Jessica Romoff's Poem For The X Generation

Gender roles have been a hotly debated topic in the most recent years, especially the role of women in society. Women have had set expectations that they are believed to conform to, which is shown in many pieces of film and literature. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the life of a man in the upper class in the 1920’s, as well as women in the 1920’s. The movie The Princess Bride, written by William Goldman, visually explains the treatment and expectations of women, and especially focuses on the “damsel in distress” stereotype.. Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” explains the stereotypes against women and ways women can come together and fight these constraints. Based on these sources, societal expectations take away from each individual’s identity, forcing women to conform to society's standards. In order to fight against these expectations, women have banded together and formed movements against these standards.

It talks about staying optimistic and to “never lose sight of the tiny lights”. On the long road to maturity, an adolescent may lose assurance on their loved ones, and people close to them. This may be because of all the recent circumstances, and the associated adversities that follow. Courage is one of the most important attributes a teenager needs while growing up, so they can overcome hardships and achieve their dreams, “to face the threatening storm….to reach the stars.” The poem also expresses about how teenagers need to have courage to overcome being tempted by things, which can seem okay at first, but turn out to be ‘poison’ which is used as a metaphor in the poem. I believe this represents peer pressure, such as the pressure to smoke or drink, “tempted by roadside whispers”, and this poem highlights that although they can be seen as “sweet fantasies”, it is much better to confront this pressure to become a better

Adolescence is a bumpy and unknown section of the road known as life. Both the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier and the poem “Hard on the Gas,” by Janet S. Wong relate to the theme that “the road to growing up and maturing isn’t always smooth”. “Marigolds is the story of an adolescent who is growing up in the Great Depression. Through hard experiences and tumultuous emotions, the narrator learns that growing up is full of ups and downs. “Hard on the Gas” is a poem about a grandchild driving with his or her grandfather. The grandchild realizes that the road isn’t always perfect and that there will be bumps along the way. The theme “the road growing up and maturing isn’t always smooth” is conveyed in both of these selection.

In conclusion, Gwen Harwood deals with the constant relevant issues of loss and consolation by the enduring power of poetic treatment of age and youth. In my opinion, on the most profound of universal truths, there is no certainty in life and we must deal with events and situations as we encounter them. Harwood’s poetry distinctly presents a

Women have power, power over you, me and everyone. What makes them so special is that we (men) can’t live without them. They are sensitive, and at the same time strong, they care, they love, and most important, they are beautiful. Women have come a long way in society throughout time. They 've gone from being nothing to being something. But yet, there are issues with women in today’s society. Naomi Wolf with her essay “A women’s place” and Zulu Kente’s poem “I know you good woman” they address that the role of woman in our society needs a lot of improvement. Women face daily issues such as their voices are not being heard, they are being paid less than men, their opportunities and education are very limited, male sexism through woman, and last but not least, woman are criticized by their physical appearance.

As we develop from children to adults, our perception of our parents can change drastically. The theme of the loss of innocence is portrayed in both poems, through the relationship with a father. Sylvia Plath’s poem ‘Daddy’ is an extremely personal confession about realising her father was not the role model she had believed when she was young. The poem mentions that her father “died before I had time” and she “was ten when they buried you. At twenty I tried to die and get back, back, back to you”. The tone of the entire poem is bitter and sharp as Plath pours all her internalized feelings towards her father into the poem. Gwen Harwood explores the same theme of losing childhood innocence, but in a distinctly different way. The poem tells a story of a small child, who is determined to lose their innocence and is instead “a horny fiend”, sneaking out with their father’s gun. Harwood’s poetry sheds light on the idea of wisdom and growth and the desire children feel to be considered mature. Plath ends her poem in a defiant tone, claiming “Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I’m through”, indicating she is done with thinking about or mourning him and has reached a point where she can move on from the grief he has caused her. On the other hand, Harwood’s poem ends grimly, after the child’s father tells them to “End what you have begun” and the child kills the owl, before “I leaned my head upon my father’s arm, and wept, owl blind in

There are 14.8 million American adults between the ages of 15 to 44 who experience depression in some point and time throughout their life(“Depression”). Although depression is a word that is commonly misused 14.8 million people have experienced some form of depression, weather It may be major depression or mild depression. Often more than not, individuals confuse the days of unhappiness and the lack of desire to function with the rest of the world with major depression. When analyzing the poem Marks by Linda Pastan and the poem Myth by Natasha Tretheway I notice key features of a depressed individual. Pastan and Tretheway portray each of their characters as a depressed individual; because they focus so keenly on their unhappiness with their lives, and even suicide. Many people will argue that poetry and writing does not help with the effects of depression, but I disagree and I will explain why and how each author may be battling with their own form of depression as well as how writing these poems has empowered them and also given them the ability to handle depression.

“We shall overcome,” said one. “I am woman, hear me roar,” said another. Posters encompassed the streets of New York. Marching in the crowd with others advocating for equality, I became a part of history. The Women’s March on Washington and other cities proved my grandmother correct in what she once told me, “Women will change the world.”

The roles of masculinity and femininity dominate our society, and remind us that while we may place ourselves into certain boxes, life is not always black and white. When thinking of genders, we associate certain things underneath being male and female. When we think of women, we picture a loving, caring individual. One who is responsible for the household in addition to keeping her husband happy. When we think of men, we picture a strong individual who is fearless. One who is powerful and brave who is also capable of providing for his family. As a cause of centuries of conformity to these assigned gender roles, we have been taught to believe that a brave woman has no place in our society,

As years pass and the dynamic of what it means to be a girl evolves, girls are “told they can do anything, be anyone” and have taken the bull by the horns and are surpassing boys in schools, in all respects (Black). Furthermore, Black states that the “decades of conversation” allow girls to learn from others’ thoughts on what it means to be a woman and understand the “complexity of womanhood” (Black).

As I read this novel, I could not stop crying. The way that the characters persisted moved me, the ending was a perfect mix of joy and pity, and the imagery was far beyond amazing. This quote, specifically, speaks to me because I can apply it to any aspect of my life, especially throughout my metaphorical journey in seventh grade. This book of poetry is not a series of poems that I tell my story through, but rather a biography written about the challenges and successes in my life. I have changed and evolved into the scholar and young woman that I am today throughout one school year, which is remarkable and overwhelming all at once.

Cathy Song’s “The Youngest Daughter” is clearly about a codependent relationship between a mother and daughter, the mother 's youngest daughter, to be specific. The poem is displayed in the view of first-person, for the daughter is the speaker. The poem is focused

In “ Teach Girls Bravery, not Perfection”, Reshma Saujani emphasizes that girls are inadequately represented in society because girls are set to pursue perfection rather than bravery. Saujani asserts that the society is teaching girls to always avoid taking risks and to dodge failure causing the girls to fall behind. To support her claims, Saujani cites evidence that emphasizes women’s lack of intervention in society due to their lack of confidence. To fix this problem Saujani asserts that the society should work towards raising girls to accept failure by creating a support system to cheer women on. Although Saujani’s claim draws in women that feel underrepresented, most of her claims, however, seem to be mainly assumptions that rely on vague

As stated, “The third wave was made possible by the greater economic and professional power and status achieved by women of the second wave…” (Brunell & Burkett, 2016). The third wave of the women’s movement started in the 1990s and it continues until now, the present, it all began with a mixture of already feminist and feminist being born. As read, “Proponents of third-wave feminism claim that it allows women to define feminism for themselves by incorporating their own identities into their belief system of what feminism is and what it can become” (Fisher, 2013). The second wave that started 30 years before the 90s, the feminist back then focused on laws but not today’s feminist, who focus on their identities. Today, the women's movement occurs daily, everywhere. Recently a march on Washington, on January 21 - 22, 2017, hundreds of women gathered and walked in Washington. The march came to be after a post a Hawaiian grandmother made on how she felt after Donald J. Trump had move. It states, “...led by hundreds of thousands who overwhelmed the nation's capital, protested the first full day of President Trump's tenure Saturday” (Przybyla & Schouten, 2017). Not only do women today march one day, but every day through social media they continue the movement, the women encourage other women to join them and allow them to become a stronger group. As read, “By removing the barriers of distance and geography, sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram have made activism easier than ever, facilitating public dialogues and creating a platform for awareness and change”(Chittal, 2015). The social media now is allowing the women’s movement to grow rapidly by, announcing marches, organizations. (Fisher, 2013) (Przybyla & Schouten,

Being a female writer in a time when women were expected to bear children or devote themselves to God was a difficult fight to face that often left many women discouraged and remorseful of their talents. These same feelings of discouragement and remorse are felt when dealing with heartbreak and in the poem, Whitney connects the emotions felt by the two ailments: