In the short story “on the subway” by Sharon Olds the author uses the techniques imagery, diction and tone to relate the topics of discrimination, racism and different social classes.
The first literary device we see is imagery and through it the author expresses the suffering of the black race and the advantage rich white people take over the working class. In the first sentence of the story the narrator points out that “his feet are huge, in black sneakers laced with white in a complex patterns like a set of intentional scars”. as a reader, one can infer that the author wants to make a reference to slavery and the fact that back in the day slaves were whipped when they misbehaved or did something their master did not like. The author also uses imagery in their clothes while the boy “is wearing red, like the inside of the body exposed” , the rich narrator is wearing “dark fur; the whole
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The narrator shows her prejudice against the boy when she points out that “he has the casual look of a mugger, alert under hooded lids.” this can also mean the way minorities have to be alert and watch their backs to not being taken advantage of. Another way she shows her prejudice is by feeling trapped and uncomfortable being close to him like “two molecules stuck in a rod of light”. By saying “ And he is black and i am white, and without meaning or trying to i must profit from his darkness” the author addresses the way rich people sometimes take advantage of the minorities because of their race without knowing. When the narrator says “ there is no way to know how easy this white skin makes my life” she is evaluating how the boy’s lfw may in fact be more complex than she thought it was but comes to the conclusion that she may never really understand because she is not like him and will never
To show first hand to the whites the inequality’s and hardships that the blacks face, the entire first section is in a narrative and a descriptive format. The use of these types of essays lets the readers feel more involved in the story and feel things for themselves. Split into two sections within itself, this first paragraph juxtaposes two stories — one about a “young Negro boy” living in Harlem, and the other about a “young Negro girl” living in Birmingham. The parallelism in the sentence structures of introducing the children likens them even more — despite the differences between them — whether it be their far away location, or their differing, yet still awful, situations. Since this section is focused more towards his white audience, King goes into a description of what it was like living as an African American in those times— a situation the black audience knew all too well. His intense word choice of describing the boy’s house as “vermin-infested” provokes a very negative reaction due to the bad
In Richard Wright’s novel, Black Boy, Richard is struggling to survive in a racist environment in the South. In his youth, Richard is vaguely aware of the differences between blacks and whites. He scarcely notices if a person is black or white, and views all people equally. As Richard grows older, he becomes more and more aware of how whites treat blacks, the social differences between the races, and how he is expected to act when in the presence of white people. Richard, with a rebellious nature, finds that he is torn between his need to be treated respectfully, with dignity and as an individual with value and his need to conform to the white rules of society for survival and acceptance.
In "On the Subway," Sharon Olds shows the distinctions of two people using artistic gadgets, for example, analogies, symbolism, and imagery. The storyteller's musings give more top to bottom comprehension to how society treat the general population that are "comparable" to the kid.
In the foreground, darkness embodies the oppression the Harlem residents feel regarding racism, segregation and stifled possibilities. Early in the story the narrator illustrates this idea of limited opportunity when he is talking about the young boys in the school yard, “…they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities. They were filled with rage. All they really knew [was darkness], the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them…” (Baldwin 75). Later, Baldwin describes a world where the whole of Harlem is gripped with long lasting discrimination and isolation, “the old folks…[are] talking about where they’ve come from, and what they’ve seen, and what’s happened to them and their kinfolk… The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about. It’s what they’ve come from. It’s what they endure” (Baldwin 82). In summary, Baldwin’s use of darkness helps to depict a world where the characters are living in a culture rich with poverty and paralyzed with a continued fear of racism and
As the novel New Boy moved along I became more and more interested in what would happen to all that has gone on in one hectic year for one colored teenager with the opportunity of his life. In this book, many kids are judged simply based on their appearance and not for who they are as a person. I believe that all people popular or not may have this happen to them at one point or another in their life. During this book, many racial tensions arise, but not just between blacks and whites, but also with looks and beliefs.
In the poem “On the Subway” by Sharon Olds, the author uses various literature devices throughout the poem such as imagery, point of view, and tone shift. Additionally, the devices are used to tell a story about a white woman who strongly feels that she will potentially be mugged by an African American man. Furthermore, the author distributes a vibrant poem by using techniques. Furthermore, it is easier for the reader to follow along with the story. Firstly, the author decides to use imagery to describe the difference between the African American man and the white woman who board the subway together.
In “On the Subway”, Sharon Oids portrays the difference from light and dark from two different worlds.The revelation is that the white passenger analyzes the black passenger to be a man who is very different from her. Oids uses imagery to portray how the black man is lesser than her. “Black Sneakers”, “Intentional scars”, “aler under hooded eyelids”, all three references describe how the black man looks like, but its intention is to describe the black man as a bad person.
In the poem of “On The Subway” Sharon Olds uses literary devices such as point of view and imagery to tell us what the woman in the subway experienced in the subway.
This is shown when Clover didn’t judge Annie by the color of her skin even though everybody else did. Specifically how mama judged Annie by the color of her skin because it had always been that way. Furthermore, it showed in how her friends judged Annie by the color of her skin without knowing her, but after they got to know her they finally accepted her. The theme is don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Don’t judge a book by its cover means if you looked at a person you wouldn’t know their personality because they would not be wearing a shirt that tells their personality like “I’m racist” or “I’m kind”. But instead get to know them before judging them.This is good because then people won’t be racist anymore. This is bad when people do it because it makes people sad and it is how the Holocaust started when Hitler judged the Jews because of their religion. But that’s a whole different story to
Since the beginning of time, racial distinction has brought problems within society and politics because of the worth that is placed within a person’s skin color. The poem, “On the Subway,” by Sharon Olds is a poem that serves the reader to understand the struggle and pain that has been brought within generations of those coming from African American descent, for it portrays the pain that is carried within each individual due to the suffering that they have had to endure throughout their existence. Throughout the poem, the reader can observe that there is a prominent contrast between the two people sitting in the subway. The author portrays the man as a person from the lower class, and she does this by mentioning the aspects in which he looks
In her poem “On the Subway,” Sharon Olds discusses the issue of racial profiling. She begins to describe how she profiles the “black” man sitting opposite her as a mugger; however, she also seemingly explains his thoughts in her point of view. To convey her thoughts, she uses simile, detailed descriptions, and tone to express her emotions and provide a visual image of her encounter with the black man on the subway.
In “On the Subway,” Sharon Olds illustrates the differences of two individuals which contrast in a single characteristic. The narrator’s thoughts give more in depth understanding to how he feels about the boy on the other side of the subway car.
In the excerpt, "On The Subway" we are presented with the two extreme ends of the social spectrum. The speaker uses various literary techniques such as imagery and metaphors to accentuate specific differences between the characters.
Whites in this novel choose to show their superiority through the scars they give the slaves. Never to be outdone, any act of intelligence shown by a slave other than his or her job will be followed by a beating of some sort, whether it be whipped, punched, or raped.
The man says something that the narrator does not like and tries to force an apology out of the man. This is what initiates the first part of racism and the thought of being invisible in the novel. The narrator endures the different types of racism through the different places he visits. Everyone expects something different of him and other African-Americans. This is how he tries finding his inner self and it just confuses him more because everyone wants something different. Another example of this is when the narrator is working for Liberty Paints in New York. The work force is primarily blacks, but the final product is white. This is ironic because their slogan is “If it’s Optic White, it’s the Right White.” There is also a sign outside of the building that reads “Keep America pure with Liberty Paints.” This is a form of racism in itself because they only produce white paint, and they say that they are keeping America pure. ”Our white is so white you can paint a chunka coal and you’d have to crack it open with a sledge hammer to prove it wasn’t white clear through” (Ellison 217). This is said by Lucius Brockway, an engineer at Liberty Paints. This can be seen as an extended metaphor between the paint making process that requires a black chemical to be added, and the whites vs. blacks at the company itself. The company seems to have primarily black workers producing the paint, but this quote goes to show that white is overpowering and that