Published Writing Number 5: Poetry

      Poetry is a style of literature that exhibits the narrator's emotions in their life. Poetry contains an abundance of literary tones and themes. Readers gain many different sentiments and perceptions from poetry regardless of the time period. This exemplifies the longevity of poetry.  This is true in the poems To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet and Re-statement of Romance by Wallace Stevens. Likewise, shades of poetry can be found in modern day pop culture. This is relevant in the song All of Me by John Legend. 

In the poem To My Dear and Loving Husband, a women expressed her potent love for her spouse. The poem depicts the theme of the merging of two beings through love. When two admirers start to be infatuated with one another, they feel they are one being. As Bradstreet conveyed, “If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee” (Bradstreet 1). This illustrates the unification that affection gives a couple. Throughout the work, one can sense the tone of admiration. The narrator exhibits this through her appreciation for her relationship with her spouse, as Bradstreet wrote “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, Or all the riches that the East doth hold” (Bradstreet 1). The grooms fondness toward his wife is priceless, as she holds it higher than all the wealth in the world. Furthermore, the idea that this wedded pair as one goes past their life on earth, as Bradstreet illustrates “Then while we live, in love let’s so persever, That when we live no more, we may live ever”. Consequently, one can say their consolidation will be preserved even in the after life. 

In the poem Re-statement of Romance, Steven’s expressed his passion for another being through the theme of the unification of lovers. This is true since Stevens declared that two admires are one, “Only we two are one, not you and night, Nor night and I, but you and I, alone..” (Steven 1). Complementary to the work To My Dear and Loving Husband, Steven emphasized that this belief must be mutual for both lovers, where as one can not selfishly wish to live for themselves. For example, through marriage a couple vows to live the rest of their life for each other's desires and wishes. Likewise, this belief of that two being’s are fused through romance leaves them isolated in their happily ever after fantasy. As Steven’s expressed, “So much alone, so deeply by ourselves, So far beyond the casual solitudes” (Steven 1). This piece portrayed a tone of compassion. Compassion is relevant in the poem because the couple seems to be extremely devoted to one another. As Steven’s clarified, “Only we two may interchange Each in the other what each has to give” (Steven 1). Love influences the unification of lovers. Likewise, it is one of the purest emotions that can be expressed by a human being. 

In the song All of Me  by John Legend, Legend sing’s about how significant his love is for a female. Legend reveals that he would commit everything of his to attain love, as he sang, “Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you” (Legend). Identical to the works To My Dear and Loving Husband and Re-statement of Romance, Legend exhibits his dedication to receive true love. Unconditional love is the theme in this song. Similar to Re-statement of Romance and To My Dear and Loving Husband, Legend expressed his willingness to live the rest of his life with his other half. Like Legend wrote, “You're my end and my beginning, Even when I lose, I'm winning” (Legend). Legend showed how much he cherished his love, as he illustrated “Love your curves and all your edges, All your perfect imperfections” (Legend). Legends work of art depicts an admiring tone, as he displays his genuine love for another. This is true when Legend wrote, “Even when you're crying, you're beautiful too The world is beating you down, I'm around Through every mood” (Legend). Legend presents an affection that will last for eternity, similar to the love in  To My Dear and Loving Husband and Re-statement of Romance. 

Ultimately, love is demonstrated as a powerful emotion that lasts for many lifetimes. In the piece To My Dear and Loving Husband, a wife’s love for her other half is perceived as priceless and dominant. In the poem Re-statement of Romance, love is described as a devotion between two beings till death. Both of these poems exhibit that love brings two beings together and makes them one. In All of Me by John Legend, Legend describes his unconditional love for his soulmate. Complementary to both poems, Legend illustrated his desire to die loving his other half. Love creates a sole mind between two beings and is mankind's most genuine emotion. 

Works Cited:

Legend, John. “John Legend – All of Me.” Genius, 12 Aug. 2013, genius.com/John-legend-all-of-me-lyrics.

Stevens, Wallace. “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 13 May 2016, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/re-statement-romance.

Bradstreet, Anne. “To My Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43706/to-my-dear-and-loving-husband. 

Published Writing #1: The Magnitude of an Alpha Males Ego

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Creon became the ruler of Thebes after the two heirs to the throne, Polyneices and Eteocles, killed each other over who would predominantly rule Thebes. Due to his destruction of the city, Creon ordered that Polyneices’ dead body would not have proper burial rights. Polyneices’ sister Antigone, defied this rule and went on to bury her brother’s body. Creon then punished Antigone for defying his request. Creon and Antigone’s conflict displays sexism caused by their pride. Creon as a man, sees himself above women; however, Antigone’s actions prove that she too displays pride in being a woman.

Creon’s actions toward Antigone for honoring her brother, but defying him displays sexism. It can be said that Creon felt disrespected by Antigone going against him, however one can say that he felt particularly hurt because she is a female. Creon states,  “If we must accept defeat, let it be from a man; we must not let people say that a women beat us” (Sophocles, 1147). Creon’s statement displays an ego in his manhood, which shows that he sees women to be beneath men. For example, Antigone is Haemon’s soon to be spouse and she also became a noble hero to Thebes for defying Creon. Haemon attempted to save her for himself and Thebes. As Haemon confirmed, “... She will not die by my side. But you will never again set eyes upon my face” (Sophocles, 1150). However, Creon’s punishment for Antigone was sentencing her to death. Consequently, Haemon stabbed himself in an attempt to murder Creon for Antigone’s death. Furthermore, Creon’s wife committed suicide after Haemon’s death. Creon’s pride left him with a dead spouse and son.

Another example of gender bias in the play is demonstrated when Ismene attempted to prevent Antigone from defying Creon, which meant not giving Polyneices a proper burial.

Ismene explained that Antigone should not oppose Creon’s rule because she’s a woman and Creon is a man. As Ismene declared, “you ought to understand we are women, not meant in nature to fight against men” (Sophocles, 1131). From Ismene’s point of view, women are born weaker than men and Antigone would suffer for attempting to provoke Creon. Antigone pridefully ignored Ismene’s theory and went on to give her brother a burial. This exhibits Antigone’s way of proving that women can stand up to men, as she stood up to Creon and didn’t fear dying to do so. As Antigone explained “... I myself will bury him. It will be good to die, so doing.” (Sophocles, 1132).

            Ultimately, Creon and Antigone’s pride resulted in their deaths. Creon’s strong
belief that man is greater than woman caused the death of Haemon, Eurydice and Antigone.
His pride pressured him to sentence Antigone to death, regardless of Haemon’s wish.
One can say Antigone’s desire to bury Polyneices body was for her morality, but also her ambition to prove that women can battle men.

Published Writing #2: The Pursuit of Illusion's in Reality

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Creon became the ruler of Thebes after the two heirs to the throne, Polyneices and Eteocles, killed each other over who would predominantly rule Thebes. Due to his destruction of the city, Creon ordered that Polyneices’ dead body would not have proper burial rights. Polyneices’ sister Antigone, defied this rule and went on to bury her brother’s body. Creon then punished Antigone for defying his request. Creon and Antigone’s conflict displays sexism caused by their pride. Creon as a man, sees himself above women; however, Antigone’s actions prove that she too displays pride in being a woman.

Creon’s actions toward Antigone for honoring her brother but defying him displays sexism. It can be said that Creon felt disrespected by Antigone going against him, however one can say that he felt particularly hurt because she is a female. Creon states, “If we must accept defeat, let it be from a man; we must not let people say that a women beat us” (Sophocles, 1147). Creon’s statement displays an ego in his manhood, which shows that he sees women to be beneath men. For example, Antigone is Haemon’s soon to be spouse and she also became a noble hero to Thebes for defying Creon. Haemon attempted to save her for himself and Thebes. As Haemon confirmed, “... She will not die by my side. But you will never again set eyes upon my face” (Sophocles, 1150). However, Creon’s punishment for Antigone was sentencing her to death. Consequently, Haemon stabbed himself in an attempt to murder Creon for Antigone’s death. Furthermore, Creon’s wife committed suicide after Haemon’s death. Creon’s pride left him with a dead spouse and son.

          Another example of gender bias in the play is demonstrated when Ismene attempted to prevent Antigone from defying Creon, which meant not giving Polyneices a proper burial.

Ismene explained that Antigone should not oppose Creon’s rule because she’s a woman and Creon is a man. As Ismene declared, “you ought to understand we are women, not meant in nature to fight against men” (Sophocles, 1131). From Ismene’s point of view, women are born weaker than men and Antigone would suffer for attempting to provoke Creon. Antigone pridefully ignored Ismene’s theory and went on to give her brother a burial. This exhibits Antigone’s way of proving that women can stand up to men, as she stood up to Creon and didn’t fear dying to do so. As Antigone explained “... I myself will bury him. It will be good to die, so doing.” (Sophocles, 1132).

            Ultimately, Creon and Antigone’s pride resulted in their deaths. Creon’s strong belief
that man is greater than woman caused the death of Haemon, Eurydice and Antigone. His pride pressured him to sentence Antigone to death, regardless of Haemon’s wish. One can say Antigone’s desire to bury Polyneices body was for her morality, but also her ambition to prove that women can battle men.

Published Writing Number 3: Societies Imprisonment of the Diverse

During the Civil Rights Movement Dr. Martin Luther King expressed that, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed”. To be accepted in society, one must battle many internal and external conflicts. One’s liberty will not come easy or for free. This is true in the short story A White Woman of Color, by Julia Alvarez and in the article “For Many Chinese, New Wealth and a Fresh Face” by Sharon Lafraniere . Alvarez portrayed her impression that her appearance did not amount to society's expectation of women. In “For Many Chinese, New Wealth and a Fresh Face” citizens of China endure self-hatred for not being the flawless version of societies beauty.  Oppression on an individual can cause them to re-evaluate their stance. During this process, one either accepts themselves for who they truly are, or they develop into society's depiction of themselves.

            In A White Woman of Color, Alvarez shows that society has biased view due to the complexion of their skin. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, citizens depicted people with Caucasian features as prosperous being’s. Whereas one with a dark complexion wasn’t even worthy enough to live their life in harmony. As Alvarez recalled, “to protect Dominican race purity, Trujillo ordered the overnight slaughter of thousands of Haitians by his military.” (Alvarez). Alvarez lived under the rule of a leader who was determined to relinquish any being with dark skin. Along with the public, Alvarez’s family also saw one with caucasian features to be more appealing. As Alvarez clarified, “I experienced racism within my own family- though I didn’t think of it as racism. But there was definitely a hierarchy of beauty, which was the main currency in our family of daughters” (Alvarez 1). Considering these circumstances, one can say Alvarez felt outside of society's norm. This perception only grew when her family settled in America, where she was forced to attend a private school after being bullied at a public one for possessing genes of color. As Alvarez explained, “Go back to where you came from!’ they yelled at me and my sisters from the playground. When some of them started throwing stones..” (Alvarez 3). With the help of studying literature, Alvarez finally accepted her heritage and disregarded any opinions of the world. To further overcome her sense of isolation, Alvarez found her published pieces of literature become a success to Dominicans. Consequently, she connected to them through motivational speeches. As Alvarez writes, “Ironically, it was through my own stories and poems that I finally made contact with Latino communities in this country” (Alvarez 3).  In the article “For Many Chinese, New Wealth and a Fresh Face” by Sharon Lafraniere, citizens of China endure animosity for lacking features such as wide eyes, a strong jaw structure and perfect nose. To avoid societies disdain, people look to plastic surgery. As Lafraniere states, “No official figures exist, but the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery estimated in 2009 that China ranked 3rd (behind the United States and Brazil) with more than two million operations annually. The number of operations is doubling every year, Mr. Ma said at a conference organized by the Health Ministry in November” (Lafraniere 1). It has become such a common way to fight society's oppression on beauty. Likewise, receiving money for plastic surgery as a graduation gift has become a familiar present in China. As Lafraniere pointed out, “The youthful patients include job applicants hoping to enhance their prospects in the workforce, teenagers who received cosmetic surgery as a high school graduation present and even middle school students, most of whom want eye jobs, surgeons say” (Lafraniere 1). People consider going under surgery so they appear more applicable for a job. As a result, plastic surgery is no longer a taboo and is accepted by the country as a normal procedure that will help one become successful in life.

            Ultimately, Alvarez and the citizens of China received a great deal of animosity in their life for their flaws. To overcome contempt from society, Alvarez studied readings and began to accept her heritage. Furthermore, her works of literature helped bring her together with Dominicans. In China, people battled societies labels on beauty by undergoing plastic surgery and transforming this taboo into a common procedure. As a result, people use their procedures to help get them jobs and become a success in life. Alvarez opposed society’s perspective on her by accepting her Hispanic ancestry. Individuals in china conquered their imperfections by conducting plastic surgery and therefore becoming more ordinary to the public.  

Works Cited:

LaFRANIERE, S. (2011, Apr 24). For many Chinese, new wealth and a fresh face. New York Times Retrieved from https://hs1.farmingdale.edu:2153/docview/863063900?accountid=8066

Alvarez, Julia. A White Woman of Color. Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004.