Analysis Of The Poem ' Casting Into The Unknown ' By Marcelo Gleiser

Using scientific prose, Barry reveals his deep interest in the unusual physical properties of the river. Its natural characteristics are what sets it apart; the Mississippi does not conform to standards set by other rivers. Instead, it exceeds most major rivers in variation, depth, and volume. In fact, the Mississippi is so outstanding that “theories and techniques that apply to other rivers … simply do not work on the lower Mississippi” (Barry 25-28). Looking beyond its external features, the river also contains an intricate internal system unlike any other. In addition to the complicated internal circumstances that normally occur within rivers, the Mississippi also stands out because of its “size, its sediment load, its depth, variations in its bottom” and “its ability to cave in the riverbank and slide sideways for miles” (Barry 20-23). As he describes the unusual corporeal aspects of the Mississippi, Barry brings to light his own wonder in the face of such a daunting natural force. Characterizing the river with its physical properties allows

I sit alone in the dark, listening to cicadas and feeling a slight breeze creep across my arm, just enough to make the hairs perk up. Sitting in the hanging chairs on the dock at eleven o’clock at night, just allows for my body to calm and relax before I go to sleep. It is pure serene and tranquil. I observe how the blue lights on each dock are lit and move with the roll of a passing boat’s waves. My lips taste the crisp, humid, muggy, late July air. My eyes move from one end of the dock to the other. Waiting for any

     Most of the big shore places were closed now and there were hardly any lights except the shadowy, moving glow of a ferryboat across the sound. And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes- a fresh, green breast of the new

From the first depiction of the subject of The Wanderer, “earth-stepper,” “earth-walker,” and “the Wanderer,” the translators Greg Delanty, E. Talbot Donaldson, and Alfred David differ in their translations (Delanty l. 6, Donaldson 112, David l. 6). These differences build throughout the rest of the poem, eventually leading the audience to arrive at different conclusions based on each translation. By translating the Christian ideas in the poem (God, Earth, human) with distinct word choice, Delanty, Donaldson, and David create translations of The Wanderer that demonstrate the pitfalls of choosing inaccurate language.

In the novel Longboat Bay are the starting and the main setting. The characters Abel and his mother Dora lives on the land of Longboat Bay. The lands have been the Jacksons land for more than a century and have been taking care of it since now. Abel lives in a place with no main electricity from the city and no water except rainwater. The land around them is a national park and behind the house is the orchard. This is shown in the quote “and all the land around them was a national park.” And “there were orange and lemon trees in the orchard as well as olives and mulberries.” The sea is “rich in life” and the author invites the reader to want to care for the sea. This technique shows the beauty of the sea and the land around it.

La Migra (pg. 700) is about two young kids (mostly immigrants) playing a game called “La Migra.” In La Migra there are two roles that can be played, the border patrol officer or Mexican maid. The poem is spilt into two main stanzas; each stanza gives you a different point of view. It allows you do play both roles of this game. The first stanza is focus on the role of the border patrol officer. In lines 4-7 of the poem tells you what the border patrol officer would have on the daily basis. This was a jeep, a badge and sunglasses. In the second stanza you play to Mexican maid/ woman. In this stanza you are powerless because you play the immigrant. It gives you a since of being caught in the act of a crime. In my opinion, I feel the theme of this

The Lenape Indians are the natives of New Jersey and were around well before any of the explorers or our ancestors came to the area. They had a society rich of culture, traditions, beliefs and customs. They are one of the largest Indian tribes on the east coast, containing three primary divisions or clans. Frederick Hodge (1907) worked for the Bureau of American Ethnology and has done extensive research on the topic of Native Americans. Hodge compiled a detailed reference book called The Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, which gives detailed histories on many of the American Indian tribes. According to Hodge, the Lenape or Delaware Indians were an Indian society based from the Delaware area all the way to southern New York in

The Lenni-Lenape, are a Native American tribe that lived around what is now Delaware. Because of this they are often called the Delaware Indians. The Lenape actually still exist today in Oklahoma and Wisconsin. When the Europeans came, the Lenape were driven westward during the late 1600 and 1700s.

In the fourth line of the poem Hughes speaks of the Euphrates River. This river symbolizes the birth of life and the beginning of civilization. This river represents the youth of the African American people. It speaks of their beginning. Then Hughes talks of the Congo River in Africa. This is an image of home for many African Americans. It represents a place of peace and tranquility in their lives. Hughes writes about the Nile River and the great pyramids in Egypt. The pyramids can be viewed as a symbol of slavery to many people due to the slave labor that it took to create these grand structures. Finally the great Mississippi River is written about. Many symbols arise from this river of the South. To many whites it represents prosperity, especially in the time of the Civil War when slave trade was one of the bases of economy. To many African Americans this river may represent the oppression of their people. The image of Abe Lincoln riding down the Mississippi can be seen as a symbol of hope and freedom to the slaves of the South. The very fact that he is on this particular river represents the times of change about to come.

The river taught me that I, along with a great majority of humanity, need to readjust the way in which we view our world and our position in the world. Humans have been predisposed to think of themselves as rulers of nature, separate from the plants, animals, water, etc. This has allowed us to exploit nature, and specifically in this case water. The Little Miami River used to sustain all form of life thousands of years ago, but now humans have made its waters undrinkable. We have degraded the river water in order to perform functions, such as disposal of waste, for our convenience. Humans can no longer view the river, or nature in general, as means to accomplish a goal or else we will only increase the destruction of Earth. Nor can humans

En el nombre del Padre, del Hijo, y el Espíritu Santo: In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

My foot steps out of the sedan onto the cold gray sidewalks of the San Francisco wharf. Even inside the car the distinctive salty scent of the sea overcame me. As I step out of the car, the sea breeze blows frigid air, stinging my neck. Despite the cold, I roll up my sleeves and face the gusts. Looking ahead, I glimpse at the Victorian-era lampposts tinting the night sky with fluorescent bulbs.

Throughout the poem, the ocean metaphor juxtaposes the static plots, highlighting the results of structured government in the United States. Before the travelers arrived, an “emerald ocean” spanned the land (Dickey 18, 6). The native grasses “undulated,” which the different line lengths mimic (1). Even with the introduction of new plants, they all work harmoniously, creating a “medley” (7). The ocean metaphor symbolizes the fluidity that people can obtain before the structure of strong government and systemic structures. However, once the travelers arrive, “the ocean...is drained” to build a town (9). They devolve the ocean into “neat and static squares” (12). Again, the lines parallel the plants, transitioning from undulating lengths to boxy, straight-cut lines similar to the “rows and columns straight” of the plots (14). The structure created classes, giving greater opportunities to those they deemed important and worthy, while the unwanted were relegated to bad plots: “Fruitful nearest the cottage” while “Shrubs to the darkest plot” (18, 19). Government and this perpetual culture have divided America into groups based on type, not fluid, not interacting, only giving different levels of worth depending on what they find most helpful. Once a land of fluidity, symbiotic relationship, everyone worked together, on an equal footing.

The ocean strokes land with calm and reassuring hands, lacing water with sand and lifting seashells in its wake. My heart urges me forward, to walk among the peace, to capture the sweet smell of sea salt. My brain reasons with the rest of my body. Turning sharply from the churning water I force my feet to leave the warm imprint they have grown to love

He saw at a distance the lordly Hudson, far, far below him, moving on its silent but majestic course, with the reflection of a purple cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark, here and there sleeping on its glassy bosom, and at last losing itself in the blue highlands. (Irving 14)