Post 16: Mythological elements in a poem

The Poem, Latin Night at the Pawn Shop, by Martin Espada uses a couple of mythological elements.  The poem uses the phrase, "apparition of a salsa band".  An apparition is a ghost or a ghostlike image of something.  Espada describes the instruments for sale in a pawn shop as the apparitions of a salsa band because they aren't being used and they have been put away to die.  Espada also uses the line, "all with price tags dangling like the city morgue ticket on a dead man's toe".  This further shows to the reader that the author compares the instruments in the store to a salsa band that has seen it's last day.  The mythological element that is present is the archetype of death.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post 25: Modern women compared to Nora

The modern woman of today compared to Nora in the story, "A Doll's House" isn't really that different.  There are many families where the woman of the family doesn't have a job outside the home and the man is the money maker of the household.  There are some families where the husband prefers the wife doesnt work and there are families where the wife is expected to work.  I think Nora likes the idea of not having to work but she knows how to make money when the family needs it. That happens in modern families also.
Read more

A Setting and It's Importance

In the short story, Geese, the setting is important because it reflects the state that the characters in the story are in.  The small apartment offers no amenities other than space to inhabit, same as Japan.  The characters are foreigners and their value to the people of Japan is minute.  Eventually money runs out, visas expire, jobs end, food supply dwindles and the once exciting opportunity that Japan was, becomes a wasteland that forces retreat.  The setting is dark, depressing and less than hopeful.
Read more

Faulkner and his plots

I am still waiting to receive my textbook from the Pony Express.  Having said that, I can tell what I think of Faulkner's style of "plotting" from what I read in A Rose for Emily.  Faulkner uses a method that engages the reader without taking them on a chronological ride though Emily's life. Staring with her death to ending with her death, Emily is portrayed through a series of events that paint a picture of her and how the town sees her.  This story proves that to have a great piece of literature, the ingredient of chronological timetables isn't always necessary and can, in fact, make for a remarkable story that enthralling the readers. http://www.public.coe.edu/~theller/essays/rose.html
Read more