Race Relations (M5D1)
You will be writing a Comparison and Contrast Essay that examines two different poets from two different backgrounds exploring the theme of race relations. You will apply at least two (2) literary elements found in both poems to illustrate your analysis of the poems. For background information on the two poets you will be writing about, Listen to the talk “ The Danger of a single story” by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie: http://www(dot)ted(dot)com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html Watch the video clips: “A day with Wole Soyinka” at http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=dprnVlsw9RE “Sharon Olds Speaks at the 2008 Poets Forum” at http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=J9jFc9UyAbE&feature=related Preparation for writing the essay: Before beginning your essay, read about the comparison and contrast essay at the Excelsior College OWL: http://www(dot)mydistancecourses(dot)org/owl/mod/resource/view.php?id=411 Writing the essay: You will use the close reading methods previously covered to illustrate and support your explication method and to gather evidence and quotes from the poems to support your thesis in this comparison and contrast essay about two different poems expressing views on race relations. Having read the poems: 1.“Telephone Conversation” by Wole Soyinka . 2.“On the Subway” by Sharon Olds .
Race Relations
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Race Relations
‘The Telephone Conversation’ by Wole Soyinka and ‘On the Subway’ by Sharon Olds explore the issue of race relations albeit in different time settings. The latter provides a historical perspective on how whites regard blacks. In contrast, the former addresses the issue of racism, as practiced by both whites and blacks due to a failure to communicate with each other. However, in both poems the blacks are judged on the basis of the color of their skin. For example, in the former poem the landlady asks how dark the tenant is after he reveals that he is a Black American while in the latter poem, the white lady thinks that the youth across from her is a mugger merely because he is black.
In both instances the failure to communicate leaves both parties worse off than they could otherwise have been. The tenant confuses the landlady, more as he attempts to explain the degree of his blackness while the white lady in the train thinks that the young man has an easy life because of the color of his skin while in reality he suffers because of it. Moreover, both poems are an indictment of the desire to judge people based on outward factors as opposed to what is really in their souls. The use of the word ‘ subway’ in ‘On the Subway’ suggests that those prejudices still exist.
The two poems hav...