Lorna Dee Cervantes

Lorna Dee Cervantes’ poem “Poem for the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person Could Believe in the War Between Races” is different than the other poems she wrote in that the poem’s content appears to be meant to be taken very literally instead of metaphorically. From the title of the poem alone, the reader can conclude that the poem is a response to the person whom the poem is directed towards—the young white man. In addition, this particular poem dramatizes the conflict between the speaker and the white man over the topic of there being a war between races. Though the reader does not necessarily know who the speaker or narrator of this poem is, they can convey that the speaker is Cervantes. Cervantes utilizes this poem in order to tell the young white man that her acknowledgement of the war between races is not because of her lack of intelligence. In fact, Cervantes discloses that acknowledging that there is a war between races is not even relevant to a person’s intellect in the sixth stanza: “Racism is not intellectual.” Cervantes’ situation is unique in that she ensures that…

A refugee enduring the trip from their homeland to America in an attempt for a better and brighter future takes courage and patience. It is a direct reflection of what is going on today with Syria and other countries wanting to escape the harsh realities of war and other issues. Lorna Dee Cervantes captures the moments of the being a refugee in her poem “Refugee Ship”. The speaker tells of an experience which can be seen as being an autobiographical anecdote. She wants to continue to be…

relationships they are, what those relationships are based (the basis for those relationships). They can make an individual’s life in one way or another. Ways never expected, it can be positive or it can be negative. But either way, it presents one with the ability to learn from it whether there be good or bad consequences that stem from it. It’s something to look back on, a humorous anecdote to tell while at some posh party that’s more boring than actual fun, a lesson to teach the grandchildren…

However, her bitterness is more of the cultural differences in her identity. Cervantes depicts her loneliness that her mother caused because of her quest for the American Dream; “Mama raised me without language./I’m orphaned from my Spanish name./The words are foreign, stumbling/on my tongue…” (343 Ln 5-8). Cervantes’s mother’s drive to assimilate her daughter into her adopted culture detaches Cervantes from her lineal cultural affiliation. This in turn provokes Cervantes to feel trapped in the…

According to McKeown, innovation can be actions or behaviors that violate social norms. Which led him to believe in “rejecting the old” and everything new is better. Overall, McKeown was correct with his opinion on how this quote relates to punk. The way the “punk generation” changed their appearance to get attention was so they could educate everyone on their new views. One particular band that had the style and attitude for “punk” was The Ramones; “a group of "brothers" from Forest Hills,…

Everybody has some experience or exposure to one of those themes. Race is one of society’s way of grouping humans into a large and distinct group according to their cultural, genetic, anatomical, historical, ethnic, religious, geographical, linguistic, and/or social association. Just like in the story, in today’s society many struggle to find themselves and to stay true to their heritage and race. The character Dee is the perfect example to show how someone can easily misinterpret what their…

Katherine Anne Porter’s famous short story “Flowering Judas” follows a women named Laura who is being courted by a man named Braggioni. The story itself uses symbolic meaning with flowers and religious symbols . With every event taking place in her house the reader feels the isolation with her. in Katherine Anne Porter “Flowering Judas the themes, author styles and literary devices all make the story more enjoyable to read. In Katherine Anne Porter’s “ Flowering Judas” the theme of Ideals vs…

She wanted to reconnect with her African heritage so badly that she even changed her name from Dee to “Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo”. Dee was angered by what she saw as a history of oppression in her family, she composed a contemporary heritage on her own and refused her true heritage. She declines to understand the family tradition of her name and gives herself a new name, Wangero, which Dee considers more meticulously to represent the African heritage. A number of characters and objects signify…

It’s about Alice and her sister Dee, who comes to visit them at their home and tries to take something of value to the family for herself. Dee “made it big” a while back, getting her out of the old farm, a living with her mother and sisters (59). Dee had come home to try and collect an old family quilt to go back to her new home and hang it up on her wall. Alice almost considered when she said that she had promised to give the quilts to Maggie for when she gets married (64) Dee becomes appalled…

family’. Like Dee, or should I say ‘Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo,’ valuing the past and our family may be challenging. This is because at times in our lives, our past and family becomes so common to us like ‘everyday use’ of items, that we often take them for granted. Everyday Use takes place in the 1960’s in the narrator’s yard and house. She wasted no time and went into details about the setting. She explained that the yard is more like an ‘extended living room.’ I agree with this statement,…