The dilemma of the American conscience can hardly be better stated.
Exactly what I thought.
29 Matching Annotations
- Nov 2019
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pdfs.semanticscholar.org pdfs.semanticscholar.org
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They know that if the wretched one were not there snivelling in the dark, the other one, the flute-player, could make no joyful music as the young riders line up in their beauty for the race in the sunlight of the first morning of summer.
A very blunt way to look at the intimidating truth of the world as we know it now -- none of us are really free. We all still suffer in some kind of way.
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Often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage, when they have seen the child and faced this terrible paradox.
Children are our future. Their innocence sees things exactly for what they are: good vs bad.
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The terms are strict and absolute; there may not even be a kind word spoken to the child.
An unspoken rule in today's society when thinking about 3rd world countries and the problems of those less fortunate, to help with "peace" of mind.
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they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery.
..wow. Deeply impactful parallel made to real life happiness; for some to be happy, they feel the need to know that they are purposely/forcefully in a better position than others. Maybe pointing out the great flaws in a capitalistic society (aka the society America has in place right now) that institutes the rich wanting to continually oppress the poor. Their oppression ensures higher class citizens to maintain their status -- without lower class, there would be no upper class.
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If so, please add an orgy. If an orgy would help, don't hesitate.
LOL. A very intense way to just say that Omelas is not a place as innocent or perfect as it may seem
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hat of comfort, luxury, exuberance, etc.—they could perfectly well have central heating, subway trains, washing machines, and all kinds of marvelous devices not yet invented here, floating light-sources, fuelless power, a cure for the common cold. Or they could have none of that: it doesn't matter. As you like it.
Happiness is subjective depending on the person that you are. To some, it means being rich in terms of finances, or simply being given basic necessities in life.
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Happiness is based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive
An interesting perspective on happiness as being whatever people deem important enough to make themselves happy in life.
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bright air
"bright air" is an interesting hyperbole and use of imagery lol I got confused but it still made perfect sense to me.
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Children dodged in and out, their high calls rising like the swallows' crossing flights over the music and the singing.
Beautiful imagery.
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- Oct 2019
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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my power too will run corrupt as poisonous mold or lie limp and useless as an unconnected wire
A direct correlation to what it feels like to recognize one's power without tapping into it just yet because of the acceptance that it may be potent especially towards those who deserve it the most.
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they had dragged her 4'10'' black Woman's frame over the hot coals of four centuries of white male approval until she let go the first real power she ever had and lined her own womb with cement to make a graveyard for our children.
I got chills from how powerful this statement is.
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the wetness of his blood as it sinks into the whiteness of the desert
Correlation to black bodies being massacred at the expense of white people?
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The difference between poetry and rhetoric is being ready to kill yourself instead of your children.
Such a powerful opening statement.
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gatheringbooks.org gatheringbooks.org
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Spelling bees were a battleground where teachers trained me to wield language as a tool & fist & weapon & warning to those who would rather make an outline out of me.
Such a creative spin on personal confidence and childhood memories. And I also relate very much. I always told myself never to initiate fights, but that my words could pack a punch harder than my fists ever could.
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poets.org poets.org
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Life is short and the worldis at least half terrible, and for every kindstranger, there is one who would break you,though I keep this from my children.
Reminds me of what it has felt like when my parents would warn me to stay away from boys "because they're trouble" when they actually meant to say that they don't want me to experience a broken heart at the hands of someone else.
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I am tryingto sell them the world. Any decent realtor,walking you through a real shithole, chirps onabout good bones: This place could be beautiful,right? You could make this place beautiful.
Speaks to how difficult it can be to make the decision on whether or not to raise children in a world where you are fully aware of how horrible it can be, but still wanting to have them because there might be a chance that they could be a production of beautiful and positive change for the future.
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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Maybe I can't find the proper way to rebel or damn it, I can't leave. I want to, but you grow inside of me. And as I watch you, before I know it, I'm too heavy, too full of you to move. Maybe that's what they meant when they said you shouldn't love a country too much.
Seems like a direct correlation to what it feels like (to me) to be an American: conflicted.
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Where trouble was brewing. Where, after further hostilities, the army was directed to enter. Where the village was razed after the skirmish occurred. Where most were women and children.
I like the way this poem seemingly started to tell a separate and amusing story within it
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Have the words been claimed by the flesh-hungry undead? If so, passive voice.
This is really amusing and seemingly effective to be honest.
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Datebook chips in the soft skin of our wrists
Euphemism for technology taking over the world?
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To be quite honest, I am really confused on what this poem is supposed to be about and I'm confused about everything written. I just might be really dense right now, but I don't want to act like I fully understand the main idea of this if I definitely don't lol
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We still live in an America where America still lives in us
This line is very true. I have a love/hate relationship with America -- America seems to hate me, and as a result I have to do my best to protect myself. I love America because I see the potential it has to be so much better than it is not. I also hate America because of that very same potential I see in it; because it will not embrace the potential that it has to be better. But regardless of how I feel, America still lives in me -- the good America, the one with the best potential lives in me.
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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Please remain calm, or we can’t be held responsible for what happens to you.
..Wow. This whole poem was just.. wow. Honestly this whole poem was a bit triggering for me but so so so important. The whole thing describes how people of color are targeted just based off of their appearance and the history of oppression that they have endured from destructive white people. Those very same traits of oppressive behavior have continues to transcend time just through different methods of excuses, and this poem perfectly defines that. Racism continues to persist throughout history because a privileged race refuses to accept their wrongdoings or commit to changing this repetitive cycle.
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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Because you still listen, because in times like these to have you listen at all, it's necessary to talk about trees.
The poet is making a connection by saying that speaking out about these injustices, no matter how tired we are, is important because you never know how your worlds may be affecting the future of the world.
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our country moving closer to its own truth and dread, its own ways of making people disappear.
A very powerful line. The more America chooses ignorance, the more residents of America want to separate themselves from any ties to belonging to a shameful country.
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a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still
A reminder of how confusing life may feel at times especially for people with less guidance than those who are privileged receive.
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can seldom see through his bars of rage
In relation to living as a black person in America, this line is extremely relatable because of how angry some of us are. And rightfully so.
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and dares to claim the sky.
I love this line because it embodies what freedom is truly like -- taking up space in the world regardless of whether or not it does or does not want you there. It embodies what living in as a black person in America is like; taking opportunities to flourish instead of waiting for one to be gifted to them in a world that never intended on doing so for them.
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