Analysis Of The Poem ' Daystar ' And ' Enemy Of The People And Proof Are All Literature Pieces

In these two life descriptions dealing with their disabilities, “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self” by Alice Walker, they both have had some similar difficulties, but each one handled their disability differently.

“Daystar” comes from a book of poems written by Dove entitled Thomas and Beulah, which tells both the real and unreal stories of Dove’s maternal grandparents (Stein 64). Unlike Dove, who grew up during a time of women’s rights, her grandmother most likely did not have an admired career as a housewife. In discussing Thomas and Beulah, Stein explains, “It is almost painful to witness Thomas and Beulah, two people clearly devoted to each other, continually misinterpret each other's behavior” (70). Although “Daystar” is not necessarily written from an autobiographical perspective, Dove is using the research of her family and her own experiences to welcome us into the lives of the distressed Beulah.

There are many hard jobs in the world. One of the hardest jobs is being a mother. In Rita Dove’s Daystar, we watch as a mother of two struggles to find a moment of solace in the chaotic world that is mothering. In this lyric poem, we find evidence of double entendre, thick imagery, and even some sarcasm. We watch as the mother seeks for a moment where she is “nothing” and nothing can bother her (Dove 21). We even see her achieve this moment of “pure nothing” where she is sat outback, watching the crickets, or the leaves, or the back of her eyelids (7-11, 22). It seems the weight of raising her children without her husband’s assistance is beginning to weigh down on her, and her spirit. In a patriarchal world we can understand how the father would be the one who was off at work, where the mother is the one who is to stay home with the children. This is a system that has been set in place for centuries. Due to the time in which this poem was written, 1986, we feel a sense of dissatisfaction and resentment from the mother about the way the things in her life have turned out. She may feel as though it is not fair for her husband to be the one who gets to leave to go to work all day while she is left to take care of their children. She may also not even realize this is how she feels. Due to the second wave of feminism, we can get a sense that she is unhappy with the role that’s been given to her, as

In this weeks reading, I read the narrative essay “Disability: There is more than meets the I” by Katie Cooper. Prior to the reading the essay, I expected being paired with similar essays that might have expressed mental disabilities and the struggle with them. Similarly to my expectations, Cooper delves into her experience at nine years old of learning she was dyslexic. Cooper goes into detail about how unsettling it was learning she had a disability and discovering the definition of disability had made her doubt herself. It is important to critically assess Cooper’s narrative in order to understand the role of narratives and how it helps with the acceptance of the identity of being disabled.

For centuries women have not been content with their way of living as a result of the expectations in society. They have had to keep feelings of resentment and misery. Unlike the society we know now where women are more open to speaking about their opposition to societies "rules", women around the 1970's were still not speaking out their feelings. A lot of times women would just swallow their feelings and put up a facade of being happy. In the two poems Daystar and Marks, readers are given an insight of how some women, more precisely mothers, felt with their "jobs" In Marks by Linda Pastan, a woman, both a wife and a mother, explains how she feels in her position in the family.

In the 1967 film, Wait Until Dark, the main character’s disability is what drives the narrative of this suspense/thriller. Although it seems like disability should not fit into the horror film genre, this film proves otherwise. By putting a blind protagonist, Susy Hendrix, at the forefront of the ruse that is masterminded by the enigmatic antagonist, Roat, we understand that having a disability does not make you incompetent. On the contrary, what the movie is trying to say about disability is that it exists and people learn to live with it; therefore, you shouldn’t underestimate someone who has a disability. The meaning of the film is clearly embedded with the narrative of the film.

In Rita Dove’s “Daystar,” Dove describes an unnamed mother’s repetitive and exhausting daily routine to reflect the unsatisfying role that women play in society. The woman in the poem fulfills her duties as a mother by performing her chores and watching after her children, but at the end of the day, feels empty. Going through the same motions and actions day after day are not enough to fulfill the woman’s wants or needs anymore and she finds herself dreaming of a place other than the one she currently occupies. Dove switches tones frequently to express the emotions that the woman experiences throughout her day and uses disheartening words to mirror the mother’s displeasure with her life.

These poems help their audience get a feel of the different situations mothers encounter on a regular basis. Dove’s “Daystar” explains the role of a stay at home mother and wife. Her job is difficult due to child care and taking care of household chores. Lines one through three of Dove’s poem read “She wanted a little room for thinking/ but she saw diapers steaming on the line,/ a doll slumped behind the door.”

In The Speed of Dark Lou was settled, content with life, and doing well for himself despite suffering with autism. Lou worked for a Pharmaceutical Company as a Bioinformatics specialist. Many people failed to recognize Lou’s capabilities, instead they saw him as a damaged incompetent individual. For example, the corporate manager for the pharmaceutical company demonstrates the commonly held prejudices against people with disabilities. Crenshaw states, “You are not normal, you are autistic, you are disabled” (Moon, 83). Crenshaw disrespected Lou due to the high expense his disability was costing the company. The company was providing Lou with special accommodations such as a private gym, sound system, and a private parking lot. As a result of Crenshaw’s disrespect Lou was viewed as

Mainstream refers to a general consensus in regards to normality. Society generally sees normal as good and abnormal as bad. Someone being called “normal” or “abnormal” establishes social prejudices such as exclusions. Daystar, Speed of Dark, Frankenstein, Enemy of the People and Proof are all literature pieces that share a common theme of the impact mainstream society has on individuals. The theme of society’s perception towards mothers, disabilities, physical appearances and mental stability is portrayed through individual characters that struggled to live in a mainstream society.

One that sticks out the most is always to love your mother because she constantly works hard. It is no doubt that the majority of people love their mothers, however, many may take them for granted. Children and especially teenagers have no idea how hard it is for a stay at home mom to deal with them and have tolerance to everything. “Daystar” is a perfect representation of this moral of not taking our mother and other priceless things for granted. In today's society, there are so many inventions that make life easier and moat forget to open their eyes and think about the things that matter. The moral of the story is summed up throughout the whole essay. And is supported by the imagery and

“A Life Beyond Reason,” written by Chris Gabbard discusses how having a child with disabilities can change your life and outlook on what it means to be alive. The author’s son, August, lives with cerebral palsy, is legally blind, a spastic quadriplegia, is nonverbal and is cognitively disabled. This makes it impossible for August to care for himself. The author says that if you were to sit August on the floor and came back hours later, he would be in the same place. After describing his son’s disabilities, the author explains how August is just a part of his quirky family. Gabbard, then describes the many ways people view August. Some people may see him and think of stereotypes like Zippy the Pinhead or a child of God. The author says, “for

Most troublesome things are exhausting before they can be easy. For people with intellectual disabilities, their whole life is undoubtedly filled with tough situations. In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, major themes in this book are determined by his mentally impaired protagonist’s difficult life as he goes from struggling in everyday society to being a working, intelligent man. Keyes touches upon the struggle between science and God and if people should meddle in things they do not fully understand.

Disability is a social concept based on what is the ideal “social norm”. It’s the idea that every person believes others to be similar to one self, and that there is a mold at which all people must fit into. The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime is a novel written by Mark Haddon. The novel brings us into the life of Christopher Boone, who is a young boy whose symptoms and quirky behavior suggest he has a mild form of autism or even asperser’s syndrome. Disability is still a large issue within society despite the fact that it’s a human right. Many people still believe that they shouldn’t be included in mainstream school,

“Day Star”, by Rita Dove, is about a woman that feels overwhelmed in her duties as a mother and a wifea b as a result of a lack of time to herself. Her duties as both a mother and a wife seemingly never end for her, or any mother for that matter. She was always busy making sure her two children were satisfied and cared for and that her husband was satisfied. Throughout her day, she could only get a grasp of a single hour in which she could simply sit alone and have nothing to do wherein she could just be nothing. During that hour, she would simply ignore the things around her and be happy in being nothing. But, during the moments where she was back to her duties, she would reminisce and dream of her time alone. This is a portrayal of the idea that a wife and