Annotation 3: For the woman to be struggling and feeling that she can’t make her dreams come true reminds me of Candace's old job when she used to work in a bible corporation. In Severance, Candace had moments where she dealt with bad working conditions which made her question if she could get herself out of the situation and pursue her dreams. Candace realized how capitalism in the west oppressed factory workers more than in the east. For instance, Candace recalls telling a client that making the gems for the bible can end up hurting the workers due to the gritty air. In other words, the working conditions causes Candace to relive those moments and make her question whether or not the job is worth it. The woman sitting on the porch represents Candace reflecting on her life. Springsteen, in this particular line makes it seems the woman is waiting for her dreams to come true while she thinks about her life.

Annotation 6: Through the apocalypse, Cadence worked with the survivor group and practiced “cult” attributions such as practicing regular prayers and obeying arbitrary rules. Before Shen fever, Cadence didn't want to leave New York however, by the time she gets to Chicago she realized she could grow as an individual. The theme focuses on rebirth in which Cadence does her best to leave New York and it’s dark memories to forget the person she was in the past. For instance, the relationship between her and Jonathan started in New York but when he decided to leave, her perspective of the city began to change in a negative way.

Annotations 5: Sleep Dealer focused on digital labor in which Memo gets a chip inserted in him and eventually ends up working in a factory where he has to perform repetitive tasks such as inserting smartphones. Since he had to insert a chip in his body, metaphorically the technology is “eating [his] insides” in order to make him work with the technology. Memo struggle adjusting to digital labor that he risked his own life to get the job and witness the working conditions others faced. The theme in the Sleep Dealer focus on the relationship between men and technology and how society will be able to adjust and adapt to new changes. It also focus on economic globalization and how the U.S. uses immigrants for cheap labor without thinking the risk they’ll endure at work.

Annotation #4: In “Blood on the Forge” Big Mat, Chinatown, and Melody fled from the south to look for better work in the North. When they get there they end up working in a steel mill. When a fire incident happened and half the workers lives were lost they continued to work the next day as if nothing had happened. Regardless of the incident, the brothers barely made the minimum wage while risking their lives. The theme focus on inequality pays employees face. From time to time the brothers would overwork themselves that eventually Melody loses his passion for playing the guitar. The more an employee overworks themselves to pay for bills causes them to not have enough time to do things they love. It eventually makes an individual lose motivation and repeat the cycle of the working life.

Annotation #2: In Martin Eden, Eden grew up poor and fell in love with a well educated and wealthy woman. Since he didn’t know how to read and write and still wanted to become a writer, he taught himself how to do so in order to fit into the middle class. The more educated Eden became he eventually left the working class by changing the way he spoke. Even though Eden worked every night to become a writer, Ruth always reminded him that he couldn’t do it. Ruth is the person to take away Eden’s dream of becoming a successful writer. Even when Eden felt proud of himself for writing certain stories, she didn’t encourage him. The relationship between Eden and Ruth highlights if one can’t succeed then the other person will try to bring the other one down.

Annotation #1: In “Life in the Iron Mills” the narrator tends to have a silent conversation with the readers about the working class. The narrator mentions she wants to show us the “mote” in order to clearly see the dreadful working conditions. The narrator wants the reader to acknowledge the working class for their production and mortality. The smoke the Iron Mills produce not only affects the health of the working class, but also the environment. For instance, the river being polluted represents tiredness, overworked, and the lack of energy workers experienced after the Iron Mills fails to give them better working conditions. In relation to Springsteen, he touches on the topic of workers overworking themselves to equally gain work opportunities. Regardless of the working conditions and the environment the working classes faces, they’ll keep working to get money. The working class wants to be “rich” but they’ll willing to put their health at risk by overworking themselves.

The imagery here stands out because when we get excited over something we tend to get happy and savor the movement. The excitement of seeing the woman makes the narrator forget his problems and enjoy her present.

This stanza highlights the daily routine of a working class. Waking up in the morning and going to work, but never having time for themselves. The sentence” the working life” emphasizes we spent most of our days working to provide for ourselves while pushing our bodies to the limit.

This line reminds me of Martin Eden and Ruth. Martin was born with nothing and when he tried to become a writer the woman he loved told him he wouldn’t succeed as one. The verse: “someone to try and take it away” really focuses on the idea of people’s dreams being crushed by someone else.

Ginsberg does a great job of metaphorically explaining “grandfather night” as a family member the homeless may or may not have. In this case, it seems as if the narrator is outside a train station waiting for someone. In reality, the line focus on the lonesome people feel.

The explicit language used here highlights the theme of freedom in which readers are able to relate too. There are times when individuals just want to have a great time and live their life. At the time people may have seen things differently which made people question their sexuality.

It makes me curious as to why they’re holding a manuscript. Even though it implies they might be writers, it makes me wonder if they got themselves kicked out on purpose from the subway in order to continue writing their story since they could have had writer’s block?

Here, we’re able to see the narrator is able to let loose and open up more about his culture. Johnson focuses on the narrator’s excitement as they celebrate. It gives the audience a better insight of jazz being a significant aspect to the black community and it how it has continue change/influence new generation of blacks to listen to jazz.

The narrator is debating whether or not she should bring a child into the world. Knowing how cruel the world can be towards African American children highlights she’s aware of the unfairness and experiences her children would face. When she mentions the “monster men” I think she’s referring to the constant violence and racism the black community faces.

It seems like the narrator is tired of sewing. The narrator has a desire of wanting to pursue their own dream while also trying to help those who sew to leave in order for them to start a new life. Specifically, when she mentions men, she focuses on the idea of women capable of being independent while proving to the world that women are also hard working and strong as men.

One of the things I noticed Bennett does in her poem is she use the phrase “I want” as repetition in order to show she has a desire of wanting to embrace her culture. She has hopes and dreams of African Americans being able to accomplish big things as whites do. It also focus on the idea of identity in which the narrator is trying to learn what it’s like to be a black woman in America.

Here, we're able to note the narrator is self conscious about their skin color and background that the narrator embraces it. However, he also points out that America should be ashamed of how they're treated African Americans throughout history.

Does he mean black folks dreams can "dry up" when they lose hope?

In this stanza, segregation symbolizes the wall between the black and white. When the narrator said "They send me to eat in the kitchen" implies the white are embarrassed to eat/share the same table with a black person. This implies white people have the power to control the black. However, it doesn't stop the narrator from enjoying himself.

Here the author emphasizes young African Americans artists are the future to express themselves. He wants us to know that whatever work they do, they shouldn’t compare themselves with white folks. Young artists have the freedom to express their culture. When it comes to being an artist, the feeling of not being afraid is something an artist has to overcome to feel confident in their work.

The few sentences above mention if a black person wants to be a poet then they want to be white. However, he also realized an artists can choose whatever and however they want to present their art. Regardless of race or social status, Hughes wants to emphasize black artists shouldn’t forget their roots and how they should present their work.

Here the author focus on the theme of social standard in which African American artist have to perform better/ work harder in order to be an artist. When they’re compared to white artists, they’re expected to be good as them. For African Americans to be compared to white artists highlights the difficulties of discovering and appreciating their own culture.

When Locke says, "we march" he is highlighting the movement of the Harlem Renaissance. It gives African Americans an opportunity to get to express their culture. It gives them the chance to build their self esteem up.

When Locke mentions the "Old Negro" he makes it seems like a historical person. He uses this term in order to address the black stereotypes that white men write about. The term "Old Negro" is a black person has a slave mentality who doesn't believe what he does is worth it. The "New Negro" seems to be more free and able to have his own conscience to do what he wants in society as a free man.

This line brings attention to me because it's difficult for African Americans to be themselves that most of them tend to hide who they really are. Locke does a great job of of metaphorically describing most African Americans hiding behind their own shadow due to society spending/giving white folks more opportunities.

The motif used in this line focus on nature. Here, we’re able to note Pound has decided to use the phrase “decayed hole” in order to highlight the wasteland no longer belongs to the living instead it belongs to the dead. Even though the mountains has become a graveyard, nature has its way to continue blooming whether humans still exist or not.

Here, we’re able to see humans rely on nature when it comes to desperate times. This line highlights hallucination in which we’re able to see someone has been wandering around the empty wasteland. The dry grass symbolizes the lack of life.

This line focus on nature and how dry it has become. Pound seems to be wishing that there was water because without water humans can’t survive. Especially with the dead roaming around, water is an important aspect of surviving. Since nature has become a wasteland, there isn’t much hope for humanity.

After they visited the hyacinth garden, I thought the narrator would be happy. From what I know, hyacinth flowers usually mean jealousy but it could also mean peace/beauty depending on the color. The way he looks at his partner’s beauty and the fact that he can’t speak or make eye contact shows he’s experiencing some kind of strange feeling in the relationship. It’s very interesting he mentions he doesn’t feel alive which symbolizes he’s feeling depressed. It makes me wonder why he feels empty? Has he lost someone recently that he can’t focus on his lover?

Here, the wild carrot leaf symbolizes the first sign of spring. Slowly the grass is beginning to grow meaning the plants and leafs are starting to bloom. The tone changes to calm which highlights the narrator is finally at peace knowing spring has arrived.

The word “lifeless” highlights that spring is coming soon. The narrator seems to be waiting for spring to come that they're keeping track of time. Eventually the dead leaves will bloom again. Something I noticed was the use of the dash which emphasizes the narrator hasn’t finished their thought,

This stanza focuses on how the narrator feels guilty. Comparing how sweet and cold the plums were highlights the bitterness of the taste of the plums. The narrator realized they made a mistake that they regret that he ends up confessining.

It makes me wonder why the man is stalking a particular flower. What grabbed his attention to watch the flower? What exactly is he waiting for the flower to release?

This stanza focus on the theme of individualism. The narrator points out that the man who is alone is consider to be dead that no one will cry/miss him. It's interesting the setting took place near the sea, since it implies no one will realized the man is gone.

One of the thing I noticed in this line was it changes to first person. This highlights that the narrator isn't going to let love control everything in their life. Everything we care about isn't about love. Sometimes people use love to their advantage to hurt themselves or others.

The syllables in this stanza rhyme together that the consistent word is “die” in order to highlight that people need to live their lives by having no regrets. The tone changes here to become more persistent when it comes to making decisions. The narrator sounds more presitiant about making good choices that will benefit all of us on a daily basis.

The use of repetition is used to describe what the narrator thinks of nature. It sounds like the narrator was going on a long trip that he decided to stop and realized how wonderful nature is. The phrase, “And miles to go before my sleep,” indicates he’s going somewhere but it makes me wonder, where exactly is he going?

I noticed that these sentences seem to have rhythm. The word choice used to mimic the narrator is talking about the walls. Since he and his neighbor usually built the wall in the spring, the narrator uses rhyme in order to highlight the consistently both of the characters have.

When I read the first word in this stanza, I thought it was odd that he capitalized the whole word "WHEN" because it sounded like he was yelling the word out to the audience in order to highlight that when he dies all the things he’s built from the bottom will be there. It makes me wonder what the spoon river is?

It sounds like the narrator is looking at the past by recalling the good days when they were married with children. It's clear that it makes the narrator feel nostalgic over the past even though some aren’t happy memories.

It’s interesting that the author uses onomatopoeia. The sound tik tock symbolizes time which makes it sounds like he’s talking about the past or future. I noticed he used the same sentence in the beginning of the poem. He does this in order to get to the point of reflecting life and the things he’s regretted.

Something I noticed here was that Eben was talking alone. However, he refers Mr.Flood as a person which makes me wonder is he imagining Mr. Flood or is he too drunk to even notice? Another thing I realized is the comparison between Mr. Flood and the Clerks because both of the narrators seem to miss who they were in the past. In both poems, they seemed to have a bittersweet moment although in Mr.Flood, Eben seems to be all over the place with his emotions.

The use of repetition is used to address Mr. flood. It seems like Eben thinks of Mr. Flood as a friend that he consistently says “well” before addressing Mr. Flood to have a conversation. This is interesting because it emphasizes that Eben feels comfortable to speak with Mr. Flood as a friend.

To me it looks like the narrator is feeling reminisce towards his past. The word “young blood” made me believe that he misses his younger days. The word choice used in this sentence highlights when he was younger things used to be easier. Sometimes when we think about the past we have bittersweet moments, wishing we could go to the past. In some cases, seeing people we haven’t seen in a long time.

Gilman uses anaphora to highlight the wife is tired of being sick. She has become weaker that she isn't sure if she should write. It reminds me of Du Bois not wanting to break down the "vail" between the white and black folks. When he was younger Du Bois mention he had no intention of breaking down the wall which is similar to John's wife losing motivation to write.

At this point, John's wife is sick of the "Yellow wallpaper" which frustrates her to be in the room. I think it's interesting that the word 'because' is capitalized since it emphasizes she’s tired of following orders from John. The thought is on the back of her head 24/7. The narrator hinted the wife is trying to get a better understanding of the wall-paper. This similarity reminds me of Adam and Lansley having different thoughts to understand how the dynamo worked and how it was going to change their society.

Something I noticed in this line was that John doesn't really like his wife knowing how to write. It seems that John likes to follow old traditions which reminds me of Adam. In the "The Dynamo the Virgin" Adam was determined to learn math and science. Here, the wife seems passionate to write but knows her husband will not let her. In Du Bois passage, he mention that knowledge is power and that everyone should get an education which makes me believe that John is afraid of that.

The imagery he uses by having a “little boat” and how it’s on the sea symbolizes the hard journey African Americans experienced. They’re slowly making progress to inform others by telling us to educate ourselves and younger generation to understand the injustice and inequality people of color have faced in this country. When Boris mentions "the burning of the body and rending of soul" he's comparing the body and soul to distinguish how people think and how ignorant some can be.

He uses simile to compare how African Americans had to fight for their freedom but once they were free, their hopes and dreams were snatched from their hands. He mentions the “veil” to point out that there’s still a division between both communities. To Bois it seems impossible for his people to gain equality.

Bois metaphorically uses the word “veil” to symbolize a division between the white and black folks in society. In the previous line, Bois shared his experience of being an outcast at school due to his skin color. From a young age, he realized he didn’t want to cross the line. Instead he wanted to live a free life from racial discrimination.

In this paragraph it seems like Adam wanted to study but I don't understand why he mention Langley's ideas were "useless" and continues by comparing Langley to Herbert Spencers. It makes me wonder if Adam was jealous or concern about Langley's ideas. What was the point of comparing two different people beliefs?

Since I think the Virgin symbolizes religion, it's not clear whether or not Adam is a religious person. He seems to have some strong beliefs, but I’m not sure how Americans would feel afraid if science was beginning to expand to benefit society. People would react surprised but it looked like Adam was concerned that America would forget the old tradition of going to church. I'm also confused if Lourdes is a place since he seems to be comparing it to America.

In the previous paragraph, Adam was able to adapt to the “dynamo” and was able to see it as an endless tool to exist in the future known as technology, but this part contradicts Adam’s beliefs because he mentions a cathedral which is a church building and compares religion to technology.

It makes me wonder why compare a pig and lion in this stanza, did he intentionally want to symbolize the different social status we have in society?

Why did Levine decide to add his personal statements in the last stanza? Did he do it in order to emphasize to the audience that humans are “lions” who won’t back down until we get what we want?

Since humans have and continue to destroy mother nature, why would mother nature tell us to "come home" after we have destroyed most of its beauty?

It makes me wonder why Levine decided to compare a pig and lion in this stanza, did he intentionally want to symbolize the different social status we have in society?

Lives in the wild