3. dreamlike tone in the poem
CAST OF CHARACTERS
George, a retired office clerk
Georgiana, his wife
Little Georgie, a deck boy
(George and Georgiana's luxurious cabin. There's a piano and a couple of evening dresses and jackets. George is sitting in an armchair and smoking his pipe.)
GEORGIANA: ... So, as I've told you, Edward is never going to get married if he keeps employing such an attitude towards women.
GEORGE: Yes, darling. However, there's not much we can do about it. If those are God's ways, we are to accept them peacefully. Have you talked to Martin about it?
GEORGIANA: No, Martin always goes about his business.
(Some kind of uproar is heard.)
GEORGE: You see, one can hardly find a peace of mind even on a ship.
(Little Georgie breaks into the room.)
LITTLE GEORGIE: Sir, ma'am, the ship seems to be going down.
GEORGIANA: Down? What do you mean, little chap?
LITTLE GEORGIE: It is sinking. People are a little bit upset.
GEORGE: Well, how serious is it? Is it going to sink completely?
LITTLE GEORGIE: Well, haven't you heard the sirens?
GEORGIANA: Shall we evacuate?
LITTLE GEORGIE (picking his nose): There's only so much space in the lifeboats. You'd better hurry.
GEORGE: Darling, do you reckon I have time enough to pick at least two of my jackets? A man needs to bring his attire with him all the time.
GEORGIANA: By all means, George. We shouldn't let the situation get out of hand.
(They start rummaging around the room. Little Georgie observes the piano for 25 minutes. George cleans his pipe. All of them slowly and quietly leave the room.)
The sentence that best summarizes this passage is the second one: "Islam spread widely through invading armies and voluntary conversion."
The passage focuses on the spread of Islam, and that sentence covers it, while the other ones cover only aspects of the passage.
A reference to Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" => "I, Too". Langston Hughes' poem adds the African American identity to Whitman's list of ordinary people who constitute and contribute to American collective identity.
Paradox of social injustice => "I, Too". Hughes depicts the social inequality of black people, who are traditionally confined to servitude. He hopes, however, that this will change eventually.
Uses set meter and rhyme scheme => "From the Dark Tower". The poem's rhyme scheme is ABBA.
Symbol of wasted effort => "From the Dark Tower". Black people are the ones who plant, while white people reap.
Stone of anger and resentment => "From the Dark Tower". It depicts black people's anger at being constantly and systematically oppressed.
Uses free verse => "I, Too". Hughes' poem has a conversational tone. The free verse depicts the inner freedom that the speaker feels, and wants to transform into real freedom and equality.
It acts in its own interests, not the people's interests. And this is a fundamental elemental that has to exist within a democratic republic, according to Madison. It is necessary to tolerate those that have other ideas and who are acting in their own self interest, but hopefully the democratic process will diminish or decrease the effect of extreme wants of a faction.
