| Cathy Song, an Asian-American, contemporary poet, writes poetry critics often argue relies on ethnic strategies that undermine the dominant culture. Because of the examination of her work in this light, she is often placed in ethnically focused articles and books. However, my thesis argues that the poet uses broader, more contemporary cultural strategies, common to fiction writers and poets within the dominant culture. The poet incorporates shifts in the narrative voice, motifs, and photographic and cinematic techniques. Using these strategies, she allows readers to participate in the memories she creates, expanding each memory to a collaborative effort between poet, narrator, and reader. In framing memories, the poet incorporates various photographic principles in order to have them read, as one would view a photograph. Establishing these principles, Song fashions poems as photograph-like objects, and her work then moves from an exclusive to inclusive readership. |
