“Our modern society is engages in polishing and decorating the cage in which a man is kept imprisoned” -nirmalananda

Upon reading Diaz’s interview, I felt as if she thinks society is stuck in a phase where individuals lack expression. When someone expresses themselves they usually do it in the same way as the next person, she mentions that it has a lot to do with us being stuck with social media most of the time. She also mentions that she isn’t able to express herself because it was often viewed as wrong. In the poem “Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation”, I feel as if Diaz did a magnificent way in showing how hard it is for one to actually take back control of their own body.

Certain people in todays society have set standards for many to follow and if you don’t fit into those specific standards then you’re simply left out or counted as less than those that do. In lines 17-19 Diaz mentions the characteristics of the angel and she’s basically saying that Indians can’t be angels because all angels are white. I think this like goes beyond just in the poem the “angels or white people” represent society and the Indians represent people of color overall. Society doesn’t allow poc to step outside the box and become who they are because it’s just not normal. It has conformed into one and anyone that doesn’t do the same as everyone else is frowned upon or judged.

In lines 29-30 Diaz says that even though angels exist one might want to stay clear of them because they do more wrong for poc than good. I think in a way this is poc taking control of their body/ becoming who they please and she’s basically saying that they shouldn’t let anyone else in society tear them down in any way.

A Forgotten Hero

While listening to Allen Ginsberg’s, “A Supermarket in California,” I could not help but feel as if I were listening to a man describing his experiences with a deceased or forgotten best friend. Ginsberg’s passionate, yet, tremulous tone sounds like one powered by that of loss. Clearly, Walt Whitman, seen as one of the first truly original American poets, is Ginsberg’s idol. The entire first stanza consists of Ginsberg excitedly following Whitman around the grocery store. In a way, this stanza could be a metaphor for the way in which Ginsberg desires to model his poetry after Whitman’s free flowing, free verse style. Just like Whitman broke the tradition of standard rhythm and meter, Ginsberg shows a desire to break free from the rest of the mundane society, which was residing the streets of Berkeley, California in the mid 1950’s. Whitman acts as a solace of hope for Ginsberg during his time of personal crisis, Whitman has the ability for a regular supermarket to appear as “neon” to Ginsberg. This type of diction ties into the theme of contrasting personas, which are clearly presented for both Whitman and Ginsberg alike. With Whitman, stacks of cans were described as “brilliant,” artichokes seemed delicious and even frozen goods were considered “delicacies.” Ginsberg naturally has a more pessimistic view of life. Upon separation with Whitman, Ginsberg talks about being lonely and describes a “blue America” with “silent cabins” and overall, gives off a fearful vibe. Ginsberg supports his cynical tone and diction by comparing America to Hades in the final stanza. Instead of making it across the river with Charon, the guardian of Hades, he “got out on a smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the Black waters of Lethe,” Ginsberg’s hero was forgotten. Just as Whitman was left behind, America left behind its appreciation for history. Instead of asking, “who killed the pork chops” American is now more concerned with “What price bananas,” a materialistic country leaves Ginsberg and his tone throughout his recitation, hopeless.