"Harlem"

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                   Dreams are supposed to be ideal and pleasant hopes that one thinks of. However in "Harlem", Langston Hughes describes them with words such as “fester” and “dry”. This greatly contrasts the common view. Hughes writes that dreams fall away in Harlem and are no longer at the forefront of one’s mind. This poem  depicts the results of letting one’s dreams fall to the wayside.  Hughes suggests that they may be “Like a raisin in the sun” and “fester like a sore” (3-4) or “stink like rotten meat” and “crust and sugar over- / like a syrupy sweet” (6-8). His pairing of these images, which are quite different from how dreams are typically envisioned, contrast each other greatly. Juxtaposing dried with festering and rotten with sweet shows all the ways in which a dream can die. It provides a great deal of imagery in a variety of ways.  Dreams may shrivel up and fall to the wayside as raisins do, or they may become annoying and eat away at a person.  Dreams may slowly be spoiled by reality, and one may realize that they are no longer attainable. Perhaps, one’s hopes will turn into a sweet and distant memory.  Hughes ends the poem by asking, “Or does it explode” (11). I took this to mean that all the dreams will simply disappear. However, I enjoyed the idea that they may “explode” into some sort of revolution, such as the Harlem Renaissance. As these dreams get shoved into Harlem, they created a fantastic explosion of culture and expression.

Seven

     Danticat creates a superficial relationship between the two main characters. Each time the wife is described, she is described on a purely physical basis. The husband says she is "bigger than she had been when he left her" and that she "had obviously been to a professional hairdresser" (2086). If he truly cared about her, these would not be things he would focus on right away. After seven years apart, one might want to talk with the other person before judging their appearance. Danticat also notes that the word for love and like are the same in Creole. Therefore, the man must "embellish it with phrases" (2087). The fact that he feels the need to "embellish" his love for his wife is quite odd. He then says that he "babbled" and stopped talking to keep from "saying more insipid things" (2087). She should understand his love for her without this. The author's word choice makes it clear that these two do not have anything more than a physical connection. When they got married, the woman says she "disguised herself as the bride and he as the groom" (2091). The traditional joke was to be the other way around, but if this is how she feels about their marriage, then surely it is not a true one. They are merely playing a part.
     The use of the number 7 is quite prevalent in this story. The title and the opening paragraph both contain this number. As I was reading it, I began to think of what the significance of this number might be. Perhaps, the author was alluding to the seven deadly sins. These seven sins do not focus on anything other than the superficial. Greed, pride, gluttony, they are all material-based. Maybe Danticat uses this number to parallel the two. The characters' relationship is very much a physical one. The emotional connection is lacking. As with the seven deadly sins, it is all superficial.

"Picture Bride"

     The questions posed in this poem provide a great deal of imagery to it. The author, Cathy Song, explores the idea of immigration and "picture brides" through a series of unanswered questions.
She asks about the "wings of moths migrating out of the cane stalks" (32-33). This could be a parallel to her grandmother. She is immigrating to an unknown land. Song uses the image of a moth to symbolize the grandmother traveling to another land. The narrator also asks simple things to gain insight into her ancestor's life. She questions, "What things did my grandmother / take with her?" (22-23). This is something people today may not even think of. It seems so casual, but what the narrator's grandmother took with her would be quite informative. Was she close to her family? Did she have a lot of friends? All these things could be understood by a suitcase.
     The narrator also compares her grandmother's journey to her own life. She opens the piece by saying, "She was a year younger / than I" (1-2). By comparing where she is at twenty-three to where her grandmother was, she is able to see how different their lives are. This, perhaps, also determines what questions she poses. Today, it is hard to image leaving home forever to go marry a stranger that is miles away.
     I enjoyed the inquisitive nature of the poem. I think that many people often look to literature or the past for answers when there may be none. We may never know somethings, and that is okay. Maybe the answers are best left to the imagination.

"Diving into the Wreck"

      One thing that really stuck out to me as I read this poem was Rich's use of symbolism. This piece seems to be commentary on women in literature. Rich uses the ocean to represent uncharted territory of women in literature. She writes, " the sea is not a question of power / I have to learn alone" (40-41). Not many women braved the seas. In history, very few women were considered important enough to mention in cannons. Therefore, Rich, or the narrator, must navigate through the sea alone. Rich employs another symbol that depicts this as well. The use of the ladder, or the typical path for a woman to follow, solidifies her argument. The ladder is, "always there / hanging innocently. . . We know what it is for, / we who have used it / Ohterwise / it's a pieces of maritime floss" (12-19). Women can follow the traditional path, but some can abandon that for a different route. They can forgo the ladder and jump into the unknown.
     I had to read this poem a couple times before I really understood it. I think that she has a point. So many women writers were forgotten and left out simply because of their gender. I am not a hardcore feminist, but I do not think the quality of your writing should be based on something as trivial as gender. It is sad that a lot of great works may have been lost due to this. I commend those who are willing to take a chance and who have changed the view on women in literature.