Tosa Nikki as an Instruction Manual Essay

The more she wrote, the greater the need to preserve despite the constant obstacles in her path is clear. Thuy used her entries as a sounding board, scribbling ideas onto the paper, allowing whatever conclusion she drew to stick with her so she could later draw from. When Thuy wrote in the diary, she spoke as if talking to herself, this way she could freely express and reflect upon her day and private thoughts without external repercussions or judgement. Thuy was a sensitive young woman with a deep craving for affection she feared would be misunderstood. She often critical of herself for being “too bourgeoisie”, a concern that with those attitudes, she could not truly devote herself to the party or be her best self (Dang, Thuy Tram, et al, 72). Thuy became emotionally invested inside the small diaries, more so as time wore on. She was greatly disappointed when the first two were lost while fleeing American forces, ultimately deciding that her memories will always be kept best in her head (Dang, Thuy Tram, et al, 183).

supports his theme with the use of tone, diminishing repetition, and many strong literary terms.

Better said, those swallows and honeysuckles existed only because of that romance that just ended. And when the poet uses the simile "…drops of dew… like tears of the day," it also symbolizes the ending of the love affair.

Similarly, the phrase ‘the next moment, you are no longer there’ is perhaps suggesting that he was shocked at seeing her go so suddenly. However, the fact that when she next reappears she is ‘perfectly framed shows us that the joy of seeing her after thinking she has gone for good is a surprise to him. ‘Fragrant survivors of last night’s frost’ shows us that the flowers are strong, which is a suggestion that their love is strong. In the fourth verse the phrase ‘my heart misses a beat at love for you’ shows us that the love was so intense that time seemed to stop too. ‘Knowing a time will come when you are no longer there’ shows us that he is not looking forward to that time and that he knows it is inevitable. ‘Meanwhile let us make sure we clasp each shared moment’ shows us that he wants to make sure they use their time together wisely, and ‘in cupped hands, like water we dare not spill’ shows us they know that their time together is precious.

Deborah Tannen’s essay “But What Do You Mean?” focuses on what she claims are differences between men and women when it comes to social interaction. The essay is sectioned into seven categories, in which she talks about how men and women tend to think and react when it comes to apologizing, criticizing, thanking, fighting, praising, complaining, and joking with others. In general, she seems to promote the idea that women tend to be more polite and refined, considering the feelings of others when conversing and taking everything as a formality. In contrast, men are apparently more blunt, taking a more direct approach with matters and being more unconcerned with how they may affect others. Women tend to automatically apologize and thank others

“Divorce”, hinges on a metaphor that relates to this couple as concerned with flatware. The two verses, describe both the association of the two people, for example the two lines together represents their marriage and the two verses apart represent separation, it represents the couple going through a divorce. The second line “now tined forks/” enjambs onto the second section which is the third line. “Across a granite table,” making the reader feel the emotional and real gap between the forks/people and leaving them to wait on the hardness and coldness of the granite. He even went as far as to split the entire poem in two to instill the impression of separation. The shortness of the poem is equivocalness. It implies the short speech and quietness that can live between a divorcing couple as well as the decrease of them talking to one another. They now only speak to each other through their lawyers.

The Sixties, in America, was famously known as the years of the Cultural Revolution. It was a socially and politically chaotic period for America. In Toni Cade Bambara’s short story, “The Lesson”, she exposes the injustices and inequalities imposed on African Americans of that time. “…she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make… and how money ain’t divided up right in this country. And then… about we all poor and live in the slums” (Bambara 137).

Toni Cade Bambara’s "The Lesson" revolves around a young black girl’s struggle to come to terms with the role that economic injustice, and the larger social injustice that it constitutes, plays in her life. Sylvia, the story’s protagonist, initially is reluctant to acknowledge that she is a victim of poverty. Far from being oblivious of the disparity between the rich and the poor, however, one might say that on some subconscious level, she is in fact aware of the inequity that permeates society and which contributes to her inexorably disadvantaged economic situation. That she relates poverty to shame—"But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be

The theme in "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara appears to be a lesson on

The academy has more than 2,800 member dentists worldwide. For more information, visits the website aadsm.org or call

Love can be quite a difficult topic to write about, expressing one’s intimate and innermost emotions requires a great level of dedication and honesty. If done correctly, the outcome is truly stunning. John Donne’s “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” and Katherine Philips’s “To Mrs. M.A. at Parting” are two masterpieces of this genre. These poems depict the concept of true love so meticulously that the reader cannot help but envy the relationships presented. Perhaps the reason that these works are so effective is due to the fact that they are incredibly similar to each other. Although some differences are present when it comes to structure and gender concerns, the poems share the same theme of love on a spiritual level and show many parallels in meaning.

In Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” she encourages Sylvia to look society in the eye and change what is expected of her. She exposes the inequality present within the United States’s society through the perspective of young African American children. Often, many are unwilling to acknowledge that they are a victim of poverty, leaving them in a state of ignorance, that will not promote any change. The story revolves around Sylvia, a young black girl, who finally has her eyes opened to her disadvantaged economic status. Real learning often occurs after a state of discomfort and confusion. Bambara takes Sylvia through a journey enlightening her through an uncomfortable juxtaposition of Harlem and Manhattan, her and her friends, and who she actually is and who she wants to be.

There are some things that we do know about this poem. It is most often referred to as an elegy because of the mood of mourning and regret. Upon further reading I discovered that this poem is like others of its time period. Many

I interpreted this poem as a very sad one. A love unrequited by the pursued. In the first two lines the poem tells you to forget about the love you share and hear a tale of this. Not to literally forget, but possibly put aside. The man is a winter breeze, cold and rough and sort of roams the land. The woman is a window flower, shut off from the outside. This sets up the separation.

In the poems you have studied a recurring theme is that of ‘loss’. This can take many forms: death; identity; hope or loss of innocence