Central Symbol

Question 1

Today you will write a poem in response to the poems that you read and listened to. These are the three poems

• “For Women of Afghanistan,” by Sheema kalbasi
• “The Plight of the Afghan Women,” by Dr. Zieba Shorish-Shamley
• “Afghanistan Bleeds,” by Anonymous

First, review The Afghan Women Project worksheets 1 and 2 that you saved in your Afghan Women Project folder.Remind yourself what you learned about the mood and the tone.

Next, decide what kind of poem you want to write. It could be,

• a dialogue with the author of the poem
• you imagining yourself walking next to the poet and sharing her experiences
• a poem that promotes or celebrates human rights for all

Ask yourself…

• Is there some kind of central symbol that could help you express you meaning?
• What form best fits your meaning? What kind of rhythm works best? Do you want any lines to rhyme?
• What words best help you capture the feelings you wan

Question 2

In a fully formed essay, first briefly summarize (about one page is fine) the argument Juan Flores’s makes in his “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” essay that we read in the first week of class about the “four moments” immigrants/migrants to the city go through and the model he suggests as an alternative to the melting pot. You don’t need to do any analysis (your own commentary on the ideas) in this part; just accurately summarize the key points. Next, apply Flores’s model to two different poems from Pietri’s Puerto Rican Obituary book. Your goal in this part of the paper is to show how Pietri’s characters either do or do not match Flores’s model for how immigrants adapt to city life. Use specific examples from the poems to support your arguments. Finally, describe how Pietri presents city life for the characters in the poems you chose from him in your conclusion.