Crossing the Highway

Cross by Langston Hughes

Thesis: In his multiple connotative poem, Cross, Langston Hughes discusses the turmoil and ambiguity of his ethnic background through examples of colloquialism, parallelism, and antithesis. 

-          Colloquialism

·         “My old man’s a white old man / And my old mother’s black” (Cross 1-2). The reference to how he addresses his parents allude to a discriminatory time period in America (perhaps pre-to-early-1900); this setting motions to the turmoil of Langston as a half black, half white crossbred, an association to the ambiguous title of the poem.

-          Parallelism

·         Consider the following two quotations:

§  “My old man’s a white old man / And my old mother’s black” (1-2).

§  “My old man died in a fine big house. / My ma died in a shack” (9-10).

The first quotation occurred in the first two lines of the poem, and the final quotation appeared in the first two lines of the last stanza. This parallel structure augments the connotation towards being White and being Black. Langston Hughes is making another association with the title through his burden of being ethnically diverse (mixed or crossed heritage). By associating his parents with how well they lived and died, Hughes strongly implies his unforgiving ethnical adversity as a member of society.

-          Antithesis

·         Consider the following two quotations:

§  “If ever I cursed my white old man / I take my curses back” (3-4).

§  “If ever I cursed my black old mother / And wished she were in hell, / I’m sorry for that evil wish / And now I wish her well” (5-8).

These two examples show parallel structure, but they inscribe different meanings. The antithesis is that the two parents are distinguished in their cruelty to their “crossing”, or wrongdoing son. The distinction in character of the mother and father only further increase the social barrier between the two, eventually creating a barrier for Hughes to cross as well. This obstacle is explicitly developed in the final two lines of the poem.

An Authoritarian Military

The Man He Killed

Thesis: Through his redundancy and repetition in speech and contrasting ideals, Thomas Hardy’s honest writing style pinpoints his true sentiment towards war as a useless and undefined act of selfishness and authority. 

-          Redundant Speech and Repetition

·         “Had he and I but met / By some old ancient inn” (The Man He Killed 1-2). The redundant use of the words “old” and “ancient” call attention to the idea that two opposing soldiers becoming friends is a long and forgotten possibility that is not heard of today.

·         “I shot him dead because - / Because he was my foe” (9-10). Although this line shares different interpretations, the repeated word “because” provides a justification almost for the killing of another man. Even when war is considered wrong, the idea that a foe killing a foe is deemed to be right, an idea Hardy later implicitly criticizes in his poem.

-          Contrasting Ideals

·         Consider the following quotations:

§  “Just so: my foe of course he was; / That’s clear enough…” (11-12).

§  “He thought he’d ‘list, perhaps, / Off-hand-like – just as I - / Was out of work…” (13-15).

These two examples show contrast in the tone of Hardy’s poem. He provides justification for killing his foe, but later mentions the possibility that his foe could easily be his friend, as they share a lot in common. This contrasting ideal goes well with the purpose of the poem, to differentiate between a wrong war and a right one, if such a war exists.

-          Honest Writing Style

·         “Yes; quaint and curious war is!” (17). This is almost a sarcastic statement by Hardy, as his earlier stanzas depicted confusion and misunderstanding of what war and its putrid impact on society really is. This is, indeed, an honest writing style where Hardy explicitly displays his skepticism towards war.

·         “You shoot a fellow down / You’d treat, if met where any bar is, / Or help to half a crown” (18-20). The ensuing lines are reminiscent of those in the first stanza where Hardy discusses an old ancient inn. Hardy honestly and accurately defines his thoughts about war by providing a legitimate reason to be scared of its inevitable outcome: a friend that could have been gained along the way was lost to the menacing greed of authority.

The Disaster in Birmingham, 1963

Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall

Thesis: Through the use of several rhetorical strategies, this ballad emphasizes the emotional distress of a segregated south and the adversity it has yet to overcome. 

-          Symbolism

·           “And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands, / And white shoes on her feet” (Ballad of Birmingham, 19-20). Displays the innocence (white coloring) of the child in respect to the innocence of the segregated African-American community.

·         “For I fear those guns will fire” (Ballad of Birmingham, 14). Could be taken literally as for bullets being fired onto a group of protesters, or metaphorically for the gun shots of discrimination fired upon a young Black child.

-          Parallelism

·         “And march the streets of Birmingham” (3 and 11). Combines two separate stanzas to achieve the same sense of protest and cooperation when marching the streets.

·         “‘No, baby, no, you may not go” (5 and 13). Similar to the above example where the two separate stanzas seem to be united; it is safer to be away from the protesting streets, even when danger is lurking anywhere.

-          Situational Irony

·         “And clubs and hoses, guns and jails / Aren’t good for a little child” (7-8). It seems that the danger is truly in the streets of Birmingham, yet the tragic end of the story comes from the sanctity of a church.

·         “The mother smiled to know her child / Was in a sacred place” (21-22). Shows the challenges a discriminatory south must overcome to achieve peace with the belief that a even place of worship is not safe from mayhem.

An Act of Forgiveness

The following can be referenced from William Shakespeare's The Tempest, Act 5, scene 1, lines 1-97:

Easily considered the most sympathetic character in the play, Prospero also displays his “bad side” in various instances which include, but are not limited to, scenes with Caliban and his brother Antonio. However, in the final act, Prospero’s final chance to forgive and forget arises, and with no hesitation, seals his legacy in Shakespeare’s final comedy, and more importantly, final playwright. To avoid an epic disaster to an unforeseen concluding career, Shakespeare fulfills his obligations as a 16^th and 17^th century comedic writer by ridding Prospero of his powers, and ultimately his bad intentions.

            Firstly, Prospero begins his final speech by asking Ariel to retrieve his “captives”, an important step towards forgiving the wrongdoings done unto him. Even before that though, Prospero, in his soliloquy to the audience, mentions he will indeed break and bury his staff and drown his books in the infamous lines: “To work mine end upon their senses that / this airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff, / Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, / And deeper than did ever plummet sound / I’ll drown my book[s]” (V.i.62-66). Next, Prospero announces the guilt’s of his prisoners, and thereafter forgives them of all treacherous crimes against him. To compliment his forgiving attitude, Prospero announces the marriage of his daughter Miranda to Alonso’s son Ferdinand (completing the tasks required of a Shakespearean comedy). Prospero’s character and actions in the final act of the play are very important to fully developing the plot and successfully concluding it in the process. Despite the treasonous acts of jealousy and spite, Prospero is able to forgive his brother and the King for plotting and acting against him. A large amount of self-sacrifice, will, and forgiveness was put into the decision, and for this reason Shakespeare’s personality, vicariously displayed through Prospero’s character, is discussed amongst literature as one of the most benevolent and intriguing of all time.

Prospero’s legacy, certainly as a Shakespearean puppet, but most importantly as a man of true will, will live on for centuries upon centuries to come.