Naomi Shihab Nye Biography

In the novel, Night, written and experienced by Elie Wiesel, rhetorical devices such as logos, ethos and pathos are used to expatiate the events in the story. Elie was just a child when the invasions commenced. This autobiographical novel consists of the story of Elie Wiesel and his family, primarily his father, as they fight through the treacherous nights. The rhetorical devices compare to the poem by Judy (Weissenberg) Cohen. Judy is also a survivor of the holocaust that speaks at the Holocaust Memorial in Toronto, Canada. This poem and the novel compare through their rhetorical strategies.

Maya Angelou was inspired to read by several amazing authors and an educated Black woman. “She read books by Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar”. .”(Poetry Foundation, 2008). Maya said, “Even though she and Bailey were discouraged from reading the works of white writers at home, Angelou read and fell in love with the works of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allan Poe.”(Poetry Foundation, 2008). Mrs. Flower’s was someone who also once played a wonderful role in her life. She was the person whom was able to get Maya to speak again when she was young. Mrs. Flowers was a charming gentlewoman who was an aristocrat in the small town of Black Stamps. She would give Maya books to take home, and she would tell her to read the books aloud. “She explained the importance of education, importance of the spoken word, and instilled in her a love of poetry. ”(Poetry Foundation, 2008). Maya became so interested in writing that she moved to New York and joined the Harlem Writers Guide in the late 50’s and began her writing career.

Natasha Trethewey is the southern born daughter of an African American mother and white father at a time when such relations were illegal. Her parents were married in Canada and lived for a time in California, but the pull of the south brought them home. Yet, racism reared its ugly head and the couple divorced, but not before molding a daughter who would later go on to be named Poet Laureate of the United States. Today, Trethewey is a professor of creative writing at Emory University. Her poetry collection Native Guard which speaks of the history of life in the south won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2007 and is indeed a powerful collection.

“Poetry is Not a Luxury,” written by Audre Lorde in 1985, explores the ways in which poetry inspires freedom and change amongst women and people of color who do not have a voice. Lorde describes herself as a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” (Poetry Foundation), an experienced outsider to society, therefore the goal of her writing is to empower those who feel powerless. Lorde

In her book, she writes short poems about issues she’s witnessed and been a part of throughout her life. Her constant experience with being humiliated in public, looked down upon, just because she’s considered different in society. All because she’s an African American woman. Just like the thousands of immigrants from Australia. They will be frowned upon because they’re outsiders of America, and do not belong.

I have learned a substantial amount of information this past week. For a little over a week we have been doing a project over The Harlem Renaissance, why it is important, and we have learned about the poet of your choice.Before this project, I thought The Harlem Renaissance was just African Americans in Harlem, New York making the new music genres, such as jazz and blues. After this project I have learned that the movement was not just about making music, but instead about African Americans wanting social change. The way they brought about this was by peacefully speaking through their art, music and writing, getting their problems heard and talked about. The poet i had chosen for this project was doing just that. Her name was Gwendolyn Bonnett,

     Gwendolyn Brooks is the female poet who has been most responsive to changes in the black community, particularly in the community’s vision of itself. The first African American to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize; she was considered one of America’s most distinguished poets well before the age of fifty. Known for her technical artistry, she has succeeded in forms as disparate as Italian terza rima and the blues. She has been praised for her wisdom and insight into the African Experience in America. Her works reflect both the paradises and the hells of the black people of the world. Her writing is objective, but her characters speak for themselves. Although the

Poetry is the creative means in which emotion is expressed through the literary art of rhythm, rhyme and repetition. Over time, the distinctive style of poetry has been altered to create great diversity branching from the traditional poetic style of writing. Missouri born author, Naomi Shihab Nye, provides a great example of a unique style of writing. Nye is a poet, songwriter and novelist whose style incorporates everyday objects in her writing to create a spontaneous, yet thoughtful connection between these everyday items and the reader. In the most basic form, Nyes’ poem is about fame. She implies that it is essentially “these little things that we overlook – all these everyday, seemingly unimportant things – are really what deserve

Words cannot describe how much I needed Naomi Shihab Nye’s work in my life. Just as she said in her short story, which also happens to be one of my favorite works of hers, “My Boyfriend, John Mayer”, “I noticed with some interest how a person who is down seems much improved when faced with someone who is more down than they are. It’s all a matter of degrees” (Nye, 175). It has been so long since a poem, or a set of poems, has resonated so deeply within my person. Of course from time to time I come across one that will make me reminisce or truly think deeper than what is due the next class period, but in the blaring monotony of an unsatisfying daily routine shoved me low enough I hadn’t stopped for a moment to see others who were even farther down than I was. In an attempt to find who we are and what we want to do in life, I feel like we often abandon who we are at the given moment in attempt to capture whatever farfetched idea pops into our head or on our Facebook timeline that inspires us for a brief moment that we need more. More what? Entertainment? Adventure?

Langston Hughes is an extremely successful and well known black writer who emerged from the Harlem Renaissance (“Langston Hughes” 792). He is recognized for his poetry and like many other writers from the Harlem Renaissance, lived most of his life outside of Harlem (“Langston Hughes” 792). His personal experiences and opinions inspire his writing intricately. Unlike other writers of his time, Hughes expresses his discontent with black oppression and focuses on the hardships of his people. Hughes’ heartfelt concern for his people’s struggle evokes the reader’s emotion. His appreciation for black music and culture is evident in his work as well. Langston Hughes is a complex poet whose profound works provide insight into all aspects of black

The cultural and social background have a huge influence on people's lives, and affect their thoughts, beliefs, and works. Especially if the person has two different cultural backgrounds as the Arab-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye. Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet from a Palestinian father and an American mother, her bicultural background shows in her poetry. The turning point in Nye's life as a writer is when she visits her grandmother in Palestine at the age of fourteen, after that she starts to write about her two different cultures and the ability to connect them. The poet describes herself as "a wandering poet" because of the workshops she holds around the world and being an inspiration for people at all ages. Her poems, mostly about her experience as an Arab-American poet and addresses a cultural issues through an ordinary events. Nye constantly

Audre Lorde was a famous African American essayist and poet. From reading Poetry Make Something Happen, it is evident that she had a powerful voice and was passionate about the work she published. Her work is stylistically refreshing and motivational, making it relevant for years to come.

The famous poet and scholar, Kathleen Raine, was born on June 14 1908 in Ilford, United Kingdom. Growing up in Ilford, Raine spent part of her early childhood in Bavington, Northumberland with her aunt Peggy Black. Raine fell in love with the nature and beauty of Bavington and never wanted to return back to the “drab and fake” Ilford (“Kathleen”). Raine’s mother was Scottish and worked at home (“Kathleen”), while her father was a school teacher and a Methodist lay preacher (“My”). Kathleen Raine’s parents were very encouraging of her academic career since her father was a school teacher.

Literature, specifically poetry contains a mass of emotion and thought. The way a writer intelligently crafts their work comes from their own state of mind. When referring to a poet such as Maya Angelou we repetitively the themes of self-confidence and respect. Angelou’s poem Still I Rise is a powerful poem presenting the themes of self-respect and confidence. These themes are also objectified in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald as well as the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

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.