The poems "Nighttime Fires" and "Seniors" both deal directly with memories of their authors' experiences as youths. In "Nighttime Fires", Regina Barreca tells the reader that after her father lost his job he developed an unhealthy obsession with watching houses burn. She then discusses how he involved his family in this somewhat insalubrious fixation. Similarly, in "Seniors", Alberto Rios discusses several events that had an impact on him and the word choices he uses relay that he still allows them to affect his life. While Barreca implies in her poem that she learned from what her father did and moved on, Rios suggests that the events of his childhood still impact him today and, in some sense, this could be compared to the father in "Nighttime
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Barreca implies through the use of words such as "festival, carnival" (15) that she was excited about running out of her house at night to watch other houses burn. It becomes apparent, however, that Barreca's conscious mind was not fully aware of how this experience was affecting her. She unconsciously notes that her father remained sad and emotionally distant. This introduced an inner conflict, because when she went to watch a house burn, her father's face "lit up" (19) and, as she asserts in the poem, "My father who never held us / would take my hand" (22-23). While her father's behavior seems to upset Barreca, the tone of the poem implies that she is no longer emotionally affected by what her father did and instead has chosen to look back on it, recognize that her father was wrong, and possibly learn from it. In "Seniors", Alberto Rios also experiences an inner conflict. He has several direct memories of impactful events, and he seems to be obsessed with one girl that he kissed, stating that, "I remember her, clearly, and she moves / around the room, sometimes until I sleep" (30-31). This memory causes an inner conflict for Rios, which unlike Barreca, seems to still be negatively impacting his life. His statement that "always now, here in a truck, / the moment again" (36-37) implies that he is restless and is only dwelling in that past and not looking ahead. In some sense, what …show more content…
Barreca seems to have learned from the negative things she experienced and moved beyond allowing her childhood to impact her life. In contrast, Rios seems to still be dwelling in the past and allowing those experiences to negatively dictate the life he is living now. Both poets utilize powerful literary elements such as dynamic language, inner conflict, and vivid imagery to grab the attention of the reader, capture their emotions, and substantiate the importance of not allowing a memory, whether good or bad, have power over one's
Barreca implies through the use of words such as "festival, carnival" (15) that she was excited about running out of her house at night to watch other houses burn. It becomes apparent, however, that Barreca's conscious mind was not fully aware of how this experience was affecting her. She unconsciously notes that her father remained sad and emotionally distant. This introduced an inner conflict, because when she went to watch a house burn, her father's face "lit up" (19) and, as she asserts in the poem, "My father who never held us / would take my hand" (22-23). While her father's behavior seems to upset Barreca, the tone of the poem implies that she is no longer emotionally affected by what her father did and instead has chosen to look back on it, recognize that her father was wrong, and possibly learn from it. In "Seniors", Alberto Rios also experiences an inner conflict. He has several direct memories of impactful events, and he seems to be obsessed with one girl that he kissed, stating that, "I remember her, clearly, and she moves / around the room, sometimes until I sleep" (30-31). This memory causes an inner conflict for Rios, which unlike Barreca, seems to still be negatively impacting his life. His statement that "always now, here in a truck, / the moment again" (36-37) implies that he is restless and is only dwelling in that past and not looking ahead. In some sense, what …show more content…
Barreca seems to have learned from the negative things she experienced and moved beyond allowing her childhood to impact her life. In contrast, Rios seems to still be dwelling in the past and allowing those experiences to negatively dictate the life he is living now. Both poets utilize powerful literary elements such as dynamic language, inner conflict, and vivid imagery to grab the attention of the reader, capture their emotions, and substantiate the importance of not allowing a memory, whether good or bad, have power over one's