Before attending this event I have never heard of Sam Pollard. I was unfamiliar with his work. However, Left the event inspired. For starter’s Mr. Pollard Started off attending Borough of Manhattan community college and transferred to Baruch. Similarly, I also started off at Borough of Manhattan community college and then made the transfer to Baruch. Seeing all the success and notoriety that mr. Pollard was able to achieve knowing the he had the same background as me was truly inspiring. He stared off in college not being sure of what he wanted to do until his passion came knocking on the door. Hearing this made me feel seen because at a time in my college career, I too was unsure if what I wanted to do before I discovered my passion. What I took away from Mr. Pollard’s event is that when it comes to fulling your goals and dreams, the sky is the limit. When you put your mind to something, with hard work and determination, anything is possible. A young man from harlem was able to rise from his circumstance and make a way for himself in this world while inspiring many people to do the same. It is safe to say that I went into the event not knowing who Sam Pollard was, however, I left being a fan.

“Silent Springs” is an environmental science book written by Rachel Carson in 1962. The book takes places in a utopian society and basically discusses the way pesticides have a detrimental effect on human health and the environment, specifically DDT, (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). The book removes most forms of life, including animals and insects, showing with the constant use of DDT, this may be the outcome of widespread pesticide use. This book does a great job at analyzing the way society would be if DDT was still being used and how it would affect the environment. From Carson removing most form of life shows how there would be no way for us to revert back to the way society was before being that most animals have an ecosystem that is dependent on each other so if one is missing or endangered, it affect the ecosystem as a whole. The environment is changing at a faster rate than it can adapt and that would lead to the downfall of it, also with the irresponsible use of DDT. The use of pesticides also affects reproductive health in a negative way, so if it is still being used and humans are consuming it unintentionally, it is affecting the way humans reproduce and decreasing it, resulting in a human population decline. “Silent Springs” serves as a reminder for these big corporations and food plants to reduce or even just stop using pesticides, being that it is detrimental to human life and the environment.

“No-No Boy” is a fictional novel written by John Okada that was published in 1957. The book is about a Japanese immigrant, named Ichiro Yamada who is from Seattle. During World War II, Ichiro refused to swear his loyalty to the United States with the loyalty questionnaire and was sent to jail for two years. As he was released, he struggled with returning back to his old life along with considering himself to be a Japanese American. From him refusing to answer the loyalty questionnaire, it earned him the name of “no-no boy”, basically the name for Japanese Americans who come off as disloyal to the United States. The novel wasn’t well received or even appreciated in the United States. While researching the novel, I ended up reviewing Karen Tei Yamashita’s analysis of the novel. She discusses how when the novel was first released, it wasn’t appreciated as much, especially by Japanese Americans because “what was said, hurt” according to Yamashita. Yamashita also discusses how most of the time, the country was unfair to Japanese Americans, during these loyalty questionnaires, they were asked to fight in the war, yet they weren’t given citizenship and denied freedom, it comes off as them being taken advantage of. The United States was never a place that was necessarily fond of immigration even though it is known as the “melting pot”, in 2018, the Supreme Court finally overturned Korematsu v. United States, where wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans was justified, so that just goes to show the country still isnt very open to immigrants. From reading the novel, it showed me that America has a constant habit of shunning racial minorities and using laws to justify it, even today it is still a recurring thing, showing we have a long way to go, “No-No Boy” happens to be an example of a group that is marginalized for Americas benefit.

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,”

In these lines, Ginsberg uses hyperbolic language to emphasize the dire situation of the people he is describing. “Destroyed by madness” and “starving hysterical naked” are extreme phrases that emphasize how the people he saw were in a state of desperation and hopelessness. The mention of “negro streets” is significant as well, as it reflects the social and racial tensions of the time period. The 1950s, when “Howl” was written, were marked by the civil rights movement and growing racial tensions in the United States.

“who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz”

The juxtaposition of poverty and “the supernatural darkness” creates a striking contrast, highlighting the bleak living conditions of the people Ginsberg is describing. The mention of jazz is significant as well, as it was an important art form in African American culture and had a significant influence on the Beat Generation of writers, of which Ginsberg was a part.

“who were expelled from the academies for crazy & publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull,”

The use of the word “expelled” here suggests that the people Ginsberg is describing were punished or cast out of traditional academic institutions for their unconventional behavior and beliefs.

The phrase “obscene odes on the windows of the skull” is a metaphor that suggests that these people were expressing their thoughts and emotions in a raw and unfiltered way, without regard for social norms or expectations. This is a common theme throughout the poem, as Ginsberg celebrates the power of individual expression and the rejection of conformity

Du Bois uses imagery to evoke powerful emotions and convey the experiences of Black people in America. For example, he uses imagery to describe the horrors of lynching, the beauty of Black spirituals, and the despair of poverty. Through this imagery, Du Bois helps the reader understand the complexity of the Black experience and the struggle for freedom. One of the most striking examples of Du Bois’s use of imagery can be found in his description of the “Veil” that separates black people from white people. He uses the image of a veil to describe the social and cultural barriers that exist between the races. He writes, “The Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world,—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.” Du Bois’s use of the image of a veil conveys the idea that African Americans are hidden from white society, and that they are prevented from fully experiencing the benefits of American democracy. The veil also suggests that African Americans are seen as inferior, and that they are subject to the prejudices and stereotypes of white society.

Another example of Du Bois’s use of imagery can be found in his description of the landscape of the rural South. He uses vivid and detailed descriptions to convey the harsh realities of life for African Americans in this region. He writes, “Through the hot, dragging hours of the day, the little groups of shade under the trees moved with their baskets and pails to the watering-troughs and back again; at nightfall the gangs came in, and in the firefly-lit darkness tent and shanty gleamed weirdly here and there.” Du Bois’s use of imagery in this passage conveys the hard labor and poverty that African Americans experienced in the rural South. The image of the fireflies suggests that despite their struggles, there is still beauty to be found in their lives.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a novel that was first published in 1906. It is a powerful depiction of the harsh realities of immigrant life in the early 20th century. The book follows the life of Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant who comes to Chicago with his family seeking a better life. However, he soon discovers that life in the United States is not as he had imagined, and he faces poverty, exploitation, and injustice.

One of the ways in which The Jungle uses cultural and historical resources is by drawing upon the experiences of real-life immigrants who came to the United States during the early 20th century. Sinclair spent several weeks in Chicago’s stockyards, where he conducted interviews with workers and observed the conditions in which they worked. He also drew upon the experiences of his own family, who were Lithuanian immigrants, to create an authentic portrayal of the immigrant experience. In addition, The Jungle makes use of historical resources to create a vivid picture of the social and political context in which the story takes place. The book was written during a period of significant social and economic change in the United States, and Sinclair used this context to highlight the injustices of a capitalist society. The novel illustrates the exploitation of workers, the corruption of politicians and business owners, and the brutal conditions of the meatpacking industry. Sinclair’s portrayal of these issues drew upon historical sources, such as the reports of journalists and social reformers who had investigated the meatpacking industry.

The Jungle uses cultural resources to illustrate the immigrant experience and the challenges that immigrants faced when coming to the United States. The novel explores the tensions between different immigrant groups, as well as the difficulties of adapting to a new culture and language. It also touches on issues such as the role of religion in immigrant communities and the importance of family ties.