57 Matching Annotations
  1. May 2021
    1. the golden door!

      "The golden door is a beacon of promise beckoning immigrants to embrace a new land and all it offers. Another meaning of the golden door is that anything worthwhile is worth fighting and working hard for, and gold is emblematic of something of worth"

    2. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

      This giant lights the path to a better life. Send those with no homes and suffering to me, so they can start a new life. Is the author writing about its appreciation and respect for the statue and the country? What is the message for the reader?

    1. The kilt, devised for workers To wear among the dusty clattering looms.

      I think it would be uncomfortable and dangerous to wear a kilt or any flowy outfit in a sweatshop or place with a lot of looms. Maybe this is just making fun of them.

    2. The shirt.

      Does the author miss the factory? Why is this the focus when a fire was mentioned. Maybe the author has been so conditioned to focus on making quality clothes that they can't focus on anything else. I'm not sure what the detail of the shirts represent.

    3. Like Hart Crane’s Bedlamite, “shrill shirt ballooning.”

      A bedlamite is insane person speeding to the edge of a bridge. I guess to the author this works in this situation. People are jumping out of a building which normally would look crazy, but his perspective seems off. Maybe in a sweatshop, when emergencies such as a big fire happens, the workers are told to keep working. So it's possible he has been trained to ignore immediate danger.

    4. Wonderful how the pattern matches perfectly Across the placket and over the twin bar-tacked

      In the middle of this emergency, the author noticed how well put together this man's suit its. The man who is jumping out of a burning building. It's weird how his mind goes to this place during this time. Maybe the harsh conditions of a sweatshop had changed his mind to focus on little details like this and not big emergencies.

    5. Away from the masonry wall and let her drop. And then another.

      The shock of seeing people jump out of a building quickly wore off as so many people had to jump for a chance of survival.

    6. Triangle Factory in nineteen-eleven

      The Triangle Factory was a 10 story factory that went down in flames in 1911. It was one of the biggest deadliest industrial disasters in Manhattan, New York.

    7. Gossiping over tea and noodles on their break Or talking money or politics

      The atmosphere of the sweatshop. Maybe the speaker or author knows someone who has worked in a sweatshop. What is the point of sharing this story?

    1. She burns like foxfirein a thigh-shaped valley.A skirt of flamesdances around herat dusk.

      Personifying the fire. The girl is not the fire, but she burns like one. Is she destructive? Is she passionate? Does she represent a person or a feeling?

    2. You and I Are Disappearing

      Could be the grief of a loss. -losing oneself -losing a loved one -losing a dream/failing Are they forcibly being removed from something? Or are they becoming distant?

    1. Or does it explode?

      an explosion could be a revolution. After fighting for the dreaming and constantly being shut down and denied, they begin to get angry. In this case, the equal rights African Americans in America, after not being treated fairly, a revolution starts, and they are no longer peaceful.

    2. Maybe it just sags       like a heavy load.

      Is it a burden for the common people? Everyday people think that they do not have the power to make big changes. So thinking about the work that needs to be done could be overwhelming.

    1. Laughing at baseheads trying to sell some broken amps

      basehead = coke addict/one who regularly uses coke Someone desperately trying to make money, even selling broken things, so they can afford their next high. These are the type of people in his environment.

    2. It's like the game ain't the sameGot younger negroes pulling the triggers, bringing fame to their name

      Today, younger black men are getting involved with illegal activity. Fame could be rappers acting tough, or being on the news for a crime.

    1. no Gown of Gauze

      She is dancing without any shame of her appearance. his could represent acting on your dreams or your heart without worrying what anyone else thinks. Gown of Gauze = cotton dress

    1. commits to the wrong man

      Is the wrong man someone the speaker thought they could trust? Is it another obstacle? This feels like describing the obstacles and setbacks faced when "shooting your shot" or chasing your dream.

    2. an underhand pass toward the other guard    scissoring past a flat-footed defender

      Getting past your opponent and closer to the net. This could mean getting past an obstacle and closer to one's goal.

    1. in the chalk and choke.

      There are many references to sickness and death. "choke" "sicken" "vertigo". "Choke" at the end of the poem could mean death after fighting (a sickness or some battle) or the end of something. Chalk could be the explanation. To chalk something up is to make up an explanation.