Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, And Tupac Shakur - 1088 Words

Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, and Tupac Shakur have a major role in English Literature, Even though they live during the different time periods from different backgrounds, and they all have written many poems about the American dream. When it comes to the American dream, people have different points of view on the topic. Many people believe that American dream is about all American citizens having equal rights and opportunities to achieve the success through hard work. On the other hand, many people believe otherwise, and they believe that not everyone living in the America has same rights and opportunities like and others because race and backgrounds of an individual play a major role whether they are going to succeed or not. While†¦show more content†¦They send me to eat in the kitchen, When company comes† (Hughes, 2,3,4). He shows the discrimination African Americans encounter while living in America, and they are not treated equally. Hughes expresses his feeling s that America was never America to him. In his poem, â€Å"Let America be America again,† Hughes writes, â€Å"(It never was America to me.), O, let my land be a land where Liberty, Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There’s never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this â€Å"homeland of the free.†)†(Hughes 10-16). In this poem, Hughes points out that he never feels like he is living in America because he never experiences the equality, freedom, and opportunities what he always hears about America. Moreover, Tupac Shakur uses his poetry to address all the injustice happening in the United States with African Americans. In his poem, â€Å"Liberty Needs Glasses† Shakur writes, â€Å"Excuse me but lady liberty needs glasses / and so does Mrs. Justice by her side† (1-2). Shakur uses the symbol of lady liberty and glasses to get the attention of Americans th at they should open their eyes and see what is truly going on. Shakur also uses the end of â€Å"Liberty Needs Glasses† to show double standard of the American dream. He writes â€Å"I mean really if anyone really valued life, and cared about the masses, they’d take ‘em both 2 Pen Optical, and get 2 pairs of glasses† (Shakur

Analysis Of The Book The Revolution By Jack Rakove

Revolutionaries, by Jack Rakove published in 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, which is located in New York city, New York, brings a collection of stories of the ‘founding fathers’ together to create the story of the American Revloution. The thesis of the book is arguably that the American Revolution may never have happened without the mishaps of the Boston Tea Party, which in turn created a collection of colonial leaders. Rakove’s book, in the early chapters, focus on Samuel and John Adams, John Dickinson, and George Washington. The later sections talk about the trio of key party leaders in the early Republic: Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton. Throughout, we are introduced to less commonly know people: Henry Laurens, Jack Laurens, Arthur Lee and George Mason The account of the first part of Revolutionaries is one we all learn in elementary school: ‘no taxation without representation’ and the Boston Tea Party. We’re too comf ortable with this period, or at least with how we know it: the characters and the events have the well-worn quality that comes from being handled too much. Benjamin Franklin with his half-glasses sells us plumbing and tax advice. Proud Sam Adams hawks beer. Rakove uses rich descriptions of the Founders’ daily lives to quicken the plaster-cast heroes. While the First Continental Congress (meeting in Philadelphia in the fall of 1774) was debating how to respond to harsh British sanctions against the city of Boston, delegate George

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a time of great change in America Essay Example For Students

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a time of great change in America Essay In the mid-nineteenth century, Americans began to experience a shift in focus from the once stringent religious outlook to a more scientific view of the world and its natural wonders. Americans, however, did look at these new scientific discoveries with much hesitation, questioning their long-term effects on society as a whole. Hawthorne s work, The Birth Mark echoes these sentiments and combine natural faith with a confidence in science to make a very interesting tale. This tale and its morality convey a message to the reader that there is a price for tampering with the natural order of things. This story opens by explaining how educated and knowledgeable Aylmer is, and the narrator even suggests that he may have the power to alter nature. We know not whether Aylmer possesses this degree of faith in mans ultimate control over nature Birthmark, 1262 . As Aylmer tries to use science to alter nature, or in this case, the birthmark on his wifes cheek, his plan backfires and his wife dies. The death of Georgiana shows that knowledge is dangerous if used in the wrong way. The influence of the evolution of culture has caused men to educate themselves, and learn extensive amounts about science. However, some men like Aylmer take advantage of their intelligence and try to play the role of God. Aylmer allowed his mind to consume his heart, resulting in the senseless death of his beautiful wife. Culture teaches men that if they learn enough that they can manipulate nature; however, in the Birthmark, Hawthorne shows that intelligence still cant overcome nature and thus culture is self-destructive. The fact the whole story is about removing a physical flaw from Georgianas face when she is already obviously beautiful demonstrates the degree to which Aylmer has allowed this pursuit of knowledge and culture to destroy his ability to perceive natures beauty. In this text, Georgiana and her birthmark represent nature, and culture is represented by Aylmer. Culture has taught men to question the flaws of women that they once found intriguing, therefore Aylmer is challenging nature when he tries to remove it. Aylmer is so wrapped up in this culture that he treats Georgiana as property. Her opinion about the removal of the birthmark was of little concern to him. Therefore, culture asserts that it is not only a separate entity from nature but that it has superior qualities. Because of Aylmers belief that culture is superior to nature, the Creator of nature and culture alike chose to punish him. The punishment was not in an effort to be vengeful, but to show him what should have been important to him was not the birthmark on Georgianas face, but the beauty that she possessed both inside and out that made him desire to spend the rest of his days with her. he failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of Time, and living once and for all in Eternity, to find the perfect Future in the present Birthmark, 1273; therefore, he was forced to spend eternity without the one that truly loved himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ unconditionally.