Memory is the sole criterion for identity. An integral element of our lives existences is namely due to the idea that we tend to define ourselves through the telling of stories. Our identity is a representation of ourselves to ourselves, to others, and to those around us. Our search for identity is a struggle we are confronted with from our adolescents until we die. In much of Gwendolyn Brooks work, specifically, “The Bean Eaters” and “We Real Cool” disseminates the topic of identity, by the use of symbolism and meticulous word choice. Consequently, Brooks simple choice of words lead to misinterpretation because the reader only extracts the superficial understanding, rather than grasping the deeper metaphorical meaning of the text. In the …show more content…
Before the reader even begins to read the body of the poem, the author includes the subjects the ‘pool players’ directly under the title. Brook chooses to make the subjects prominent. She does so as a method to direct the reader's attention to the subjects, signifying the importance they carry. In respect to grasping the larger topic of identity, the reader must gear their attention to the pool players, making the connection between the actions being taken and the subjects taking them. The gist of the poem can be summed up as a bunch of high school kids rebelling against societal norms by skipping school, staying up late, and engaging in dangerous activities. Although this is the ostensible sense of the poem, the poem does, however, entail deeper concerns of identity. When reading the poem, the readers can perhaps relate to the pool players rebellious nature by making either a personal connection or linking it to an experience they’ve encountered. The simplicity of the poem can sometimes cause the readers to interpret the poem in the literal sense and pass on the broader picture. In order to reach the deeper understanding of the poem, the reader should apply their curiosity and question what the subjects are doing, but more importantly, why are the subject part taking in these activities? The readers are aware that the pool players are young, being that they attend school, with that in mind, we can conclude that adolescence is a period of time where our identities are not clear to us. We try to make sense of who we are and where we belong in our reality, and the only way we can do that is through categorizing ourselves into groups. Distinguishing what we are not, makes it a little clearer as to who or what we aspire to be. Therefore, the ‘pool players’ begin to categorize and identify
Gwendolyn Brooks and Sonia Sanchez, in their poems “We Real Cool” and “Summer Words of a Sistuh Addict”, are both alike in their idea of dealing with troubled youth. Brooks discusses in her poem “We Real Cool” rebellious pool-playing youth that “sing sin” (Line 5) and “thin gin.” (Line 6) The whole poem centers around disturbed youth. The narrator in Sonia Sanchez’s poem “Summer Words of a Sistuh Addict”, is also a disturbed young woman who is addicted to heroin, and seems to live a rather rebellious lifestyle. In addition, both of these poems use tone via word choice, sentence structure, and meter in order to vividly describe the scenarios in their poems, and to impact their reader. However, both poets use the literary elements mentioned above differently in their poems.
Figurative language is used abundantly in the passage. Guterson uses metaphors such as Carl’s h...
Discoveries are driving forces to our views of the world. The process requires us to think over and reconsider our ideas of the world and may be unexpected, or intentionally provoked. Ang Lee’s film, “Life of Pi”, and Isobelle Carmody’s short story, “The Pumpkin-Eater”, provides insight to the audience of renewed perspective of the world through the discoveries seen through the protagonists, self-discoveries that challenge the world they know through tragedies of loss, and reconsidering what they believe about the world. Through narration, foreshadowing and the use of metaphors and symbolism, we learn the of the nature within discovery, and change that may take place.
The easier the words are to understand the broader the audience will be. Throughout the novel words and phrases that are known to be simple are used such as: “At first, Arrow isn’t sure whether to trust what she sees” (Galloway, 73). The use of words like “first” and “sees” helps the novel appeal to people of all ages and reading skill levels. The words could be altered to sound more sophisticated yet, Galloway chooses not the do that. This helps portray the emotions and thoughts of the character in a way that everyone can understand and appreciate. Galloway comprehends that people are more likely to understand when the words used are simpler; he creates minimalism to entice readers. The words and phrases are not complicated it is helpful for everyone reading the novel, its beneficial to the reader when they can absorb and understand what it really happening. Galloway strongly displays word choice in a favourable way throughout the novel, as well as strong
Figurative Language:.. & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & -"But I could not forget my brownish-red nubbin where one leg should have been, and a left side that looked like the crackling of a roast." (Pg.117) - "I took to teaching like a duck to water" (pg.116) & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; Metaphor & nbsp; -"To me a boy is a green apple." ( pg.116 ) Tone:.. The author wants the reader to take another look at Dunstan from a different angle. Seeing that no one has the perfect life. Mood:.. The reader is a bit shocked to find that Dunstan has acted in such a non-approving way.
The first four stanzas are a conversation between the mother and daughter. The daughter asks for permission to attend a civil rights march. The child is a unique one who believes that sacrificing something like “play[ing]” for a march that can make a difference will be worthwhile (2). However, the mother understands that the march is not a simple march, but a political movement that can turn violent. The mother refuses the child’s request, which categorizes the poem as a tragedy because it places the child in the chur...
In this paper, I will argue that Douglas Coupland in "Player One", incorporates storytelling to highlight the loss of personal identity. This is evidently shown by appearance of Player One, also know as Rachel, technology becoming one, and the lack of rationality with time and setting.
Middle Passage’s protagonist , Rutherford Calhoun, shows that identity is a dangerous “middle” experience for the African American offspring that endured the middle passage. As a survivor of a unknown place and subject to total isolation of his own personal experiences we find Rutherford searching for meaning. The novel questions the structure of human and literary identity by testing the power of duel oppositions and abstraction to portray the meaning of experience: "Our faith in fiction comes from an ancient belief that language and literary art all speaking and showing-clarify our experience" (Being 3). By questioning the African-American experience, Johnson radicalizes faith and is able to show the complexities of experience and change. Johnson’s examination into identity, which we can see as both human and textual, depends mainly on the appropriation for its literal and pensive methods. This contradictory space of ...
Among carpenters, it is a well-known fact that building a house upon a solid foundation is imperative. When beginning the construction of a home, the foundation is always the first step leading to success, for without it, the house will become unstable. During extreme weather, such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other conditions, a slight fault in the foundation of a home will most likely guarantee significant damage, if not complete destruction. Similar to a house, a person’s identity must rest upon a firm foundation; otherwise, it may not be capable of withstanding the ominous conditions of the world. When trials and burdens threaten to crumble people’s identities, their foundations must stand their ground and overcome the various tribulations. Although there are billions of inhabitants of the world, no two people share the same identity; rather, each person has unique memories, stories, events, and artifacts influencing who they have become. Some people’s identities may reflect a difficult childhood of discrimination, poverty, and hatred similar to the one described by Malcolm X in his article, “Nightmare.” Other people may associate with Katie Pederson and her article, “Identity,” in which they are defined through a simple artifact such as an identification card. In addition, numerous unfortunate people may struggle from the devastating effects of memory loss similar to those Floyd Skloot experienced, and they are helpless as their memories and identity slowly slip away from them. Still other people may find themselves desperately searching for acceptance and identity similar to the homeless man in Gina Berriault’s article, “Who Is It Can Tell Me Who I Am.” Unlike the homeless man and Malcolm X, I was fortuna...
6. What form of figurative language does the author use in line 12 of page 212 to make his writing more interesting?
Not only the words, but the figures of speech and other such elements are important to analyzing the poem. Alliteration is seen throughout the entire poem, as in lines one through four, and seven through eight. The alliteration in one through four (whisky, waltzing, was) flows nicely, contrasting to the negativity of the first stanza, while seven through eight (countenance, could) sound unpleasing to the ear, emphasizing the mother’s disapproval. The imagery of the father beating time on the child’s head with his palm sounds harmful, as well as the image of the father’s bruised hands holding the child’s wrists. It portrays the dad as having an ultimate power over the child, instead of holding his hands, he grabs his wrists.
At this point of the story it is reflective of a teenager. A teenager is at a time in life where boundaries and knowledge is merely a challenging thing to test and in some instances hurdled. Where even though you may realize the responsibilities and resources you have, there is still a longing for the more sunny feelings of youth.
The poem begins by introducing the main figure in the poem, a naturally talented baseball player named Hector Moreno. To the narrator, the game of baseball is more than just a simple game, “it [is] a figure – Hector Moreno” (6). Describing Hector Moreno initially as a figure closely associated with the game of baseball shows just how revered a person Hector is in the narrator’s mind. This image of Hector Moreno is quite concrete, but as the poem continues, the narrator expresses to the reader that his father died sometime during his childhood, as “his [father’s] face no longer [hangs] over the table” (18). Suddenly the image of Hector Moreno is not as concrete as it first appears, especially through the lines leading up to Moreno’s first appearance on the baseball field “in the lengthening shade” (4-5). The shadow of the narrator’s father over the dinner table when he was a boy has now taken the form of Moreno’s figure in the shade over the baseball field since the narrator’s father has died. This initial me...
The adults and the children share the fact that they both play games, but a difference also exists between them. The children enact their entertainment, knowing that the games could get violent, but in the end, when the games are over, all the players are able to return home. On the other hand, the adults play their adult games, hurting anyone who does not play by the given rules, and not everyone is fortunate enough to return home. The children pretend to be violent at times, but the adults actually are violent. As the children move through the novel, they use these games to develop from their innocence to a level of experience by actualizing the realities of their games through the lives of the adults.
reader creates “supplementary meaning” to the text by unconsciously setting up tension, also called binary opposition. Culler describes this process in his statement “The process of thematic interpretation requires us to move from facts towards values, so we can develop each thematic complex, retaining the opposition between them” (294). Though supplementary meaning created within the text can take many forms, within V...