Question

I have been reading through the poem, The City of Yes and the City of No" by Y. Yevtushenko , I am having a hard time understanding how it relates to the question i''ve been given: What does this text suggest to you about an individual's attempt to reunite the desire to act independently with the need for security? does it mean the "world of no" is "the desire to act independently" and "the world of yes" is the nedd for security? I have to write a personal response on it and If someone could help me out on this i would appritiate it!

Answer 1

Not necessarily... these two "worlds" are portrayed to be opposites just by their names. The prompt is asking how a person tries to be independent while at the same time staying in a protective atmosphere with others.

Answer 2

shay88
What does this mean?

The question that I have answer in essay format about poem I read is:

What does this text suggest to you about an individual’s attempt to reconcile the desire to act independently with the need for security?

I dont understand what they're asking from me? There's just too many big words and I just need help braking this down to understand what the question is even asking in the first place.

Answer 3

my reply:

wombat 2
@shay88 correct. there are two ideas here: 1) wanting to be independent and 2) wanting to feel secure... I'm going to sort of direct your thought process here:

You are being asked how people make an effort to be independent AND try to be secure by being near others at the same time.

Answer 4

Are you still having difficulty?

Answer 5

im curious is shay88 also replying? Thankyou for answering, im juat reading through it :)

Answer 6

shay88 asked almost the exact question :) i just copied her response and mine.

Answer 7

i cant understand how the individuality can relate to the poem?

Answer 8

what it has to do with the 2 worlds

Answer 9

Here's a good point you should mention: "The poem uses an antithesis of Yes and No to represent openness and complete solitude". Antithesis is key to this poem. Yes and No are compared and contrasted throughout the entire piece. The City of No has to do with isolation, abandonment, the fear of new things. The City of Yes has to do with togetherness, kinship and open mind.

Answer 10

so her saying that she goes back and forth between the 2 worlds is to find a balance of the independence and security? although i cant really see how these two would be connected at all

Answer 11

These two worlds are metaphysical symbols of the feelings of isolation (NO) and togetherness (YES). Going back and forth or being in both shows a compromise of how people try to be independent while still maintaining security by being around others.

Answer 12

alright i think i finally got it thankyou! :)

Answer 13

Sure thing. Adorable profile pic too :)

Answer 14

Well hello there online english buddy!

Answer 15

i know hey! what are the chances of this happening!

Answer 16

Hahah... Yeah, but you better get on the essay! Its due today.

Answer 17

i know :( so much to do!

Answer 18

Haha i'm assuming you both are in the same class or something XD

Answer 19

yup same online course! so wierd!

Answer 20

Haha that's cool :)