<u>Compare and contrast W. H. Auden's "Musée des Beaux Arts" and William Carlos Williams's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus." </u>
<u>What similarities and differences do you see in the way the poets present ideas to the reader?</u>
The most important similarity between W.H. Auden and William Carlos Williams' poems is that both describe Pieter Brueghel's painting <em>Landscape With The Fall of Icarus</em>. Both poets illustrate the scene and all its surroundings with detail. Both poets exemplify with imagery the painting's scene and what it depicts.
<u>Nevertheless, the poets do differ in other elements:</u>
- Auden presents his poem using free verse and divides it into two long stanzas without any rhyme. Although William Carlos Williams doesn't use rhyme either, he keeps a more traditional construction by dividing the poem into six stanzas with three lines in each.
- Auden reflects on suffering and the burden of routine depicted in the painting with more delicate and meditative observations. He mentions Icarus in the second stanza and contemplates his psyche in a deeper way. Williams, on the other hand, presents his ideas in a concise manner. He states the reader the facts and describes the painting with concrete examples. He mentions Icarus since the first stanza but doesn't concentrate on what he might have felt or what others might be feeling in that precise moment.
- Auden sensed the painting and tells the reader his experience when he saw it. Williams is an observer. He tells the reader a descriptive summary of what he saw without delving into his inner experience and thoughts.
Susan B. Anthony argues that, although legally not allowed to vote, she is entitled to participate in the country's running because of her condition of citizen. She is successful in arguing this point, as she provides strong evidence for her position. For example, she describes how the Constitution makes all people equal, and does not distinguish between men and women. She also describes how women display all the conditions of "humanity" one could expect, and therefore, do not deserve to be treated like inferior beings by the law.
Answer:
Whenever the author uses the word <em>American </em>with quotation marks, it is to ridicule the Americanized people who started believing they are truly American and decided to leave behind their heritage and history. The author, Anzia Yezierska, talks about how she finally moved to America in order to pursue her dreams, happiness, and financial stability, and started living with and working for a family from the same Polish village she comes from. The family completely forgot about where they come from and pretended they were truly American, or rather "American" as Yezierska would put it.
Through this usage, we can see how quickly the author's thoughts and feelings about the "land of freedom" changed. She moved there in order to earn her own money and finally be happy. However, what she encountered was loneliness, misunderstanding, shame, hatred, inadequacy, etc. which she wasn't hoping for. Therefore, her feelings about America shifted from childish exhilaration towards sad acceptance and ultimately hatred.
