In the haze of space, which will be, once and for all, scrutable and safe."

-In Pet, the citizens of Lucille believe they are safe from criminals because they are TOLD they're safe, and they WANT to believe that; but there is still danger lurking all around them, just like the eerie image of drifting through space, "unhinged."

and opens;only something in me understands

the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)

nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

In the Great Gatsby, the love Gatsby has for Daisy, though only rekindled, is passionate and all-consuming. It is completely unlike the familiarity and mundanity of the Buchanans' marriage. Despite his facade of mystery, he "closes and opens" at her behest. He is willing to go to extreme lengths to please her, including engaging in a bootlegging scheme to become rich and "worthy" in her eyes.

“I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.”

 

In The Hate U Give, the people of their community need to realize how they can change racial injustice and the unrealized bias against other races. The white people in the book only stand up for what is right when they feel like it, and don’t change their ways because it’s not beneficial to them. The main character Starr has to preach over and over how black people should be appreciated and respected just as every other person in America. The poem also relates back to this book because it talks about how the writer of the poem is darker skinned and faces hardships similar to my book. 

These (all the poor remains of state)

Adorn the rich, or praise the great;"
In Graveyards Full, Kira Higurashi is refused a funeral because of the way she lived her life. Similar to how the poet describes tombstone ornaments being reserved for the rich or powerful, Kira's death isn't honored nearly as much as others.

The war started,

bringing problems and issues

to people in different countries.

-In Four-Four-Two, the story happened during WW2 after Japan bombed the Pearl Harbor, starting from that time, Americans started to see Japanese Americans as spy and started to isolate them.

got sick, before I unfriended you on Facebook, before I decided I no longer loved you, before New York, before college—thinking back to childhood when we could run fearless through the neighborhood at night, when

we didn't think about the future, when we loved our country because we didn't know better."

Both the poem "Hold It Down" by Gina Myers and the short story "Cell One” by Chimamanda Adiche commentate on the prominence of police brutality in America and Nigeria, respectively, and describe the common societal response to such abuses as forced acceptance and ignorance. In Cell One, Nnamabia's parents concede to the police by offering them bribes and accepting their unjustified actions and arrests as, “what the police do all the time”. Similarly, the excerpt from “Hold It Down” illustrates the narrator’s desire for ignorance as she recounts her childhood, wishing to return to a care-free and fearless time where “we loved our country because we didn’t know any better”. In both works, the authors highlight the need for reformation in not only the justice system but society, as well.

             The white hand:

             The thieving hand.

             The white face:

             The lying face.

             The white power:

             The unscrupulous power

- In Huckleberry Finn, Huck helps Jim, a runaway slave escape, but watches him almost die by a white mob even after he almost saved Tom Sawyer, a commentatory on how African Americans will contiuned to be oppressed by the "white hand."

To lie before us like a land of dreams, 

So various, so beautiful, so new, 

Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light" 

-In Fahrenheit 451, everyone appears to be happy because there are endless amounts of distractions to occupy their attention and prevent negative thoughts. However, the exact opposite is true and the general public is numb with no individual thought or true human connections. This quote highlights how utopia can essentially be illusion where everyone is suffering in silence.

I lost with you."

This line portrays the significance of friendships in our everyday life. It is always valuable to be alongside someone, even if you may not always come out successful together. This line connects to the novel, The Vanishing Season, because they both show the true significance of teamwork and friendship in our everyday life, as in the novel, two kids fight for their lives with the help of each other throughout.

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream"

-In The Match, the reform academy segregates blacks from whites. Although all boys were abused, black males got it worse, and even died from certain punishments. Through boxing, black males had a chance to achieve their singular dream, to win. This was all they dreamt of, yet, it was taken away from them and given to the white males. Their only dream was dead before they even realized it.     

I do not think that they will sing to me."

In this line, the speaker reflects upon how others perceive him as he yearns to approach a woman. The negative, pessimistic thought process of the speaker parallels Holden Caulfield's in The Catcher in the Rye, who tends to restrain himself from his desires and limit himself--despite his potential--due to his nihilistic and cynical perspective.

Are dissolved"

-This connects to The Andalucian Friend through its subject of death and time. In the novel, most of the plot is centered around the new wave of crime bosses rising up as the older generation slowly dies off and becomes irrelevant and being "dissolved" is a great way to describe that process.

Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

This line connects to my novel, 1984, because the characters in my book fight against the corrupt society placed by The Party. They believe that instead of adjusting to the Party's laws they must fight back and die with honor. This quote highlights how in the face oppression one must fight back.

found its own body right then, right there in the center
 of campus, what difference could it make now
 that we have already mastered the rule book, the protocol
we learned before we learned to slow
 dance, or smooth talk, or scream
 the lyrics of a favorite song in a group
of two or more & not feel ashamed
 of all the noise a black body can make
 while it is still living”

Throughout Tim Larkin’s “When Violence Is The Answer”, the nature of violence is explored though the incentive of either the elevation of one’s social hierarchy or the complete destruction of and harm to another person. The novel emphasizes the use of violence only when it is vital for one’s survival and highlights the importance of training and practice when faced with a life-or-death situation. The author of the poem, like that of the novel, questions the moral and purpose behind the utilization of violence and expresses his concern for lives affected by it. He discusses the ineffectiveness of any prior knowledge to a life-threatening situation without the proper practice, training, and implementation of said knowledge. 

   On, on into the dark.

But in my heart still shone the day,

   And still—still sang the lark."

In this part of the poem, he's passing the young woman, almost saying goodbye. He said that the world was dark without her "on, on into the dark" but he will remember her in his heart, where "still shone the day". I thought this was pretty moving because he'd never spoken to this woman before yet he was so enamored that life without her would be bleak. This also reminds me of my book, Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy was perfectly happy before he met Elizabeth. Once they met, however, it was torment for him to not be with her. It's almost like 1+1=2. They're whole on their own, but together they're better; life is better.

in this museum of childhood,

flower painted at the bottom 

of a porcelain teacup:

cracked saucer, no sugar, no milk."

-In "Museum", the people are in a war with little supplies in their home. they know that its getting worse and they want to find what distracts them from the real truth. It connects to my Novel, All the Light we cannot see as there is both a time of war and mysteriousness that leads to hidden truths of the past.

Are where thy grey eye glances"
--Edgar Allen Poe

This line, while not the most significant within the poem, really struck me. In my novel, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, there was a point where the main character, Humbert Humbert, described Lolita's eyes as a dulled, glassy, almost numb grey. He said this is what here eyes looked like after he raped her. In the poem, Poe's describes the grey eyes of his lover with devotion and care, which directly contrasts Humbert's abuse of Lolita.

 

is a gun, skin
    a shiny pistol"

This line emphasizes the negative impacts of police brutality and the danger of systemic racism for people of color. By painting these harmless objects as "a gun," it shows how quickly those in power will seek to justify an unnecessary use of force. This is also analyzed in "The Hate U Give," when the police officers blame a comb for looking like a gun when attempting to justify the murder of Khalil. These two works both depict the unjust nature of police brutality and the excuses made by those in power for their actions.

Fact is, ain’t got a dime—

So just by if-ing

I have a good time!"

The line of this poem conveys how the poet does not need material items or wealth to be happy and he makes the most out of what he has. In The Selection, America's family is considered lower class; however, America believes that becoming part of the upper class will not make her any happier.

The long numbers that rocket the mind;

Our slow, unreckoning hearts will be left behind,   

Unable to fear what is too strange". - Richard Wilbur, Advice to a Prophet

In Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut satirizes and criticizes religion in the backdrop of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear devastation. Vonnegut's use of the fake religion Bokononism illustrates his argument that people turn to religion as a painkiller or distraction from the terrors of the real world, particularly the post-war era. "Advice to a Prophet", also written in this era, is very similar. The speaker asked to be spared from the discussion of weapons of mass destruction, as mass society fears them and does not truly understand their purpose. This reflects Cat's Cradle, as the religious characters openly admit that they do not understand "science" (being the man-made causes of human destruction, i.e. the atomic bomb) and they turn to religion for answers instead.

 

go? It’s like the angel’s giving

her a little piece of honeycomb to eat."

This line from "Girls Overheard While Assembling a Puzzle," is like my novel "Crazy Rich Asians," because it shows a sense of appreciation. In the story Astrid knows that she is wealthy, however she does not gloat or show it off in an arrogant matter. I think that this line in the poem goes to show how objects may be shared in order to show appreciation. Astrid shows compassion for others and I believe this shows how people are appreciative of kindness and giving. Through the lines "Astrid gave the most bashful smile," implies that she was compassionate towards another. This connects to the poem through the sense of kindness and appreciation for one another.

To a discerning Eye -"

The first line is a paradox that explains that many consider insanity (not necessarily medically) to be a gift. Dickinson wants the reader to question what they think is normal vs abnormal. The "discerning Eye" describes the wisdom it takes to look at the world clearly and question authority. As an activist in the Civil War era, Dickinson probably wrote this poem as a call to other progressives.

For this love was boundless,
like clouds in the sky;

This line from the poem connects to my novel "Twilight." Twilight is about a girl who meets a male vampire and they both instantly notice an indescribable desire to be near one another. This eventually turns into a love much like the one described in the poem. They are both described in a way that is deep and resonating with the reading, leaving it to be more intriguing: wanting to know more.