I think “Yet do I Marvel” is the best poem because although it was quite difficult to understand at first, it became rather interesting after reading it several times and analyzing each allusion/verse. I liked the way Countee Cullen used mature language in order to put forward what he was trying to say, as it is the type of poem that really makes you think. “Yet do I marvel at this curious thing” is a good example of this language because instead of saying: “this is what I think”, he used strong words to communicate the way he feels about what he’s trying to say. In addition, I believe that his allusions were more descriptive in that they didn’t leave us trying to guess what they were referring to, but were rather explained throughout parts of the poem: “Make plain reason tortured Tantalus is baited by the fickle fruit”.
Throughout the novella, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the readers are introduced to a variety of themes, one of which is summarized in the inquiry question: “How does one cope during hardship?”
The main characters, Lennie and George, are constantly having to move around in search for work because of the fact that Lennie, having a mental disability, can’t tell when he’s doing something wrong and relies strongly on George for help. Because the story takes place during The Great Depression, these characters go through quite a bit of hardship in not only the way that they struggle with finding a job, but also how lonely it is.
The quote, “We’d jus’ live there. We’d belong there. There wouldn’t be no more runnin’ around the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. No, sir, we’d have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunk house,” (Steinbeck, pg. 57) demonstrates how, instead of simply lying around and expecting the worst, George and Lennie go out of their way to create a future goal for themselves. All throughout the book, the author mentions this plan and although it may seem unrealistic, it is was really gets them through the difficulties, or in other words, hardship.
Another character that gets mentioned in the book is Crooks, a black man who is constantly discriminated against for having a different skin colour. He is isolated from the rest of the workers and is often referred to as “the stable buck” (pg. 20) showing the readers how difficult it is for him to cope, as well. In the quote, “…and he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905. There were battered magazines and a few dirty books on a special shelf over his bunk,” (pg. 67), we find out that, because of the constant isolation that surrounds Crooks, he doesn’t have many people to talk to so therefore, he reads. This helps him to find small distractions in ordinary things, rather than letting the loneliness overpower him.
To summarize, the way one can cope during hardship is by finding distractions, such as reading a book or imagining what life could be like in the future. One will always find a way to have hope because, even though times may be rough, there are always things to do and to look forward to.
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