Problems That The Characters From “Ex-Basketball Player” And “Glory Days” Face?

Ex ball players is a poem written by John Updike and it involves players who played and won in the past, their glory days are when they had won matches and they were on top. These times however have been gone and most of the Ex-basketball players are not on top. For instance the main character in the poem is Flick who explains how he lost his motivation after he spends most of his time on sports and not on education. Currently he works at Berth Garage and he does not count himself to be successful since Flicks believes he did not make it.

Identify issues faced by the characters in Langston Hughes’ poem “I Too Sing America” and “The Stolen Party” by Liliana Heker.

The Langston poem ‘I too sing America’ is about a dark brother who is always sent in the kitchen to eat from there when the Americans visits .In this poem the brother is a victim of the American society since the others seclude him from the group because he is a black. There is racism in the poem and the brother is hurt but with time he feels he won’t agree to be secluded again.

In the poem a stolen party by Lillian Heker a young child called Rosaura gets hurt since she is a victim of poverty and the system of the class keeps rich people on top and poor people like her and her family at the bottom. This becomes so traumatic for her to handle and she believes education makes everyone equal. But she has been born in poverty and it is bitter for her to accept reality of her destiny.

Both poems are written about America and they have classification of people living there. In both poems the characters wish and dreams are shattered and differed since they are not accepted by the society

Issues faced by characters in Langston hughes poem”I Too Sing America” and “The Stolen Party” by Liliana Heker

The characters faced in Langston Hughes poem are Racism distinction in America. The victim wishes to join singing America but every time he is bitterly denied since he is a black.

The issues faced by the characters in the stolen party by Lillian Heker are social class distinction and welfare in America. There is classification of Americans according to their wealth and abilities, positions and education

 What sort of epiphany or realization does the speaker reach in “Harlem Birthday Party”?

The speaker in the poem is Keats the poet himself who is scared of dying when he is too young. His character means writing and printing since he wants to write and print many books before he dies.”Miss Brill”

Miss Brill poem is about an old woman who visits Jardins Publiques every Sunday to watch a play and people who visit the park. She believes everyone is well dressed until she over hears a boy rudely saying she is lonely and about her fur dressing code. She hears a cry but she does want to accept the voice is hers and she realizes she is lonely. She does buy cake as usual and she encloses herself in a dark room.

People who are lonely try to engage with others to kill the loneliness but still the society might not accept them and people may even seclude the lonely ones.

“Ex-Basketball Player”

When one is successful and gets to make a better life it is vital for one to save for future in order to cover up for the days when one is not getting the awards. This allows one to live a life that is balanced even when one does not have unlike the basket ball players who don’t save for future. Most people opt to save and later they become devastated.”Richard Cory”

Richard Cory and old rich man had everything everyone would admire in life but not a friend since people isolated from him since he was a rich man. He was not able to bear loneliness and one night he shot himself to end his loneliness. Loneliness is seen as a disease in modern life and everyone tries to avoid loneliness.”Barbie Doll”

In Barbie Doll poem the writer Marge Piercy uses four short stanzas to give a sarcastic analysis of the societal and cultural expectations from American ideal woman. It is about a girl who struggles with the image of her body in which the speaker observes her going through various experiences relating to her body image. The girl is born and grows playing with Barbie toys till adolescent where she is judged by the society leaving some effects in her. The society only accepts the girl if she is perfect.

“I, Too Sing America”

Most countries still discriminate at work and even in the society; however discrimination is of many forms, wealth racial and more. They even don’t want to be associated with them. Loneliness is a disease”The Stolen Party”

The society distinguishes people according to their wealth and classifies them isolating them from other since the poor cannot fit in the rich class. It hurts since one does not choose to be born in a poor family and the society does not give them a position.

 “The Day It Happened.”  

This poem is written by Rosario Morales and is about domestic violence and the community that happen in Hispanic families. A couple married for six months Josie and Ramon fight almost daily when Ramon comes home and finds Josie has not cooked or has not finished her chaos .Josie is tired and wants to leave since she can’t take it anymore. Most families encounter domestic violence and end up separating in modern community.

“Theme for English B”

The teacher tells Lansgton hughes to go home and write a paper that reflects him. He wonders is part of it will be white and the other be colored since he is colored. He tries to show there should be equality among the blacks and whites in American and the society should learn to handle them equally.

Harlem Birthday Party”

Everyone is wants to accomplish goals and is scared of dying when he/she is young.

Reference

Rummel, Jack. Langston Hughes. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. Pp.21-9

Langston Hughes (1994) The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes Knopf and Vintage Books publishers.