On The Subway Sharon Olds Analysis

I read The Back of the Bus, by Mary Mebane. In this essay Mebane tells us about a real life situation that she witnessed as a young girl. The situation occurred in the 1940's, while segregation was almost at it's worst. Mebane talks about the tension between the people on the bus when a white man got on and there was only one seat left, next to a black man. During all the tension the bus driver tried to tell the black man to move but, as he did a black woman stood up fighting for the black man and his seat. The bus driver realized they were at the last stop and let the situation go, as if nothing happened. I believe that the black man shouldn't have had to move but for his sake, he should have moved so he wouldn't have had to face the harsh

The Smithsonian American Art Museum display a great selection of art from the modernism era, each conveying one of the many art movements of that time. From works ranging from futurism to pop art, it was hard to pick one that I felt would reflect the life of the 20th century, until I found one painting, Lily Furedi, Subway.

In the story, “On the subway”, the author Sharon Olds uses literary devices to help the reader get a clearer understanding of the theme of the passage. This devices are seen on the style and grammar being used in the story such as symbolism and imagery which illustrate the point of view the protagonist has towards society.

In “On the Subway” Sharon Olds uses metaphor, tone, and imagery to bring together two ethnicities which are black and white. First, Olds uses a metaphor when she compares the man’s face to a mugger. Olds remarks, “He has the casual cold look of a mugger, alert under hooded lids.” She expresses how the man is on guard and makes the comparison to a mugger because she believed that he would have the power to steal any of her belongings.

Sharon Olds contrasts the two different worlds of a white lady and black male throughout On the Subway. Olds utilizes plenty imagery, tone and unusual syntax to contrast opposite worlds within the white lady and the black male. Olds first creates imagery within the first couple of lines. “His feet are huge, in black sneakers laced with white in a complex pattern like a set of intentional scars.

Markusoff presents the article “The New Underground Railroad” which explains what Canada represents for immigrants, and describes true stories about the global situation. The author illustrates the risks that many take for freedom, dignity, and hope; moreover, he explains the reason why immigrants assume that risk to journey through the underground to have a better life. Simultaneously, the story gives an important reflection about discrimination in other countries and the benefits that Canadians have. This article evidence the global situation and the significant issue of immigration.Ultimately, the writer makes a comparison between the United States and Canada regarding human rights, dignity, and safety.

The poem “On the subway” by Sharon Olds contrast two different people that share the same public transport. The author let knows the reader that they are from different worlds, because how he describes their clothes and the different type of skin tone. The narrator is the one from a high society the clothes that she is wearing, while the other person is describe as a man who is maybe from the street.

We share the same beating hearts under different skin. Through Olds, we are shown that race is simply just skin color, and she takes on how we view people and life at face value. "On the Subway" gives a historical point-of-view of how some White-Americans have, and sometimes still deem African-Americans. The comparison of the appearance of the boy sitting across from her to that of a cold, casual mugger, sets the tone; mysterious and gripping. The speaker, in her furs and briefcase makes her an appealing target. Her tone implies that she feels she is in danger of this dark-skinned boy. Throughout the beginning of poem, the speaker contrasts herself from the boy. Her light skin against his dark features. Her costly animal furs and his blood red hood. The speaker then shifts her views from physical to introspective. The use of visual imagery and animal imagery in On The Subway lets readers see the differences in the characters while also conveying their vast similarities.

The speaker starts the poem in second person then switches to first person point of view to show a change in tone and meaning. At the beginning, the speaker is talking to her aborted child, she says to the child that “[y]ou will never neglect or beat them…” (5). The

The young man in the poem loses his identity as he develops into the ruthless world of adulthood with its dehumanizing competition of ‘money-hungry, back-stabbing’ and ‘so-and-so.’ These exaggerated words and clichés

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.

Throughout the poem, the speaker uses specific details that show the conflict between the speaker’s son and his parents. In the first stanza, the speaker recalls exchanges of dialogue between the speaker and his or her son. For example, the speaker’s son exclaims, “I did the problem / and my teacher said I was right!” (Nye 3-4). The child validated his teacher’s opinion but ridiculed his parents’ opinion. This is further explained through more details in a later part of the same stanza. The mother explains how the son believed his parents were “idiots / without worksheets to back us up” (Nye 9-10). The speaker’s son had entrusted his teacher and thought of his teacher as highly intelligent, but believed that way because of foolish reasoning. In addition, the speaker lists examples of minor mistakes the parents made that caused the son to be embarrassed of them. Through distinct details, the speaker describes how the son’s “mother never remembers / what a megabyte means and his dad fainted on an airplane once / and smashed his head on the drinks cart” (Nye 10-12). By choosing to include these particular details, the poet outlines the foundation of the conflict between the son and his parents.

The narrator is a little boy’s mother and with her voice, she helps the reader see her son evolving in different ways and becoming a “little man,” showing the reader this concept of losing innocence. Olds engages readers with the opening line, “As the guests arrive at my son’s party / They gather in the living room-- / Short men, men in first grade” (lines 1-3 ). Olds’ use of the word “guest” gives the boys more of an importance than one would normally think of with a child. Her description makes the boys seem older than what they are, giving the poem a mature tone. She makes the reader understand and feel the boys’ personas by describing them as, “Short men, men in first grade” (Olds line 3).

The first Subway was founded in 1965. The founder of the Subway chain, Fred De Luca, started running his restaurant business when he was only 17 years old. The first Subway restaurant was opened nine years after its foundation in Connecticut where the headquarter is now situated.

The subway’s not exactly how I imagine. It’s not like the ones back in Garage City, that are somewhat new and move at ear shattering speeds. This one is just a giant black hole and appears to be the jaws of some sleeping beast. It’s completely dead inside with trash everywhere and a rolled over subway train smashed against the back wall. As I follow Thorn and Felix into the mouth of the monster, I have this urge to turn around. It makes me feel trapped, but I ignore it. I can’t let them see that I’m scared of a little pitch-black tunnel. Once inside, there are only two ways to run, left and right. I kick a rusty can and glance back at the light from the outside world.