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For years, authors and readers alike have been drawn to poetry for more reasons than its beauty. Wystan Hugh Auden, more commonly known as W.H. Auden, saw poetry as a way to incorporate his personal opinions into his innermost poetic thoughts. His poetry became more focused on common social issues after moving to America. His words spoke of the cultural and social injustices that his adopted country faced. Although he was from England, W. H. Auden?s poetry, inspired by his political views and Christian values, was more thoroughly oriented on the values and cultures of America. Auden was born in York, England, on February 21, 19071. His family was that of an average one, with his father, a ?prominent physician with an extensive knowledge of mythology and folklore, and his mother, a strict Anglican, both exerted strong influences on Auden?s poetry.? 2 With his parents being as they were, Auden felt strong connections to politics, history, and science .3 Some critics have suggested that ?Auden?s unusual writing style germinated in the social climate of his childhood.? 4 His childhood was fairly normal, and he did not start to become too political until his later years. It is said that ?he lost his [religious] faith at fifteen, and replaced [it with] the ?magical excitement? of
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He felt they played a major role in disrupting the cultures in America. He saw the corrupt centrality of money, and how society was being taught to look down on those with less means. In the poem ?Refugee Blues,? he says ?Say this city has ten million souls,/ Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes:/ Yet there?s no place for us, my dear, yet there?s no place for us.?26 He felt that this social concept was the downfall of America, saying, ?Once we had a country and we thought it fair,/ Look in the atlas and you?ll find it there:? We cannot go there now my dear, we cannot go there
Welsh from Wales in the united kingdom Llwyds moved to Canada before moving to the US. Hugh Jacob Llwyd was the first minister of Grace Episcopal Church in Muskogee, Ok, and has two alter windows more than 10 feet tall dedicated to him. He was born in Canada. Edwin and his brother were born in the US, the first US born generation in their family. He was drafted into World War II during law school where his job involved diplomatic relations overseas. He went on to serve as an attorney in the military, retiring after more than 20 years and was an attorney for Muskogee County for over 50 years. He died in 2003.
“Let America Be America Again” becomes personal for the audience which is what makes this poem so easily appreciated and enjoyed. The poem refers to the many races and backgrounds by referring to, “the poor white, fooled and pushed apart” or “the Negro bearing slavery’s scars” (Line 19 and 20). Whether the reader is poor, rich, white, black, or Indian the poem goes in detail of how for better or worse everyone makes up America. With Langston Hughes being African American, he obviously witnessed and endured racism and hardships, but he broadened the discussion by not only mentioning the Negros, but of the poor whites and the “red man” to make
He considered many his friends and believed them to be the true Americans even during a time of oppression. When he was given the chance to attend art school in Europe, he chose to live with the Blackfeet tribe instead
America is a country that has been through many different times of trials. Wars and disease have spread across that nation several times. During times of depression, though, a group of people seems to always emerge from the destruction. That group of people are the poets and writers of America. Through trial and strife, writers are able to find inspiration for their works, and are able to give readers hope for a better day. Walt Whitman was an amazing writer who wrote several poems concerning the great United States of America, talking about the people that have built the nation up from the dust. But, a group of people that Whitman forgot to write about on most occasions were the slaves and black people of which America thrived. Langston Hughes was a black man in the 20th century that took note of Whitman's poems, and their lack of recognition towards his people. Whitman wrote a poem called, "I Hear America Singing," in which Hughes wrote the poem, "I, Too Sing America," in response. In the poem by Hughes, there are several different ways that the writing interlaces with Walt Whitman's.
One way Auden gets his criticism across is by using symbolic characters and symbolism. JS/07/M/378, the deceased man for whom the eulogy is written, symbolizes an average citizen. The fact that he is not addressed with a full name indicates that he must have not been significant when he was alive and that he was merely a statistic. His factory job at
In it he spoke of the wrongness of slavery and of many thoughts on government. But if there was anything that occupied him the most, it was the opposing of slavery and its effect on society and people. He could oppose it because he knew how to write about it and read about it. His desire to learn served him well in this.
He helped awaken the culture and spirit of African American through a literary view and display the injustices African America through his writings and
Auden’s poem is a criticism of human perceptions and how we use them to detect, or suppress human suffering. In the first half of the poem Auden “compares versions of indifference by portraying youth and age, animals, and humans” (Shmoop, 2014). In the first few lines of the poem, Auden comments on the perceptions of the “Old Masters” and how they were never wrong in their discernment of suffering. He then compares the old masters perceptions to the perceptions of children and animals and how they are unaware of,
In the poem “Refugee in America” written in 1947 by an African American named Langston Hughes, the author, would say how words like Freedom and Liberty were sweet and wonderful for him to say, and that they would almost make him cry. He would also say that if
I noticed that there is a juxtaposition regarding the word choice in this poem as the vocabulary is very plain and simple yet formal and precise. Auden uses trivial words when describing the ordinary life of people: “While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;” (4) and then uses eloquent words such as “dreadful” (10), “amazing” (20) and “miraculous” (6) to describe the sufferings that are consumed by everyday life which humans are blind to. Additionally, I noticed that the word “suffering” is placed in the very first line and only used once throughout the whole poem. The placement of this particular word is important because the subject of the poem is about how inattentive people are to the sufferings of others.
World famous poet, Edgar Allan Poe, once wrote in one of his poems, “From childhood’s hour I have not been. As others were, I have not seen. As others saw, I could not awaken. My heart to joy at the same tone. And all I loved, I loved alone.” In those lines, Poe demonstrates his love for being alone because his childhood was full of isolation, meaning that the writer grew used to the feeling. Since boyhood throughout his adult life, Edgar Allan Poe endured through a series of unfortunate events. From his parents dying, his animosity with his foster father, his consecutive poverty, to facing rejection from the public, the man’s life was as ominous as his fiction. This essay will discuss the reason behind the writing of one of Edgar Allan
Poems consist of a variation of different techniques in order to convey a message or idea to readers. Wilfred Owen, Thomas Hardy, Adrienne Rich, Bruce Dawe and Robert Browning are great poets who explore these issues, conveying their emotions, which influences a perception of an issue. In each of their poems they express the hidden message of hope, along with their main message. They use similar techniques to express their ideas, which illustrates their purpose to the reader.
The voice of one person can send a profound sound into the hearts of people to help liberate one’s mind. That profound sound is seen through poetry. The creative structure and style of poetry creates a different form of writing that can either have rhythm, alliteration or have a direct message. In the poem “I Too Sing America”, by Langston Hughes had a significant message in that he desired to voice his expression on the issue of black oppression in America. Langston basic themes focused on the American Dream and the possibilities of hope and advancement were constantly present in his poetry. The tension between the unrealized dream and the realities of the black experience in
Auden in this poem compares human beings to stars. This comparison can be criticised as being very unfair as stars are both literally and metaphorically above humans. This is evident upon reading “…That for all they care, I can go to hell.” The fact that he used objects of such importance allows readers to appreciate
W.H. Auden was a great poet during his time. He was also involved with different Christian beliefs. One of his greatest poems would have to be “The Unknown Citizen” which was written in 1939. He wrote this poem shortly after he moved to the United States. “The Unknown Citizen” is mainly a satiric poem. The author of the poem uses satire in the poem by the theme of conformity, submissiveness, and propaganda.