Many We Are Standing As One

Tim O’Brien writes about both the physical objects they carry as well as their emotional burdens. The objects that these soldiers carry serve as a symbolism for what they are carrying in their hearts and minds. The soldiers carry items varying from pantyhose, medicine, tanning oil, and pictures. Jimmy Cross is an inexperienced sophomore in college, he signs up for the Reserve Officers Training Camp because his friends are doing the course. Jimmy Cross doesn’t want anything to do with the war or anything to do with being a leader. The item that Jimmy Cross carries with him are pictures of his classmate named Martha.

Helping making the theme of this poem clear that many blacks wore a mask that suggested happiness and contentment, but concealed

Secondly, the speaker of the poem can be described as underprivileged, and this is shown throughout the entire poem. For example, line 1 of the poem it states "some are teethed on a silver spoon” and line 5 it states "some are swaddled in silk and down”. This shows that the speaker is not the same as the person who is teethed on a silver spoon or cared for very carefully. This inclusion also shows that the speaker was not born into a wealthy family and so the speaker must fight for what they need pertaining to themselves and the family.

It also means that the brown paper bag is where the alcohol bottled is wrapped associating it with just the Indian cultures. Alexie continues to explain that Custer had to rule over the tribe and compared him to a Jesus like figure. It is within the pattern of this poem where loss and survival circulate with the images presented in an optimistic way of showing us that life goes on no matter what

Personal rights for the citizens of our country are guaranteed by the Constitution of The United States of America, and this poem illustrates direct disregard for those rights. “You are not presumed to be innocent if the police have reason to suspect you are carrying a concealed wallet” (lines 13 – 15) shows the disregard for personal rights. Nearly everyone carries a wallet and that statement says the personal right to be innocent until proven guilty doesn’t apply to certain people as the government sees fit. In lines 16 – 17, “It’s not our obligation to inform you of your rights” contradicts to the law of having Miranda Rights read to an individual upon arrest. Further showing they can disregard a person’s rights as they feel necessary, the poem

Alliteration and metaphors are two major elements of this poem. The repetition of consonant sounds and alliteration occurs throughout the poem. All of the lines strongly use the repetition of consonants and alliteration except for lines two and seven. In addition to that, the controlling figure of speech in this poem is a metaphor. It is strongly articulated in the first line, and as the one continues to read, it is amplified and extended throughout the rest of the poem. The metaphor compares mask of Line 1 to the fabricated emotive facades that African-Americans had made use of in order to avert provoking their oppressors.

Poems are built with tradition, but in his case, the speaker wants to end tradition just as he wants to end racism. In line two and three, they both end with the same word which is called symploce. Symploce is a combination of anaphora and epistrophe which implies that these two lines are an important point of the figure of speech. The poem was written by stating a cause and effect. The line beginng with by is the cause and I being the effect. Its an explination of how he will fight social injustice. It also helps readers to use and understand the most effective way to fight social

Liberalism is a big theme throughout the poem. The author expresses this in the line “There were no black male dolls yet so she guessed a mixed-race love-child was out of the question.” The author is giving a message of unfaithfulness. It gives a sense of ambiguity to the behavior of the character. Symbolism is a big factor in this poem. For instance, in the last lines of the poem she states, “She couldn't make a peace sign with her stuck-together fingers. She felt a little like Sandra Dee at a Janis Joplin concert.” The V sign or peace sign has been for its meaning of victory. In World War II it was also used as a symbol of deviance towards Britain. Again, the author is using allusion to history, and giving a feeling of fight and opposition. The “stuck-together fingers” represent the relationship with the

(Sometimes you have to do something bad to prevent something worse from happening.) In the chorus of the song, Martina sings: “Let freedom ring/ Let the white dove sing/ Let the whole world know/ That today is a day of reckoning.” These lines ring true to the purpose of doing the “bad things.” Conner, Risa, and Lev want to be free from the burden of unwinding. As the rumor of the “Akron AWOL” spread, this is the trio’s way of showing that it is their time of change, of reckoning. The symbol of the white dove singing represents peace and freedom, and that is the goal of becoming an AWOL unwind: to be free from the shadow of the government at your heels, ready to snatch up your parts. Later on in the chorus, these words are sung that especially sing with the theme in mind: “She tried to pretend he wasn't drinkin' again/ But daddy left the proof on her cheek/ Well she lit up the sky that fourth of July/ By the time that the firemen come/ They just put out the flames/ and took down some names.” At first, the unwinds try and face the facts-they’re going to be unwound. But, things happen, and suddenly the unwinds realize they have to fight, even if they die tryin, like the song. The mother is being abused, so she burns down the house, killing her abusive husband and herself. This runs parallel with the theme and the novel. Finally, Martina belts these lines in the bridge: “Now I ain’t

Another image that Whitman gives his readers in the poem is that of a handkerchief; we think of two things; drying weeping eyes and initials. During those times, not however as common a practice now, people would carry a handkerchief with them in case of the out cries of a woman. Along with tears, we are forced to think about why people cry? This develops thoughts about people that are loved being torn away, like in death. As you look at a handkerchief, it is often times easy to identify who it belongs to by the initials that appear on the cloth. This is a way to remember those that have died and keep them with you always. I think that this is a major idea of the poem, although someone no longer walks the face of the earth this does not mean that they are no longer with us, because they are in spirit and memory.

This significance is described in the next line as “the boobys trap’s white flash” which depicts the cause of Andrew Johnson’s death to be because of a bomb set off by the Vietcong. The thousands of names “shimmer on a woman’s blouse” again apply the use of light to describe another reflection off the stone which moves with the movements of the woman’s clothes. Unification is again brought up when the speakers sees the “white vet’s image floating,” the speaker is able to identify with people of another race who have experienced the same trauma he has. The use of floating gives the allusion of a dead body or ghost, but the war has taken his life from him so now he only lives. The “pale eyes” reinforce this because the veteran appears dead inside and almost lifeless when remembering the horrors he witnessed. The veteran “lost his right arm in the stone” refers again to light and how difference perceptions change who we view the world around us, and this depicts the sacrifices the veteran made for his country. Reflection is conveyed again with the “black mirror” when the speaker is watching a woman apparently attempting to efface the memorial of a name but in reality she is merely “brushing a boy’s hair.” The misconception regarding the woman’s actions show the speaker wishing to erase

By using her own skills, the speaker shows that her people do have talents. In the last stanza, the speaker says “I am the dream and the hope of the slave.” After slavery was abolished, Black Americans had hope for the future. However, they soon realized: systemic oppression would keep them down. Nonetheless, the speaker still has hopes and dreams which are continued and pursued through herself. The poem does not only express the rising of the speaker alone, but also of the people she represents. Using the word “I” can also inspire those who are going through difficult situations. For example, someone who is being bullied is forced to repeat self-affirmations, which can make them feel more confident. The wording before the shift proves the same subject while deliberately avoiding direct repetition. No matter what, her strength will never subside, and readers should feel the same.

In verse two feelings of the necessary trudge/empowering iambic stride further unfolds. On the one hand Dunbar points to all the “tears and sighs” experienced by the collective “We”. But in the throws of this potential unempowered feelings, Dunbar seizes upon an element of control that can be taken.  “Why should the world be over-wise … nay let them only see us whilst we wear the mask”. In these words there is a boldness and resignation to not let the world have the privilege or even satisfaction perhaps, of seeing behind the mask into the suffering that is really going on.

“Still Here” by Langston Hughes is an inspiring and pleasurable poem. The moral of the poem is to overcome obstacles that you may face in life. The author uses words and phrases to express their agony. I believe the author was a slave and they are explaining the hurt and pain they went through. The author emphasizes, “I been scared and battered,” to explain the beatings he was receiving from his master. Hughes also stated, “My hopes the wind done scattered,” implying that he had hopes of exploring the world outside of slavery but he did not succeed. He also mentions, “Snow has friz me, sun has baked me, looks like between them, they done tried to make me stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’- but I don’t care. I’m still here!” to describe

in this lyrics you can see that Hughes is directly saying nothing will get in his way of fighting for his freedom. He doesn't mind expressing his strong commitments and using simple words just to say he's not done marching. He also uses specific names like “Nazis” to give a better understanding of who he is referring to. He writes his lyrics and his statement to reduce the confusions of metaphors. To give direct names and approaches, people will know who the problem is, what the problem is and it will make it easier for them to make a change if they who their target