There are many cases where people are not accepted in their own country. country. This is due to the negative stereotypes society gives them, they are treated differently and cut off from the world because they do not fit society's ideals. There are two main reactions that minorities can have in this situation. Either they feel so hated that they would want to change who they are to please others, or they might want to fight back and prove those people wrong. People have been taught to fear being different. The fear that makes you believe that something you don't know is dangerous. This is due to ignorance. This is expressed through the following poems, Fried Bread by Hinewirangi, Refugee Blues by WH Auden and Phenomenal woman and still I Rise by Maya Angelou. These poems are linked by themes of cultural dislocation and pride. I chose these poems because I liked how the poets described the differences between living as a minority in this society and how one may react differently to not being accepted due to one's diversity. We live in a world where people who are not white are seen differently or looked down upon. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay There is a mentality that the further you stray from the norm of society's ideals, the more you should be feared. Groups of color are constantly negatively stereotyped and there is nothing they can do about it. It's because they know that society will not take their side in this race war. Most of the time, they can't fight back without being called "angry black people." These stereotypes are prevalent in modern American society. Naturally, oppressed groups of individuals, such as the Maori, in this case, have turned to another means of expressing themselves; poetry. By telling their stories so that they can be passed down from generation to generation so that the struggle is never forgotten, lessons are learned as they are taught. These types of poems always have very strong personal connections with the poet, as shown by the use of the pronoun "I" which is too important in this subject of writing. That's what also got me interested in exploring this idea of ​​how you can have different reactions to being told you don't belong. It was the raw personal connection one can have with the poet through his writings that attracted me. In the poems Fried Bread and Refugee Blues we see the negative effects of this socially caused isolation come into play and how the poems express their reaction. . We also see how they perceive the situation in which society rejects them and how they eventually give up. In the poems Still I Rise and Phenomenal Woman we see the positive effects of this isolation from society, which in turn evokes this feeling of empowerment and in a way they "fight back" against the negative thoughts of the Company. Conformity to Society's Ideals/Identity Crisis: We see in Fried Bread the narrative voice is immediately very determined to be someone she is not, she wants to conform and blend in. She is going through an identity crisis. This is very clearly evident in the lines “I want to be a pākehā” “I want to be a white woman” it’s almost as if she is shouting it to the world. This appears to be a strong and clear message to the public, expressing their desire to abandon their culture for the notiondominant. The impact of saying she wants to be “white” in two different languages ​​really shows that she wants to alert both Pākehā and Māori. that she doesn't want to be different. She feels a sense of shame about her culture due to the negative stereotypes that pervade it. We can see this in the lines where she wants to replace her "fried bread lunches" with "delicate club sandwiches" and a drink in a "plastic bottle", all items commonly associated with their respective cultures. Having expressed her feelings in such direct terms gives the strong impression that she feels the need to fit into this society that treats not only her heritage but everything about her culture and who she is as taboo. By confirming, we allow society to rob us of what is most important: uniqueness and individuality. When you take them away, you lose yourself and your sense of belonging. She distances herself from her own culture due to pressures to be someone she is not. Hinewirangi effectively conveyed the feeling of being lost. Being so visible with your language really draws the reader in. She uses very obvious negative connotations to describe this image of a society that does not want anyone to express their individuality. The use of these connotations in the very first stanza is very powerful and establishes the reader's mindset early on that this girl clearly wants to erase any part of herself that questions the idea compliance. As humans, we crave acceptance and when we are deprived of this, we want to modify ourselves to fit the perfect stereotype they have imposed on us, thus losing who you really are. But in the end, we really can lose your race, just your identity. The girl in the poem will forever be this “brown-skinned, black-haired, brown-eyed ‘pakeha’.” My other poem, Refugee Blues by WH Auden has the same theme running through it, and Auden specifically expresses this theme in the phrase "but there is no room for us my dear, but there is no room for us” it’s the result of an exclusive society that demands monoculturalism to fit in, in this case it’s the Jews speaking to us. As a society, we are conditioned to think that things that are different are wrong, and when you're told that enough times, you start to believe it. Auden's use of repetition with the phrase "there is no room for us" makes this idea seem ingrained. A very persistent thought that will follow every different person like a storm cloud, constantly raining down on you. There is still a cultural identity. crisis similar to that of Fried Bread because they feel like they don't belong anywhere. “We can't go now, my dear, we can't go now. » they once had a country, but now they don't. Again, the repetition of the phrase "we can't go now" only highlights the fact that they have been excluded from society because of their religion. With a pained character, they continue to suffer the torment of being punished for something they cannot change. The story, like the narrative voice used by Auden, gives the impression that the poem is being read aloud as a bedtime story for a younger generation, who have not yet gone through the same torments. He insinuates that the problems never really go away, because when the narrative voice uses the personal pronoun “we,” we all feel a connection to the words because the pronoun is so inclusive. This gives the reader the feeling that we must help him in his fight to find himself.conform to the ideals of society. Auden demonstrates that it is easy to lose one's identity when a powerful force oppresses us. This force mentioned in the poem would be the Nazis. It is well known that the Nazis abused their power, which affected Jews who were killed because of their faith. Refugee Blues is really about the endangerment of the Jews and the difficulty they experienced, having no place in the world would ultimately lead them to conform to stay safe. This shows the extent to which they were denied their basic rights, simply because they were Jewish. Indifference turned out to be the main focus of this poem to highlight the cruel behavior. These two poems show how society can tear you down and denounce you if you let them get to you. They show the real difficulties of being different in a monocultural society and how easy it is to fall into the trap of peer pressure and shame. It's human nature to not want to miss out on anything, therefore people will conform just to feel included in something. Their goal is to feel like they are part of something bigger. As superficial as it may seem, it is essential to their survival. Fighting Back: A poem that offers a truly opposing perspective to the previous theme of cultural dislocation and identity crisis is the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. In this poem we see a sassy undertone to the narrative and it openly celebrates the fact that even when society puts you down, you don't have to conform, and how you can feel empowered when everyone else shows discrimination against you. This is very evident in the phrase “Does my impertinence bother you?” the use of the rhetorical question draws the reader in, but the narrator is not talking to the reader, she is actually talking to someone else who has wronged her. It directly addresses society and its negative opinions. The use of this rhetorical question in this context also almost makes the reader feel like they are watching over the narrator's shoulders as he addresses "society." This gives a voyeuristic effect that makes the reader feel like we are fighting for their rights alongside them. Angelou perversely demonstrates that whatever cruel strategies society uses against him, the victim will rise up, the stranger will overcome all prejudices. It is important to stay true to who you are and what you stand for, staying connected to who you are and not letting society change you is very important. Not just for individuals, but to keep your legacy alive. Fighting against society's ideal can really give you a sense of pride, unity, and belonging within your own racial group. This poem embodies the resilience reflected in black women and expresses it through direct addresses to the audience with very condescending rhetorical questions that once again bring that feeling of voyeurism. Her obvious distaste for society's ideals shows in the way she defends herself. “I am a black ocean, leaping and wide, I carry the well and the swelling in the tide.” She adopts this tsunami persona which reflects her strong desire to show you how powerful she is. and rich black culture can be achieved through the use of metaphor. By using the words "welling" and "swelling" it shows how black people can adapt to change, they can adapt to it like a changing tide and the ending "I bear the tide" shows how well it is strong enough to withstand any force that comes its way. Another poem that embodies this.