By comparing 3 to 4 different poems show how you have learnt about American Cultures, Issues and way of life.
There are many issues covered within the poems that I am going to focus on: Mending Wall, Copperfaces, Right on: White America and Theme for English B. These poems cover many aspects of the American Culture including Racism and past experiences in America between the races. Mending wall was written in the early 20th century whereas, Right on: White America and Theme for English B were written in the 1960’s. Copperfaces was written in 1936.
Although Copperfaces was written 30 years before Right on: White America, it still shows that there are similar attitudes of prejudice and discrimination in American society. There is a difference however: in the 1930’s it was the Red Indians that were the victims. The 1930’s poem is aware of the discrimination against many ethnic minorities whereas 30 years later the Black Americans have become the victims.
For the first poem I am going to look at “Copperfaces”, the red men and consider the similarities between this poem and Right on: White America.
Copperfaces focuses on the multi-cultural aspect of America. Right on: White America also discusses cultural issues. This poem also discusses the fact that America and Americans have received much more from other races around the world than they have ever given. For example, the Red men have given the Americans ‘tobacco, the weed for the pipe of friendship, the potato, the spud, sunflowers’. The early Italians taught them about Chestnuts, walnuts and peaches. Siberians found out what rye can do. The list continues for the remainder of the paragraph. The only race that is seen as having been given anything back to by the Americans is the Chinese. But in return for the Americans giving them gifts they give back three times the amount in other gifts. Therefore America is still receiving far more than it is giving to other races. In the second half of the poem, Carl Sandburg, the writer, starts to discuss that Americans do not appreciate what all of the races have done for America and that many of the races have been with America for hundreds of years. Without them America would not be what it is today. Within the last four lines the tone almost becomes sarcastic and it suggests the need for tolerance and respect between races after all, all people are really the same underneath.
