On The Subway Essay

In the early 1980’s, a group of young siblings living in poverty tell an important story of the immigrant experience. Reyna Grande’s, The Distance Between Us, is a memoir written with the recurring appeal to the reader’s pathos. Grande uses the rhetorical strategy to keep the reader’s interest and to help them make more connections to the story. Grande’s use of pathos helps to show not only the importance of understanding the immigrant experience, but the importance of following your dreams.

The hidden purpose of the subway system which Jurgis helps to construct is to break the teamsters’ union. Because Jurgis got hit by one of the rail freight cars, he broke his arm and lost his job.

The author first makes readers feel cozy when he says, "Within its walls, my young parents created our traditional Cuban home, the very heart of which was the kitchen." The tone that the author uses makes the reader feel warm, giving them the joyful image of the cozy Cuban home. Then Rodriguez continues, "Here, the innocence of childhood, the congregation of family and friends, and endless celebrations that encompassed both formed the backdrop to life in our warm home." The author describes his young life to his readers, making them feel warmth by depicting the memory of the innocent and happy gathering of loved ones. Finally, Narcisco Rodriguez sets a warm mood by recalling his memories of how everyone helped each other out in their times of need. He says, "It was a close-knit community of honest, hardworking immigrants who extend a hand to people who, while not necessarily their own kind, were clearly in need." The thought of such a well-woven community of kind people spreads a warm feeling amongst readers' hearts. This relates to the thesis in the sense that the immigrants created a sincere environment for Narcisco and family. In brief, the story portrays a mood of warmth to its readers using its kind and joyful

Riding the subway to a New York City resident is nothing new. It’s something that many of us New Yorkers have to use as transportation because living in a crowded city with limited space to drive is not very ideal. For the people who do drive, they do so for personal comfort and convenience. But for us commuters, having to not look for parking and worry about traffic takes up less of our time. On the other hand we experience train delays and disturbances in personal space. Nonetheless, the pros outweigh the cons and using the subway has become a part of our daily routines for many of us New Yorkers. Marc Auge states that, “If he draws himself into the field of his ethnological inquiry, it is no less fitting for his readers to broaden the scope of appreciation of the work for riders.” With that in mind, I observed the connections with my experience riding the subway in a city integrated with many different peoples and cultures.

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.

While out in public do you ever look and see the people in your surroundings? Do you notice the differences between yourself and others? Are some of those differences race? In "On the Subway", a woman notices a man sitting across from her while she is on the subway. She focuses solely on his appearance. She automatically compares her life to his without actually having to know what his life is like. In "On the Subway" by Sharon Olds, she uses the structure of the poem to her advantage. She also conveys a sense of barriers and separation through her word choice to point out certain barriers and separations that have arisen.

For my social norm, I chose to read aloud on the subway. In addition, I read from Ta-Nahisi Coates’ between the world and me. To summarize, this novel is about Coates writing a letter to his child regarding the hardships and realities of being black in the United States. Considering the fact that we as a society are uncomfortable with discussing race, I found it helpful to kill two birds with one stone.

Immigrants from all over the world come to America with dreams of creating a new life. While this journey is challenging for many, the opportunities that America harbors is worth the hardships. The experience that many immigrants face after coming to the United States is portrayed in The Tortilla Curtain, a novel by T. C. Boyle. America, the protagonist of the book, demonstrates hard work and determination in hopes of achieving her aspirations. America is an important character used by Boyle, to represent how the hardships of being successful as an illegal, Mexican, immigrant can lead to danger and desperation in trying to find work.

The poem On The Subway by Sharon Olds " provides a historical point-of-view is regards to how Whites have, and still continue to, regard African-Americans. The poem begins with her saying “he has the casual look of a mugger alert under hooded lips.” Here she makes an assumption based on race by thinking he is about to rob her. She is heightened because of his presence and thinks that since she has something expensive on like her fur coat, he is about to rob her. As the poem progresses the speaker has a shift in attitude. She starts to think that maybe he also regards her in the same way she regards him. She says “or if he is in my power, the way I am living of his life.” The speaker thinks that she has more power since she is white. She also

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.

While there are those who seek equality, many still find themselves living in a world pervaded in bigotry. Despite to living in the twenty first century, one is no stranger to the discrimination depicted in Sharon Old’s poem, The Subway. Point of view, motif, and symbolism conceal themselves but unravel to become a woman’s “damsel in distress” facade. Persisting that she faces grave danger, the woman on the subway shares her perspective of the situation.

The poem “on the subway,” by Sharon Olds shows the complicated relationship between Caucasians and African-Americans. The poem is three sections and each sections shows something different. In the First section the author present contrast between white and black. In the second the speaker begins to develop the obvious difference so that interrelationships emerge. In the third section, the narrator shows how this scene on the subway represents American culture.

Sharon Olds, poet of “on the subway” depicts a situation where a white female makes observations and internal thoughts about a black male that she witnesses on a subway that Olds describes as representing tension between the white and black races. The black teenage male possibly portrays not just one black teen, but the entire race as a whole. He represents the entire race. Olds uses enjambments, powerful imagery, as well as figurative language, specifically metaphors, in order to point out the stereotypical differences and tensions between races in today’s community and the bigger picture of the common stereotype of Caucasian people being “above” the African American people on the socio-economic ladder. Her forceful tone reflects the severity and prevalence of this harsh commonly seen contrast between the two races.

For thousands of years, waves of immigrants continue joining the developed countries in the world, bringing with them the unique cultures, languages, and ideas. Over time, those unique values might be faded away with each generation because of the new culture exposition. The second-generation immigrants experience a cultural conflict between that of their parents and that of host society. Most of them are unable to preserve and empower their origin cultures. Many differences between the first-generation and the second-generation immigrants arise. Through the analysis of the mother in “Death of a Young Son by Drowning” and the Das family in “Interpreter of Maladies”, I would like to demonstrate the differences between the first-generation immigrants, who travel from other countries, and the second-generation immigrants, who were born and raised on the immigrated land. These differences include the purpose of being in the foreign land, the connections to their homelands, society’s view, and the culture differences.

The chef was outraged. His entire life he had worked up to this job. The conductor had the nerve to tell him he was not good enough, and the fury boiled up within him.