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Analysis of Literary Language, Non-fictional Literature, Fictional…

- - - - Lorde uses her platform to call attention to the subliminal racism she faces as a Black lesbian asked to only speak at a conference for minority populations. She states, "what this says about the vision of this conference is sad, in a country where racism, sexism, and homophobia are inseparable" (pg. 110). To Lorde, it suggests academia does not think women are relevant beyond these groups. Moreover, she calls out the divisions between these groups, rallying for women to come together against the patriarchal structure set to separate and use them. She states, "interdependency between women is the way to freedom which allows the I to be, not in order to be used, but in order to be creative." (pg. 111). Lorde proposes that women come together with their differences: " survival is not an academic skill...it is learning how to take our differences and make them our strengths" (pg. 112). By initing together and calling out the subliminal predjudice apparent in acadamia, Lorde believes women of color will not have to educate others (all males and White women) about the injustices faced. They will seek this information for themselves to rectify these injustices.
    - - "for the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house" (pg. 112)
      - "In our world, divide and conqur must become define and empower." (pg. 112)
      - "As women, we have been taught to ignore our differences, or to view them as causes for separation and suspicsion rather than foreces for change." (pg. 112)
      - "what this says about the vision of this conference is sad, in a country where racism, sexism, and homophobia are inseparable" (pg. 110)
      - "Only within a patrical structure is maternity the only social power open to women" (pg. 111)
      - "Women of today are still being called upon to stretch across the gap of male ignorance and to educate men.. now where hear that it is the task of women of Color to educate white women- in the face of tremendous resistance" (pg. 113)
  - - - Lorde discusses three emotions throughout her essay: anger, hatred, and guilt. She analyzes the hatred endured by women of color from the world around them, explaining how it creates justified anger. She states, "Any discussion among women about racism must include the recognition and use of anger" (pg. 281). Lorde explains, "anger is loaded with information and energy.. anger is an appropriate reaction to racist attitudes, as is fury when the actions arising from those attitudes do not change" (pgs. 280 and 282). Anger is a correct response from women of color, it releases the inner rage and grief they feel concerning the injustice they face. Lorde differentiates this from hatred, stating hatred as "the fury of those who do not share our goals, and its object is death and destruction. Anger is the grief of distortions between the peers, and its object is change" (pg. 282). Its "virulent" nature is described as "leveled against all women, people of Color, Lesbians, and gay men, poor people" (pg. 281). Furthermore, she justifies this anger in spite of the potential guilt White people may feel concerning racism. She says, "I cannot hide my anger to spare you guilt... for to do so insults and trivializes all our efforts" (pg. 282). Overall, Lorde designates these emotions to certain groups with the aim to rectify the injustice faced by women of color and other disadvantaged groups.
      - Key quotes:
        
        "Mainstream communication does not want women, particularly white women, responding to racism. It wants racism to be accepted as an immunatable given in the fabric of existence." (pg. 281)
        
        "virulent hatred leveled against all women, people of Color, Lesbians, and gay men, poor people" (pg. 281)
        
        "Any discussion among women about racism must include the recognition and use of anger" (pg. 281)
        
        "anger is loaded with information and energy.. anger is an appropriate reaction to racist attitudes, as is fury when the actions arising from those attitudes do not change" (pgs. 280 and 282).
        
        "the fury of those who do not share our goals, and its object is death and destruction. Anger is the grief of distortions between the peers, and its object is change" (pg. 282).
        
        "Women of Color in America have grown up within a symphony of anguish at being silenced, at being unchosen... that hates our very exisitence, outside of its service" (pg. 282).
      - Using her own experiences as the foundation for her essay, Lorde aims to encourage other women of color toward freely expressing themselves. She first highlights the ironic and uncomforable interactions she's had with White women when they were ignorant to the perspective of a woman of color. In particular, after a forum about Black and White women Lorde references a time when a "vocal white woman says "I think I've gotten a lot. I feel Black women really understand me a lot better now; they have a bet where I'm coming from'" (pg. 279). Without a regard towards Lorde's view and the true intention of the forum, the woman immediately made it about herself and her own needs. This theme travels throughout the essay, being used to highlight the disparities endured by women of color and the measures taken by media to silence women of color's voice. This is shown when Lorde states, "Women of Color in America have grown up within a symphony of anguish at being silenced, at being unchosen... that hates our very exisitence, outside of its service" (pg. 282).
- - - - In her motivating letter to women from minority backgrounds, Anzaldúa references other famous female writers and expresses her own love for writing. This is shown at the beginning of her letter when she writes, "my dear hermanas, the dangers we face as women writers of color are not the same as those of white women, though we have many in common... we must go through them" (pg. 163). She explains that women from minority and prejudiced backgrounds are invisible to others in academia and even "tokenized", something that must change through the fight and drive of other minority women writers (pg. 166). Anzaldúa references writers' calls to action, such as Cherríe Moraga, Nellie Wong, and Alice Walker to strengthen her own rally cry. It can be extrapolated that the "tongues" referenced in the title are actually the voices of women writers from minority backgrounds, women who "have a way with words" (pg.171). This is why Anzaldúa's call is relevant as she beckons, "empty yourself. Shock yourself into new ways of perceiving the world, shock your readers into the same. Stop the chatter inside their heads." (pg. 170). She desires to encourage other women like her who have the gift of writing to go out and do it, as there is "so much power in the ability to move and transform others..from...the writing of women of color" (pg. 170).
      - Key quotes:
        
        "The Third World woman revolts: We revoke, we earase you white male imprint... We are done being cushions for your projected fears. We are tired of bering your sacrifical lambs and scapegoats" (pg. 165)
        
        "We cannot allow ourselves to be tokenized. We must make our own writing and that of Third World women the first priority" (pg. 166)
        
        "Why am I compelled to write? Because the writing saves me from this complacency I fear" (pg. 166)
        
        "I have never so much power in the ability to move and transform others as from that the writing of women of color" (pg. 170).
        
        "I say mujer mágica, empty yourself. Shock yourseld into new ways of perceiving the world, shock your readers into the same. Stop the chatter inside your heads" (pg. 170)
        
        "Find the muse within you. The voice that lies buried under you, dig it up. Do not fake it, try to sell it for a handicap or your name in print. Love, Gloria" (pg. 171)
  - - - In Anzaldúa's autobiography, she reveals the rejection she's faced as a woman of darker skin and as a lesbian. She first writes about the significance of her being called "prieta", a name that arose due to her having "mulatto blood" and "dark and different" skin (pg. 220). It was also the starting point of her issues with her mother, who would force her to wear a bonnet to not become any darker, "you don't want people to say you're a dirty Mexican" (pg. 220). As Anzaldúa began to grow up, her decision to become a hard-working and academically driven woman who did not submit to womanly standards, she notes she challenged the ideologies grew up with: "I took to wearing boots and men's jeans and walking about with my head full of visions... but it's taken over thirty years to unlearn the belief instilled in me that white is better than brown - something that some people of color never will unlearn" (pg. 225). As she tries to heal from the ugly words said to her in the past, Anzaldúa lets go of the hatred she's built up against herself, "turning [it into] love" (pg. 225). With this growing new mindset, she calls out the groups who try to compartmentalize her into separate groups to identify her. She combats this when she states, "what am I? a third world lesbian feminist with Marxist and mystic leanings. The would chop me up into little fragments and tag each piece with a label" (pg. 225). Overall, Anzaldúa aims to express how she identifies herself and why she does not desire to be identified by anyone else.
    - - "You say my name is ambivalence? Think of me as Shive, a many-armed and legged body with one foot on brown soil, one on white, one in straight society, one in the gay world, the man's world, the woman's, one limb in the literary world, another in the working class, the socialist, and the occult worlds..who, me confused? Ambivalent? Not so. Only your labels split me." (pg. 228)
      - "" took to wearing boots and men's jeans and walking about with my head full of visions... but it's taken over thirty years to unlearn the belief instilled in me that white is better than brown - something that some people of color never will unlearn" (pg. 225)
      - "mother wanted in return for having birthed me and nurturing me was that I submit to her without rebellion" (pg. 221)
      - "lost my father, God and my innocence all in one bloody blow" (pg. 222)
      - "turning to love" (pg. 225)
      - "Her alligence was and is to her male children, not to the female" (pg. 223)
    - - To express how her mother and father played a significant role in the issues she's faced as she grew up, Anzaldúa includes harsh stories from her interactions with them. Her mother and her are shown to at first have a shaky relationship, one that arose from Anzaldúa being darker-skinned and from getting her period at a younger age. Anzaldúa reflects on how what her "mother wanted in return for having birthed [her] and nurturing [her] was that [she] submit to her without rebellion" (pg. 221). When Anzaldúa refuses to comply to this nature, her mother continue to butt heads throughout her life. This is enhanced when her father dies, to which she describes in deep detail. It is apparent this event devastated her, when she states she "lost [her] father, God and [her] innocence all in one bloody blow" (pg. 222). Anzaldúa points out how this causes a weird relationship with her mother, who would only show her love "covertly" but would let her "brothers... touch and flirt with her" (pg.223). Its obvious that even though she and her mother did tolerate and care for each other, Anzaldúa's parental issues affected her mentality about love and her belief system.
- - - - Kimmerer uses this section of her book to provide some background on the significance of specific themes and words discussed. These include the braiding of sweetgrass, something she relates to an intimate moment between friends. She remarks, "Hands joined by grass, can we bend our heads together and make a braid to honor the earth?" (pg. x). She also makes note of "Wiingaashk" and an "Anishinabekwe scientist", specific characters that will most likely be important for reference. (pg. x)
    - - "Will you hold the end of the bundle while I braid? Hands joinedby grass, can we bend our heads together and make a braid to honor the earth? And then I’ll hold it for you, while you braid, too" (pg. x)
      - "I could hand you a braid of sweetgrass... But it is not mine to give, nor yours to take. Wiingaashk belongs to herself So I offer, in its place, a braid of stories meant to heal our relationship with the world."(pg. x)
  - - - As Kimmerer tells the story of Skywoman, she reveals the importance of human relationships with nature. She first does so by explaining how all animals were so willing to save her, working together to form Turtle Island: "not by Skywoman alone, but from the alchemy of all the animals' gifts couples with her deep gratitude" (pg. 4). She uses this story as a bridge to reveal the detatched relationship many people feel with the environment. After she asks her environmental studies students their perspective, she received unanimous responses suggesting the relationship between nature and humans are abysmal. Kimmerer aims to rectify this with the story and "Original Instuctions" of Skywoman. By encouraging her audience learn from the story of Skywoman, she directs them to interact and learn from the plant on earth that "tell her story" to know how to live on earth in harmony with nature (pg. 10).
      - Kimmerer also includes an analysis of Skywoman by making direct connections to Christianity, her womanhood, and immigrant status. She first makes note of where Skywoman grabbed the plants from Sky: "The Tree of Life" (pg. 4) This tree has the same name as an important tree in the Bible. Able to give eternal life, this tree in Eden was respected. Kimmerer also makes a direct reference to Eve, the first woman in Chrisitianity. She uses Eve to observe a different relationship with nature, a rough one. Beyond references to other religions, Kimmerer distinctly points out how Skywoman was a pregnant immigrant, perhaps to support her claim that humans are the newest creatures on earth. It would support her proposal that "we must look to our teacher among the other species for guidance" (pg. 9).
    - - "I like to imagine that when Skywoman scattered her handful of seeds across Turtle Island...she was leaving us teachers. The plants can tell us her story; we need to learn to listen" (pg. 10)
      - "Plants know how to make food and medicine from light and water, and then they give it away" (pg. 10)
      - "Later in the survey, they were asked to rate their knowledge of positive interactions between people and land. The median response was 'none'" (pg. 6)
      - "Not by Skywoman alone, but from the alchemy of all the animals’ gifts coupled with her deep gratitude. Together they formed what we know today as Turtle Island, our home" (pg. 4)
    - - "Native ways of knowing, human people are often referred to as 'the younger brothers of Creation.' We say that humans have the least experience with how to live and thus the most to learn—we must look to our teachers among the other species for guidance. Their wisdom is appar- ent in the way that they live" (pg. 9)
      - "Look at the legacy of poor Eve’s exile from Eden: the land shows the bruises of an abusive relationship. It’s not just land that is broken, but more importantly, our relationship to land" (pg. 9)
      - "When she toppled from the hole in the Skyworld she had reached out to grab onto the Tree of Life that grew there" (pg. 4)
      - "It is good to remember that the original woman was herself an immigrant. She fell a long way from her home in the Skyworld, leav- ing behind all who knew her and who held her dear. She could never go back" (pg. 8)
      - "It is also good to recall that, when Skywoman arrived here, she did not come alone. She was pregnant" (pg. 9)
  - - - Prior to her explanation of the significance of pecans, Kimmerer alludes to a story about her great-grandfather when he discovered and carried a large number of pecans home. She remarks on how intelligent this was for him to do, revealing how difficult it was to access fresh food since many Native Americans were forced to leave Reservations in the late 1800s: "In the span of a single generation my ancestors were 'removed' three times" (pg. 13). Resilient like those subjected to this horrible act, pecans were discovered. Kimmerer makes this connection to portray the significance of pecans to her community, it exemplifies the strength of the shell when she says, "They are safety for hard times, the embryo of survival" (pg. 14). Kimmerer furthers her discussion by relating pecans to mast fruiting, suggesting their "capacity for concerted action, for unity of purpose... They ensure somehow that all stand together and thus survive" (pg. 19). Just as Native Americans aimed to stand together to support each other during the harsh moves, the pecans emulate such action.
    - - "Through unity, survival. All flourishing is mutual. Soil, fungus, tree, squirrel, boy—all are the beneficiaries of reciprocity" (pg 20
      - "In the old times, our elders say, the trees talked to each other...There is now compelling evidence that our elders were right—the trees are talking to one another. They communicate via pheromones" (pg 19-20)
      - "The pecan trees and their kin show a capacity for concerted action, for unity of purpose that transcends the individual trees. They ensure somehow that all stand together and thus survive" (pg 19)
      - "mast year for my family; we are all here at the Gathering, thick on the ground, like seeds for the future. Like an embryo provi- sioned and protected inside layers of stony shell" (pg. 21)
- - - - Nevertheless, his mother still shows him love through food, even when he demands for more American dinners. She works hard to provide for her loved one in spite trouble she would face as an immigrant: "my mother, having no idea how the dishes should taste, at first struggles to prepare them" (pg. 9). Horrible to his mother, Lee reveals that he would be "tyrannical..squash her whole day’s work with a grimace..I [then] relent and tell her its good" (pg. 9). There is not much of a revelation on why he would do such a thing, leaving the reader to assume he just did so to maintain dominance or to just tease his mom. Overall, Lee uses this essay as a confession his complex relationship with his mother. He also aims to reveal the complexities of being an immigrant mother aiming to please and support her family.
- - - - "Claiming Winn-Dixie was no place for people like us" (pg. 14)
- - - - "Nobody leaves home thinking they will never return. I wonder what my parents would have taken with them when they left their home in Somalia in the late ’80s" (pg. 2)
- - - - "But the status of our model minority can change" (pg. 21)
        
        "“where I taught, I had students who were fierce—empowered and politically engaged and brilliant—I thought.. this is the Asian 2.0 we need” (pg. 12)
        
        "'Should I have thanked your roomate's father for that war?' my father finally snapped. 'Is that what you wanted?'" (pg. 25)
- - - - Although this belief is never confirmed, Twyla still forms a relationship with Roberta, becoming close friends during their time in the orphanage. Fractures between the two arise once they grow up, Twyla reminds Roberta: "'you acted sort of like you didn't want to know me then'" (pg. 255). The division is apparent when Roberta replies, "oh Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black -- white" (pg. 255). This crevasse only deepens when they discuss: their potential involvement in the death of a Black disabled woman (Maggie). In a heated argument, Roberta shouts "like hell she wasn't, and you kicked her. We both did. You kicked a black lady who couldn't even scream" (pg. 258). Their point of reconcilliation only appears when they try to close their discussion about Maggie, asking what really happened. Overall, Morrison aims to make the race of the two girls to perhaps maintain the curiousity and concern of the audience. Without the prior knowledge, the audience is left to wonder what they think determines "Black" or "White"-- an interesting an important discussion to have concerning stereotypes.
    - - "It was something else to be stuck in a strange place with a girl from a whole other race" (pg. 243)
      - "And Mary, that's my mother she was right, Every now and then she would stop dancing long enough to tell me something important and one og the things she said was that they never washed their hair and they smelled funny. Roberta sure did. Smell funny, I mean" (pg. 243)
      - "'you acted sort of like you didn't want to know me then.' 'Oh Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black -- white'"(pg. 255)
      - ""like hell she wasn't, and you kicked her. We both did. You kicked a black lady who couldn't even scream" (pg. 258)
      - "'Oh shit, Twyla. Shit, shit, shit. What the hell happened to Maggie?'" (pg. 261)
        
        "Mary, simple mindeled as ever grinned and tried to yank her hadn otu of the pocket with the raggedy liniing-- to shake hands, I guess. Roberta's mother...just grabbed Roberta with her Bible-free habd and stepped out of line, walking quickly to the rear of it" (pg. 247)
- - - - This is then applicable to the moment Mr. Pirzada smashes a Liliaha's Halloween pumpkin out of grief and fear. As a Bangledeshi refugee, news about a potential war arising between India and Pakistan instilled fear into him. Just as the pumpkin “had been shattered, its thick shell-strewn in chunks across the grass”, Mr. Pirzada was also disheveled: he had“his head in his hands” (pg. 8). The man who constantly maintained his composure and gave her sweets as an extension of his endearment toward her, was shown to fall apart due to fear. Using food a guide, Liliaha grows to underatand how the war brought devesation to those all associated with it.
  - - - “Mr. Pirzada is no longer considered Indian” (pg. 1)
        
        “‘See.. it is a different country, a different color,’ … Pakistan was yellow, not orange” (pg. 2)
        
        "'My father rapped his knuckles on top of my head. “You are, of course, aware of the current situation? Aware of East Pakistan’s fight for sovereignty?” I nodded, unaware of the situation'" (pg. 2)
        
        "I was charmed by the presence of Mr. Pirzada’s rotund elegance, and flattered by the faint theatricality of his attentions, yet unsettled by the superb ease of his gestures, which made me feel, for an instant, like a stranger in my own home" (pg. 3)
        
        "I opened the door, expecting the three of them to be standing in the foyer, waiting to receive me, and to grieve for our ruined pumpkin, but there was no one. In the living room Mr. Pirzada, my father, and mother were sitting side by side on the sofa. The television was turned off, and Mr. Pirzada had his head in his hands." (pg. 6)
        
        "It was inappropriate, in my opinion, to consume the candy Mr. Pirzada gave me in a casual manner. I coveted each evening’s treasure as I would a jewel, or a coin from a buried kingdom" (pg. 4)
        
        1 more item...
- - - - Another story is after she gives birth to her son, Little One. Unsupported by the narrator, her husband asks, "How much to get that extra stitch?" (pg. 8). This was a grossly disrespectful action to take concerning his wife, completely disregarding her desires in order to fulfill his own. It seems the narrator is aware of this, since she then shares a horror story about a daughter who lost her mother. In this story it is either revealed that "her mother has died of a contagious and fatal disease... to avoidl a citywide panic, the staff removed and buried her body, repainted and refurished the room... deny that they had ever met the pair" or "the girl wanders the streets of Paris for years, believeing that she is mad, that she invented her mother and her life and her life with her mother in her own diseased mind" (pg. 9). In this story, the daughter could represent the narrator and the mother can symbolize the rights/ soverignty she once held, something that was stripped away from her by outside forces (i.e. the narrators husband). The moral of the story can be extrapolated once reviewing the tale with the narrators tale: don't trust anyone.
  - - - "Her mother has died of a contagious and fatal disease... to avoidl a citywide panic, the staff removed and buried her body, repainted and refurished the room... deny that they had ever met the pair...the girl wanders the streets of Paris for years, believeing that she is mad, that she invented her mother and her life and her life with her mother in her own diseased mind" (pg. 9)
        
        "Do you want to untie the ribbon?... After this many years, this is what you want from me?" (pg. 14)
        
        "My husband frowns, ... then his face is open with some other expression --- sorrow, or maybe pre-emptive loss" (pg. 14
        
        "No" (pg. 14)
        
        I know that I should not want her... [but she is] captivated by her, there is no other way to put it" (pg. 9-10
- - - - Her safeguards rise above just her brother once she meets Aman, who exhibits characterstics similar to her brother. She notes he is “sweet and patient” and is “not as scrawny as [she] thought” (pg. 135, 166). Xiomara believes she can freely be herself with Aman, safe from the lewd looks with only the aim of having sexual relations with her. The downside of these characterisitcs where that when she needed his support and protection from sexual harassment, he failed in coming to her aid. She concludes “no one will ever take care of me but me” by the end of Part II of the novel (pg. 219). This changes when she relies on him when her mother set her journal aflame, Aman shows her that men can be reliable when reveals "'I’ll never be as good of a poet as you, Poet X, and I believe you’re strong enough to defend yourself and me at the same time, but I’ll always have your back, and I’ll always protect your heart.'” (pg. 351). Xiomara is finally able to find protection and support in someone she loves.
        
        Twin's sexuality is also discussed by Xiomara. She raises it as a topic of concern since he is gay, something she knows her mother and father would not appove of. They choose to remain silent to maintain his relationship. Xiomara then states when his boyfriend, Cody breaks up with him: "'Us Batista Twins have no luck with love, you would have thought we'd be smarter guarding our hearts" (pg. 271).
    - - "I am the baby fat that settled into D-cups and swinging hips/ so that the boys who called me a whale in middle school now ask me to send them pictures of myself in a thong" (pg. 5)
        
        "The only boy I will ever love [is] small…scrawny… doesn’t even try to look cool… the best boy I know” (pgs. 97, 98).
        
        “Sweet and patient” and is “not as scrawny as [she] thought” (pg. 135, 166)
        
        “No one will ever take care of me but me” (pg. 219)
        
        "'I’ll never be as good of a poet as you, Poet X, and I believe you’re strong enough to defend yourself and me at the same time, but I’ll always have your back, and I’ll always protect your heart.'” (pg. 351)
        
        'Us Batista Twins have no luck with love, you would have thought we'd be smarter guarding our hearts" (pg. 271)
        
        1 more item...
- - - - "The upper half of a Korean lieutenant, launched by a mine into the branches of a rubber tree; a scalped black American floating in the creek not far from his downed helicopter" (pg. 6)
        
        "'Why did I live and you die'.... 'You died too... You just don't know it'" (pg. 17)
        
        "'Your brother would have known what to do..That's what son's are for'" (pg. 12)
        
        "'Tell me a story, Ma' I said. 'I'm listening'" (pg. 20)
- - - - "The mother smiled to know her child/ was in the sacred place,/ but that was the last smile/ To come upon her face" (lines 21-24)
      - "For when she heard the explosion,/ Her eyes grew wet and wild...O, here's the shoe my baby wore,/ But, baby, where are you?" (lines 25-26, 31-32)
    - - Using the form of a nursery rhyme and the perspective of a young Black girl, the "sing-songy" poem disguises itself to reveal the horrible events endured by African Americans during this era. This young girl is denied her desire to march for Black rights by her mother, for fear of the "fierce and wild" (line 6) dogs and the "guns and jails" (line 7) that would be present. The true horror is revealed when the girl meets her demise after she goes to the place her mother thought she would be the safest: the Church. Dressed in white, her clothing serves a dual purpose of maintaining her purity for a holy place and in preparing her for her burial. With this harsh comparison, Randall aims to envelop his audience in the deep sorrow. It emulates the breaks in the nursery rhyme scheme he uses in this poem. In tandem, his audience is driven to feel the sharp despair many Black Americans felt when the tragic 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing that shook many Black Americans.
- - - - By alluding to Biblical text as she describes the journey one takes as a poet, Clifton makes it obvious she holds the creation of poetry in high regard. To begin, she directly references John 1, "in the beginning/ was the word." (lines 1-2). It seems as though she is right beside God, the Creator, testifying to creation, a theme that is supported further on in her poem. By the end of the poem and her testament to creation, she states, "a world a sigh a voice a light and/ i/ alone/ in a room (lines 15-18). Clifton suggests she was alone all along, portaying herself as the Creator. This claim is applied to the actions she takes as a poet and writer, able to create worlds through her writing. Alongside the use of allusion, we see she purposefully writes with all lowecase, suggesting she may not hold Biblical text in a high regard. This stylistic choice can also suggests she holds herself at a level similar to God, since she does not show high reverance/ honor to Him enough to capitalize "lord" and compares herself to Him in this poem. (line 3).
    - - "in the beginning/ was the word." (lines 1-2)
      - "a world a sigh a voice a light and/ i/ alone/ in a room (lines 15-18)
      - "i/ lucille clifton/ hereby testify" (lines 5-6)
- - - - When he utilizes an infamous and classic form of poetic writing to tell the story of Black Americans fighting for rights, McKay is able to call light to human rights issues. Neglecting to identify who "we" are (line 1), indicates this rally cry could be applicable to all people. Therefore when he says, "If we must die le, O let us nobly die", McKay seems to call upon a general army that is valiant and strong. Since the American army holds such values in high regard (honor, nobility, integrity), McKay seems to directly address this poem to them. However, this is not the case. Given the time when the poem is written and his racial background, it is apparent he is writing to Black Americans active in the Civil Rights Movement. This changes the entire scene of who we should consider as the "mad and hungry dogs", "monsters", and "murderous, cowardly pack" (lines 3, 7, and 12). Furthermore, it gives depth to the reason he uses a classic Shakespearean poetic form to write this poem (perhaps it was a disguise or code to allow for printing). Overall, McKay skillfully uses a classic poetic writing style to encourage all Americans to feel the emotion and drive behind the fight against racism
    - - "O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!" (line 9)
      - "Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,/ Pressed to the wall, dying, but figting back!" (lines 13-14
  - - - By displaying the actions and livelihood of an African American man living in the 1940's, Brook aims to show their complex yet common nature. This is inspite of many years where White Americans believed Black Americans were vastly different and even beneath themseves. By telling the story of "Inamoratas" in intricate detail, Brooks is inviting her audience to consider the subject of the poem as complex and worthwhile. Furthermore, Brooks uses the poetic form of blank verse to support her efforts. Just as blank verse loosly follows a poetic structure, Satin-Legs Smith loosly follows structure in his own life. From "Sunday to Sunday" he slightly varies in the things he does, the women he fancies, and more. (pg 46). Overall, when keeping the time of which the poem was written in context, this work aims to show how black men complex yet normal in nature, like everyone else.
    - - "From Sunday to Sunday" (pg 46)
        
        Key quotes:
  - - - To express her complex emotions concerning being foreign in America, Choi use free verse. She specfically writes with constant lower case letters (emulating Lucille Clifton) to possibly signify her indifference towards the racism she's endured and the actions she's taken to not have to endure racism. However, the actual stories and words she included in her poem suggest this is not the case. She states, "i wanted to be a writer & worried/ about how to escape my surname--- choi" (lines 7-8). Choi displays her true turmoil with racism even though she tries to "downplay" the experience. When she expresses, "i confess, i am greedy. i think i deserve to be seen/ for what i am: a boundless, burning wick" (lines 35-36), this inner struggle is further exemplified. The audience get a sense of how difficult it has been for Choi to proudly accept her name. Her growth from this frame of mind is best shown in her last lines: "i'll never stop stealing back what's mine./ i promise: i won't forget again" (lines 49-50).
    - - "during the lean years-- could i go by f.j.c? could i be/ paper thin & raceless?" (lines 11-12)
      - "i wanted to be a writer & worried/ about how to escape my surname--- choi" (lines 7-8)
      - "i confess, i am greedy. i think i deserve to be seen/ for what i am: a boundless, burning wick" (lines 35-36)
      - "i'll never stop stealing back what's mine./ i promise: i won't forget again" (lines 49-50).
- - - - Vuong's retelling of the fall of Saigon with allusions to Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" points out the American influence in damaging Vietnam. The poem is riddled with similes to enhance this correlation, where "a sprig of magnolia expands like a secret heard/for the first time" is related to the defilement of a young woman's purity (lines 24-25). Vuong uses this young woman, amongst other characters (the nun, dog, and chief of police) as a symbol of Vietnam, violently abused by American influence. The woman is raped by a seemingly American traffic guard apparent when he says, "my brothers have won the war" (line 58). Overall, Vuong uses sexual defilement as a medium to express how America violently stripped Vietnam of its innocence and purity from never being in such an aggressive war.
    - - Key quotes:
      - "Don't worry, he says, as the first bomb brightens/..my brothers have won the war" (lines 57-58)
    - - HIs implementation of the inflamed nun engaged in prayer is a harsh and devastating image to envision. It gives an impression of the hopelessness overcoming Saigon, although it may be calling out to higher-powers for aid, did not receive any aid. This idea is encouraged when the god of the nun says, "open, he says./ She opens" (lines 65-66). Uses the direct wording from asexual encounter between a traffic guard and an underage Vienamese girl: "Open, he says./ She opens." (lines 5-6). It suggests Vuong sees reglion as an unhelpful outlet. It seems he wants to display that it actually takes more out of the believers, rather than sowing into them.
    - - "Open he says./ She Opens" (lines 5-6 and 65-66)
        
        Key quotes:
  - - - By writing about her beloved "Corpse Flower", Nezhukumatathil exhibits its quiet power. The awe she has for this flower is displayed in the love the farmer holds for the flower, even thought it smells "like bad fish and bad sugar, he could not look away" (line 2). Its beauty entrances him, causing him to "caress" and care for it (line 6). The powerful nature of the plant is apparent when he attempts to exert control by giving it a name; it "completely devoured him" (line 10). Nezhukumatathil uses this poem to express nature's desire for freedom, something constantly pulled at by humanity. This story can also be connected to multiple skewed relationships, captialism, government, some relationships, etc. By referencing the characterisitics of the flower she holds in such high regard, she suggests the only way to overcome attempts for control is to dominate it-- to kill or be killed.
    - - "But this flower does not want/ to be named. Does not want to be owned." (lines 16-17)
        
        "When the flower heard the name... ate her--/ ate the name as well" (lines 19-21)