Analysis Of The Poem ' Conquered ' By Jie Zong And Jeanne Batalova

“Stripping the Emperor: The Africanist Presence in American Concert Dance”, and excerpt from Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader, was written by Brenda Dixon Gottschild. Gottschild is a well-known author, dance historian, performer, and choreographer as well as a professor of dance studies at Temple University. She has also written multiple books including The Black Dancer Body, Waltzing in the Dark, and Digging. In her article “Stripping the Emperor: The Africanist Presence in American Concert Dance”, Gottschild explores the similarities and differences in the characteristics of Africanist and European technique, and how they draw from each other.

In America, millions of people are affected by poverty. High-class members of America and companies take advantage of these lower class individuals. Lower class individuals who are able to find a job usually work for less than minimum wage and experience poor working conditions. These lower class workers do not deserve the lifestyle they must deal with. Low class individuals not only have to struggle with finding employment but also have to worry about the U.S. government mistreating them. Whether someone is a low class immigrant or U.S. born citizen, it is evident people in America treat their lower class citizens poorly.

Immigrants came to America with hopes to be accepted and make an honest contribution to the country’s advancement. Instead they were ostracized and segregated. Pietri states, “thirty-thousand dollar home, the first spics on the block proud to belong to a community of gringos who want them lynched” (106-108). Although some

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama's second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled "One Today" that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who's daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is.

When most immigrants move into America, they are greeted with much tension and conflict. There is still some discrimination between races, as much as American’s

Racist terms can be used positively, but only depending on the preference of the person being addressed. The society that we live in today opposes the use of racist language, but it can be used positively with other people. In her essay “The Meaning of a Word,” Gloria Naylor wants the audience to understand her past experience with the word “nigger.” According to Naylor, the racist term can impact anybody negatively. However, I believe such languages can bring out unity, diversity, and a feeling of acknowledgment. Different races also use racist terms in a funny and friendly way. The common word “nigga” is used almost everywhere in this way. Similarly, Christine Leong’s essay “Being a Chink” discusses how racist terms like “chink” are used in a friendly and compassionate way. From the two essays, I favor Leong’s essay because she states how racist terms can be used as a trend of assimilating everyone together. At the end of the day, racist terms can express unity and diversity.

Li-Young Lee is a poet who has written numerous amounts of work. He is a writer of Chinese heritage, but he does not classify himself as an Asian American poet. According to an article titled, “Li-Young Lee,” Li-Young Lee refuses to classify himself as an Asian American writer because he strives to be a “global poet.” This statement demonstrates that Li-Young Lee uses poetry as a means of addressing universal concerns. He writes about experiences or lessons that are personal to him; however, these are experiences and lessons that people all around the world can relate to. Li-Young Lee specifically writes about his childhood memories and family. A particular poem that reflects his personal life and poetic writing is, “The Gift.” In “The Gift,” the use of vivid imagery, free verse, and a distinct tone portrays Li-Young Lee’s poetic style.

The relationship between father and son changes over time, and molds along with the people in encapsulates. As in real life, the father and son who inhabit Li-Young Lee’s poem “A Story” experience sudden changes within their relationship as the time passes on. The son’s cries for a story that slowly change into adult conversations throughout the poem indicate that with maturity and age comes both understanding and hostility.

Since immigrants enter this country every day in search of a new life there is a constant fear that you employer is going to find a replacement for your job if you fail to excel at it. In the Book, Of Beetles and Angels by Selamawi Asgedom, Mawi’s father Haileab finds a job as a janitor, but after his health starts to fail him he loses his job. As time went on Mawi went onto describe how his father was deteriorating. He described how, “his eyesight departed slowly, and his work error multiplied – a lost key here, an unlocked door there – until his employers had no choice”( Asgedom 96). As a result of Haileab eyesight beginning to decrease he was let go from his only job; therefore, he could no longer support his family. Since Haileab was the only one in the family working at the time there was no source of income for the family. As a result, the family was forced to give up their home because they could not make their rent payment. Unfortunately, it is very common for immigrants struggle to sustain a job. Many immigrants, especially from third world countries, face this issue due to their low skill and education levels. In most cases immigrants rely on the job they have just to get by. Money is necessary to allow people to live the American dream and since so many immigrants cannot sustain a job there can’t fund success and

I want a better life, please don’t kill me, I want a better life, please don’t torture me, I want a better life, but I might have to starve to have one. Wanting a better life consist of being killed, tortured, and having to starve. Immigrants face these things when wanting a better life. Immigrants face many obstacles that they must overcome in order to better their lives.

This poem shows that all immigrants move to the United States to look for the “American Dream”. They risk their lives to obtain a better life for themselves and their families. When the author says:

One struggle many individuals experience is speaking with conviction. Especially in today's day and age where people are possessed by their phone and would more likely send out a tweet then have a conversation with a loved one. The Poem “Totally like whatever, you know?” written by Taylor Mali addresses his concern that people no longer speak with meaning in discussions and conversations. He uses humor, sarcasm, as well as XXXXX to get his point across that people of this generation greatly lack confidence when they communicate. Throughout the poem he uses the word “like” in systematic places to strengthen his point. These places strengthen his argument because they sound natural and unnoticeable when listening to the poem but when reading

Bellocq’s Ophelia, by Natasha Trethewey is a collection of poems highlighting the complexities of being a black female sex worker in the early 20th century. The work is inspired by the image of a young prostitute in New Orleans originally taken by photographer E.J. Bellocq. Trethewey 's protagonist is Ophelia, and the poems serve as letters depicting her experience while working in the brothel. Thematically, the poems center largely around objectification .Countess P---’s Advice for New Girls and August 1911 are examples of how Tretheway uses language, tone, and structure to reflect Ophelia’s internal feelings of oppression while being both racially and sexually objectified.

Many immigrants came to America seeking freedom, jobs, and land while others were running from famine and war. While immigrants ran from the problems of their native land, they were running into new problems in America. Americans feared the immigrants would take their jobs or have the right to vote. This fear caused discrimination against the immigrants due to their diverse backgrounds from Germany, Ireland, and China. Immigrants that came to America faced the hardship of discrimination because they did not only stand out with their culture but also because Americans didn’t necessarily want them in America.

In the past, most immigrants came as workers with similar skill levels and from similar societies. Now, most immigrants come as relatives and from underdeveloped countries. As a result, most immigrants are poor, unskilled, and unable to mix into our society.