Blog post #3
Professor Ellis
October 10, 2017
The True Meaning of Freedom
In all three of these readings, there is a reoccurring theme of lack of freedom and an immense amount of hardship. It is clear in these poems' that there is a strong sense of sadness and misfortunate that has occurred for every character. In Edgar Allen Poe's poem, we read of a man who was buried alive while intoxicated for insulting his friend. Poe vividly describes the suffering he endures and does so in a dark and dreary tone. Similarly in "My Papa's Waltz," by Theodore Roethke, we see a trend of sadness and hardship in which the little boy relies on his drunk father. Finally, the lack of freedom and the immense amount of hardship that was explained in the poem, "Cincinnati", described the painful discrimination of being a Japanese citizen during a time of a bitter rivalry. All three of these poems address the hardships that go on in many individual's lives and use many literary devices and gloomy tones to accomplish this goal.
The event that I attended this Tuesday was of multiple presenters who have worked at different maximum security prisons and one speaker who use to be a prisoner himself. They gave specific, detailed insight on their experiences and programs that they participated in, while explaining to the audience that this is "the age of mass incarceration". The speakers continue to discuss that not all the incarcerated individuals are violent people and most of the circumstances that occur are due to racial motives. This has especially been a trend in today's society, where we have seen the increase in police brutality. One of the panelist even made reference to wanting to leave, "on his feet and not on his back".
Unfortunately, there is a connection between what the event discussed and what the readings addressed about freedom and hardship. Both the poem by Poe, and the poem written by Roethke mention the conflicts that happen to occur when alcohol is involved in a situation. They describe the lack of freedom and control you have over your own body when you are in this mental state and can suffer some sever consequences. Both "Cincinnati" and the event that I attended address the hardships that people face once they are surrounded by stereotypes and judgements of their past or culture. With the use of literary devices, personal narratives, and a strong sense of imagery to create emotion, all of these pieces contribute to describing the lack of freedom and hardship that many Americans face.
The event that I attended this Tuesday was of multiple presenters who have worked at different maximum security prisons and one speaker who use to be a prisoner himself. They gave specific, detailed insight on their experiences and programs that they participated in, while explaining to the audience that this is "the age of mass incarceration". The speakers continue to discuss that not all the incarcerated individuals are violent people and most of the circumstances that occur are due to racial motives. This has especially been a trend in today's society, where we have seen the increase in police brutality. One of the panelist even made reference to wanting to leave, "on his feet and not on his back".
Unfortunately, there is a connection between what the event discussed and what the readings addressed about freedom and hardship. Both the poem by Poe, and the poem written by Roethke mention the conflicts that happen to occur when alcohol is involved in a situation. They describe the lack of freedom and control you have over your own body when you are in this mental state and can suffer some sever consequences. Both "Cincinnati" and the event that I attended address the hardships that people face once they are surrounded by stereotypes and judgements of their past or culture. With the use of literary devices, personal narratives, and a strong sense of imagery to create emotion, all of these pieces contribute to describing the lack of freedom and hardship that many Americans face.
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