Meaning And Symbolism In 'The Dash' By Linda Ellis

“But I figured if the world were really right, humans would live life backwards and do the first part last,” (Johnson, .) In class we read the story The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. The characters in the story are Bobby, Nia, Feather, K-boy, J.L, Fred, Mary, Coco, and Nias parents. The story was how Bobby had to take care of Feather. It also included parts where Nia was pregnant with Feather. Nia and Bobby were trying to decide what they were going to do with the baby throughout the story. There are many symbols in this book that require you to actually read the book in order to get and recognize them later on. Lots of the symbols in the book refer to growing up.

We may not realize it, but most of us use symbol’s everyday, such as emojis or slang like “lol’ or “jk.” We use these symbols to communicate with people things that may be hard to explain in words. The definition of a symbol is a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process. “The First Part Last” is a book written by Angela Johnson. It is about Bobby, a teenager, who gets his girlfriend pregnant, and the journey Bobby has leading up to the birth of his daughter, Feather, and how he changes or matures after Feather is born. Throughout “The First Part Last” the author uses many symbols to convey things about Bobby. Three of those symbols are the wall that Bobby graffities and what he graffities on

In poems it is essential to be a creative writer. The author uses many techniques from from exposing deep thoughts to giving humorous jokes throughout the sentence. As a human being, we may have difficult times in understanding what is trying to be said. We may agree or disagree depending our viewpoints on life. One of my Favorite poems is “The Ballad of Sue Ellen Westerfield” by Robert Hayden. My favorite poem is the type of poem that has some history and confusion. When getting the audience confused, it makes them want to know more and reread the whole passage again. Hayden’s poem is a fresh new opening that brought an old dimension, his creativity to open the minds of others and look back to the past.

Both the poem and the book do a good job at it. The only difference between the two parts is the

Sometimes at a young immature age teenagers make many mistakes. Some mistakes are just little ones that can be forgotten about or fixed, but then some teenagers makes mistakes that will impact their whole life as they are starting to grow up and starting to turn into mature adults. For example, Bobby got Nia pregnant at age 16 in the book The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. " Nia was waiting...for me with a red balloon. Just sittin' there with a balloon, looking all lost. I'll never forget that look and how her voice shook when she said, Bobby, I've got something to tell you. Then she handed me the balloon." That balloon symbolized that she was having a baby, later on the basketball rolls out of the room, leading to a ghost boy looking in the mirror not knowing who he is.

The way the poet used powerful word choices and emotion to show how he felt throughout the poem In the beginning of the poem it starts off sad but by the end of the poem it shows a side of anger. I thought the poem was very strong and powerful because of the personification he used. I think his poem was powerful because it felt personal and something relatable in his life. Throughout the poem the poet seemed like he was talking about someone in his life such as his partner. I think if the poet did not seem like he was talking to a partner then it would not be as straightforward as it was. Since he used personification throughout the poem it made me as a reader to be able to connect with what the poet and it made it feel more personal. I really liked the word choice the poet used throughout the poem. Some of the words stood out to me more than others. One word that really stood out to me when reading this poem was the word “shit.” While most poets do not use profanity, it helped show how he was feeling and the emotions he was using at that time. I think this poet was speaking from his life experience and wanted to show the emotions he was feeling when this was happening. I think people write poetry for an act of self-expression. I believe when a poet writes a poem that they are trying to write about a personal experience in their life. Also, a poem can be emotional and creative with only a

Much of the song has no end line punctuations, and each sentence flows into the next. Along with that we get a sense of imagery from the lines of the poem. The narrator explains what the characters are seeing in way that depicts a certain image in the audience’s minds. I find that though the techniques used are adequate they are not completely effective. Rather, I think that it is the form it takes on that gives it the substance and power it needs.

The use of imagery in this poem creates a vivid image of each description that leaves the reader feeling connected to the author in unprecedented way. Even if you’re not a middle aged woman waiting for her daughter to come from from college, you still understand. This is because the author has used

Opportunity’s life shattered as soon as the first gunshot went off. All because of the other student’s actions that built up, until Opportunity couldn’t stand the pressure anymore.

The tone of this poem is established by the way the lines seem flat and void of emotion. The

This is another great thing I love about his poems. He does not use much words to show emotion because it loses value.

symbolic richness, but at the same time the poem supplies the reader with a wide

     There were a few interesting lines in the poem that were particularly well written. When the mother is denying her kid the right to march, she says “For I fear

poem is not merely a static, decorative creation, but that it is an act of communication between the poet and

Being remembered and leaving an aspirational mark on the planet is what people should conquer as they live out their lives. Reading “ The Dash Poem” you receive a very uplifting tone as the poem progresses. Every line that is written has a specific meaning behind it, and makes the reader have a very deep, meaningful comprehension of the poem. This was very significantly established when Ellis wrote,