Analyzing The Ancestor's Poem

“An Anti-Semitic Demonstration” was the more effective poem by using metaphors to explain the fear one feels during the arrival and anticipation of being sent off to a concentration camp by Nazis. During this time period life as a Jew must have been unbelievably frightening, for one was unsure of when they would be collected and where the would be taken away too. All just because of their religious beliefs or the fact they may be considered “undesirable”. Whereas in “The Family Album” they explained more about how the Jews were before their life changed forever. Neufeld does not go to explain the way they felt during the tough times of the Nazi ruling. However, he instead talks about how life was instantly changed when no one saw it coming.

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama's second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled "One Today" that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who's daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is.

Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem, “Poema para los Californios Muertos” (“Poem for the Dead Californios”), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker's dead ancestors. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the “Californios” through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language.

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher, and doctoral candidate in Education at Harvard University with a concentration in Culture, Institutions, and Society. Smith Clint wrote a poem called “Something You should Know.” The poem is about an early job he had in a Petsmart. The poet allows the readers into his personal life, but before he had trouble opening up to people and his work. Moreover, Clint wrote an insight in the poem about relying in anything to feel safe and he says it is the most terrifying thing any person can do.

The Poem “Introduction to Poetry” is by Billy Collins, an English poet, and it is about how teachers often force students to over-analyze poetry and to try decipher every possible meaning portrayed throughout the poem rather than allowing the students to form their own interpretation of the poem based on their own experiences.

While reading both stories, they both seemed to share the same theme. The theme that both stories shared is the dedication to do work even if it isn’t necessary. In, “Clearing Paths to the Past” The person states they have an obligation to clear their sidewalk so others can use the sidewalk to get somewhere. In, “To be of use” the person telling the poem explains how they love to be dedicated to doing work even when they do not need to do the work with any effort.

“The Explorer” was written during the civil rights movement when Brooks started to focus on writing for the black community. Through the blood, sweat, and sacrifice her community experiences every day, she is inspired to write this particular piece to show that African Americans, although are scared, will keep fighting and searching for their utopia. Starting from stanza one, the word “frayed” stands out the most. Repeated twice, it immediately tells the reader that the situation is not that of hope and is life changing to the main character. “Still spot” also references that the main character is looking for a quiet setting. The theme of quiet and peace is renounced in stanza two as words such as “velvet peace” and “willy hush” also go along with the peace and quiet theme. Now, the reader gains a better sense of the financial condition of the main character. “Tatters” makes the reader think that the main character is poor and financially challenged, and knowing Brooks’ purpose of the poem is about revitalizing hope for the black community, the main character is most likely black male. Moreover, Brooks inserts a metaphor that comprises most of the stanza and ultimately depicts that the character in the poem is trying to find peace and quiet both within a house and his mind (Poem 3). Next in stanza three, the main purpose of this stanza is to describe what exactly is happening to the main character. “Tipping down the scrambled halls” reveals that the main character does not

Sylvia Plath is arguably one of the most iconic and influential poets to come out of American history thus far. Her harsh and unapologetic yet eloquent style was unprecedented, especially of  a woman; she simply smashed every gender convention she came across. Her 1962 poem Daddy is a prime example of this; it is one of her most fearless and unsettling works. Written over half a century ago, it is still a hotly contested piece. Some critics believe it to be a work of genius--Paul Alexander calls hers “a singular, powerful female voice”-- , while others consider it an something of an abomination--Seamus Heaney said,

The curiosity of Artie about Vladek saying that Anja was not pretty, during the fight between Vladek and Lucia, incites Artie to interrupt Vladek’s story of the past. The interruptions that Art Spiegelman writes into his comic, Maus My Father Bleed History, breaks up Vladek’s story about surviving the Holocaust, which is what happens in the scene with Vladek and Lucia’s fight. Spiegelman uses the interruptions of Vladek’s story to lead out of it and then back into Maus to assist in clarifying information for the reader, to show the father-son relationship between Artie and Vladek, and also to explain how Maus was written.

“Ancestral lines” by John Barker is a book about the anthropologist’s experience in the Uiaku village located in Papua New Guinea. In the first chapter, Barker tells his readers briefly about him and his education, his and his wife’s experience with the Maisin community, and talks in great detail about the Maisin and their culture in the Uiaku village.

In the first stanza it is the semantic field of water: ‘waters’ (twice), ‘sea’, ‘drowning’ and ‘being drawn’. As I mentioned earlier, water is often the symbol of life but it also evokes tears, sadness and despair.

The Wanderer and The Dream of the Rood are two Old English poems that demonstrate the link between lord and thane. This bond, also known as the comitatus, is highlighted with imagery to effectively portray the physical intimacy involved. The idea that everything is fleeting is emphasized to show the significance of the comitatus. Furthermore, the beauty of the relationship is shown by contrasting the shame that the Wanderer feels at the end of the poem to the honour and glory that is thrown upon the cross after it willingly suffers along with Christ. In all, the ideals of the comitatus during the Medieval Times are clearly advocated through the illustration of the physical intimacy, shame and honour involved in the two poems.

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” declared by an influential leader Martin Luther King Jr. As a soldier againsts unfairness, King strongly states that people should fight for freedom. Driven by human nature, humans are always chasing freedom. In “A Century Later,” the Pakistan-born British poet Imtiaz Dharker uses the poetic devices of symbolism, diction, and allusion to explore how perseverance drives freedom.

This poem is written entirely of images describing icicles and the son 's reaction to them. When we first see the icicles frozen and suspended from the railing and are shown in their different shapes and sizes and the way they collect and reflect light. We hear the sounds of the icicles breaking off as the sun begins to change them back to liquid form. The son laughs and breaks one off and touches his lips with it. The poem is full of imaginary that affects our senses of sight, hearing and touch.

At first glance, The Harttung Family Epitaph has a clear religious influence. The image of Christ, the largest person in the center of the painting, alludes to the Christian Church. The group of kneeling worshippers in the bottom of the painting, and the presence of men in the clouds above also display the artist’s religious influence. All of these images, along with the placard, help clarify the artist’s intent. The placard states that the painting is from 1540 and describes it as protestant artwork. Therefore, through the images of a victorious Christ, a defeated Jonah, and the banner of England, the artist attempts to reference the newly found Protestant Church.