Comparing Poems from Different Cultures

Throughout history poetry has been written since earlier 2000 B.C. and it was not until the late sixteen centuries, that poetry for Chicanos, (Mexican-American), were getting written. During and after the Mexican-American War of 1848, is when the Mexican-American poetry became popular. However, the real popularity and the creative literature activity among Chicano authors was in the 1960 through the 70’s; l this era being called the Renaissance Era. Chicano's often shape their poetry and solidify their cultural and the struggles of their minority culture. In this paper I am going to compare and contrast two Mexican-American poets. Telling the reader about the different types of poetry each one used, along with ways that they expressed themselves.

In the poems “Pamphillia to Amphilanthus” and “I… and Your Eyes,” there are similarities and differences. The poems are both about love. The poems have different perspectives on how they view love. The poems have the same subject, but in contrast have differences of how the subject is viewed. The poems’ styles and theme also have differences and similarities. Love is perceived differently in each poem.

In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, A storm is responsible for creating an epoch in Prospero’s life. Likewise, the hurricane in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God also represents a watershed in Janie’s life. Both Shakespeare and Hurston use the storm to symbolize creation and regeneration among their protagonists. Hurston, however, uses figurative language to enhance features of the storm, creating a mood for the reader. Hurston uses imagery and personifications to establish varying moods throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is similar to the poem written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the first influential black poets in American literature, We Wear the Mask. Both had parts were they it told what they were thinking but didn’t act out. They also have in common that people tell lies. Calpurnia "wears a mask" in chapter 12 by telling lies, she didn’t say what was on her mind, and she behaves differently.

A Different Love Story In the poems “Stereo Hearts” by Gym Class Heroes and “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns, there are a lot of similarities, but there are slight differences in those similarities. There are similarities and differences in the symbolism, tones and themes of the two poems. In both of these poems, it is about showing their love to the girl. In my opinion, I think that “Stereo Hearts” is a better poem because, I can relate to how that author is feeling in the poem.

has a similar subject- a person who is about to kill her rival in the

The poems “Accents” by Denise froman and “Naturalization” by jenny xie both show what its like living in America coming from a foreign country. These poems give an insight on how both families adjust to the American culture, and how it effects their daily lives. In denises poem, she talks about her mother’s accent and how strong it is. She expresses how her mothers accent is a constant reminder of where she came from. Though in jenny’s poem, she talks about her family being poor living in America, and the challenging times they went through moving from a different country.

Freneau speaks of God in an indirect way when he writes, “By Nature’s self in white arrayed, she bade thee shun the vulgar eye.” Though it may not be apparent at first glance, Freneau is hinting that the flower, also representing the fragility of life, can go deeper as it signifies a woman’s internal struggle with sin and devotion to God. Protected and thriving, the woman does not want to lose her comfort to the cold. Therefore, she turns away from God in hopes of avoiding death.

When humans and nature come together, they either coexist harmoniously because nature's inhabitants and humans share a mutual respect and understanding for each other, or they clash because humans attempt to control and force their ways of life on nature. The poems, "The Bull Moose" by Alden Nowlan, "The Panther" by Rainer Maria Rilke, "Walking the Dog" by Howard Nemerov, and "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop, describe what happens when humans and nature come together. I believe that when humans and nature come together they either clash and conflict because individuals destroy and attempt to control nature, which is a reflection of their powerful need to control themselves, or humans live peacefully with nature because not only do they

A voice of protest is important as it brings out a voice for the voiceless. This is evident in the quote “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty, truth and compassion against injustice, lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth” and in the poems ‘My Country’ by Dorothea Mackellar and ‘The New True Anthem’ by Kevin Gilbert.They show a voice of protest through the use of poetic techniques which show the importance of a voice of protest.

There are many people who travel a distance in life to find the path they should take or to remember the path they once took. In the poem “The Path Not Taken,” by Robert Frost and the short story "I Used to Live Here Once" by Jean Rhys there are many similarities and differences. The authors’ use of describing a path helps them personify life’s journeys and self-reflection.

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

The poem “What were they like” can be compared to the poem “Night of the scorpion.” They are both related to culture. In “What were they like”, the poet describes events about the Vietnamese people before the war and in “Night of the scorpion”, the poet is describing an event that happened to his mother. Both poems are related to culture and they use poetry as a form of story telling.

in his accent to show that he is not ashamed of what he is and doesn't

The topic I chose for my unit project is to compare Arabic poetry and American poetry. I have picked a poem from each as a representative. While this may not be the best representation of either society's poems, they are two incredible poems that are famous in their respective cultures. The poem I have chosen to represent American poetry is “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. The poem I have chosen to represent Arabic culture is “On Pain” by Khalil Gibran. This essay will examine both poems main idea, form and themes.