...Meggin Hughes Professor Miller English 102 7 December 2013 A quiet street Snow falling silently Bright lights shine through steamed glass windows A hooded figure slowly walks alone Though the weather is cold And the snow is wet Let us not forget A hooded figure slowly walks alone A twinkle of lights on trees Look mystical in the fading daylight The laughter of kids from houses A hooded figure slowly walks alone A full moon rises Snow shimmers in the air A door opens to a friendly face A hooded figure is no longer alone This poem is about things not always appearing what they seem. While the poem makes you believe that the hooded subject is completely alone in every aspect, you finally see that sometimes the journey may be lonely, but there is always a destination and a light at the end. The many different scenes that this person passes along the way are a tribute to the happiness that the holiday season brings upon most people. The sounds that the person hears are sounds of joy and the undying spirit of children mixed in the utter quietness that we hear when we are alone in our thoughts. The end result of this poem is that there is always a place that we belong and always someone that is happy to us. Another tone to this poem is that we are always the loneliest when night approaches, but are able to see that we are not always alone when everything comes to light. The poem is written in the quatrain form consisting of four stanzas. While the lines...
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...Jenny Jones 3-3-09 English 101 B Talking Dirty to My God! My paper will be on 2 different poems and there from the book “Talking Dirty to the Gods”. The first poem is called Silkworm and the second poem is called Janus. Both the poems focus on the culture, beauty of life and history. My paper will in tell about the art of poetry and the art of how to tell a story inside of a story. When slaves were to tell stories, they couldn’t write down there dreams or there life and what they went through, so they were to say it in a story form. So they, meaning the kids would never forget there heritage. Therefore, when they became slaves they would sing songs and they would also make other things to remember there past to show there future. The first poem I chose was Silkworm on page.53 when reading the poem it made me think about love and how it was taken away from a lot of African Americans. In the first line it says “they made a fancy catch for a nightgown out of me”. When I first read this poem I, at first didn’t understand what the book was insinuating, but after reading that line about three times it made me think about the slaves and there body being taken advantage of and body being sold as if we were animals to be bought and used for pleasure. To look at this in a different way would be, were you are made to be someone else’s toy and to also not have a real purpose...
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...English Literature Poems Compare the methods that ‘Presents from my Aunts in Pakistan’ employs to highlight the importance of cultural identity with another poem? I have chosen to compare ‘Presents’ and ‘Hurricane’ as both poems highlight the importance of cultural identity in society. Both poets ‘Alvi’ and ‘Nicholas’ employ many different and similar methods to illustrate the importance of cultural identity. The poem ‘Presents’ is about the writer herself at a younger age feeling insecure as she is of dual heritage (mixed race) ‘in my English Grandmother’s dining - room. In the poem the poet begins to conflict with herself as she believes that she is not of one set race ‘I was there of no fixed nationality’. Throughout the poem the poet begins to show her insecurity as she begins to respond to the presents her aunties bought her from her native land negatively ‘I could never be as lovely as those clothes’. A t the end of the poem the Alvi is unable to resolve her problem as she finishes the poem feeling rather down saying ‘I was there of no fixed nationality’. The poem ‘Hurricane’ is rather similar in the way that it is again autobiographical. In the poem the writer is also in conflict with herself as she has left her motherland Guyana to move to England. At first the poet dreaded England but as soon as there was news of a Hurricane she began to feel much at home as hurricanes happen often in the southern...
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...identity with another poem? I have chosen to compare ‘Presents’ and ‘Hurricane’ as both poems highlight the importance of cultural identity in society. Both poets ‘Alvi’ and ‘Nicholas’ employ many different and similar methods to illustrate the importance of cultural identity. The poem ‘Presents’ is about the writer herself at a younger age feeling insecure as she is of dual heritage (mixed race) ‘in my English Grandmother’s dining - room. In the poem the poet begins to conflict with herself as she believes that she is not of one set race ‘I was there of no fixed nationality’. Throughout the poem the poet begins to show her insecurity as she begins to respond to the presents her aunties bought her from her native land negatively ‘I could never be as lovely as those clothes’. A t the end of the poem the Alvi is unable to resolve her problem as she finishes the poem feeling rather down saying ‘I was there of no fixed nationality’. The poem ‘Hurricane’ is rather similar in the way that it is again autobiographical. In the poem the writer is also in conflict with herself as she has left her motherland Guyana to move to England. At first the poet dreaded England but as soon as there was news of a Hurricane she began to feel much at home as hurricanes happen often in the southern equator. The writer shows her relationship with the hurricane by referring to it as her ‘sweeping a back home cousin’. At the end of the poem the writer resolves...
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...FOLKTALES Assignment: Translate the poems into 21st century English In All God’s Chillen had Wings all the slaves had power if they simply just believed that they could fly. They didn’t understand that if all of them pulled together and had faith in the Old man that they could escape the Master, and the driver and all the beatings. I took from this faith and believing was important. In Big Talk it sounded more like what goes around comes around. I took it as both slaves were picking with each other and you should watch what you listen to and not be so gullible. In How to Write a Letter I interpreted this as no matter how educated you are don’t forget where you come from. In this story the daughter was able to go off to school and receive an education and when she came back home it seemed like she maybe forgot the little things that actually mattered in her upbringing like her father’s sounds that he wanted her to write I took it as don’t take anything for granted. Ah’ll Beatcher Makin Money in this story it just showed the greed in the master, how he was willing to sacrifice anything and everything to make money and greed placed him in a place where he didn’t want to be which was dead. Talk Too Much, Anyhow in this story the slave should've known better but the lesson in this story was that some things are just better left unsaid and don’t play with fire. The slave should have thought a little bit more about the consequences in case the frog didn’t speak in which he didn’t...
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...The poem, “Elena”, by Pat Mora and the story, “No speak English”, by Sandra Cisneros show how immigrants that move to the United States suffer emotional problem. First of all, in the poem Elena, Pat Mora talks about how a Spanish mother feels undereducated because she is not able to understand or speak English. The mother feels upset because she cannot communicate with her children. The story no speaks English by Sandra Cisneros, talks about a lady moving to America and having trouble communicating with others. She feels embarrassed because her baby boy learned how to speak English and she could not. She starts crying because she is unable to speak English. Second, she tries to learn English by herself. She feels embarrassed, but she knows it is more important for her to learn English. She spends most of her time listening to Spanish radio. “She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull Cisneros, no speak English”. Finally “Embarrassed at mispronouncing words, embarrassed at the laughter of my children, the grocery, the mailman. Mora, Elena”. She fells embarrassed about her pronunciations so she locks herself in the bathroom and study’s the thick words. Even though it is hard she will not give up learning. She does not come of the house and, she fells lonely because she does not speak English very well. In conclusion; the poem and story talks about how person from other countries...
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...The validity of an individual’s perspective on the truth regarding situations, events and personalities throughout their lifetime is subjective. Conflicting perspectives arise when two individuals experience the same situations, events or personalities, but take meaning from these experiences in opposing ways. Because of these contradictory views, we –as the audience – must challenge our assessment of the truth. We can do this by analysing the viewpoints presented by Ted Hughes’ confessional poems, The Minotaur and Red from his anthology The Birthday Letters (published 1998) and the feature article, Face of a People Smuggler by Fenella Souter, featured in Good Weekend (April 21, 2012). Through our analysis, we are able to separate fact from fallacy. The ‘truths’ presented by Ted Hughes’ The Minotaur are questionable because of the context in which Hughes released this poem. The Minotaur was published in 1998, after the controversial suicide of Sylvia Plath in 1963, and much of the blame for her death was placed upon Hughes. Feminist supporters of Plath especially vilified Hughes and upheld Plath as a ‘martyr to a misogynistic husband’. Through The Minotaur, Hughes aims to shift the general public’s perspective of Plath from the ‘martyr’ to ‘monster’. Hughes does this by introducing Plath in the first stanza as a paranoid, irrational and violent woman, incapable of considering anyone except herself, as she smashes his “mahogany table-top” which undoubtedly held sentimental...
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...THE OLD ENGLISH AND THE OLD IRISH PERIODS (600-1100 A.D.) 1- OLD ENGLISH HISTORY AND LANGUAGE Initial literatures are spoken and that oral literature have been many amplifications, later appear the texts. Beowulf was oral first and then became written. There are lots of fragments written literally. Some texts were lost and now we only have fragments. These texts are writing in manuscripts, there weren’t books in that period. In particular there are four manuscripts that contain most of English literature: Cotton Vitelius, Exeter Book, Junius Manuscript and Vercelli Manuscript; they are from 10th century. However the poetry and the texts contain the literature from 9th century, but they originated in 7th century orally (all of them originated orally before they appear written). That manuscripts tell some things about the society of this period of time, so we know details of this century. This period is the Anglo-Saxon period, before them there were the Britons who were invaded by some different people. They spoke different dialects of old English, the stronger kingdom was Wessex, which dialect was the most important and it called “west saxon”. Beowulf was writing in this dialect. In 597 appeared the Christianization. This means that the English became Christian, it became familiar with the church language: Latin. Latin is the culture language. The entry of Christianity is the entry of the culture in Britain. 2- WRITTEN RECORDS OF THE ANGLOSAXON PERIOD English began...
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...The following commentary is cut/pasted with gratitude from the Norton Anthology of English Literature and may be found online at: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/middleages/topic_4/welcome.htm | From our point of view, it is appropriate to think of the language and literature of Anglo-Saxon England as "Old English," because the language is the remote ancestor of the English spoken today. Yet for the inhabitants of Anglo-Saxon England, the language was, of course, not old, and did not come to be referred to generally as "English" until fairly late in the period. The earliest reference given in the Oxford English Dictionary is 890. Bede's Latin Ecclesiastical History of the English People refers collectively to the people as gens Anglorum, which in the vernacular translation becomes angel-cynne (English-race). However, in Bede's time the England of today was divided into a number of petty kingdoms. Language, the Roman Church, and monastic institutions lent these kingdoms a certain cultural identity, but a political identity began to emerge only during the ninth century in response to the Danish invasions, and through King Alfred's efforts to revive learning and to make Latin religious and historical works, such as Bede's History, available in vernacular translations.Most of the surviving vernacular poetry of Anglo-Saxon England consists of free translations or adaptations of Latin saints' lives and books of the Bible, such as Genesis, Exodus, and Daniel. But with...
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...‘Theme for English B’ with Countee Cullen’s ‘Yet Do I Marvel’ The following essay will examine two poems: Langston Hughes’ ‘Theme for English B’ and Countee Cullen’s ‘Yet Do I Marvel’, with particular focus on the poetic conventions used and themes that appear within each poem. Both poems deal with issues related to race, and were both published in 1925 during The Harlem Renaissance, which was a period of growth within Literature for African American writers. Within both poems, there seems to be a questioning of authority, with the instructor in Hughes’ ‘Theme for English B’ and a questioning of God within Cullen’s ‘Yet Do I Marvel’. The speaker, a twenty two year old Black student, begins the poem ‘Theme for English B’ by explaining what he has been instructed to do for his assignment ‘The instructor said, Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page...
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...WINNEBA DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION NAME: AGYENIM-BOATENG FOSTER INDEX NUMBER: 7110060007 PROGRAMME: M. A. ENGLISH COURSE TITLE: STUDIES IN WRITING AND RESEARCH COURSE CODE: ENG 503 PROPOSAL TOPIC TEACHING POETRY APPRECIATION IN THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY OF THREE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE TECHIMAN MUNICIPALITY INTRODUCTION Very few people are gifted with talents to understand or write poetry. The taste of poetry has to be cultivated with a careful handling of the subject failing which the poetry can results into irritating sign of neurosis on the students. Hence, there is great need of suitable curriculum as well as careful handling of the subject. Despite the fact that, poetry is one of the highly specialized forms of language, its status is diminished. It is partly because of the curriculum and partly because of the English teachers who execute the curriculum of poetry [Robert Scholes, 2001]. Most teachers of literature in general and poetry to be specific have the tendency of rather relying too heavily on critical commentaries of literary works (Yenkson 1987). Yenkson further asserts that “these notes are written by Secondary School teachers with the sole purpose of helping students to pass their exams”. Many of these teachers think that the use of those notes will spare them and their students the agony of having to study their recommended text. Apart from this, Senior High School English and Literature in English lessons are dominated...
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... Wilson-Strann POETRY FOR THE CSEC® ENGLISH B EXAMINATION Second edition Prescribed list for 2012–2017 CSEC® is a registered trademark of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) POETRY FOR THE CSEC® ENGLISH B EXAMINATION is an independent publication and has not been authorised, sponsored, or otherwise approved by CXC. CSEC Study Comp Poetry 2nd Ed_2011.indd i 9/6/11 4:31 PM Macmillan Education Between Towns Road, Oxford OX4 3PP A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited Companies and representatives throughout the world www.macmillan-caribbean.com ISBN: 978-0-230-41802-8 Text © Sharon R. Wilson-Strann 2011 Design and illustration © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2011 First published 2008 This edition published 2011 All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. These materials may contain links for third party websites. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the contents of such third party websites. Please use care when accessing them. Designed by Mike Brain Graphic Design Ltd Typeset by E Clicks Enterprise, Malaysia Cover design by Clare Webber Cover photo by Jenny Palmer The author and publishers are grateful for permission to reprint the following copyright material: Bloodaxe Books for the poem ‘Dreaming black boy’ by James Berry from...
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...Langston Hughes’s Theme for English B and Sherman Alexie’s On the Amtrak from Boston to New York City LTRE 421 July 13, 2016 The subject in Theme for English B a 22-year-old man who is trying to find out exactly who he is. The teacher tells him to go home and write a page tonight; this page should come from himself and be true. The speaker wonders if it is that simple. Is something true simply because it comes out of one person's self? Is truth the same thing for a black youth like him as it is for the white professor? In the poem On the Amtrak from Boston to New York City the author introduces two characters from different walks of life, which are brought together on an Amtrak from Boston to New York. Even though these two characters are on the same Amtrak, their cultural perspectives and differences separate them. The poem also offers commentary on the history of Native Americans versus the history of white Americans. Both of these poems contain historical context relating to race in America. In Theme for English B, wrapped up in the speaker's search for his identity is the idea of his race. He's black, born in the South, but now lives in Harlem. As this man is trying to find out who he is, America is full of racial tension, and hasn't really reached a stable identity itself. He's the only black person in his class, and that includes his instructor. When he sits down to write a page that's supposed to be true, he can't help but feel that, when people aren't equally...
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...1. Who used the term 'Old English' for the first time ? 2. What is the name of Bede's history book ? 3. What is the meaning of the Anglo-Saxon word 'scop" ? 4. What is the meaning of Anglo-Saxon word 'Wyrd' ? 5. What is the name of the only Anglo-Saxon historian ? 6. Name the Germanic tribes which formed the Anglo-Saxon race ? 7. Name the manuscripts in which Old English poems are found ? 8. Who is the author of Sermo Lupi ad Anglos ? 9. Who is the author of Lives of the Saints ? 10. Name two Anglo Saxon Christian poets ? 11. Name the 'earliest extant' Anglo-Saxon poem ? 12. When was Beowulf written ? 13. Mention one Christian element in Beowulf ? 14. Refer to one Pagan element in Beowulf ? 15. What is the name of the pleasure hall in Beowulf ? 16. What is the name of Hrothgar's wife ?(the queen) 17. Name the sword of Beowulf with which he killed Grendel ? 18. Which Anglo-Saxon poem records the fight between the English and Danes ? 19. When did the Battle of Maldon take place ? 20. Who is the author of Death Song ? 21. Who is the author of the poem Brut ? how many lines are there in this poem ? 22. Name two battles referred to in the Anglo-Saxon poems ? 23. What is the name of the monster Beowulf killed ? 24. What is the name of Beowulf's father ? 25. What is the name of the king Beowulf helped ? 26. Name two Anglo-Saxon Elegies ? 27. Name the Anglo-Saxon poem written in dream vision ? 28. Who is the author of Beowulf ? 29. When was Thomas...
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...Introduction Chapter I General Information on American Poetry 1.1 Historical and Cultural Contexts of 20th Century American Poetry 1.2 American Modernism Chapter II The Life and Work of Some of the 20th Century American Poets 2.1 Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888 – 1965) 2.2 Marianne Moore (1887 – 1972) Conclusion Bibliography INTRODUCTION Development in learning English has widely opened the door to the unknown world of foreign literature. While learning a new language may require the devotion of a learner, it exposes the original beauty that is hidden under the names which, I’d like to mention, culture, traditions and literature. It is clearly seen from the history that a nation cannot exist without its customs, spoken language and written literature. Having all these nuances in mind, I dedicate my course paper to revealing all the perfection of literature which is expressed through poetry. There are as many definitions of poetry as there are poets. Wordsworth defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings;" Emily Dickinson said, "If I read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry;" and Dylan Thomas defined poetry this way: "Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing." Poetry is a lot of things to a lot of people. One of the most definable characteristics...
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