Tora Sellers Assignment 1

                In “Inventing My Parents”, the scene in Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks is seen through the innocent, naïve eyes of an infant. In the child’s imagination, the child’s parents are discussing the American dream. The mother refers to the Dream as “a hawk flying over, its shadow sweeping every town”.  This way of alluding to the American Dream left an impression on me because one rarely hears of it as a shadow. For something that has always been held to such high esteem, in this case, the American Dream seems ironically ominous. Almost like a plague. The fact that the American Dream is compared to a large shadow points to the fact that the people living during the Great Depression and WWII sometimes lost hope in the United States. The poet was saying that during this part of the 20^th century, adults saw the world for the harsh, depressing reality that it was. Referring to the Dream as a shadow shows the difference between the mindset of pre-war and post-war Americans. Ultimately, the overall mood of the poem is hopeful. Despite the poem beginning by alluding to the American Dream as a shadow, the child, who represents the new generation, sees hope and prosperity in the future.

Amelia Caldwell Assignment 1

A theme in the poem "Inventing My Parents" is the American Dream. The couple in the cafe discusses this American Dream by talking about many different authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald. In his book "The Great Gatsby," Fitzgerald makes the American Dream seem glamorous and almost superficial, and overall happy. Ludvigson uses phrases like, "My mother's face is lit by ideas," "the air outside is warm as a bath," and "light as summer rain when it begins" for various descriptions in her poem. These descriptions are happy and fantasy-like in a way. The couple in the poem discuss the American Dream during a time of war and hardship, and this is to show that even though the world may not be perfect, and there are issues, one can always have a dream.

Amelia Rogers Assignment 1

            A theme found in the poem, “Inventing My Parents” by Susan Ludvigson is that the American Dream is seemingly good, but the façade of the ideal is disguising the flaws underneath. The poem focuses on the couple that is seemingly living the “American Dream,” out late at night, talking and laughing, where they seem to be safe and happy. However, this happiness and security is a thin veil over the war, a very present danger that could take their American dream away. Ludvigson uses the couple in her poem to represent the American dream, seemingly good on the surface, but a flawed pursuit underneath, because it could be gone at almost any time.

            Ludvigson heightens this theme with the allusion to writer Kay Boyle, whom the couple is discussing in the café. Boyle was an American political writer and social activist. She seemed to be a model of the American dream, someone who successfully pursued her creative talent, and was a champion of free speech and equal rights. However, during the early 1950s red scare, Boyle was removed from her position at The New Yorker, ostracized for her political views, and blacklisted by most major magazines. Her ability to pursue the American dream was taken away from her by the very system that should have upheld it.

            By alluding to Kay Boyle, Ludvigson deepens the meaning of her poem, connecting her picture of a flawed American ideal to a perfect example of such flaws. Even with the short name drop, this allusion helps Ludvigson convey the theme of disillusionment with the American Dream.

McKenna Elliott Assignment 1

In the poem "Inventing My Parents" by Susan Ludvigson, allusions are made to major authors such as Sinclair Lewis, Kay Boyle, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and John Donne. These authors were alluded to because they were all writers who had common themes of politics and the American Dream, which is also a theme in this poem. The American Dream is alluring and materialistic, but the time period that the poem is set in was a harsh, challenging time for the world due to World War II, so the allusion to the American Dream creates a contrast throughout the poem. It contrasts the excitement with what's really going on at the time, as Ludvigson says "she imagines it a hawk flying over, its shadow sweeping every town." This also shows how the American Dream isn't really all it's talked up to be.

Ludvigson creates a fairly light mood through phrases like "my mother's face is lit by ideas", "fragrant night", and "she's laughing, light as summer rain when it begins" so as to show how people were acting like everything was okay, despite how wrong everything was due to the war. This reinforces the falsehood of the American Dream.

Jamie Smith Assignment 1

One allusion made in the poem “Inventing my Parents” is to Fitzgerald and the American Dream. The author is referencing famous writing about the American Dream, which in this writing is portrayed as glamorous and exciting, even though in Fitzgerald’s most famous work, The Great Gatsby, Gatsby fails to obtain his goal and ultimately dies. 

This theme is carried over into the poem. The poem frequently talks about happiness, using phrases like “the air outside is warm as a bath,” “the bright cafe,” and “light as summer rain.” These phrases are positive and warm, with connotations of happiness. Similarly, in The Great Gatsby, the American dream seems glamorous, however eventually does not work out for Gatsby. 

This shows a sort of underlying falsity about how great the American dream really is, in a way tainting the happiness of the rest of the book. In the poem, there is the underlying suggestion of war and hard times, seen in “its shadow sweeping every town.” This parallels Gatsby in that both are at their base happy, but have some sort of underlying sadness or tension. 

So, the reference to Fitzgerald enhances the poem to let the audience make that connection and fully understand the optimism in the face of war that this poem is conveying.

Weiran Liu Assignment 1

A theme present in Ludvigson's "Inventing My Parents" is the human tendency to avoid unpleasant situations. It is the refusal of acceptance of the reality of things through ignorance or purposeful evasion of the topic. Ludvigson juxtaposes serious issues such as the war and the harmful nature of the American Dream - "its shadow sweeping every town" - with the light mannerisms of the couple in the cafe who are "lit by ideas" and shrugging and smiling to represent this idea.

To further contribute to this theme, Ludvigson utilizes a quote from Donne's "Canonization": "For God's sake hold your tongue, and let me love." In this quote, the speaker has endured misfortunes, but no longer wishes to suffer through it; he chooses simply to indulge in this love. In parallel to the theme, the speaker seeks an escape from his crumbled reality through investing himself in his affection to his partner in means of blurring out the truth that awaits him. The couple in the cafe do the same. They get lost in their fantasies that they forget their reality - so much so that "their coffee's getting cold but they hardly notice." These repeated instances demonstrate an evasion of reality that all work together to contribute to the overall theme of the poem.

Assignment 1

Look back at Ludvigson's poem "Inventing my Parents." Please select one allusion that is made in the poem and write a response that analyzes how that allusion contributes to the overall meaning of the text.
A thorough analytical response will include an explanation of the allusion, direct quotes from the poem, and commentary connecting the allusion to the theme of the text.
Please do not merely summarize the poem.

Please format the title of you post like this:
First Name Last Name Assignment 1
Ex: Nathan Spalding Assignment 1

Due Sunday 8/30 11:59 pm