Charlie Payne assignment 1

In the second line of Ludvigson's "Inventing my Parents" poem she mentions Ernest Hemingway, acclaimed 20th century writer. The context in which he is mentioned is while her parents are discussing the war, "They sit in the bright cafe, discussing Hemingway and how this war will change them." Hemingway was a veteran of World War I and suffered PTSD because of his service, and his troubles often bled into his writing. The allusion adds to the theme of the poem because, despite the poem taking place in 1942 during World War II, many of the ideas about war discussed by Hemingway were still relevant and poignant. America was in great turmoil during World War II, but that turmoil does not directly impact the parents in the poem, who smile and laugh and chat joyously. However, in the backs of their minds, there is a semblance of dread. While discussing the American Dream, "she imagines it a hawk flying over, its shadow sweeping every town," and Hemingway's anti-war stances manifest themselves.