“On the Subway” can be described as poem simply by Sharon Olds that originates “to supply a sense of fear, double entendre, inequality, and inner city anxiety. The situation is defined by the title, and this makes all that follows clear as far as its meaning is concerned. “(para. 1). Ms. Olds tells the story throughout the narrator who also while driving the educate observes that she is alone with a small black young man. “While practically nothing really takes place beyond both the observing the other person, the composition still deals with to shed light to inequality, prejudice, and stereotypes.
“(para 1).
The poem starts with the narrator telling the storyline of the a pair of them by itself on the subway train through her observations and susceptible prejudices. There are numerous Symbolic references about course, race, and inequality produced throughout the tale.
As the storyplot begins the first representational reference unfolds as the narrator describes the boy’s feet great shoes. As she procedes further explain the boy’s shoe cale we get the sense with the imbalance of equality of the races.
While the tennis shoes themselves are dark-colored it is the baignoire that are white and type a complex pattern which is referred to as intentional scarring. The author uses the white laces to represent the imbalance of electricity the small boy has received have more power to face as being a minority. They also suggest that because the laces keep the shoes upon or collectively that they. The laces could also be symbolic with the markings still left on the boys’ ancestors in older days when they had been slaves together received a beating hence bearing the scars with the beating.
The girl also uses the son’s clothing to further symbolize the stereotypes plus the injustices between your races. She actually is fearful with the boy because of the type of garments that he wears. She feels that because he is dressed up in clothing that is certainly considered to be more urban and open that he was outfitted like somebody who would be a mugger. The woman who was clothed in fur was covered. Over is anxious of being bitten because she is more wealthy and therefore mare like a target. Both boy as well as the woman will be sizing each other and without seriously knowing one other they both have their own feelings about one another. The son knows that since the woman is known as a white girl she is protected in coat and therefore she gets more affluence and power. The woman is truly fearful in the boy as a result of her very own preconceived thoughts about competition. She cannot look passed what the young man looks like girl is doubtful of the young man. She looks at him with fear that he can strike her at any moment because of her affluence.
The author continually discuss the separation of races by simply discussing how much easier it is to be a White person than it is to become an Dark-colored. The poem indicates that being white-colored offers benefits that getting African American does not. It is the colour of her skin that has offered her with better prospect and segregated her through the boy for the train.
This poem is relevant today as it exemplifies stereotypes and inequalities that are still present in our society. The lady on the educate represents riches and power. The young man represents missed opportunity and poverty. The lady on the teach feared that she was going to be attacked by the young man on the coach simply because of past experiences and making judgments on an individual simply based upon the color of his skin area and how having been dressed. Probably had the boy within the train recently been white over on the coach would not have a similar fear or perhaps feel the same manner. Even within our society today we have people who find themselves still quick to make allergy judgments although it is not having all of the facts or perhaps making a decision depending on past experience.
I also believe the poem does research some empathy between the young man and the woman by the end from the poem while the woman describes that both races may be misunderstood and that both of them could possibly get hurt or be injured by being evaluated. They each have got struggles that they have to overcome.
1