Poetry Sample Question NYE

While some poems focus exclusively on a personal or private experience, others reflect on
the place of the individual in the larger human community. In the work of at least two poets,
explore the ways in which poems have conveyed the poet’s sense of the world beyond the private
sphere.

Naomi is a poet who always introducing her hometown's culture and her family members' behaviors. Meanwhile, I do realize how does she extend her vision of the relationship from her own culture to the other culture from her family members' perspective, because they have moved to a new environment. Their adaptability reveals their culture beyond their private scene. "My grandmother in the stars" does not mention her grandmother throughout the whole poem, but Naomi shows elements cherished by their people. "What you think of him is the knowledge I wish to gather. I bow to your rugged feet, the moth-eaten scarves that knot your hair." shows that how does she depict grandmother's appearance, but she also advocates people to know and to learn their culture. She wishes to gather people's attention to a nonpopular culture. However, it sounds selfish if we force people to learn something, so Naomi shows her aspect of generosity. She - "You and I on a roof at sunset, our two languages adrift, heart saying, Take this home with you" tells how she wants to share her memory of her culture to the people all over the world. At the same time, she would love to hear more stories from other cultures, even though they don't speak the same language, or they don't have the same customs. Vulnerable groups always ask for eyes from others on them but Naomi breaks this concept that all human is under the same sky, and the sky is tying with the bigger universe. Even though the title is "My grandmother in the star", since Naomi doesn't directly mention her grandmother in her poem, she wants to express an idea that everyone has the same emotion to those past people and everyone has to look forward to being positive as a horse in the morning. 

When it comes to immigration, it becomes a worldwide topic. There is a large number of people have or have planned to immigrate to another country for various reasons. Along with the flow of population, immigrants bring cultures with them but they still expect to see their origins in a new land if they have no ability to recover their own life in another place. In chronological order, Naomi shows how does her family pay efforts to find their root - fig tree in the United States. From her homeland to the United States, they finally find out the root, and it reveals the Earth belongs to everyone. Everyone has the ability to share their cultures. When She was young, her dad strongly emphasized the importance and divine of fig trees. Fig trees saved their memories. "Once Joha was walking down the road" and she slept under the fig tree. Her pockets stored figs. Naomi emphasized the status of figs in their culture when she was six. Her dad only recognized good figs, which are gifts of Allah. People obviously can only find gifts of Allah from lands belonged to Allah. At here, Naomi lifts the topic of figs on their culture to the world. After they have moved to many places, they have never had an idea to plant a fig tree in a new place that they don't want to sully their cultures. In the end, the poem goes to the climax when her dad finds the big fig tree worshipped in their culture in Dallas. A big fig tree seemingly has different meanings on different people. At that time, they realize where they live becomes a new home, and the world belongs to everyone. Everyone has the right to sing the fig tree song.