Formalist Criticism on “Waiting on the Curb: Lynwood California, 1967”

Marquetta br make Eng 241 J. Zeff Formalist Criticism The verse Waiting oat the curb Lynwood California, 1967 written by Deborah Escobedo is intimately a young girl named Debbie in Lynwood, California who is waiting on a friend at the curb. When first examining the title of the poem, I telephone of waiting on the curb as a sign of prostitution or hitchhiking. They way I imagine the scene of the poem is a hot summer daytime in an urban area in Lynwood, California. I imagine Debbies military chaplain outside a half-size white house watering the lawn. In the poem the temperaments were Debbie, mother, father, neighbor, a friend, and America. crimson though the friend and America didnt create lines in the poem the still had an effect on how the poem was interpreted. When I analyze and characterization Debbies father, I see an older, overweight, lower middle class gentleman. I see him standing on the front lawn watering the grass with a white T-shirt on and denim shorts on. The f ather seems to be a very relaxed individual. His law, the one green he washstand recite on. He cant count /On his money, or his Dodgers steal on the green/. By the author saying that he cant count on his money shows that he may have some financial troubles.Also in examining t irrigate two lines of the poem slightly the father, they give more insight about the fathers possessions. The playscript his is capitalized when it refers to His lawn, but not when is refers to his Dodgers. While reviewing the personality of the father and his relationship with his daughter, peradventure he could speak his mind about decency. Ordinarily id a father had to question what his daughter was wearing he would have stopped her immediately. rather of him stopping her and telling her to go change her clothes, he rolls the garden hose/Onto the sling of his arm.Debbie, where are you going/With no clothes on? Debbie says, Dad, this is how it is. The dadaism doesnt say or do anything. In conducting a character analysis of Debbie, she seems to be an older teenage. Debbie also appears to be a short bit rebellious. With no regard or respect for her father she dresses inappropriately and waits on the curb. She thinks and spins the music of her time. She is dressed in cut offs, caterpillar track too short, and a gypsy blouse. It appears that she could be possibly day dreaming this event while she is waiting on the curb. The poet make the proofreader pay attention to the details of Debbies attire.By saying a gypsy blouse it makes the reader picture something seductive and showing skin and cleavage. The musical note of the poem changes when America is getting ready. The author is taking about the wad and the world around the characters in the poem, referring to the people as America. She and so describes what America is doing around her. America is shoveling ice cream into Tupperware bowls,/America is position up trays in front of snowy TVs. At this testify in the poem she brings forth a reality. Debbie comes to a realization at this point as well.She begins to pull at her shorts that have risen up form being cut to short. I can picture Debbie smell at everything around her with the woman in curls yelling at her own old man then Debbie saying, I gotta get outta here,/ It seems as if at this point she is unsatisfied with where she is at and the culminating events made her realize that this is not the animateness she wants. Overall the poem told a story. The authors diction made the reader key into certain areas of the poem. The way the poem was presented on the paginate also had an effect on the way the poem was interpreted.