“Title” Although the world today seems completely corrupt at times, some happiness and hope can be found when one is determined enough. Even in the middle of the worst day ever most humans manage to smile at least once in that day. However, in the two poems “For My Daughter” by Weldon Kees and “Rite of Passage” by Sharon Olds the speakers are both quite acceptant that there is no hope for a good life in this world. In these poems the speakers are parents concerned that their children are doomed to live a life of war and hurt. The authors of these poems relay a theme that even the most innocent of children will eventually be tainted by the villainous ways of society. Obviously, anyone considering having children becomes exceptionally consumed with the “what if’s” that could follow bringing a child into the world. Throughout the poem, “ For My Daughter” Weldon Kees continuously describes all that could go wrong in his potential daughter’s life, “Death in certain war, the slim legs green/Or, fed on hate, she relishes the sting/Of others’ agony; perhaps the cruel/ Bride of a syphilitic or a fool” (Kees lines 9-12). It is very …show more content…
Both authors create this theme that all good ultimately turns to bad due to the malicious nature of the world. In “For My Daughter” the speaker deeply fears having a daughter that becomes wrathful and hateful, he writes, “Or, fed on hate, she relishes the sting/ Of others’ agony; perhaps the cruel” (Kees lines 10-11). In the poem “Rite of Passage” the speaker does not necessarily fear what her son could become but does recognize the beastly nature of war, “men agree, they clear their throats/ like Generals, they relax and get down to/playing war, celebrating my son’s life”(Olds lines 24-26). Ultimately, both authors have a similar theme that war wages on and there is no shelter for children in such a cruel
In her poem “The School Children”, Louise Gluck uses imagery by applying an extended metaphor to show how going to school is similar to going to battle and by describing the mothers’ actions through the use of vivid verbs to portray the disconnection between children and their guardians, despite the sacrifices that mothers make.
...escribable sadness that lurks in the air around them. The way the young child will not be satisfied sends his father into a frustrated resentment of modern society. People take too much for granted in a place of hope, privileges, and freedom while war drags on in another country, ten thousand miles away. The appreciation of youthful innocence is thus juxtaposed with selfishness and an inability to be satisfied, which seems to create a double tone that creates a contrast about the reality of humanity. Sometimes we can never be content with what we have until something is lost or sacrificed. In youth and innocence, satisfaction and the appreciation of the world around us seem to come more easily, perhaps because life has not yet been tainted by greed. It may be part of human nature that, as one grows, his desires become more complex and thus more difficult to satiate.
...areness of unjustifiable conditions that are imposed on societies youngest and most powerless members. Intermingled with his convictions of the necessity for equality and justice are portraits of children who display a most astounding amount of hope and courage. It is an essential read for all who have plans to enter the field of education. Those of us who aspire to shape the minds of the future need to be aware that all children possess the ability to love and prosper despite whatever environment they have emerged from. It is our duty to provide all children, without regard to race or economic status, with the tools and opportunities they require in order to flourish and lead the satisfying lives that they so greatly desire and deserve.
I have come to enjoy reading poetry; I may not always understand the meanings behind them however, when reading “The Child Who Walks Backwards” by Lorna Crozier I automatically could relate and depict exactly what this poem was about. Child abuse is something that happens all over the world and in every culture. Every year in the United States alone there are over 3 million reports of child abuse, involving more then 6 million children, this also does not include all the unreported cases. (childhelp.org) This poem is a narrative poem written from a neighbor’s point of view, how he or she can see the what is going on but is told otherwise from the parents. In this essay, I want to explore the on look of child abuse from an outsiders point of view ranging from denial that the situation is going on, to skepticism, and final the realization that this could be happening to a family member or a neighbor like in the poem. Sometimes seeing child abuse is hard and it not always blatant and in our faces nor do we always want to see it, seeing a child be abused is not an enjoyable task. However, noticing, reacting, and calling authorities could save a child’s life.
During the process of growing up, we are taught to believe that life is relatively colorful and rich; however, if this view is right, how can we explain why literature illustrates the negative and painful feeling of life? Thus, sorrow is inescapable; as it increase one cannot hide it. From the moment we are born into the world, people suffer from different kinds of sorrow. Even though we believe there are so many happy things around us, these things are heartbreaking. The poems “Tips from My Father” by Carol Ann Davis, “Not Waving but Drowning” by Stevie Smith, and “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop convey the sorrow about growing up, about sorrowful pretending, and even about life itself.
Phoenix’s Grandson in “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty’s "A Worn Path" is a short story by Eudora Welty that discussions around an old lady who lives in a period portrayed by a wild and widespread racial bias. The old lady is alluded to as Phoenix Jackson in the story who a grandma who lives with a sole inspiration of supporting her sickly grandson back to wellbeing. Grandma Phoenix displays a solid love bond towards her grandson and will do farfetched and bizarre things. Eudora keeps in touch with her book through the focal thought of an old lady demonstrating her affection to her grandson by vanquishing all chances against her. Be that as it may, the reader does not get a reasonable picture on Phoenix's grandson.
In her essay, “A Child’s Garden of Subversion,” Cornell professor Alison Lurie reminds adult readers of the ‘sacred texts’ of childhood, which “recommended—even celebrated—daydreaming, disobedience, answering back, running away from home and concealing one's private thoughts and feelings from unsympathetic grown-ups” (Lurie 131). Such subversive books “overturned adult pretensions and made fun of adult institutions, including school and family” (Lurie 131). In other words, these books are unlike the moral didactic books, wherein a ‘bad’ child undergo a pivotal occurrence ultimately making them seek out help from their caregivers, and reforming them into a ‘good’ child; however, realizing that this philosophy is irrational, authors of subversive works celebrated the fact that children are indeed, children and should be children to their fullest potential while they are in this “unusual, partly savage tribe, ancient and widely distributed” (Lurie 130).
Through diction, the tone of the poem is developed as one that is downtrodden and regretful, while at the same time informative for those who hear her story. Phrases such as, “you are going to do bad things to children…,” “you are going to suffer… ,” and “her pitiful beautiful untouched body…” depict the tone of the speaker as desperate for wanting to stop her parents. Olds wrote many poems that contained a speaker who is contemplating the past of both her life and her parent’s life. In the poem “The Victims,” the speaker is again trying to find acceptance in the divorce and avoidance of her father, “When Mother divorced you, we were glad/ … She kicked you out, suddenly, and her/ kids loved it… ” (Olds 990). Through the remorseful and gloomy tone, we see that the speaker in both poems struggles with a relationship between her parents, and is also struggling to understand the pain of her
...ll wants and desires often results in a future filled with deep sadness. However, children do not degenerate by themselves; rather they are not spoiled till those of influential stature in the eyes of the children sink in to the corruption of favoritism. Even though times have changed, this corruption present in “Why I Live at the P.O” is analogous to what favoritism is today. In the modern world, partiality towards a certain child usually comes from strong feelings of love that bury themselves in an prominent figure’s mind and subconsciously spoil the child. This irony, that amplified love actually causes one to suffer later in life, depicts the broader issue that by getting one used to an imaginary life where all desires are fulfilled, he or she cannot accept the fact of human nature that, outside the household, people are indifferent to another person’s wishes.
We’ve all wondered and wracked our brains over the questions and nature of humankind, to which we have no true and final answers: how every moment lived and this moment you live right now, will simply be a memory, the daunting inevitability of death, life’s transience, the irreversibility of time, the loss of innocence with ages…it is in the human condition to question such things; and this mutual similarity in wonder, to me, is beautiful. I intertwine these universal topics into my poetry, particularly Father & Child and the Violets, to transcend time and provide meaning to a range of different contexts, whilst reflecting my own context and values.
The speaker reflects on the teenage girl’s childhood as she recalls the girl played with “dolls that did pee-pee” (2). This childish description allows the speaker to explain the innocence of the little girl. As a result, the reader immediately feels connected to this cute and innocent young girl. However, the speaker’s diction evolves as the girl grew into a teenager as she proclaims: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9). The speaker applies polished language to illustrate the teen. This causes the reader not only to see the girl as an adult, but also to begin to grasp the importance of her situation. The speaker expresses what the bullies told this girl as she explains: “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty” (12-13). The sophisticated diction shifts towards the girl’s oppressors and their cruel demands of her. Because of this, the reader is aware of the extent of the girl’s abuse. The speaker utilizes an intriguing simile as she announces: “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (15-16). The maturity of the speaker’s word choice becomes evident as she uses a simile a young reader would not understand. This keeps the mature reader focused and allows him to fully understand the somberness of this poem. The speaker concludes the poem as she depicts the teenage girl’s appearance at her funeral: “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on” (19-20). The speaker elects not to describe the dead girl in an unclear and ingenuous manner. Rather, she is very clear and
The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.
My thesis statement is that children’s innocence enables them to cope in difficult situations. Children generally have a tendency to lighten the mood in sad situations because of their innocent nature. They turn even the saddest situations to mild, innocent situations. This is evident when Marjane says “these stories had given me new ideas for games”, (Satrapi, 55). By saying this she refers to her uncle’s stories of how he and other prisoners were tortured in prison. Stories of torture have never been easy to hear even for adults but Marjane so innocentl...
This poem portrays the world that we now live in. In today’s day and age the youth are expected to live a normal lifespan butt with the cold hard truth in this poem you can see that for most kids that is not the case. Not only is that sad it is just not right, there is something we as a people
In the eyes of a child, there is joy, there is laughter. But as time ages us, as soon as we flowered and became grown-ups the child inside us all fades that we forget that once, we were a child.