IOC Poetry Themes Flashcards
Deferred
Although we have many goals in life, many times, we defer our actions until we completely give up and that’s not a way to live your life.
Drama for A Winter Night (Fifth Avenue)
A commentary on the problems inherent to how the upper class treated the lower class in society.
Birmingham Sunday
Communism breaks the racial border in the United States” is the theme of this poem.
Always the Same
Communism can be a solution to all social issues.
Same in Blues
Everyone has their own sadnesses and sorrows, but through blues, we can all share our sadness in a community.
Goodbye Christ
2 of them:
a) religion is worn out and needs to be replaced by socialism
b) corruption within the church
Heart of Harlem
Celebrate AA/different cultures
Brass Spitoons
AA’s suffer bad working conditions and have a constant struggle –> the poem tries to bring awareness to this
Ballad of Sam Solomon
Persevere for what you believe in –> Sam Solomon taking a final stand after being fed up with racism.
Ballad of the Man Who’s Gone
Juxtaposition of expectation and reality show AA in a bad situation b/c of low socioecon…communism solution
Jim Crow’s Last Stand
Jim Crow is going away (don’t count on it)
Trumpet Player
Don’t forget about the past but rather use them as fodder for creative expression.
Night Funeral in Harlem
Communities will still have support for each other even if they’re viewed as nothing by the upper class, especially in the case of Harlem.
A New Song
It is the beginning of a new chapter/song in the history of AAs
As I Grew Older
Dreams from the past are nno longer attainable as I grew older.
Poem to a Dead Soldier
Soldiers are sent to die as expendable and people don’t think about this.
The Weary Blues
Sing your message to the world in hopes that other people will hear you.
Mother to Son
Perserverance
Theme for English B
A call to action for personal examination and reflection.
Let America be America Again
America needs to return to the land of the free and home of the brava rather than its rickety point at the moment.
The Negro Mother
Perserverance
Ballad of the Landlord
Discrimination
Song of Adoration
White privelage
Wait
Perserverance
The South
The south = not welcoming for AAs
Ruby Brown
Commentary on oppression
One More “S” in the U.S.A.
call to action against capitalism
Dinner Guest Me
Racism is a problem with no good solution at the moment. To solve it, we need civil discourse.
Open Letter to the South
Inequality needs many approaches to solve.
Will V-Day Be Me-Day Too?
Feelings of will power, devotion and frustration communicate a message of equality and change in the status quo of the state of WWII
