Introduction The poem, "Two Scavengers," was written by Ferlinghetti in the 1970's. Ferlinghetti has been fighting for culture to stay in San Francisco and throughout his life said things like his home is becoming a "Disneyfied Mall," so he wrote this poem to show how modern society sees the difference in people in the same culture. Saying things like this shows he wants people who are unique to live together such as artists who all have different visions but he feels the social divide between the classes is forcing people like that to leave which makes the city full of people all the same. Ferlinghetti is concerned with the contrast between different ways of life people lead and the way they affect each other which is also why he wrote this poem, to show us how bad the divide is becoming. The poem "Nothing's Changed," was written by Tatamkhulu Afrika in the 1990's. Afrika spent his youth living in Cape Town, South Africa as a white citizen even though he has parents from other backgrounds but when the Apartheid (System of racial segregation and repression of non-white people in pre-democratic South Africa) was implemented, Afrika disagreed with it so much that he chose to be classed as a coloured even though he was offered the chance to be known as white and was thus kicked out of Cape Town. Afrika wrote this poem after the Apartheid was abolished as even though the racism was meant to be gone he still felt whites were discriminating against blacks and colors. The poem outlines how racism still exists in Cape Town after the Apartheid was gone in the way of the "white-only" restaurant. The poem, "Two Scavengers," is based on a moment in time at a traffic light in San Francisco where a red light stops an elegant couple in a Mercedes next to a garbage truck with two scavengers in. This is to outline that the barrier holding them as almost equal citizens is unreal and only for a split second could it be mistaken. This poem focuses on the discrimination against people with less people and in a lower class but whereas the poem, "Nothing's Changed," focuses on the area of Cape Town and the racial divide. Even though the place should be equal it still isn't and white people have more control. This also focuses on discrimination and a divide but this time it is colour and race. The poems are similar because it shows how some people can be looked down upon in different cultures. Interpretation The poem, "Two Scavengers," is about the social and economical differences in the once cultural city of San Francisco. The main divide between the citizens is wealth as it controls the lives they live and also in this poem, money equals power. This power is what is destroying the so called democracy they live in. For example, in the title those without any money who are working as bin men are called "Two Scavengers," but on the other hand the couple with the money are known as the "elegant couple," which defines the city as a money fuelled city where personality isn't cared for. It also described the people in the vehicles as the public would see them normally. The "Scavengers" are known as grungy and insignificant but the elegant couple are known as cool with linen suits and coifed hair making them out to be perfect even though neither are. Whereas in the poem "Nothing's Changed," it also shows the social divide but this time it isn't discrimination over wealth but this time it is over racial differences in South Africa after the Apartheid has been abolished. This is a similar because each culture are meant to be controlled and equal by the democracies and governments they live in, but the real power is by the people who determine where the power lies and who is classed as better so even though the Apartheid has been abolished, whites still act superior even though they are now legally the same and both sides think this. This poem focuses more on the real effects of culture after a difficult period of time where citizens have been treated unequally and the aftermath of the effects which now govern the way of life for the inhabitants. The issues that Ferlinghetti dealt with is that the culture he lives in s changing for the worse where all he is surrounded by is "cell phone addicts and S.U.V drivers," which he feels are fake and plastic when before it was inhabited by poets and artists, people he felt had real character. This poem focuses on his sadness as the culture he loves and knows is changing so much he doesn't even recognise it. Whereas Afrika has different issues they can still relate as both their cultures are changing for what they feel is for the worse. For Afrika he had a hard life as at a young age he was forced from his home in Cape Town because he wasn't white. This meant he has to live in what