In the poem “Street Corner Flight,” Norma Landa Flores explores the nature of hopefulness in the lives of two young boys living in an impoverished neighborhood. The poem begins with a sad ton, focusing on the hardships the young boys face. They are trapped by the difficulties that accompany poverty. By the end of the poem, however, Flores’ tone becomes hopeful that the boys might have a different future, a freer future. Flores’ hopeful tone reveals her message that like the young boys in the poem, hopefulness can exist despite the difficulties of living in poverty At the beginning of the poem, Flores introduces two young boys who live in a barrio, or a poor neighborhood. The boys have caught two fat pigeons and hold them in their trembling hands. As the poem continues, the boys eventually release the pigeons and watch as the birds fly far above their poverty-stricken community. Flores creates a hopeful tone to communicate that even in the midst of poverty, one can still hope for a different future freed from the strains of poverty.
Throughout the poem, the reader is able to see how the boys’ lives are difficult and lonely due to poverty. However, as they watch the pigeons fly away, the tone becomes hopeful. Flores uses specific words, such as “glide” on line 13, “fly” on line 19, and “soar” on line 15, to cultivate a sense of hope, particularly for the young boys watching the birds fly off. One often associates words such as “glide” and “soar” with freedom and happiness. Flores’ positive words are a reflection of what the boys are thinking as they watch the pigeons fly away. The reader can assume that the boys hope to do the same someday – fly beyond their concrete barrio. Additionally, Flores notes on lines 16 through 17 that the pigeons glide and soar beyond the “labyrinths of / foodstamps...loneliness...and want.” The birds not only escape the neighborhood, but also the difficulties the boys face due to their poverty…
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