Poem Analysis: Why She Let Them Go

“’ But this is merely a negative definition of the value of education’” (23-24). Mark Halliday wrote “The Value of Education” from a first person standpoint. The introduction and the use of “I” demonstrates the poem is about the speaker. Likewise, the speaker uses imagery, self-recognition, and his own personal thoughts throughout the poem. He goes on throughout the poem stating external confrontations he is not doing because he is in the library receiving an education and reading books. With this in mind, the speaker goes on to convey images in your head to show a realization of things he could be doing if he were not in the library getting an education.

Lucille Clifton's poem "Move" deals specifically with an incident that occurred in Philadelphia on May 13, 1985. On that date, Mayor Wilson Goode, Philadelphia's first African American mayor, authorized the use of lethal force against fellow African Americans living at 6221 Osage Avenue. In her introduction to the poem, Clifton says that there had been complaints from neighbors, who were also African American, concerning the "Afrocentric back-to-nature" group that called itself "Move" and had its headquarters at this address (35). The members of this group wore their hair in dreadlocks and they all used their surname of "Africa." Clifton's poem suggests that it was these differences that cost the lives of eleven people, including

The woman being described in Maxine’s poem is confident in her own skin, where Maxine says, “The woman I am in my dreams, is taller than I am, she sees the world as she walks” this suggests that the woman always has her head up high and takes in the world as she walks. The woman wears red “spike heels” and “that woman walks only when she feels like not running, not jogging” would suggest the woman is physically capable of both running and walking. The verse “they don’t hide under long skirts; her legs and feet are well” would elude that the woman in the poem isn’t afraid to show off her legs which would support the idea that she is physically able.

Lost Innocence Wind whistling, Snow glistening, We try not to, But we're all listening. Loud screams, Bad dreams,

Abandoned by her mother at three-year-old, married at the age 19, three children at the age of 26, and with only a fifth-grade level education. My mom was in prison for a month after struggling to cross the Mexican border into the United States. My mom came to American seeking a better future where my siblings and I did go hungrier to be able to survive. The poet is describing the word “Migration” that takes a different method in relating what is crossing the border as well as tense perceptive effects that occur when it comes to crossing the border. Rosa Alcala’s poem has persona, metaphor, images and figures speech the author can illustrate the feeling of the poem as attentive vagueness.

Cathy Song is a 60 year old woman who resides in Honolulu HI with her husband and 3 children. Along with being a wife, mother, and daughter, Song is a developed poet as well. Although Song does not particularly like being classified as an Asian-American poet, her ethnicity largely influences her poetry as well as her family life. Concerning her ethnicity, Song states “I am just a poet who just happens to be Asian-American.” Ethnic background and her family are not the only things that distinguish Cathy Song apart from other poets. Song also has a habit of bursting strong imagery in her poems during pivotal points in her poetry to help a particular piece of the poem stand out and

1) Marguerite feels that her looks are inadequate to meet the standard set by society, and has a low sense of self-worth; she repeatedly complains about aspects of her figure or clothing. She states that “the dress I war was lavender taffeta, and each time I breathed it rustled, and now that I was sucking in air to breath out shame.” This shows that she feels shameful in wearing the dress, which she hints might be a used dress; she also states that “It was old-lady-long too, but it didn’t hide my skinny legs,” showing that she does not feel satisfied with her stature and figure either. She most likely feels that because she is black, she is oppressed by and looked down upon by society, and that she intrinsically looks horrible because of her

This poem by Lauren Hill is very powerful the topic of the poem is society and the negative influence it has on individuals today. It expresses emotions and the way she flows is peaceful and calm. The poem paints an image in your mind to make you visualize and follow along with the poem. It talks about how the world is being corrupt by the media. The poem talks about real life and what’s really going on in the world. In the beginning of the poem she talks about “Social delusion, clearly constructed, human condition, morals corrupted,” this is a reference to how media can control how people think and see. It refers to the negative it affects it has on people and the society we live in today.

Why do they only want to see the absence of color, rather than embrace it.

❛ four days is a lot of days. ❜ arms STUBBORNLY fold over his chest as lips press together in a thin line , but he listens intently. zack doesn’t EXACTLY have a reason to know other than not wanting to feel stupid when asked what his armor was ... or when he wondered himself. the gears churn slowly in his head as jason explains , information slowly filtering into his memory. MAKES SENSE , he thinks. trini was faster than them all , kim coming in as a close second. zack likes to think he’s the STRONGEST , but he really hasn’t had the chance to prove his theory. it’s comforting to know. ❛ you guys tell the others or was it just an out of the blue conversation ? ❜

The poem “Making sarah cry” and the passage “Don't give up the fight” both show the common theme of being different in the same way. These passages both show the theme by them involving someone being bullied for who they are and being different. Like how Sarah is bullied by the the boy. In “Don't give up the fight” Ava is bullied by Jake , the coach, and the track team. They show the theme differently in “Making Sarah cry” because the point of view is from the person who is bullying but, in “Don’t give up the fight” it is in the point of view of the person being bullied.

The second poem I chose to react to is called “Close The Gate” by Nancy Kraayenhof. The first time I heard this poem I was at my grandpa’s funeral a couple of years ago. At the time it didn’t mean much to me because I was too young to understand the meaning behind it. I decided to reread it for this assignment and it really struck close to home because my grandpa was a farmer and my dad still is one. I think because I had also heard it and not read it the first time, I missed some important style and language differences that I think could have helped me understand it better the first time.

I know that knock knock illustrates what Tupac’s poem was trying to represent. I think knock knock is and example of what a rose growing in concrete looks like, Daniel Beatty to me is the “rose” and the “concrete” is the situation the poem describes , that its that his father is in jail and he never again heard a word from him. Nevertheless Daniel manages to surpass his “concrete”, I think he got tired of waiting for a response so he made himself some answers and by doing that he turned himself into this very talented individual that spreads powerful messages in the form of poems.

The 3 poems that will be discussed based off perseverance will be “The Lost Boys”,”Mother to son”, and “Nick Vujicic Life without Limits”. These 3 poems are showing perseverance based on the story. If you like given stories about perseverance these poems are a great source being shown. In the poem of “The Lost Boys” there was 2 boys growing up living a hard life.

Some of the poems and essays I have read during this class were relatable to me. Being away from college, I have struggled with not being at home. I have become a different person when I am at school, but when I am home, I feel like I am my normal self again. Some of these authors of the poems and essays that I have read throughout this class has struggled with being somewhere where they don’t belong and that they are someone else when they are not home. Unlike the other poems and essays we have read throughout the course. I enjoyed reading the ones about “home” because I actually understood what they are going through and that I can relate. Some of these poems and essays include “Going Home” by Maurice Kenny, Postcard from Kashmir”, by Agha Shahid Ali, “Returning” by Elias Miguel Munoz and “Hometown” by Luis Cabalquinto. All of these poems deal with duality.