Analysis of "The Legend" by Garrett Hongo

by kmasto (student)

International Baccalaureate World Literature

Analysis of The Legend by Garrett Hongo

This poem is clearly an elegy.

Paraphrase

It starts by setting the scene in Chicago with show falling and a man stepping out onto the street after doing his laundry. It says he looks Asian, skinny and poor. As he is getting into his car, there are cries from pedestrians and a boy comes out of a corner store and shoots him. The boy gets away and the man falls forward and dies slowely. The author then contemplates what this death has to do with him.

Speaker

The speaker is someone observing the shooting. It is clear from the second-to-last stanza that the speaker is also the author. He shows great sorrow for the incident in the poem and feels ashamed of society’s values.

Imagery

The author uses a lot of imagery to connect with the reader and show the emotion and sorrow he feels for the Asian man’s death. The imagery has a large impact on the tone of the poem. Most of it is packed into the first stanza, where he describes Chicago in the early evening. He shows that even though it is tough outdoors, based on the snow, there are some nice things happening and it sets the foundation of a good and deserving life for the man introduced in the second stanza.

The Second stanza stresses how ordinary the ...

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Imagery

The Second stanza stresses how ordinary the man and his day have been. And then suddenly interrupts it with the ‘flurry of footsteps’, ‘cries of pedestrians’, and a boy backing away from a store shooting a pistol and hitting the man.

This leads to the last stanzas which utilize imagery to slow down the thoughts and reflect on the unjust event that happened.

Attitude

It is clear from the vivid descriptions of the setting in the first stanza that Hongo loves the U.S., but he is devastated by the alienation, violence on the streets, and other difficulties that immigrants have to face. He has no true responsibility to honor the man who died but he writes and dedicates this poem for him to show that while the majority of America ignores the common Asian immigrant, he still cares.

Theme

The writer looks at alienation in this poem as a theme. He shows the Asian man alone, without friends beside him as he dies to support him. The man is juxtaposed with a massive city, Chicago, which is described as cold and harsh but also peaceful in the late evening. He also mentions a crowd of people that surround the dying man, while not specifically describing any of them. This leaves him alone in the careless world.

Central Assertion

I used my theme to help write a central assertion.

The author uses vivid imagery and details to create strong emotional connections for the reader to the topic of alienation and develop feelings of devastation and anger.

This statement says that imagery is a very important part that shaped the tone of this poem and in an attempt to force readers to reflect on the values of American society.