Do you sometimes feel expected to be someone else? Well, don’t. Everyone is an individual person and we should all be proud of our differences. The three texts “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, “Melting Pot” by Anna Quindlen, and “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes all explain in different ways how being yourself is essential to success. “Two Kinds” is about a mother who wants her daughter to succeed in life and how their relationship changes through the various events in the story. “Melting Pot” is an essay about the diverse residents of Anna Quindlen’s neighborhood and how they interact with each other. “Theme for English B” is a poem that discusses everyone’s similarities and differences. The theme “be yourself” is strongly represented in the …show more content…
In one part of the story the narrator’s mother kept pushing her daughter to practice doing all kinds of things because she wanted her to succeed in life but the daughter doesn’t know that her mother has good intentions. In the text is says “In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything” (Tan). This is a good example of the theme because the narrator is saying that she thought she would one day become a prodigy instead of being herself because no one is perfect. In another part of the story the narrator was getting frustrated that she wasn’t living up to her mother’s expectations and was starting to give up. The text says, “Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back- and that it would always be this ordinary face- I began to cry” (Tan). This piece of evidence also demonstrates the theme because the narrator is believing less and less in herself since she wasn’t becoming famous or amazingly talented. She thinks that she’ll never be able …show more content…
The poem is about an assignment from his English B class where he has to write a page about himself that is “true”- but he isn’t sure what is true for himself and people in general. In the poem it says “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life. I like a pipe for a Christmas present, or records-Bessie, bop, or Bach. I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races” (Hughes). The author is saying that inside everyone is similar despite their exterior differences and that being yourself is a good thing. In the poem the author is describing himself as kind of the definition of most people- all of us do and like similar things despite not being the exact same
This poem is often compared to Walt Whitman’s I Hear America Singing because of the similarities of the two poems. In this poem, Hughes argues that the African American race is equal to whites. Hughes even declares that one day the African American race will be equal to whites. Hughes proclaims, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed-I, too, am America.” Hughes was very bold and daring when he wrote these lines in this poem. He is implying that the white people will regret what they have done to blacks. That they will be ashamed of how they treated them. Undoubtedly, this poem expresses Hughes cultural identity.
The statement by Carson Kressley, “It 's really important to share the idea that being different might feel like a problem at the time, but ultimately diversity is a strength”, describes that being different is often difficult but it is not something to be ashamed of. Authors use the idea of being different to write compelling essays that drive readers to think about real issues within one’s self or in society. In the two essays, “Fish Cheeks” written by Amy Tan, and “Champion of the World” written by Maya Angelou, the authors describe their experience of being different than everyone else and how they try to handle the difficulties that come along with being a minority. Amy Tan is a daughter of two Chinese immigrants who grew up in Oakland,
Everyday people encounter challenges that stand in their way of achieving their goals, but with sheer determination most accomplish their mission. In the short story “A Worn Path” written by Eudora Welty, Phoenix Jackson, the main character, has a mission to complete while confronting many challenges. One way to convey this idea is with the literary use of theme. The theme of a literary work is defined as the central idea, concern or message about life that an author wishes to convey to his/her readers. There can be more than one theme in a literary work. One of the major themes in Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” is the sheer determination that Phoenix Jackson conveys via her actions. This short story centers on the challenges faced by an elderly African-American grandmother, as she makes her long journey from the secluded pinewoods into the nearby town of Natchez in order to get the needed medicine for her ailing grandson. This is a journey that Phoenix has taken before and now must travel it again. She begins her journey on a bright, cold morning in December and w...
Hughes thinks that everyone has rights to be them self and everyone has their own beauty. People can be what ever they want they can be black artist if they want or they can white artist if they want, the only thing he wanted to tell people was that be proud of who you are, don’t try to be someone else who you are not. Langston Hughes gives an example where a young poet says “ I want to be a poet – not a Negro poet” Hughes thinks that the young kid wants to be white. Form my point of view the young poet said he wants to be poet but not Negro because in during 1920’s white people were like superior and they have higher chances to become well known person. So when the young poet said
“My parents have a shit ton of black Santas, but that’s okay. [They are] them.[I am] too obsessed with a reference website to answer my phone sometimes when my friends call, or my girlfriend. [That is] okay, too. [That is] me. You like me anyway. And I like you. [You are] funny, and [You are] smart, and you may show up late, but you always show up eventually” (194). This shows the reader the importance of accepting others for who they are even for their differences. “You keep expecting people not to be themselves” (Paper Towns movie). This demonstrates how people are so use to people not being themselves. “I thought maybe the paper cutout of a girl could start becoming real here also. And it seemed like a way to tell that paper girl who cared about popularity and clothes and everything else... “ (294). It is better being yourself than trying to be something that you are not even if it just feels wrong. The theme always be yourself is significant to today’s society and for the reader to understand and follow.
In the short story, "An Hour With Abuelo", the tale tells us of boy reluctantly visiting his grandfather, Abuelo. The story's theme is that things that you expect may not turn out the way you think. She conveys the theme at the end of the story when the main character learns the theme of the story.
The daughter alludes to an idea that her mother was also judged harshly and made to feel ashamed. By the daughters ability to see through her mothers flaws and recognize that she was as wounded as the child was, there is sense of freedom for both when the daughter find her true self. Line such as “your nightmare of weakness,” and I learned from you to define myself through your denials,” present the idea that the mother was never able to defeat those that held her captive or she denied her chance to break free. The daughter moments of personal epiphany is a victory with the mother because it breaks a chain of self-loathing or hatred. There is pride and love for the women they truly were and is to be celebrated for mother and daughter.
In the beginning of the story the first paragraph i said, “ But being the a calm and quiet young lady, she did not say anything, although the whole high school buzzed with rumors, guesses, reportedly authentic announcements on the part of students who had no right to be making announcements at all.” ( Hughes 2 ) I say that this quote fits the theme of only through self-respect and self-esteem can people live with themselves. I say this because she has gotten info from other that she has won the scholarship but she doesn't over react because she has the respect for herself. Another quote that hit me instantly that when I read it i knew of a theme that fits is when the principle was reading a message to her of why all of the sudden change of her not winning it had said, “ It seems to us wiser to arbitrarily rotate the award among the various high schools of the city from now on . And especially in this case since the student chosen happens to be colored, a circumstance which unfortunately, had we known, might have prevented this embarrassment. but there have never been any Negro students in the local art school....” ( Hughes 10 ). I said the theme that fits this really well is dreams can either save or destroy a person. This being she had a dream of
“America the melting pot.” An expression used by many and often said in a prideful manner. We Americans like to think of ourselves as all accepting and welcoming to everyone, and while that may be true in general, discrimination still exist throughout the country. Fortunately, racism has significantly lowered thanks to the Civil rights movement. Each American can now express who they are without a major fear of contempt or prejudice. Prior to the Civil rights movement, racism ran rampant, particularly in the south. The Harlem renaissance, which took place throughout the 1920’s, helped spur the Civil Rights movement. It was around this time African Americans really started to push themselves forward in society. One successful poet of that time is Langston Hughes. Two of his well-known poems, “Theme for English B”, and “I, too America,” should be recognized for expression of the common thoughts and ideals of African Americans of the time who faced racial segregation. In “Theme for English B”, Hughes shows the reader that despite the lines drawn by society, he is an American and a part of his fellow man although there may be physical differences. “Yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That’s American.” Hughes does a wonderful job in both his pieces depicting the racism of the time. He shows that no matter your background you are equal to those around you.
Theme is developed throughout the text, by going through all of the things that caused her struggles, and introducing her as a person who seems strong enough to persist and make the most of her situations. Things such as being a mother of two young children, being involved in a disastrous marriage, having very little money to care for her family, and ontop of that being an African American woman in 1903; all of which, she had no control of.
...struggle for dignity as a black person in the early/mid twentieth century. “Democracy” is a slightly stern and direct request to take action and fight for civil rights. “Theme for English B” is a compassionate and low-key personal anecdote that reiterates the unpracticed concept that “all men are created equal”. Despite the difference in tone and subject, all four poems relate to the central theme that dignity is something that white men may take for granted, but Langston Hughes, as a black man and a writer, sees and feels dignity as fight and a struggle that he faced and that the black community as whole faces every day.
During the 1900s, many African Americans experienced the effects of racial segregation but they still had hope, their oppression did not stop their belief for future change. In “I, Too, Sing, America”, Langston Hughes has makes it clear that he envisions change. In the beginning of the poem, he speaks of being treated differently than others in his home, making it hard to live equally. Hughes writes, “I am the darker brother, they send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes” (Line). He chooses to discuss this issue because his darker shade of skin in comparison to the other residents in his home, makes it possible for him to eat separately so that he will not be seen by the guests; this depicts segregation in his home due to race. Because of the racial conflicts that Hughes experiences, he hopes that there is some form of change in the future, where he can sit equally with others. He goes on to write, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes, nobody’ll dare say to me, eat in the kitchen “(Line). Hughes...
The overall themes of this poem are beauty, love, and destiny. The speaker constantly discusses beautiful things and how they can help us. Love can be felt throughout the entire poem. In the first stanza, the speaker verbalizes how he “came with love of the race.” He also expresses love for the beautiful things around him. The theme destiny can be seen in the third stanza when the speaker talks about staying on course. It can also be identified in the last stanza when he describes something inevitable that was about to
The poems, “I, Too” by Langston Hughes and “Incident” by Countee Cullen employ visual imagery, tone, literary devices such as hyperboles, symbolism, and foreshadowing in different ways to illustrate the public life interaction between two different races, and the private life of an African American’s internal struggle of not being able to fight against the prejudice towards them. Both poets share racism as their piece of life, and although dealing with racism is the central tension engaged in the poems, Cullen suggests that experiences can affect your view on life and change your attitude. Hughes on the other hand, proposes that with an optimistic attitude you can change the outcome of your future, and that your attitude is independent from past experiences.
In today time, everyone still has problem with everyone. They’re not a perfect person on this earth but people try and get that ideal person. People speak different language and are learning many more but people who don’t speak a different language often has a problem with the one that do. In the three work that are discuss are Bully, Immigrants, and Theme for English B, they all talk about the many different race. People want to be accepted in to this ideal situation and not be judge by coming from a different background. Many are judge on who they are and who they want to be. People hold them self-back because of where they came from because they don’t think they got a chance.