A Girl of Only 21

The rolling clouds have stopped 

And, the winds continuous whistle has silenced.

A girl of only 21 stands and stares at the scene behind her

Even on this dreary day the sounds of the last laugh

And the whispers of the last gossip of hang in the air.

Two young women have cleverly set shop.

The ephemeral scents of the rose and lilies

Titillate the emotions of the surrounding people.

In her billowing white dress the woman stands motionless

As she observes those around her 

The past will never come back

And the future will never arrive

For the present is eternal

Her carefully carved neck holds her head high

She wants to cry as she witnesses the joy of another couple

The man has just returned from war

His pride for his country is shown on the uniform he still wears

He stands opposite his female friend

Not too far; but close enough to rekindle their feelings

And the lady in the white dress-

With her craned neck-

Watches, her fleeting intrusion in the couple's private moment

Becomes permanent. A snapshot of time.

Her yearning is apparent; Her slightly turned hands,

And her slightly bowed face.

Her hat covers her eyes. Those eyes-

That if one could see- would reveal

All the secrets of this young girl of 21

Her heart is empty only to be filled

By the same man who will accept her roses

But, when will he come?

Will he ever come?

Poor child, the thorns of the roses

Will forever prick her heart

As she waits to greet her husband

Her head will always look back

Because, for her, 

There is nothing to look forward to.

Mom, Why Can't I Sleep?

There exists a plethora of stories telling the tales of hardship and success of coming to a new country. Many first generation immigrants share similar experiences, but only few are able to become successful. In Amy Tan’s narrative “Fish Cheeks” she recounts the troubles of being a first generation American-born immigrant. She stresses how hard it is to be proud of her Chinese “manners” in the company of an American, especially that of a boy she likes. Her parents confidently embrace their traditional “customs” because it is their way of holding on to their fond memories. However, for Amy she has no connection to China other than through her parents. This puts her in an uncomfortable position. She does not know which culture she truly belongs to, either the one she was born into or the one she was born from.

Many children today are in the same position as Amy is. It is a unique situation to each person, ironically. Each first generation child has their own battle they must struggle with against their parents. For me, it is having my parents understand how I spend my time. My parents were born and raised in India. Due to their limited financial resources, education was highly stressed at home. To study, they were taught to write and rewrite the same facts till they were engrained in their memory. This is different than how we learn today. For me, I have to learn how to balance my academics with my extracurricular activities. Today, my parents have provided me with more opportunities than they were ever afforded. It upsets them to see me sleep in or watch television. My parents pester me to wake up and do something productive. Because of changing circumstances it is hard for my parents and I to see eye to eye on this issue. This, I feel, is a common experience for many people because of the cultural divide that exists. Amy reveals at the end of her narrative that later in life she comes to appreciate her mother’s message; I, too, know that I will eventually understand my parents’ reasons. It is because they truly want what is best for me. Hard work and capitalizing on ever opportunity has worked for them, so they want to prove to my sister and I that we too can follow the “Indian” way and succeed.

My Perception, Your Identity

Identity and perception are not synonymous. Most people tend to be their harshest critics. They label themselves as too skinny or too fat; too dumb or too nerdy. Most of these self-criticisms are inaccurate and can lead to psychological and emotional consequences. In Mair's piece "Disability", she highlights that the way people perceive disabled people is demeaning. She, a person afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis, states that the way others perceive her is in a very condescending manner. She knows she walks differently, but otherwise she feels like a typical American. The discrepancy in the perception of disabled people by society and their self-perception underscores a societal problem. She asserts that many people today are afflicted with disabilities, or they soon will be. These people, who she calls “Temporarily Abled Persons”, will soon join the “majority”. She presents this as a stage in life- something inevitable. Because of this, she argues that we as a society should be more accepting of disabled people. This way the disabled person does not feel isolated. Furthermore, when the abled people evenutally becomes disabled, they too will feel accepted in society. We, as a society, must learn to perceive others the way they identify themselves. 

Rivers of Life

Through the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", Langston Hughes fosters verisimilitude by using allusions and first person to convey the hardships of a universal experience of oppression. When Hughes uses the pronoun "I" he demonstrates that he embodies the troubles and experience of a variety of people. It is apparent that a single person could not have lived to experience such a plethora of problems but because of the conviction Hughes speaks with, one is likely to sympathize with what he says. Hughes speaks of the troubles faced at Euphrates at the "dawn" of civilization all the way to the anguishes of the slaves in New Orleans at "sunset". The vast time between these events helps convey the message that human issues have been a recurrent problem. Just like one wizens with experience, Hughes's "soul has grown deep" with the pain and knowledge of what he has had to witness. Hughes various examples of hardships are presented like events in a day. This represents how, even though many people have had to endure the struggle, it is still noteworthy. A person "bathed", "built", "looked" and "heard" at what has been occurring around him. Eventually he has "known" or understood what is happening. He comes to a deeper understand with himself. He understands what these experiences mean to him, they are like a "dusky" river clouding his "flow of blood". But, he acknowledges that this experience is common. He encourages the audience to take action, now that we have endured and understood the societal pains. 

Great Gastby: Rhetorical Precis

F. Scott Fitzgerald in the novel, The Great Gastby, proves that holding onto the past is not efficacious and causes the person to lose sight of the future. Fitzgerald supports his claim by contrasting the glamour of Gastby’s ostentatious life with the internal struggle he endures daily: his love for Daisy. The author’s purose is to use Gatsby’s life story to allow the audience to see the fallacies in Gatsby’s thoughts in order to convey, in Fitzgerald’s social commentary, that displays of oppulence masked the difficult times that people faced. The author writes in an informative melancholy tone for an international audience, who have an interest in the truth of the ‘20’s.

The Great Gatsby is a complex novel with much symbolism. A rhetorical precis is a useful tool to “ensure the reader {you} will be involved in the text”. A precis is a four sentcnce rhetorical summary that answers the questions how, why, what, and who. This specialized summary is used to summarize the piece in the most clear and concise way. For the Great Gatby the precis helps the reader understand Fitzgerald’s true motives. A first, prefunctory read may lead the reader the reader to believe that this is a tale of true love and the beauty of excessive wealth. Rather Fitzgerald uses irony, aphorisms and flashbacks to show that he does not approve of surplus wealth and Gatsby and Daisy’s love is far from “true”.