BookRiff

If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book

What is the refugee ship poem about?

Refugee Ship is a short poem that focuses on the experience of a person caught between cultures, that of Mexico and the United States. Language, race and family ties are the key areas explored.

Why does the speaker in refugee ship feel orphaned from her Spanish name?

In a tone expressing alienation and sorrow, the speaker talks about being isolated from both her American and Mexican cultures. Because the speaker was raised in celebration of only one of her cultural identities, English, she is “orphaned” from her Spanish heritage (Emplumada 41).

What plants grow near the Casitas in freeway 280?

There are apricot, cherry, and walnut trees. There are also wild mustard plants, spinach, mint, and purslane (a wild, edible green). Though the fields look abandoned, there are still old women who go there.

What might it refer to in the following excerpt from Freeway 280?

What might “it” refer to in the following excerpt from “Freeway 280”? Why might “it” be important to the speaker? The “it” in the excerpt possibly refers to the neighborhood that the highway now conceals. However, in a figurative sense, the “it” could refer to the speaker’s culture.

When was Freeway 280 written?

1954
Written in 1954, “Freeway 280” begins a shift by giving permission to question and accept that a person can have multiple identities and exist anywhere in the space between the hyphen.

What do refugees do?

A refugee is a person who is seeking a safe haven after being forced to flee violence, persecution or war. Refugees are defined and protected in international law. And seeking asylum is not a crime. While every refugee is initially an asylum seeker, not every asylum seeker will ultimately be recognized as a refugee.

What does the phrase new grasses sprout?

The phrase “new grasses sprout” means the speaker is recreating her identity. Author refers herself to be the grass because it changes every season so , the author was also having a new beginning.

What is a refugee simple definition?

Refugees are people who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country. They often have had to flee with little more than the clothes on their back, leaving behind homes, possessions, jobs and loved ones. Learn more about refugees.