blog 4

Cultures and societies are different in each different country and each era throughout history. The three poems, My Last Duchess, by Robert Browning, America, written by Tony Hoagland, Ode to American English, by Barbara Hamby, all share this underlying idea. Their time period, their country, or both influence all of these works. The story’s theme or main idea relies heavily on the basis of different cultures and societies.
The poem My Last Duchess is about the Duke of Ferrara. He is the speaker in this poem. He looks at a portrait of his old wife and begins to remember her. It is obvious that he had something to do with her demise. In fact just as soon as he started remembering, he changes his train of thought just as quickly to the thought of finding another wife. But the Duke’s behavior in this poem and towards his wife leans heavily on the fact that it was during the time of the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a time of change and many were uneasy with the changes, and needed to take control so they could feel stable. It is made obvious in the poem, that the Duke exercised his power and put an end to his wife’s natural beauty and flirtation, “This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together”(line 45-46). This idea of exercising power in a changing world is not only unique to the Renaissance but in today’s world as well. On Mondays and Wednesdays I tutor Meskhetian Turks from the 1st to the 6th grade. They are refugees and have had to leave their countries and been thrown into this American school system. During the two hours I spend with them, they all deal with this drastic lifestyle change in different ways. Some work hard on their homework, determined to fit in and do well, while others act out and could care less about learning fractions. These cultural differences play a large role in the poem My Last Duchess.
Both poems, America and Ode to American English, deal with the American culture and ideals. America, deals with the materialism of American society. It shows a student, a teenager, who has been corrupted by the fast paced consumer driven message that the American culture sends out. Throughout the entire poem there are no periods it is one long sentence of thoughts. I thing this also symbolizes how fast one goes from innocence to the pursuit of money and power. Yet, as disgusting the pursuit is, it is you and I who keep it going and add wood to the fire. An excerpt from the poem that really demonstrates this point comes towards the end at about line 29, “But how could he have imagined 100 channels of 24-hour cable Or what kind of nightmare it might be When each day you watch rivers of bright merchandise run past you And you are floating in your pleasure boat upon this river Even while others are drowning underneath you And you see their faces twisting in the surface of the waters And yet it seems to be your hand Which turns the volume higher?” This poem is greatly effected by culture, enough for the poet to try and portray this sickening, ongoing quest for power in her own unique way. Ode to American English, views the American culture much differently then Tony Hoagland. The speaker has been away from her country and longs for the comforts of its language and way of life. The need for the American curt and somewhat unintelligent language seems strange since the speaker is in such a beautiful and sophisticated place. It almost says that although the American English and culture seems to be less important and less sophisticated, and everyone always wants to travel, it is greater than it seemed when it was right in front of you.
I started volunteering for RYP or the Refugee Youth Project a few weeks ago. It is an after school program for the young refugee children. I work at the Millbrook School and all the children are Meskhetian Turks. We help them with their homework, read with them, play games, and so on, in hopes of helping them further there knowledge of the American culture and language. The other day a young boy came in and in perfect English with very little hint at an accent sheepishly declared, “I don’t speak English.” His fearful face at this new place, made you want to comfort him and tell him it would only get better, but there was no way of communicating this compassion. Our American culture has had such an impact on all these young children seeking shelter in our country from whatever problems they were fleeing. Many speak as many as four different languages, and are so thankful for the little that they now have in this country. After doing this program for only two weeks I am able to see the impact our culture and theirs plays in their lives. All these poems deal with different areas of the effects of culture on people’s ability to change and perceive. After working with these children who deal with this new adjustment to a completely different culture in their own way, made me appreciate all three poems and be able to understand the deeper meaning of the influence of culture.