mother to son

In the poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes, Hughes uses many poetic devices that help analysis the meaning behind his poem. Hughes creates a speaker, a mother that informs her son that her life has not been easy at all. By using a mother as a speaker and a son as the recipient of the mother's speech, it makes the poem become more significant. A bond between these two individuals is many times looked at as very strong pertinent."Life for me ain't been no crystal stair". Hughes uses metaphor to compare the mother's strenuous life to something durable and stable. He also uses symbolism to compare the mother's hardships throughout her life as splinters and torn boards. The diction Hughes uses lines 12-14 evoke hope. (And sometimes goin' in the dark where there ain't been no light. So boy, don't you turn back". The mother instills faith in her child to never give up even when all seems lost. Hughes also uses imagery in lines 9-11. (I'se been a-climbin' on, and reachin' landin's, and turnin corners". Hughes conveys an image where the mother keeps holding on and overcoming the many obstacles that life has thrown her way. The theme in this poem conveys a central message that no matter how difficult life may seem at the moment, don't allow it to overpower you.

Back when all was continuous chuckles, sex without love, we real cool

The tone in Colette Inez's poem "Back When All Was Continuous Chuckles" shifts as the poem progresses. The Tone creates a feeling of humor then as the poem progresses a more somber mood is depicted. In line15 of the poem the persona describes how in the past everything in life was nothing but laughs to himself and his friend Doris.  The persona describes how even a bus ride pas a cemetery evokes laughter from the duo. "past the cemetery whose stones Doris and I found hilarious". then as the poem progresses the tones sets a grim, sad mood as the persona talks of his friends cancer stricken mother. "Before she got the big C which no one said out loud".  From this point on the poem takes a turn to how life is not always laughter an jokes. At the end of the poem the persona also refers to the cemetery they once made fun of, which they would soon be acquainted with. "And we rode the bus past Greenfield's rise where stones, trumpeting angels, would bear names we later came to realize". The diction in this poem also aids in depicting the tone of the poem. Inez's use of diction is used in a manner to cause a surprising emotion from the reader. The title and the choice of words help mask the revelation about life at the end of the poem. The tone in the poem "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks also shifts as the poem progresses. At first the poem creates a calm and collective mood then moves toward a serious tone. Brooks describes pool players that skip school and proclaim themselves as "cool" but later on see consequences in their lives. In line 10 "We die soon" , Brooks depicts that the lifestyle these children are living is not safe and may cost the their lives. Books uses colloquially in the poem to assist the tone of the poem. "We real cool".  colloquially which includes slang is used in way to join together the characters and the emotions theses words evoke. Since these are kids that are proclaiming themselves as "cool" for many reasons, by using  slang helps tie the diction and tone together. The tone in the poem "Sex without Love"  by Sharon Olds evokes a sense of bewilderment. (How do they do it, the ones who make love without love?". The persona does not seem to know why or how individuals can make love physically without having any true feelings between each other. The diction helps to depict the meaning of true love.  how even though there is physical attraction between the two, without any true feelings the lack real happiness.

Queens

Julia Alvarez’s poem “Queens, 1963” describes how her neighborhood consisted of many different ethnicities and languages. As the poem progresses we also see how the selling of a house to an African American family disrupted the neighborhood. The new family received criticism and was the subject of ridicule at the hands of almost everyone in the neighborhood. “Mrs. Bernstein said it was time the neighborhood opened up. As the first Jew on the block, she remembered the snubbing she got a few years back from Mrs. Scott”. The same individuals that shunned this African American family were also in the same position when they arrived to America, more distinctly, this neighborhood. Alvarez centers this poem during the early1960’s, when the civil rights movement was beginning. At this time African Americans were not treated equally and were frowned upon in society. This poem shows how America was still working on its ability to accept all races and colors. It also shows how America was filled with individuals who judged people that were in the same predicament that they were in at one time. Instead of helping to further progress society, their actions furthered any positive advancement.

Short story paper strategy

I think the most important strategy for the short story paper is organization. I chose the second question. The only way to do this is have a strong outline and organize all of your thoughts.. I chose to focus on the story "Lust" by Susan Minot. I read the story several times, and took notes, listing important details and examples that can be used to support my argument.   Organizing some of my key thoughts from the story, as well as important research that helps prove my argument makes the process of writing the paper much easier.  After developing a strong outline the paper was pretty much able to write itself

sorrowful woman and hand

In "A Sorrowful Woman", the woman, not capable to be a "proper" mother, weans her family off of her, moving far away from them until she knows they can take care of themselves. Then, after leaving her family with everything she thinks they might need, she kills herself. In this way, she gives her husband and son a chance to be happy once she's gone.  "Hand" is a short but powerful story about a newlywed couple. The wife, laying awake at night, sees her apparently ideal husband in a new way, in a awful new light. Instead of seeing him as an ideal person, she sees a defect, in this case his rather hideous hand. This stuns and annoys her in the beginning but in the morning she realizes that she still loves him, even knowing he isn't Mr. Right.  This shows that they can live a happy life because they love each-other no matter what. 

lust and summer

"Lust" by Susan Minot and "Summer" by Dan Updike, are two stories about male and female relations  "Lust" is about the emptiness of sexual relations, the insignificance of dating a lot of men.  It is told form the viewpoint of a anonymous female narrator who has no feeling for any of the men she is with, yet has intimate relations with all of them, out of some mysterious social pressure the author feels.  She wasn't obsessed on a silly crush, living in an perfect environment, she was in the real world. There were social gatherings, and problems, girls needed to take birth control and one young man even tragically passed away. "Summer" is a innocent love story about Henry, who spends his Summer in love with Sandra, a young woman. He never has any sexual relations with Sandra but is still head over heels for her.  I preferred “Summer” because it had an innocent feel to it.  It seems like a summer love story out of a perfect world.  I wish it worked out in the end.  

Mines and Battle royal

The narrator of Mines, is a contemporary, and sees numerous races around her as being equal, if not necessarily fine. She sees the men operating the mines, and feels bitterness towards them. However, she does not seem to hold herself in a higher class then the population surrounding her. She is disturbed with her life, her family, and seems to see the people around her as a setback to where she wants to go.  Battle Royale is the story of a black man in the mid 1900s who thrusts himself into an immense fight against other African Americans by a group of white men. He is forced to watch a strip act, and then is forced into a boxing ring along with a group of biggerr and stronger men then himself. It is fascinating to see that the narrator sees himself as a greater example to the other men, and thinks of himself as a better black man then they are. The story has a shady tone, and the narrator seems continuously on edge, running around in a state of alarm.