Cities Behind Glass. Literature and Language Essay.

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Cities Behind Glass
In Linda Hogan’s poem “Cities Behind Glass,” the primary theme is immigration. Hogan wanted to show how women living in foreign countries encounter various difficulties during their daily lives. The only place that these individuals get refuge is behind the glass. “Cities Behind Glass” brings out this idea of the oppression, discrimination, prejudice, and isolation that immigrant women face. The theme of immigration comes out clearly since the poem shows the struggles that immigrant females have to undergo every day to survive in foreign countries.
Hogan starts her poem by saying, “Dusty light falls through windows, where entire families journey together, alone” (Hogan Line 1). Here, the author portrays that the only place that women in foreign countries and their families feel safe is behind the glass. They are happy to board these buses in the evening after their daily hustles. These mothers are usually wearing flowered babushkas. At this point, there is a likelihood that these women are from African countries. Babushkas are a type of clothing that females from some African countries wear. They wrap themselves so that they cannot catch a cold and as a type of clothing that portrays femininity. As such, these females beneath babushkas and who live in foreign countries are depicted by Hogan to be suffering. They do not feel free like other women who belong to the nations where they are residing. In other words, it appears as if these females in babushkas are borrowing their stay and have to overcome various challenges.
Hogan says that “immigrant women put their faith in city buses. They take refuge behind glass” (Hogan Line 6). As such, the author portrays that the demographic she is talking about comprises immigrant females. She says that these people get refuge only behind city buses. Indeed, it appears like immigrant females feel safe only when they are on city buses. Nobody judges them when they board these vehicles since they can afford to pay their fares. When they lean their heads against the glass windows, they relax and forget about their daily struggles. These individuals feel like residents since they can do something without being judged about their citizenship statuses. They are perceived in the same way as residents. Their journey inside ...