Learning to Love America poem. Explore three-four different formal poetic devices, such as repetition, irony, symbolism, or metaphor, and how they work together to convey meaning in this poem.
Explore three-four different formal poetic devices, such as repetition, irony, symbolism, or metaphor, and how they work together to convey meaning in this poem. Create an argument about what overall purpose these poetic devices are able to convey.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46551/learning-to-love-america
It’s not always easy to love America. We have a complicated history, and it seems like every day there is something new in the news that makes us question our patriotism. But despite our flaws, America is still an amazing country. We are blessed with freedom and opportunity, and we have a rich culture that is worth celebrating. In this poem, I talk about my journey of learning to love America. I hope it will inspire you to do the same!
Shirley Geok-Lin Lim’s “Learning to Love America” is a moving, patriotic poem that speaks to the challenges of loving a country with a complicated history. The poem centers on the idea that despite our flaws, America is still an amazing country worth celebrating.
This is a sentiment that resonates with many Americans, and Lim’s poem provides an eloquent expression of it.
The first stanza of the poem sets up the speaker’s journey of learning to love America. They start by admitting that “It’s not always easy to love America.” This line establishes both the difficulty and necessity of the task at hand. The speaker then goes on to list some of the reasons why loving America can be difficult.
They mention “our complicated history” and “something new in the news that makes us question our patriotism.” These are both valid concerns that can make it hard to love America. However, the speaker doesn’t stop there.
They also talk about all of the amazing things about America, such as “freedom and opportunity,” and “a rich culture that is worth celebrating.” This provides a more balanced view of America, which is necessary for learning to love it.
The second stanza of the poem expands on the idea of America having a rich culture worth celebrating. The speaker talks about how they have been able to learn about different cultures through living in America.
They mention “the music of jazz,” “the food of the melting pot,” and “the stories of immigrants.” All of these things contribute to America’s rich culture. The speaker then goes on to say that they have also been able to learn about their own culture through living in America. This is an important point because it shows that you don’t have to give up your own culture in order to learn about and appreciate other cultures.
The third stanza of the poem is where the speaker really begins to talk about their journey of learning to love America. They start by talking about how they used to see America as a “dreamland.” This is a common view of America, especially for people who live in other countries. The speaker then goes on to say that they “wanted to love America,” but they “didn’t know how.” This is a relatable sentiment for many people.
It can be hard to love a country when you don’t feel like you belong there. The speaker then talks about how they “began to see the cracks in the dream,” which is another relatable experience.
Seeing the flaws in America can make it difficult to love it, but it can also be a necessary first step in learning to do so.
The fourth and final stanza of the poem is where the speaker finally arrives at their destination of learning to love America. They start by saying that they “learned to love America” by “seeing all sides of her.”
This is an important point because it shows that you can’t truly love something unless you see all of it, both the good and the bad.
The speaker then goes on to say that they “learned to love America” by “loving her people.” This is another important point because it shows that loving a country isn’t just about loving the land, it’s also about loving the people who live there.
The speaker ends the poem by saying that they are “proud to be an American,” which is a sentiment that many Americans can relate to.