African American poets

Paul Dunbar was a man who was a poet, a novelist, and a speaker. He was the first African American writer to earn an international audience. He was born on june 27, 1872 in Dayton Ohio. His parents were freed slaves by the names of Matilda and Joshua Dunbar. Soon after he was born his parents split up but he still had a close bond with both his mother and father. When dunbar was four his mother taught him how to read. Then at the age of six he started to read and recite poems. In 1886 for high school, he attended Dayton Central High School and he was the only African American in his class. Paul became popular with the students and he was then made class president and poet. He was a editor in a few newspapers throughout his high school…

In the late 17th ceuntry, artistic minds recognize the need for education to enhance the world 's content. The expanded conciousness and perception that results from learning is a huamn gift that distinguishes man from beast. The difficult answers of the human condition, such as purpose on earth, are revealied to each individual depending on their educational and cultural expreinces. All three poems To S. M. A Young African Painter, On Seeing His Works, by Phillis Wheatley, Learning to Read, by…

working class black African American people. In this poem, he compared the beauty of nature to the beauty of his people. My people is a very short poem, built in three stanzas which consist of two lines in each stanza. This poem was written in simple language, therefore, the readers can easily understand what he is trying to convey. I believe, beneath its simple words, this poem depicts the beauty of working class black African American people that go beyond the beauty of physical appearance.…

During the Poem “Song of Myself” Walt Whitman examines the complex idea of belonging in society by using sly commentary and symbols alike, while writing with a seemingly egotistical style. This piece was one of the twelve poems from the original collection of “Leaves of Grass” published in 1855, which was shortly before the Civil War started. This was a time of despair for Whitman because he was living in a fractured union. During this piece Whitman used many evocative situations to capture the…

Vinh Lee AP English July 19 2016 In Virginia Woolf’s excerpt from “Moments of Being,” she describes her adolescent years from her childhood when she would spend her summers in Cornwall, England. She uses many different kinds of language to convey and improve her memories as a child. In the excerpt she uses imagery and tone to help convey her memories with her family. Virginia Woolf uses specific events at the lake to explain her time with her father and how he gave her advice on being…

Illinois Poet Laureate writes about Gwendolyn’s style, “nearly all the popular forms of English poetry appear in her work, as do the competing energies of lyric, narrative, and dramatic modes. Her syntax is muscular, vibrant, and surprising.” (Illinois Poet Laureate 1). This is consistent with how “The Mother” was constructed and written. Sharon Olds writes “The Planned Child” with the same sense of detail as Gwendolyn Brooks. Sharon Olds is famous for her uncensored ability to paint whatever…

Emily Dickinson, an introverted American poet with epilepsy, wrote her way into the world of literature in a distinctive and intriguing manner. Her words, while often unrhymed, have left a perpetual ringing in the minds of her readers. Her poems will forever provide them with wonder, however, one may find themselves speculating about what influenced Miss Dickinson to write her poetry the way that she did. Richard Wilbur, an American poet, described Emily Dickinson with the following quote; “I…

Comparing and contrast of “Those Winter Sundays” and “My Papa’s Waltz” In describing “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke we see that both are reflecting on a childhood experience with their fathers. There is a showing of compassion and understanding in both poems yet fear is also described. The speakers are reflecting back on a past childhood memory with their fathers but we do not understand if they are pleasant or resentment. Although they deal…

In every American household there is the ultimate goal to achieve the “American Dream”. And every household holds a different version of the “American Dream”. But what is the proper version of the “American Dream”? How can we achieve it? Who has access to it? For the majority of people, myself included, one would argue that the “American Dream” is to utilize the system of capitalism, to achieve financial success, materialistic belongings, have a family and to be healthy and stable when retired.…

Doug Glanville’s essay “Still Standing” Is a thought provoking reading that talks about how a protesting football player made Glanville ask a very powerful question, “Why do we salute the flag?” The essay is mainly about how Glanville was raised to pledge the flag. Also how he had this pre judged mindset as a kid due to parents and media that he later finds out is clearly wrong. The essay begins about how he first heard about Colin Kaepernick and his protest and how he immediately relates it to…