Useless Boys Poem Analysis

The passage “Clearing Paths to the Past” and “To Be of Use”, by Marge Piercy, share one common theme, respect for those who work. In the first passage we learn that the narrator shovels snow. He says he’ll never make tomatos like his grandfather did but shoveling the snow will have to suffice. This shows us that he knows how to find content in simpler things. He knows his job is important and he takes pride in that. In the second passage the narrator talks about how she admires the people who go out and do the jobs no one else wants to do.

The 1970s were a rough year for African-Americans, still fighting for social and political rights in the United States. Consequently, women still did not receive equal rights. However, in 1972, “Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution, which reads: ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex’ (History.com Staff).” Out of the thirty-eight necessary states only twenty-two ratified it right away, it was relieving for the moment because the feminist advocates had been trying to be ratified since 1923. The First African-American woman elected into Congress was Shirley Chisholm. This moment opened doors for African-American women that they thought would never have a chance. Nevertheless, the poem Ego Tripping written by Nikki Giovanni dated back to 1972 where she expresses her power throughout the poem with the support of feminist statements. Giovanni reminds the audience of historical moments that lead up to the current conditions of the United States. Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why) was published with a bundle of poetry which is entitled My House, the book of poems had a common underlying idea that Giovanni is free to do what she pleases and live by her own set of rules (Masterpieces of American Literature Ed. Steven G. Kellman.)

“Always Something More Beautiful” is a poem by Stephen Dunn, born in Forest Hills, NY. I got attracted to this poem, because it reminded me when I was at the Regionals for a Cross-Country race and reflected how humans’ life can be fair or beautiful.

In the poem “Ego-Tripping” by Nikki Giovanni, she normalizes her worth by continuing to royalist herself as a black woman who is essential to mankind. Giovanni creates a vision throughout the poem, which leaves a thought in mind of how woman should look at themselves with much confidence as Giovanni does. “Ego Tripping” was written by Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, Jr. who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943. G9iovanni is a writer, poet, activist, and educator whose work was influenced during the Black Power Movements and the Civil Rights Movement. The poem was released in 2002. Her work provided a strong, militant yet African-American feel that was manifested through her writing. Giovanni work includes variety of topics ranging from race and social issues to children literature. She is considered one of the world well-known poets, within the African-American community.

Mike Rose author of “Blue Collar Brilliance” he reminisces about his childhood and how he was observing his mother at work and how much she multitasked and how he experienced the blue collar work. His purpose was to describe how people integrate physical and mental work is in the field and supports people in the blue collar field.

In the poem “forgiving my father”, Lucille Clifton writes of a young daughter reminiscing about her father’s recent death. The daughter talks about it being Friday, it being payday. She discusses her father and how he owed her and her dead mother money when really they just wanted him to be present. The daughter feels she has had no time with her father and she resents him for it. He was not present in her life and now he has passed away, leaving her with a yearning for something that she will never obtain. It is apparent that she feels negatively toward her father; although, she loves him still after being a horrible father to her. When she calls him daddy she begins to hint at the love and endearment she still holds for him. The words payday and bill shape the poem to be about money; however, when reading more thoroughly it is actually about time.

‘For What It’s Worth’ by Buffalo Springfield has a logical message because it is referring to the Sunset Strip Riots that took place in Hollywood during the 1960’s. People protested when they lost their civil rights due to a curfew law that was put into place. The song says, “Stop, children, what’s that sound. Everybody look- what’s going down?” Community members were angry at the young people going to clubs at night because they were “loud” and “disruptive”. The curfew law was put into place after the complaints and the youth became outraged. They believed their civil right were being taken away. There were riots along the sunset strip, where all these clubs were located, to protest the law. Police were at these riots and many people were handcuffed and hauled off to jail. They are referring to children because these protests were from the younger generation. Even though the overall message is logical, the support within this song is not as strong. ‘For What It’s Worth’ is often mistaken as an anti-war song since it was released during the Vietnam War era. When most people hear this song that is what they think of. The song can be heard in several war related movies. Some even believe it is about the Kent State Shootings although the song was released years before that event occurred. Even though there is not strong evidence to back up this song's true meaning, it

Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” and Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” are similar because they focus on the same subject. However, they differ in how the speakers’ feel about their relationship with their parent(s). In Plath’s “Daddy”, the speaker is a daughter thinking about how her father treated her. She tells about how she felt trapped by him and how she tried to ‘kill’ him, line 6 of the poem, but he dies before she has a chance. The ending of Plath’s poem implies that she got married to a man like her father. In Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, the speaker seems to be an adult reminiscing his childhood through a metaphor of a dance. The poem suggests that the boy was abused and the mother stood by without doing much about it. Three topics that

“My Papa’s Waltz” and “Those Winter Sundays” describe a character who reflects on their childhood. Although they based on the same theme, the two poems have very different perspectives. “Those Winter Sundays” talks about how the son regrets for not showing his love for his father, when all his actions went unnoticed. “My Papa’s Waltz” reflects on a son 's memory with is father where his danced around the house after the father long day at work. Both poems reflect on how their fathers showed his love for his son, the time spent with their fathers, a maternal conflict, and their relationship with their father.

Have you ever faced a life-changing experience that impacted you, your family, or your country? Melba Pattillo Beals, Jackie Robinson, and Feng Ru faced life-changing experiences and made decisions that impacted their lives, their family’s lives, and their countries’ lives. In the story Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, Melba integrated an all white school so blacks can get an equal education as whites. In the story I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson, Jackie was the first African American to play in the Major Leagues. Finally, in the story “Father of Chinese Aviation” by Rebecca Maksel, Feng Ru, became the first Chinese aviator to build planes of his own design. Not only did these three individuals change their countries, but by doing something life-changing, they impacted their own lives.

Billions of people live in this world, each one taking part in countless relationships. These relationships form through the various interactions of everyday life. There are the relationships between friends, teachers and their students, and even the relationships between pets and their owners, all of which develop unique and amiable friendships over time. These relationships, however, often end and cannot withstand life’s hard ways, leaving only the strongest and deepest bond to survive the storms—the bond within the family. Simon J. Ortiz and Robert Hayden both depict this family bond differently in their poems. In “My Father’s Song,” Ortiz describes the caring and tender relationship between a father and his son. Hayden, however speaks in

Neglect is a destructive matter occurring in today’s society. Neglect can be defined as when someone is or feels unloved or abandoned. Maloney demonstrates this theme in the novel as a concern considered by the protagonist, Carl. Carl Matt is a victim of this deplorable predicament. In the book, he feels unwanted in many situations, mainly with his mother, Kerry, who has abandoned him numerous times. His mother, Kerry, one of the major issues of Carl’s life, deserted her family every so and then to leave for countless vacations, her children never understood the reason why. Although, this time when Carl’s mother left, she never came back, Carl would wonder if she ever loved him, this had brought up the matter of ‘neglect’. This problem of renunciation is shown in the quote:”...I’m angry. All the time it was that one fear. That she didn’t love me.” when Carl had finally spoke out. The author uses emotive language to express the issue of neglect conveying Carl’s feelings towards the absence of his mother to convey the extent of Carl’s experience of desertion and thereby highlights the issue of neglect. This creates a negative impact on teenagers in today’s current society, by stimulating of feelings of fear and isolation. Abandonment is a serious issue that is striving to be avoided by the current generation. Maloney demonstrates

The authors detail in this story helps you acknowledge the tone in which the author is trying to make you understand that they are homosexuals. They made this clear by stating “he was naked to the waist” which meant that they were comfortable being naked around each other. This phrase helps the reader understand the type of relationship they had towards each other. The author’s diction when he uses “please, baby. Let’s be very, very quiet.” Showing that they are gay. He also uses “several drawings of dick – nude studies.” Showing once again of dick’s homosexual fantasies.

Forgiveness is the action or process of forgiving or being forgiven. (Hawkins, 1994, P. 206) My personal understanding of the parable ‘The Prodigal Son” is that it portrays the importance of reasoning and forgiveness. The main characters in the parable are two sons and a betrayed father. The father remains constant throughout the parable, although he has being betrayed by his younger son. His idiosyncrasy remains loving and understanding, even when his younger son returned home after many of been away with not a penny to his name.