1. What is this poem saying about consumerism in America? Support your answer with convincing textual evidence and analysis.
2. Why is it significant that the student wears "phony ghetto clothes"? How does that detail fit in with the rest of the poem?
3. What does this poem suggest about an individual's IDENTITY in America? Explain your answer.
4. Write your OWN interpretive question and answer it.
3.) The poem "America" written by Tony Hoagland, suggests that what is known to be the American Dream, would be best fitted if called the American Nightmare. Many Americans live their daily lives in a superficial way, and when someone speaks out against the American way of life, the Americans initial response is to defend America and oppose to the argument. While Americans tend to tell people how to live their “best way” of life, they don't try to understand the other side. Similar to how the author felt at first. Not every tree has to have golden roots and money sprouting out the branches.
ReplyDelete1. In the poem Hoagland suggests that consumerism is controlling America. He talks about how many see America, not as a place of freedom, but as a prison made of consumerism. He talks about "walls made of Radioshacks and Burger Kings" showing how this consumerism has corrupted the ideas of America, imprisoning is in a land of compliance, even going so far as showing how consumerism has even corrupted and is controlling the people themselves. In the poem he mentions that he had a dream where he stabbed his father yet instead of blood, it was money coming out of him. This shows how the people of America are not in control of themselves anymore, but the ideas of matierial gain has blinded them from control of themselves and has thrown them into the mental prison of American Consumerism.
ReplyDelete2) Hoagland, in his poem "America", he wrights how this student of his wears "phones ghetto clothes." This fits with the rest of the poem because it adds to the feel that this kid is trying to be something that he isn't and should never be. He's creating a lifestyle that isn't good for him and the people around him, and it's holding him back. The kid sees that he is trapped in something and has no way out, but the way he fights it has no actual effect on the prison he's trapped in.
ReplyDelete4) What does the author mean by saying “ I am asleep in America too,”?
ReplyDeleteTony Hoagland in his poem “America” expresses his realization of the American lifestyle and how blind he has been towards it. Close to the end of the poem author writes “I am asleep in America too,” showing sudden awareness of his state of mind up until this moment. From beginning he is criticizing the student who is no longer asleep, being deaf to his words like one is in a dream, far away. It's a dream that creates the fake reality and blocks the terrible truth. However, then the nightmare comes, his father gets stabbed by son with a knife. Yet, the blood does not come out but the very thing that blocked his dad's heart, money. At that moment the killer wakes up. He knows he has been asleep, ignoring the way his life was controlled by Ben Franklin's, how he has been stuck in his own reality. He might have been pursuing his American dream, but instead fell into an American sleep.
In the poem "America" by Tony Hoagland, the persona is focusing on the fact that consumerism is taking over America. Not only is it taking over our minds but It is physically affecting us too, as stated when the author says "whose walls are made of Radioshacks and Burger kings, and MTV episodes." People in America have very little control over what they buy anymore, this is because, the sellers make their product look like the best one out there, which makes Americans go crazy for it because everyone needs the newest and the biggest and the best everything. The poem is also saying that Americans are getting very selfish and greedy given that the author says "even while others are drowning underneath you and you see their faces twisting in the surface of the waters, and yet it still seems to be your own hand which turns the volume higher". This shows that the persona believes that due to consumerism, people don't care about the wellbeing of others as long as their own needs have been fulfilled.
ReplyDelete-Lucas Moskovic