this poem has been one of the selections in our world literature class.

At first reading I thought that the author was just telling her reflection on poverty and child labor or abuse. On our discussion, however, the poem and the words on it, don't just suggest the plight of injustice to poor children in our society today. It has far, far deeper meaning. The author was actually talking about child prostitution. In the country where she came from (and in most places in the world) children, in the early age of 5 or 6 are already sent to work to help their families. They work under hazardous conditions, they work for different plantations, for different manufacturing companies. But one of the worse kinds of child abuse is child prostitution. The title itself is a phallic symbol, (the size of our feet denotes the size of our sex organ ). Child prostitution is so rampant but then, nothing is being done to completely stop it. The word "snow" denotes indifference, the people's lack of interest and appreciation for children, that they too, because of their fragility, must be protected. "Soil" on the otherhand, refers to fertility, the vulnerability of female children. Tuberose belongs to the lily family, which symbolizes, dangerous pleasure. and the phrase "two suffering little gems" refers to virginity. Mistral has been called a feminist for much of her life, but she is more of a child advocate. In this poem she artistically call the people's attention to protect and give importance to children;to protect their innocence and that as older people, we are the ones who are responsible for giving them a society that will shelter, support and secure them. This poem tells a story of a poor orphan girl who had nothing in life. As she struggles with her life, she never gave up helping other people inspite of the kind of life she had. Her love was pure and unconditional. Love is seen here as the Love that goes beyond one's expectation. A love that extends beyond oneself, one's capacity and one's ability. In Gabriela MIstral's biography we find out that Mistral had an intense maternal instinct, but was never able to have children of her own. Her love of children however caused her to notice the deserted, abused, neglected children apparently on the streets of her town. "Tiny Feet" is not only an expression of the children's physical and emotional pain, but also an expression of the pain Mistral felt seeing so many children uncared for yet never being able to care for her own children. I believe she held the contrasting feelings of anger and jealousy toward the parents of these helpless children close to her heart and only expressed them through her poetry. Although Gabriela Mistral never experienced motherhood, she becomes a mother figure for all the children in need. Through her writing she ceases to be alone. As seen in this poem, she gives them inspiration it seems, and, in return, this audience provides her with the companionship she yearns for. She holds on to the spirit of her lover as well as that of all er readers. As long as she holds on she can not be alone. However, the earth, the moon, and the starts, who have never known affection are truly alone. Gabriela Mistral uses descriptive adjectives to bring deeper meaning to her poetry. The childs feet represent his suffering because they are blue with cold and bruised all over by pebbles, as well as being abused by snow and soil! These images express the agony that the child must endure. No one pays attention to his pain the Child's tiny feet, two suffering little gems, how can the people pass, unseeing. I think that the person that she is with in the desert is the child that she wanted, but never had. Physically, she is alone, but in her mind she has a child who she loves very much. The second poem is discussing the pain that neglected children feel as well as the pain that she feels seeing the neglected children. Gabriela Mistral's contrast between the "desertedness" (if that's even a word) and her company creates a powerful sensation of her compassion for her anonymous company. Her comparisons of the entities of the world, such as the mountains and the moon and the sea, and their emptiness to the fact that she is not alone shows that this love, be it romantic or plutonic, is greater than the vacancy of this everlasting

nature. In her second poem, she almost personifies the feet to lt the reader feel more compassion toward the pain of these feet. As Corey said, we are told that Mistral has a strong maternal instinct in her biogaphy, and since she never beared children of her own, she uses her poetry to convey a boost of courage to the addressees of the poem... if you can give courage to feet. In "I am not Alone", Mistral compares the "deserted" night, sky, and world to her state of not being alone. It is apparent that she is not alone because she "rocks', "holds", and "hugs" someone else. By being in the company of the other person, Mistral is not empty and alone like the rest of the world. She contrast the feelings of depression and despair of the rest of the world with her feelings of happiness. In "Tiny Feet", Mistral portrays the suffering of the child's feet with vivid images of pain and suffering. The pain begins with the feet "blue with cold", the "wounded feet" and the bleeding feet. All this pain shows the suffering yet the worst part by far is the last stanza: "Child's tiny feet,/ Two suffering little gems,/ How can the people pass, unseeing." In this stanza, Mistral calls the feet gems for the light they leave behind with each step and the strength with which they walk through the street. The beauty is lost to the other passersby for they walk by without seeing the pain of the beautiful feet of the child. In Gabriels Mistal's first poem, she contrasts herself with the "deserted" world. She keeps claimng that she is not alone in the deserted world. This leads me to believe she is talking about her late lover. Though the world is deserted and lonley, she is not because she holds onto the memory of her true love. I think she is saying that either she is not alone in loving the man, that he was well loved by all, or that the memory of him keeps her from being alone. In the second poem she is expressing her greatest desire to have children and take care of them. When she sees the children on the street that are neglected, it breaks her heart because she wants to love and protect them so desperately. The "unseeing people" are those who take for granted the blessing of children she wants so badly. Mistral seems to be a passionate writer, who meets no boundary between her heart and her pencil. Her poem I Am Not Alone is filled with imagery of desperation and desertion, and yet Mistral juxtaposes her own strength with that misery. Using parallel structure and simplistic language in her poem (assumed, through translation), she takes on a softer role than I would picture a revolutionary in. Mistral seems more like the mother figure than a motivated speaker. In her repeated phrase, I Am Not Alone! she implies that she is surrounded by either her own love or the comfort of company. The addressee therefore, whom we can assume she comforts, cannot be alone. Mistral is not alone because she has the will to see past the deserted mountains, the falling moon, and the sad flesh. Mistral takes comfort in her own existence, a maternal assurance that rocks, hold, and hugs the addressee. With Tiny Feet, Mistral employs the devices of imagery and maternal emotion for a similar purpose. You and tiny feet plays the same roles for her poems, victims who should take courage in knowing that they are respected. I am curious as to why Mistral uses so much passive in describing the feet of the child (wounded, bruised, abused). Mistral provides the agent of the action (pebbles, snow, soil), but she chooses to leave it in the passive tense, perhaps making the abuse more generalized: these feet have always been brutalized by nature. Halfway through the poem, the lovely images of blossoms and light stand in sharp contrast to the previous scenes of winter, giving a purpose to the suffering of the feet. The message is similar to I Am Not Alone: take heart in courage, suffering is rewarded, because although there are some places that seem deserted, there are some people who pass unseeing, you are not alone. Motherhood obviously played a large role in Mistral's life. Although she was never a mother, through her poetry we can see the significance that it held for her. In the 1st poem, she depicts solitude being

comforted by some kind of maternal figure: "But I, the one who (rocks, holds, hugs) you, I am not alone!" Solitude seems to be important to her. Perhaps this comes from her losing the love of her life. She is scared to be alone. In "Tiny Feet," Mistral uses descriptive imagery to portray the scene and plot of this poem. The image of the feet are described, "blue,blue with cold," "Abused by snow and soil," "your bleeding little soles." These images directly connect the reader with these children because we can easily see their pain. It's rather a grim poem until she refers to the children as courageous. I believe this poem is supposed to show the "don't care" attitude of society. "How can the people pass, unseeing." In I Am Not Alone, Gabriela Mistral writes about her wants. She was a lonely woman at the time she wrote the poem because her lover died and she never had a chance to have children. She longed to have children most of her life. The beginning of each stanza expresses the loneliness she is experiencing while in the end of each stanza she tries to make herself believe she is not alone. Gabriela Mistral writes of the same themes in Tiny Feet. Her yearn to be a mother and protect little children of her own is apparent in the way she speaks of childs tiny feet and How can they see and not protect you? Loneliness also plays a major theme. She makes the children sound like they are alone and miserable. The poem ends with Two suffering little gems, How can the people pass, unseeing. In "I am not alone" I think that Mistral shows off her maternal instincts by rocking, holding, and hugging the person of which she is speaking. In both poems, it is very evident that she is a very compassionate person. She is almost angered in "Tiny Feet" when she says "How can people pass unseeing." It's almost as if she is pleading for someone to tell her why people can just go on with their lives and neglect the children around them. I guess she appreciates what she can't have herself, since she was never able to have children of her own. The child's feet actually show suffering, not because their feet hurt, but because no one seems to care. I think by saying that she is not alone over and over, she is trying to reassure herself that surely she is not the only person who cares, and also she doesn't want the children to feel like they are all alone. Even if they are neglected, there is still someone out there who does care. Solitude, suffering, and maternal needs and concerns serve as the major themes that link "I Am Not Alone" and "Tiny Feet." In "I Am Not Alone" Mistral tries to convince herself that she does not suffer in solitude by repeating to herself "I am not alone!" Her deep desire but inability to have children makes her feel as deserted as "the night", "the sky", and "the world." Mistral creates a world where she is not alone but makes apparent that she yearns to rock, hold, and hug a child of her own. In "Tiny Feet", Mistral passively denounces the treatment of the child she sees in the street. The "cold", "bruised", bleeding", and "abused" feet evoke the child's suffering state. Mistral wishes to protect the child from the negligent people, perhaps parents, who pass but do not see or protect. She feels slightly relieved only when she senses the child's inner courageousness. Mistral's maternal instincts drive her desire to protect the child.

"Wish You Were Here" I can be tough I can be strong But with you, it's not like that at all There's a girl That gives a shit Behind this wall You just walk through it And I remember all those crazy things you said You left them running through my head You're always there, you're everywhere But right now I wish you were here. All those crazy things we did Didn't think about it, just went with it You're always there, you're everywhere But right now I wish you were here Damn, Damn, Damn, What I'd do to have you Here, here, here I wish you were here. Damn, Damn, Damn What I'd do to have you Near, near, near I wish you were here. I love the way you are It's who I am, don't have to try hard We always say, say it like it is And the truth, is that I really mi-i-iss All those crazy things you said You left them running through my head You're always there, you're everywhere But right now I wish you were here. All those crazy things we did Didn't think about it, just went with it You're always there, you're everywhere But right now I wish you were here [Chorus:] Damn, Damn, Damn, What I'd do to have you Here, here, here I wish you were here. Damn, Damn, Damn What I'd do to have you Near, near, near I wish you were here. [Bridge:] No, I don't wanna let go I just wanna let you know That I never wanna let go (Let go let go let go let go) No, I don't wanna let go I just wanna let you know That I never wanna let go (Let go let go let go let go let go let go let go) Damn, Damn, Damn, What I'd do to have you Here, here, here I wish you were here (I wish you were) Damn, Damn, Damn What I'd do to have you Near, near, near I wish you were here. Damn, Damn, Damn, What I'd do to have you Here, here, here I wish you were here. Damn, Damn, Damn What I'd do to have you Near, near, near I wish you were here.