Question

""My Parents' by Stephen Spender and 'Dreaming Black Boy by James berry' are poems in which the speakers yearn to be accepted." Write an essay in which you focus on this theme in these TWO poems. For EACH poem, you must describe ONE instance in which the speaker's yearning to be accepted is evident. You must also discuss how EACH speaker responds to this feeling. Finally, for EACH poem, you must examine ONE device used to portray the speaker's yearning for acceptance.​

Answer 1

In "My Parents" by Stephen Spender and "Dreaming Black Boy" by James Berry, both speakers express a deep yearning for acceptance. Spender's speaker feels like an outcast among other children, responding with resignation, while Berry's speaker desires equality and respect in the face of racial prejudice, responding with frustration. The poets use imagery and repetition, respectively, to highlight these desires for acceptance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The theme of yearning for acceptance is a profound element in "My Parents" by Stephen Spender and "Dreaming Black Boy" by James Berry. In Spender's poem, the speaker's longing for acceptance is manifested through his observation of how effortlessly the other children play and interact, while he remains an outsider. The speaker in Berry's poem expresses a desire to be viewed beyond his skin color and to be granted the basic respect and equality that is often denied to him due to racism.

Spender's speaker reacts with a sense of quiet resignation, accepting his place as an outcast, whereas Berry's speaker shows a deeper frustration and implores for a world where he can be accepted and judged for his character rather than his race. To convey the speakers' longing, both poets expertly employ literary devices. Spender uses imagery to depict the physical and emotional distance between the speaker and the children, while Berry employs repetition to emphasize the speaker's intense desire for acceptance, freedom, and a normal childhood experience.