Essay Questions

Why does the narrator claim that America is stealing his life power in the poem entitled "America’’?

In the poem "America’’, the narrator describes how much he suffers because he lives in a chaotic place like the big cities in America. The narrator came from a less developed country and thus when he first got into contact with the way of life and the fast paced life in the big cities in America he felt exhausted and almost as if he was being abused. The reason why the narrator felt this way is because he had to deal with the social and economic differences between his previous country and the country in which he moved. Because if this, the narrator felt drained and as if his youth was being stolen from him by the society in which he was living.

What is the idea transmitted through the poem "Flame Heart’’?

In the poem "Flame Heart’’, the narrator talks about the things he forgot once he moved to America. He is sad because he can no longer remember the way his life used to be and he suffers because he can no longer remember his traditions and his former way of life. What he does remember is the time of December. This may transmit the idea that the narrator forgot the good things about his previous life but that he still remembers the bad things about his life and how he still remembers the negative aspects of living in his former country.

What are the school days mentioned by the narrator in the poem "Flame Heart’’?

In the poem "Flame Heart’’ the narrator mentions how he remember fondly his school days, a time when he used to be innocent and have no worry about the next day. The school days are used in the poem as a general term by the narrator to make reference to a time in the narrator’s life when he was happy and when he had no worries about his future and life. About these days, the narrator claims he did everything he could to keep them in his mind and he turns back to them when he is sad.