Langston Hughes-Theme for English B- Themes: American identity, education, aleination/isolation
"I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.
I went to school there, then Durham, then here
to this college on the hill above Harlem.
I am the only colored student in my class".
this section of the poem says that he is 22 years old , goes to college above Harlem and the only colored person in his class. Going to college on the hill literaly means he has to walk up that hill to get to their. This symbolizes that college is above or better than Harlem. Being the only black guy in his class was probably not uncommon at this time but this section of the poem gives me a sence of a young, black man experiancing the world.
"You are white---
yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That's American".
These 3 lines are probably the most important part of the poem. It talks about american identity. I am a part of you as you are a part of me. It does not matter what skin color you have in america.
Langston Hughes-Harlem- Themes: Dreams, Racism
"What happens to a dream deferred?"
this is the first line of the poem. It's a good question that tells you what the rest of poem is about.
"Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?"
Langston Hughes puts negative images in your mind. He uses images like rotton meat and a festering sore to describe a dream deferred. Since Hughes is a black man during this time period, I would guess that he had a dream that was crushed by a racist society.
Flannery O'Connor- A Good Man is Hard to Find- Themes: Alienation/isolation, traditional family roles
This short story just makes you want to kill the grandmother. Throughout the story the grandma hides the cat from everyone in the car which causes Bailey to wreck the car and the shortcut she tells everyone to take leads them to their graves. Blurting out the misfits real name is got to be the biggest mistake. In this story the children are protrayed as brats. They always fight, yell and show no respect. This goes against the traditional family roles.
"The children were thrown to the floor and their mother, clutching the baby, was thrown out the door onto the ground; the old lady was thrown into the front seat. The car turned over once and landed right-side-up in a gulch off the side of the road. Bailey remained in the driver's seat with the cat gray-striped with a broad white face and an orange nose clinging to his neck like a caterpillar.
As soon as the children saw they could move their arms and legs, they scrambled out of the car, shouting, We've had an ACCIDENT!"
this section is when the cat scared everyone, causing the accident. Then the Misfit and his friends arrived with guns. They started bossing the family around. I think the grandmother is in denial because she says "Listen," the grandmother almost screamed, "I know you're a good man. You don't look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people!". Just another reason to root for the gun shots.
"His voice seemed about to crack and the grandmother's head cleared for an instant. She saw the man's face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children !" She reached out and touched him on the shoulder. The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest. Then he put his gun down on the ground and took off his glasses and began to clean them".
this section shows you alienation/isolation. When the grandmother finally has her moment of clariety, she reaches out and touches the misfits shoulder. The first sign of human connection in this entire story and the grandmother is killed for it.
The entire family goes along with whatever the grandmother says. No one stands up for what they think is right. They should have told the grandmother to shut up a long time ago.
Ernest Hemmingway-Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber- themes: Death, betrayel, cowardness, alienation/isolation, Power
This story is about Macomber and his wife Margot on an african safari to rekindle their marriage. you find out that they are both very rich. Their safari guide, Robert Wilson, is protrayed as a manly hunter. Macomber shows his cowardness and unmasculine side when Margot kisses Wilson right in front of Macomber. another way Macomber shows his cowardness is when he wounded a lion while hunting. Macomber is "trembling . . . a pitiful look on his face." It was clear that Macomber did not want to kill anything. Throughout the story Macomber changes into a dominant hunter without fear. Towards the end of the story, Macomber sees a water buffalo and without fear, he gets a fine kill. Macomber describes the felling "like a dam bursting . . . pure excitement." He is called a "ruddy fire eater" in the story. Margot is the one who is "very afraid of something." She is losing psychological control over Macomber and she values that power. Margot is so afraid of losing this power that she shoots and kills Macomber.
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