that “Black Poetry” is a term that we can use.
Langston Hughes was an important figure in writing about the struggles of African Americans. His poems express vivid imagery that allows readers to understand the conflicts blacks went through during the 1900’s. In his poem, “A Dream Deferred”, Langston Hughes describes the attitudes of black Americans during times of struggle and limited rights. Blacks had dreams in the 1900’s such as economic, social, and educational equality, and other basic civil rights. Unfortunately, racism was a barrier that got in the way of achieving these goals. In his poem Langston Hughes chooses questions, and attempts to answers those questions by asking more. Hughes expresses the possible reaction of African Americans to their dreams being deferred or held back
We human beings can not separate from nature. No nature, no human beings. As far as poetry is concerned, nature plays a great important role on it, for uncountable poets have been writing lots and lots of great poems on it along the history of human beings. America is not an exceptional. My paper is right to deal with nature in American poetry.
The Theme of Love in Poetry Love is a very common theme in poetry. By closely examining the ways in which two poets(one must be pre 1900) have explored this theme. Show what you have found to be similar/different in their handling of this theme. Many people have different views on love. Many of these views throughout the ages are explored through poetry as love has much contemporary relevance in today's society as it ever did before.