Poems From Other Cultures Essay Example
Poems From Other Cultures Essay Example

Poems From Other Cultures Essay Example

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Both poems I've studied share a common theme: mistreatment of individuals who have had enough of being treated poorly. As a result, they develop a hatred for those who mistreat them and seek retribution for years of mistreatment. In each poem, the mistreated person takes action. For instance, in "Charlotte O'Neil's Song," the servant quits her job and leaves her disrespectful mistress high and dry.

Charlotte moves to a new country to escape her troubles, while the poem depicts the ongoing issue of racism. A black man experiences discrimination based on his skin color, as white people mistreat him. In the end, the black man retaliates against their bigotry by breaking the glass of an inn that prohibited him due to his skin color.

Both poems conclude with powerful endings. Additionally, "The Mistress" portrays a life

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filled with opulence and luxury. Residing in a majestic mansion where she is attended to attentively, the wealthy lady enjoys a life of abundance. Considering the era in which the poem was written, it was uncommon for women to hold significant positions in the workforce, thus suggesting that the affluent woman is likely living off of someone else's wealth.

While the mistress lives a life fit for a princess, the poor servant works tirelessly for very little pay and hardly any respect. It's likely that the servant is only earning enough to avoid starvation. The contrast between their lives is stark - while the mistress sleeps on a silken pillow, the servant sleeps in an attic cot. This highlights the clear class difference between these two women.

The living conditions of the two women were quite disparate - while the

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mistress enjoyed great comforts, the servants faced extreme poverty. The poem highlights the dismal treatment meted out by the mistress towards her staff, evident from the line, "I scrubbed till my hands were raw." This firmly underscores the extensive efforts put in by the servant with little or no recompense. The mistress' unconcern is further emphasized by the absence of care for the hurt hands of the servant, illustrating a lack of empathy towards her workers.

Although they shared the same residence and slept in the same abode, their lives were vastly dissimilar. Notably, the poem articulates the sentiment of a servant who harbors extreme animosity towards her former employers. It seems plausible that this hatred has festered within her since she commenced her tenure. Essentially, the servant was an emotionally fragile individual on the verge of erupting. The song accentuates these emotions by accelerating its tempo in the closing lines of the poem.

"But till never say sir, or thank you ma'am" indicates the servant's relief from working for the selfish mistress. It appears that the servant was envious of the mistress, but this was unwarranted. The mistress gains wealth without labor, only due to her marriage to a rich man. The servant believes that the mistress was fortunate and could have been in the same privileged position if their life opportunities were identical. The poem suggests that the servant dislikes the mistress more than the master. "But now your on your own my dear," indicates the servant's contentment in leaving the mistress to handle her own responsibilities.

The mistress was unaware that she would ever have to clean her own dwelling and apparel.The poet depicts

a dismal perception of the servant's life. She details how the servant was mistreated, with employers having no sense of obligation towards their diligent worker. The phrase "I scrubbed till my hands were raw" is employed to evoke a vivid image in the reader's imagination.

In this passage, the writer vividly portrays the struggles of a poor servant who works tirelessly for ungrateful individuals. Through the mistress character, the author reveals how the servant's devoted labor eventually leads to her own physical limitations. The stark contrast between the mistress's pristine parquet floor and the servant's discomfort highlights the unfair distribution of wealth and effort. Ultimately, the author intensifies the tempo towards the end of the story to convey the servant's increasing frustration and anger.

Throughout the poem, the author effectively utilizes repetition and personal pronouns to highlight the contrasting roles of the servant ("I") and the mistress ("You"). For instance, the phrase "I've cleaned" is repeated three times, contributing to the poem's rhythmic appeal. Additionally, by using "I" to denote the servant and "You" to denote the mistress, the differences in their social status become more evident. This stylistic contrast is maintained throughout the poem.

The final paragraph is impactful as it conveys the servant's boiling anger through the use of concise lines. The brevity of the last three lines accurately portrays their discontent.Paragraph Five, written post-apartheid, acknowledges that discrimination continues to exist and reinforces the separation between white and black individuals. The poem mentions "White only in" with "Incipient ports Jackson trees" which refers to costly Australian trees.

Although the inn is posh and well-kept, integration between whites and blacks is not welcome. The poem depicts

the superiority of a white person's life over a black person's, highlighting the continued mistreatment of black individuals. The perspective of the poem is from a black person's point of view, as evidenced by the line "Whites only inn, No sign it has, but we know where we belong". The final line reflects bitterness and resignation towards the ongoing struggle for equality, acknowledging that black people will continue to be second-class citizens to the white man. The writer has lost faith in government and sees no hope for black people despite the supposed end of racial discrimination with the end of apartheid.

Despite efforts to combat it, racial discrimination still persists, leaving many black individuals frustrated, fed up, and angry. They believe that no one will help them and that their voices go unheard. Previous attempts to protest and rally for equality have been met with disregard from white people. This particular black man believes that the only way to have his voice heard is to physically harm white individuals. He desires for them to feel the same pain that he experiences while giving up his seat for a white person, dealing with stares from white people in "white" parts of town, and being turned away from establishments solely based on the color of his skin. As he experiences constant pain from the actions of white people, he believes that it is time for them to feel some pain in return inflicted by black people.

In paragraph seven, the poet expresses sympathy towards the black people, believing they have been mistreated by the government and white people. The writer describes the luxurious lifestyle of white

people, using "and" in four consecutive sentences to highlight the black man's suffering. The poem concludes with a powerful statement, "Nothings Changed," emphasizing that the government's attempts to resolve race relations in Africa were unsuccessful.

Despite no changes, black people are still being treated poorly and like animals. The poems illustrate the struggle for civil rights and the fight against injustices, despite the difficult odds.

Despite both poems having powerful endings, they differ greatly. In Charlotte O'Neil's poem, the servant leaves behind her hardships and aims for a brighter future, shown by the line "And you can open your own front door". This implies that there is hope if one stands up for oneself and works hard, no matter their class. Conversely, the ending of the poem 'Nothing's Changed' shows the black person being forced to continue living in an unjust world with no escape, despite their efforts to enact change.

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