American Literature

People taking other peoples lives seem not to be a very surprising scene anymore. Discrimination and killing for power savagely occurs, even on countries who claim to love and advocate freedom.  The poems Ethnic Poetry by Julio Marzan and Mary Jo Salters Welcome to Hiroshima clearly shows that there are a lot of things you dont really see when you get to visit a country. Its dark history is being covered by the present days modernization and masked beauty.   Describing the place as a very welcoming site, in one of the countless coffee shops (13) tends to indicate is a perfect description of masking the brutality and savageness that took place in the past.

As  some nations believe that wars can help achieve complete humanity and peace, it actually results to a more devastating effect and that in such action, death is certain to come any time, the wristwatch of a child (32). Clearly pointed out at how the weak ones are discriminated by those who have more power power that does not look into humanity as long as greater power is achieved. A mother slips to coat sleeves, strings of death (24), imagine how painful it is losing a loved one due to selfishness and discrimination of war.
Take note that Japan actually started as one of the aggressors in the war, nut was later defeated in the end, hurting their sense of pride. In this case, one of the most lasting effects was the introduction of Americanism in the country so strongly tied up to its traditional heritage. As said in line 13-16, the countless coffers shops have undergone deep changes, manifest in its mutated cuisine of pancake sandwiches and pizza tops. In addition to losing the war, Mary Jo Salter also showed the fact that the Japanese cultural heritage began to give way to the American kind of thinking.

Salter used pleasant descriptions to hide the barbaric acts during the Hiroshima bombing and the horrific effects of the explosion. Who would have thought that the phrase memorial museum (22) would be a scene used to describe a place of a number of bloody and tragic death. In addition, Salter also tried to present the living memory of the war, which may seem a little bit overlooked by tourists in its memorials. As said in the lines 17 to 28, the floral hypocenter presented a mistaken cheer where humanity erased its own erasure, leading to three mannequins served in a glass which serves as reverence to the dead but somehow al commemorations swallowed up. These lines only how the irony of memorials where the gravity of the destruction is somewhat erased in spectators, but is still stored in Japanese memory. A poem and a documentary at the same time, and that is what had made Salters Welcome to Hiroshima a real literary masterpiece.

Julio Marzans Ethnic Poetry reflects the memory of the ethnic peoples whose heritage is so much altered by colonialism. According to the lines 1-4, the earth is maybe a huge maracasun a trombonelife is to move your ass to slow beats reflecting the slow paced of life that the ethnic peoples were accustomed to, until they where forced to the fast paced life of the modern era. This is reflected again in the following lines, such as lines 5-8 stating that Oh thank Goddy Goddymy toenails curled downward, which represents the satisfaction and contentment of the lives of ethnic people even before western developments was introduced.

Meanwhile, lines 9-11 stated the sun was created blackso we should imagine light and in lines 13-16, stating that reproductive organslisten to my ancestorsethnic audience ate fried bread and honey, in which there was a return to the original diet and cultural heritage of ethnic peoples. In this case, the author tries to create the impression that the period before westerners came was a period of contentment, asserting that their identity as peoples. All of these lines actually reflect the world-view of ethnic life, with the conclusion at line 20 that ethnic audience deeply understood humanity, which is currently lost in the lives of ethnic peoples who have completely assimilated into modern society without preserving their cultural heritage.

Comparing the two poems, you can see a real big difference on how the ideas are pointed out even if they talk about the same theme. While Salter talked about all the negative ways of discriminating and robbing power, Marzan did it in a more subtle way and in an almost sarcastic manner. Lines nine (9) to twelve (12) of his work is a clear confirmation to this claim.

When the poems setting is applied in a real political setup, it shows that aspiring leaders use either violence or sweet talks. Whereas the first option is inhumane, it is now becoming acceptable in some parts of the world where the weak keeps silent or be silenced. For those aspirants who do not have the machineries, the power of words is their strongest alliance. With the modern age though where people now understands more what humanity really is, politics has in  way changed in a more democratic one  where one is placed in power through the weaker peoples blind faith but we still are not denying the fact of the presence of the few remaining political people who opt to use force. While both poems talked about two very different forms of discrimination and violence, and are written in two different styles, one common factor binds their ideas- the truth about humanity. This is what is common among the two works. Poetry is affected by a lot other factors and not just due to a poets skill and creative and critical thinking. If you might have noticed there had been several different poetry styles that came up, and each depicted a specific era or period of time- as the era changes, a new poetry style is born. Poetry is a sure and effective way to let out any kept emotion or thoughts of a person. There are poetries based on facts like atrocities and wars, while there are which are purely imaginations and idealisms. However, whichever way and purpose they are created, one thing is sure, and it strongly shows the writers personality and ideals in which the second similarity among the works is that they have been products of their countrys history and culture. Reading poems like Ethnic Poetry and Welcome to Hiroshima is a very educational way of learning the factors that melded the history and the reasons why we have and enjoy the things that we have at present.

The main difference between the two poetry is their approach, wherein Salter tried to present history according to bad memories, and in reiterating the agony and then pain that the Japanese experienced during the bombing, and how it is overlooked at present times. On the contrary, Julio Marzan actually reflected in a more subtle and relaxing way, arguing for the forgotten humanity of the ethnuic ideal and the ethnic wayn of life. While Salter preferred to look at the way American culture has impenetrated Japanese culture, Marzan preferred to look back and reflect on the heritage of ethnic culture rather than focusingn on its profound changes in the present.

Poetry has given not only an artistic view to literature but also an effective representation of what history was, and future interpretations of what it will be. Marzan and Salter may have presented their sides in exact opposite ideas, one thing is clear poetrys powerful impact on culture and history is unquestionable. In addition, it is also important to note that all both poems are situated within specific historical contexts. This is the reason why the poems of Marzan and Salter actually give an important insight in the representation of history. Of course, it is true that interpretations of history vary from one to the other however, it is also true that poetry may give a powerful interpretation of such.