...writings. Drawing from her emotions, Walker’s writings range stem from personal pain, abortion and suicide. er HerAlice Walker writings were influenced by her unusual childhood, her literary mentors, and struggle with self- esteem. Initially, Alice Walker’s writings were influenced by her unusual childhood. Alice Malsenior Walker was born February 9, 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia, to Willie Lee and Minnie Tallulah (Grant) Walker. Walker’s family included five boys and three girls. She was the youngest of her eight siblings (Alice Walker para1). By the time she was eight years old, her family knew she would rather play more exciting games with two of her brothers than spend time playing with her dolls. The children sometimes acted out stories from the westerns. As a little girl, Alice Walker also went through hardships in life. At the age of eight, Walker was accidentally injured by a BB gun shot in her eye by her brother. Her partial blindness caused her to withdraw from normal childhood activities and begin to write poetry to ease her loneliness. She found that writing demanded peace and quiet, but these were difficult things to come by when ten people lived in four rooms. She spent a great deal of time working outdoors sitting under a tree (Alice Walker para2). Walker’s childhood influence can be seen in the poem, Expect Nothing, where she wrote “Expect nothing. Live frugally On surprise. become a stranger To need of pity Or, if compassion be freely Given out Take only enough...
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...his intent without knowing what the man himself was about? An individual may read thousands of books, articles or poems during their lifetime, but how many of us really try to understand what sort of background or values influence what we are reading? There is a reason that the Literature of the American Midwest is a collection. Each story or author has something in common that in some way has connected them to writing about what we define as the American Midwest. “If the Midwest is to act as a region, it must know what it is. It must define itself. It needs a unifying portrait, a communal myth. To paint this portrait, we look to our writers, especially our novelists (Longworth, 2010, pg. 1).” Joy Harjo is an example of a writer whose work uniquely defines the Midwest through her heritage, values, accomplishments, and social and political views. Joy Harjo is a particularly interesting writer whose accomplishments and values can help you to understand a great deal about how and why her writings define her as much as she defines them. “Joy Harjo was born in 1951 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Native American and Canadian ancestry. Strongly influenced by her Muskogee Creek heritage, feminist and social concerns, and her background in the arts, Harjo frequently incorporates Native American myths, symbols, and values into her writing. Her poetry tends to emphasize the Southwest landscape and need for remembrance and transcendence (Poetry Foundation, 2010, pp. 1).” After reading the...
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...When the Han dynasty fell in 220 C.E., chaos erupted, resulting in the development of the impression that a unified and prosperous China may never exist again. For the next four centuries after the fall, China was struck with warring clans, political murder, and foreign invasion, sparking a new period dubbed the Three Kingdoms. Contending to succeed Han to form a new dynasty, the three kingdoms waged wars against each other, ultimately earning this period its note as one of the bloodiest intervals in all of China’s history. In-fact, a population census in late eastern Han dynasty reported an approximate population of 56 million, while a population census taken during the early years of the Three Kingdoms era reported an approximate population...
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...A group of a few women born in the second decade of the century might together illustrate the diversity of the twentieth-century novelist's interests. Elizabeth Taylor (1912-1975), the author the novels The Soul of Kindness and Blaming, is a refined stylist whose swift flashes of dialogue and reflection and deft sketches of the wider background give vitality to her portrayals of well-to-do family life in commuter land. Some of her later novels are In a Summer Season (1961), and The Wedding Group (1968.) Elizabeth Taylor has humour and compassion as well as disciplined artistry, and has logically been compared with Jane Austen. So has Barbara Pym (1913-1980) who tasted fame, sadly enough, only at the end of her life (her real name was Mary Crampton). Another restrained and perceptive artist, she is a master of J f ingenuous and candid dialogue and reflection which are resonant with comic overtones. Critics I called her "modern Jane Austin. Excellent Women (1952) and A Glass of Blessings (1958) were reprinted in the late 1970s when Philip Larkin and David Cecil drew attention to the quality of her neglected work. Later novels, The Sweet Dove Died (1978) and Quartet in Autumn (1978), are no less engaging in their blend of pathos and comedy. One might well put beside these two English writers the Irish writer Mary Lavin (1912-1996), whose short stories focus on the ups and downs of family life with quiet pathos and humour. Her novels, The House in Clewes Street (1945)...
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...not make it after giving birth to me and was relieved to find out I was a boy; for if I was born a girl my father would have certainly sent me away to either die or brought up in the life of servitude.2 Being apart of a family considered agathoi, when I was seven I went to school to learn the alphabet and memorize poetry.3 A few years later, my friends and I were invited to attend a symposim at the house of one of my father’s associate. Aware of the customs and traditions, my friends and I accepted. We had only heard about what goes on at symposium from older teenagers and among them their experiences varied, as well as their impressions. Needless to say, my friends and I were feeling a mixture of curiosity and fear. Prior to the evening’s festivities, my father had told me about the symposium and the importance of taking part in one within our culture. He had told me that it was an important event in a young man’s life where he learns from what is being discussing by the elder men as well as establishing important contacts that my help as I grew into an adult.4 The symposium was scheduled to begin after sunset.5 All the men, along with my friends and a few other boys my age, assembled in the house’s andron. This particular room in the house was specifically for symposiums. There were couches on every wall except the wall with the entrance.6 Before the symposium could begin, the men had to establish who the toastmaster was by rolling dice.7 The toastmaster had the...
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...Definitions of Poetry by Poets and Writers… Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. ~Leonard Cohen Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary. ~Kahlil Gibran Ink runs from the corners of my mouth There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry. ~Mark Strand, "Eating Poetry," Reasons for Moving, 1968 There's no money in poetry, but then there's no poetry in money, either. ~Robert Graves, 1962 interview on BBC-TV, based on a very similar statement he overheard around 1955 Poetry is what gets lost in translation. ~Robert Frost Imaginary gardens with real toads in them. ~Marianne Moore's definition of poetry, "Poetry," Collected Poems, 1951 A poem is never finished, only abandoned. ~Paul Valéry He who draws noble delights from sentiments of poetry is a true poet, though he has never written a line in all his life. ~George Sand, 1851 Always be a poet, even in prose. ~Charles Baudelaire, "My Heart Laid Bare," Intimate Journals, 1864 Poets are soldiers that liberate words from the steadfast possession of definition. ~Eli Khamarov, The Shadow Zone Poetry is the journal of the sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air. Poetry is a search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable. Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away. ~Carl Sandburg, Poetry Considered Poetry is a mirror which makes...
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...ENG 101B Poetry: The Enlightenment of a Forsaken Culture Poetry is an art that provokes the mind, transforms the soul and conveys sentiments unknown. It’s the literary means of conveying a cryptic outlook to an idea, theme or feelings composed by the author; a rhythmic pattern that utilizes rich and precise words in a piece; applies figurative language in order to transcend to an abstract or literal world. Poems use various styles of writing; either complex or straightforward language. Imagery, symbols and metaphors are also used. A poem can take many forms it be either short or long, meaningless or meaningful with the ability to illuminate and enrich the readers understanding with many aspects of life. Yet, for a poem to transcend time, the author must accomplish one fundamental thing: to create a connection between the poem and the reader. Thus, awakening of the mind, body, and soul. The poems chosen, are an attempt to understand and connect self to a forgotten and at times, unknown culture and heritage. To accomplish the task at hand, the first step was to search for Mexican-American poets. Second step was to find a common theme (culture and heritage) or writing style. Lastly, all of the poems needed to be predominantly in English. With a variety of Mexican-American poets, the task was not as simple, nonetheless, it was accomplished. The following five poems examine the language, symbols and metaphors used by the poets that elicit a deeper understanding of a culture:...
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...W.B. Yeats's "The Second Coming" W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" was written in 1919, just one year after WWI ended. The beginning of this poem reflects on how evil has taken over the minds of good Christians, and the world has turned into chaos. It is apparent that Yeats believes that a Second Coming is at hand, and he spends the last half of the poem discussing what that Second Coming could look like. Turning and turning in the widening gyre (line 1) Yeats imagines the world in a cyclical sphere known a gyre (shape of a cone). In Yeats' note on the text, he states that "the end of an age, which always receives the revelation of the character of the next age, is represented by the coming of one gyre to its place of greatest expansion and of the other to that of its greatest contraction" (2036). Yeats believes that the two thousand years of Christianity will be coming to an end, and after a violent reversal a new age will take its place. The widening part of the gyre is supposed to connote anarchy, evil, and the loss of innocence. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; (2) The falconer in this analogy is most likely God (or Jesus), and the falcon is the follower (or devotee). Humanity can no longer hear the word of God, because it is drowned out by all of chaos of the widening gyre. A wild falcon can symbolize an unconverted Gentile; someone who has sinful thoughts, and does sinful things. A tame falcon (one who listens to the word of God) is a Christian convert. In the...
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...Throughout history there have been very influential and major poets who have set the bar pretty high for upcoming poets. Gwendolyn Brooks poems present different voices and characters in each poem she writes. Each is encountered with different problems she found important or controversial that she usually has witnessed take place in her own life. Brooks demonstrates different voices depending on which topic shes discussing in the piece and what character she feels would portray the topic the best. Gwendolyn Brooks was born in Topeka, Kansa, but then moved to Chicago at a very young age. She grew up with very supportive parents who always pushed her to try her best, and although they were not the wealthiest family, they stayed positive and very close. When Brooks was old enough to attend high school she attended 3 different schools. Hyde Park High School, which was the leading white school in her city, then she transferred to an all black school, Wendell Phillips, and lastly, the integrated Englewood High School (“Blacks”.)...
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...20 April 2014 Robert Browning When the Victorian period comes into someone’s mind, they may think the Industrial Revolution. This period was a specific time of change, many people who lived during this period would agree. The Victorian period lasted during Queen Victoria’s reign, which is how the name was established. Queen Victoria started as Queen in 1837 which is when the beginning of the period was. The period ended in 1901, which was the death of the Queen. Other then the Industrial revolution, there were many other events that happened in the 64 years of this era like a depression, “The Hungry Forties”, The Potato Famine, and most important very poor working conditions. One poet that really stood out during all of these tragic events was a man named Robert Browning. Robert Browning wrote many different works, but two works that are common but different are “Prospice” and “My Last Duchess” which both come with common themes but different approaches to those themes. Robert Browning was born on May 7th, 1812 in Camberwell, London to a middleclass family. When Browning was a very young child he decided that he wanted to be a poet. His love for poetry came from his father, also a Robert Browning. His parents were completely supportive with his decision to become a poet. His father specifically educated Browning at home. It is said that the reason of his “wide range of unusual information the mature poet brought to his work” (Poetry Foundation) is because of his father...
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...Realities Kathy Kubisty, Omar Contreras, Adolfo Arce University of Phoenix Eng/ 302 David Maker August 24, 2010 Poetic Imagery and Political Realities Poetry has been around for many centuries and the world has witnessed many fine artistic poem writers. Throughout this paper, the life of Robert Frost will be explained along with some of his outstanding poetry. We will discuss who he was, how Frost started in writing his poetry, and how some of his poems relate to what is happening in today's world. Robert Frost was named after the Southern General, Robert E. Lee. He was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California. Because his parents were a teacher and a journalist, he was always around books. He studied literature from William Shakespeare and poems from Robert Burns and William Wordsworth. Robert excelled in many topics in school such as history, botany, Latin, and Greek. Frost also played football and graduated top of his high school class. Robert Frost started writing poems at an early age. His first poem, “La Noche Triste” was published in his high school newspaper. Frost later enrolled in an Ivy League college in Hanover, New Hampshire. Robert Frost was not fond of the campus life so he quit college and started teaching while he was writing poetry. Frost got his first break as a poet in 1894 when the New York Magazine, “Independent” published his poem, “My Butterfly” for only 15 dollars. Robert Frost later in 1895 married his lifelong sweetheart Elinor...
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...tension between stability and change is revealed through recurring images in Yeats’ poetry. To what extent does your interpretation of Yeats’ ‘The Second Coming’ and at least one other poem align with this view? In your response, make detailed reference to ‘The Second Coming’ and at least ONE other poem set for study. Note to students: This question requires you to write about ‘The Second Coming’. Students are reminded that they are required to fully prepare all poems set for study in any elective, as the examiners can be very specific and name one or more poems that must be addressed in the answer. Sample response: Poetry Prescribed text: WB Yeats: Poems Selected by Seamus Heaney Introduction outlines the common aspects of both poems while responding to the question | Yeats had a distinctive world view that is evident in much of his poetry and explored through recurring imagery and motifs, as well as through language and ideas specific to individual poems. His views about civilization and change are expressed in ‘Leda and the Swan’ and ‘The Second Coming’ which, taken together, explore the beginning and the end of Western history in Yeats’ terms. Both poems look at the supernatural influence on human affairs, at a tipping point between stability and change. They consider human helplessness in the face of blind destiny, but also examine human acquiescence in the march of history. While they share features of language and structure, they also present ideas in...
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...Sexton claims, “Poetry is my life, my postmark, my hands, my kitchen, my face.” (“Anne Sexton Quotes Quotable Quote”). This statement accurately describes Anne Sexton’s life considering she wrote approximately 14 books of poetry while she was alive. Anne Sexton was born on November 9th, 1928 in Newton, Massachusetts and died on October 4th, 1974 in Weston, Massachusetts and was also was most closely associated with the Confessional Movement of the early to mid 20th century. Anne Sexton’s dark, deranged, and personal thoughts fit perfectly with the other writers that took part in the Confessional Movement but her poem, “Young” takes her to her parallel universe that she so hopelessly wished she lived in. The poem “Young” by Anne Sexton was part of her book of poems, All My Pretty Ones which was published in 1962. Throughout some of her poetry, including “Young” it is not so obvious to see why she was part of the Confessional Movement. When one reads the poem “Young” it can easily be interpreted that it is about a lonely young girl on a starry summer night, lying outside on the grass, thinking about how she is transforming from a child into an adolescent. It also touches base on what she used to believe as a child and what she knows is real now. There is almost a sense of mourning when she realizes that her old thoughts are not what they seem, especially when she speaks of God. One can also conclude that she’s dealing with an internal struggle within herself when she realizes,...
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...Although love may occasionally show itself as a muse of Romantic poetry it has very little to do with Romanticism. Romanticism is considered to be an international artistic and philosophical movement that redefined the fundamental ways in which people in Western cultures thought about themselves and about their world.(Brooklyn College) The early Romantic period begins with the first edition of Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth - co-written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I'm going to specifically refer to three poetic works by Wordsworth when referring to the imagination, nature, and emotion used as components of Romantic Literature: "The Tables Turned", "My Heart Leaps Up", and "I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud." Imagination was considered to be one of the highest faculties of the mind during the Romantic era. The Romantics used their imaginations as the ultimate shaping tool for their literature. It was their creative power in that it was dynamic, active, and provided many functions for creating all art. Wordsworth suggested that it is also the faculty that helps humans to constitute reality for we not only perceive the world around us, but also in part create it. The Romantics are also extremely concerned with the healing nature of the imagination in that it can reconcile differences and opposites in the world of appearance. It inextricably enables us to "read" nature as a system of symbols. (Brooklyn College) Wordsworth uses all aspects of the Romantic view of imagination...
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...Shaneika Francis Romantic writers are Social Critics British Literature II 02/09/2012 The romantic period, like all literary periods, is a reaction to what came before it. Unlike most literary periods, it was an almost complete rejection of the immediate preceding period. They rejected nearly every idea from the enlightenment/neoclassical writers and artists. Hence, the writers of this period were often social critics. Three authors whom fall into this category are William Wordsworth, William Blake, and Matthew Arnold. This period is believed to be the most drastic reaction in literary history. Wordsworth's preface of 1800 has been recognized as the first text of English Romantic criticism. In his "Preface to Lyrical Ballads" of 1800, William Wordsworth had similarly proposed a transformation of poetry that would correspond to the "revolutions not of literature alone, but likewise of society itself" (245). Such thinking presupposed that separation between the classifications of politics and literature by the end of the eighteenth century had already formed. He said that in his poetry he wanted to represent "incidents and situations from common life." He said he wanted to use a "selection of language really used by men." Wordsworth may seem to focus on nature, but he is actually using nature to comment on society. By pointing out certain aspects of nature he is able to study the issues that are created as society drifts farther and farther away from a more natural way of...
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