WEEK 4 DISCUSSION REPLY TO 2 CLASSMATES ESSAYS

Brianna Zimmermaker 

Post #1

COLLAPSE

In all of the following poems: "Those Winter Sundays", "Middle Passage", and "Homage to the Empress of the Blues" Robert Hayden recovers what had been lost of the African-Americans. In the poem "Those Winter Sundays" the author recovers recognition that has been lost in African-Americans households. The narrator of this poem reflects on Sunday mornings within his household. Every Sunday, the boy's father had a routine that included warming the house, waking him up, and having his shoes pre-polished. Also, the narrator includes "fearing the chronic angers of that house" (Hayden, 1962/2013, pg. 2377). This anger could've stemmed from the fathers hard work going unnoticed at work and home "Then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze... No one ever thanked him" (Hayden, 1962/2013, pg. 2377). Next, Robert Hayden discusses the hardship African Americans went through during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Within this poem, there are many different view points from the confinement of slaves. Each voice gives the reader a chance to experience the hardship and belittlement each person went through "I cannot sleep, for I am sick with fear" (Hayden, 1962/2013, pg. 2373). Overall, this poem put emphasis on African- American hardship which is how Robert Hayden recovered what had been lost of African-Americans. To conclude, Robert Hayden revives African-American culture. In the poem "Homage to the Empress of the Blues" singer, Bessie Smith, connects with African-American audience through her strong felt lyrics. Although during this time women let alone any African-Americans were not treated with respect. Bessie Smith turned her negative experiences into sensational blues that will soothe one's soul. Bessie's singing ability uplifted others which inspired her audience. "She came out on stage in ostrich feathers, beaded satin, and shone that smile on us and sang" (Hayden, 1962/2013, pg. 2377).

Word Count: 303

Reference:

Hayden, R. (2013). Those Winter Sundays. In M. Loeffelholz, N. Baym, W.Franklin, P.F. Gura, J. Klinkowitz, A. Krupat, R.S. Levine... P.B. Wallace (Eds.), The Norton anthology of American literature (Shorter 8th ed.) (pg. 2377). New York, NY: Norton. (Original work published 1962).

Hayden, R. (2013). Homage to the Empress of the Blues. In M. Loeffelholz, N. Baym, W. Franklin, P.F. Gura, J. Klinkowitz, A. Krupat, R.S. Levine... P.B. Wallace (Eds.), The Norton anthology of American literature (Shorter 8th ed.) (pg. 2377). New York, NY: Norton. (Original work published 1962).

CLASSMATE POST #2

Katelyn Tipton 

Post 3: Spiegelman

COLLAPSE

Art Spiegelman’s Maus, has the depth and subtlety that we expect from traditional novels and extended non fictional text.  When you think of a comic you think superheroes and funny comics in the back of the newspaper.  Maus is the chilling reality of surviving as a Jew during the Holocaust. The comic type writing and illustration help us understand what the Jews had to go through to survive during the Holocaust.  For many people today it is hard to imagine what it must have been like to live as a Jew in those days. The illustrations show how they had to disguise themselves so they wouldn’t be attacked for just being themselves.  Jews didn’t really have anyone to turn to.  Even the police would not help. Spiegelman used animals to show different characters, such as the Jews were mice and the Germans were pigs. Spiegelman goes into detail of his father’s experiences as a Jew during the Holocaust.   Maus has the depth of a traditional novel with the added visual of his comic-strip illustrations to help us picture the story. Art Spiegelman was a college drop out. He gained some success when he moved from New York to San Francisco, “When in 1970 Spiegelman moved from New York to San Francisco, his work progressed from novelty to subversion- of the comic-strip form and of larger cultural themes. (Spiegelman, 2013 p. 2735)” Spiegelman eventually returned to New York and emerged as a graphic novelist.  Maus received the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.

Resources

Spiegelman, A.  (2013). Maus. In M. Loeffelholz, N. Baym, W.Franklin, P.F. Gura, J. Klinkowitz, A. Krupat, R.S. Levine... P.B. Wallace (Eds.), The Norton anthology of American literature (Shorter 8th ed.) (pg. 2377). New York, NY: Norton. (Original work published 1986).