Poetry Out Loud: My Poem

The poem I chose for Poetry Out Loud is "Hope" is the thing with feathers, by Emily Dickinson. It is a poem that describes how hope is like a sweet little bird inside everyone's soul that keeps singing its  beautiful,encouraging song even when people are in doubt. There is always that little bird inside to help you along.

I chose this poem because it just jumped off the page at me. I really enjoyed it, and I thought that it brings a good point across, in a creative way. When you read or listen to it, it makes you think about the meaning, but not to the extreme where you cant actually follow along with it.

Poetry Out Loud

For poetry out loud we have to find a poem that really speaks to us. Finding the perfect one is not easy, so we have to read many of them to find a particularly perfect one for us.

Part one:
1. Read poem that begins with the first letter of your name : "On Inhabiting an Orange" by Josephine Miles
2. Read a poem that begins with the third letter of your last name: "Not Waving But Drowning" by Stevie Smith
3. Read a poem that the person sitting next to you suggests: "Full Moon" by Elinor Wylie
Suggest a poem to read to the person sitting next to you: "Medusa" by Louise Bogan
4. Choose two more poems to read: "Sugar Dada" by Allyn Rosser, "The Rose" by Jean Valentine

Part two: What do you think?

•  Of the poems you read which ones did you like and why?

- "The Rose" because it described the rose kind of relating to us in a way and was intriguing
- "Full Moon" because it kind of described the power  and beauty of a full moon.
-"Sugar Dada" because it shows things not as you usually would see them.
-"On Inhabiting An Orange" because it is simple, but describes travel.
-"Medusa" because it is about a victim of Medusa's stony stare
- Not Waving But Drowning" because I t is a kind of weird poem but had an original idea

• Which poems did you not like and why?

There were no poems on my list that I really disliked they were all good!

• If you had to choose one of those six poems which would you choose

 I would choose  "On Inhabiting an Orange"

• How are you personally connected with this poem?

I am personally connected to this poem in the way that I love to travel and see new places just as showed in the poem.

Part three:

• Which two criteria will be easiest for you and why?

The criteria that will be easiest for me is the understanding and accuracy because I understand my poem strongly, and there are not a lot of really difficult words in it. 

• Which two criteria will you have more difficulty scoring higher and why?

The criteria that will be more challenging will probably be the poem length, and presenting the poem. I chose a shorter poem that I know I wont forget once I get up to recite it it, and I am not great with presenting in front of groups.

Part Four: 
Videos:
"Man- Moth" by Elizabeth Bishop
-Dramatic speaking  kept attention to the performance
-Speaker moves around with the mood of the poem
"forgetfulness"
good tone voice that  fit perfectly with the mood of the poem.

Part Five:
I think it is going to be interesting seeing the different poems people choose and to watch them being recited. It will be a very good yet challenging experience.

"Lobsters"

In our discussion last week we talked about the poem "Lobsters". Everybody had good ideas and opinions to contribute to it. One idea that someone shared that really stood out to me was that in the store in the lobster tank the lobsters were sleep walking all over each other and seeing another one of themselves because they all look somewhat alike.
 
when  we look at them we cant truly tell them apart. They look the same and that's the same with them too. If they were looking into a tank at us, they wouldn't be able to tell us apart eather. This relates to us in the way that  some people have to pay extra attention to notice little details about others  and the number one thing we all know about the most, is ourselves.

So Many Paragraphs So Many Skills

 Listening to everyone's perspectives through their writing in their five part  paragraphs was very interesting. I got to hear new, fresh, ideas on the topics that I hadn't thought of myself.  Over all, the paragraphs people wrote were great, but still, mistakes were made. Some of the most common ones were the sentences around concrete details weren't embedded, there were proofreading errors, lack of transition words, and citations of the page numbers. Some people had too much commentary, or not enough to go with the concrete details and the rest of their paragraphs. There were proof reading errors like "I think" or "in my opinion"If somebody proofread, they would have taken them out. Some people also had no transition words.They just rushed into the next point with no warning, and page number citation was also a big error. They were eather absent, or not cited correctly.

 I think I did a pretty good Job on my paragraph, but some things I could work on for the next five part paragraph assignment, are remembering to add a little more commentary to places needed, and finding ways to say some points better and more detailed. Now that i have done a five part paragraph,and  have experience with writing them,  I am more prepared for when the next assignment comes around. I don't think it will be as difficult now that  I know what I can improve on to make it even better.

Informal Diction.... A Typical Week for Me

Hmmm... let's see... what has happened this week.. It's been pretty ordinary.... I get up,watch my seven year old sister come out of her room with an outfit on, then go back in, and when she comes out, she has a different one on, then she goes back in again... she's funny that way. I  go to school, eat lunch, go home again, do homework, eat, and when I  finish, I'm too tired to do anything else. I go to bed. And then, it starts all over again the next day. With all this  uneventful stuff goin' on during the week, you would think, I would think, I would do this blog earlier, to get it over with. But no.... I procrastinate, and end up not doing it till Friday night. So instead of  being somewhere with my BFF homie tight yos, or completely sprawled out on the couch watching movie after movie, I'm doing it now.. no biggie... really.
Actually, right now, this minute, I'm watchin' my mom walk around the kitchen makin' dinner with a bright orange clown wig on. What is up with that? I guess she is just funny that way, too. And then, there's my dad... working on his "Power Tool Drag Race" entry, a power tool made into a racing machine. Then my brother and sister bickerin' like a old married couple. Yep! that's my week.

Writing About Writing: Extra Credit Blog

My interest in writing depends on the assignment. Everybody has had to write something they liked and didn't like in their lifetime. One of my favorite assignments was in seventh grade. One day in class we had to look around the room at  some pictures that were hung up on the wall. All of the pictures were mysterious, and very random. We had to choose a picture and write a story about what  we thought  happened beyond that scene. I enjoyed writing this because there was no limit to what our imaginations could come up with, and when we presented them in class we got to see what other people that chose the same picture came up with. Everybody  wrote the most ridiculous, and hilarious stories, and they were as much fun to write as they were to read.

Outside Reading: The Bean Trees

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingslover, is so far, an amazing book about love, friendship, and belonging. Taylor Greer, originally called  Missy, sets off on her own in her old barley functional Volkswagen Beetle. Along her journey, a strange lady hands her a little American-Indian girl who she eventually calls Turtle. At first, Taylor doesn't know what to do with the child, but she learns quickly.Turtle fits right in with Taylor, as if they have been together from the beginning. So far I have really enjoyed this book, and look forward to really get into it.
            One of the themes in this book so far is change. As Taylor travels from Kentucky to Arizona, a little kid gets dumped randomly in the passenger seat of her VW and she is asked to take care of her. She changed  states, and became a single mom in just a few days. I can't imagine that!
         A book that I can relate this novel to is The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins. Although one is about people brutally killing others to stay alive, and the other about companionship, their common thread is journey. Katniss Everdeen, and Taylor Greer  are both making the journeys of their lives. Katniss is making the journey through twelve districts to her supposed death, and Taylor is making her journey from one state to another. They also, come across multiple obstacles along the way.
                The idea I have for my creative project is to illustrate a scene. There are so many ones I have to choose from, so I still have to decide.

How To Kill a Mockingbird spoke to me

To Kill a Mockingbird has left me disturbed by its content, amazed by the writing,and inspired by its message. It speaks to people in different ways. Certain parts of the book might stand out to different  people like the individual colors in a rainbow.
I found myself as I was reading, really disturbed by much of the content.  For example,one thing that stood out to me in the book was how Boo Radley was seen (well, not seen) and judged by other people. Over the years since this book was written, judgment hasn't really changed. It comes in many forms, from little things like the subtle judgment of a disproving mom scoffing at the son of another mom who refused to take the tutu off after playing dress-up  in preschool, to the disapproval of a president of a nation based on the color of his skin. Also I am disturbed  by all of the events of injustice surrounding Tom Robinson's trial leading up to his eventual death including all 17 shots that killed him.  All it takes is to watch the morning news to realize that To Kill a Mockingbird is as relevant as ever on the planet earth in 2010.
         On a different note, Harper Lee left me amazed  by her ability to weave such a wide variety of ideas characters and themes together into a book that has been voted the best novel of the century.
This book inspired me to look at things from another perspective.  It has challenged me to grow as a writer, and has stretched my brain relative to understanding and appreciating really good literature. How much more can a person pack on a page? There are multiple threads and meanings in every paragraph of the book where she manages to use all the elements of literature seemingly effortlessly into every other sentence.Through this book you see through the eyes the characters and it made me feel like I was standing in the courtroom as the twelve verdicts were being read, and inside Scout's ham costume looking out at the chaos and confusion of the dark figures in the night.
        Mostly, the novel means to me the start of lots of conversation about many important ideas and topics such as racism, gender roles, identity, class differences, assumption, intolerance, and fear.  Knowing that all these themes persist in this world 40 years after the first printing of this novel, and 80 years after the time setting in which it took place. There will be no shortage of conversation any time soon. I am inspired to be a part of getting to the bottom of this.

My Boo Radley

A person's home should be one of their favorite places, where they feel safe, and at home. Unfortunately, that was not the case in my situation. When i was very little, my house was my Boo Radley. I wouldn't go anywhere without a witness just in case something like Chloe the creepy clown from my disastrous fourth birthday party popped out from under my bed or the shadows of the closet and attacked me. I was never sure what it would be, but i always thought something was there waiting to pounce at the right moment. If I ever had to go anywhere alone, and had to turn off a light in a room, I would quickly reach for the switch, and run like my life depended on it. When I was a little older, I came to realize that my house wasn't scary at all. I lived there, and I realized that nothing was in my house, and that it was perfectly safe. I  over came my fear of my house like Scout over came her fear of Boo. It turned out that Boo and my house were not so scary after all. it was just our imaginations getting the best of us.

Introduction to My Blog

What kind of English student am I? Well, that is something i would like to discover more over the course of this year.I am hard working, and love English.I love to read, and write. I am a part of the generation that is finding new ways to communicate, and express the English language.
          Other people cant expect  to see only one thing on my blog every time, it will change depending on what the questions are, and how i decide to answer them that time.
          My reaction to literature will enlighten the on-line world because everyone responds to it in their own way. Everyone has their own point of view about what they read, and how to express it.
         In my opinion, the meaning of English class is to learn more about our language, reading, discussing, and contributing to ideas about what we read. I also think that it is a for year graduation requirement because communication, critical thinking, and writing skills are some of the most important things you need to know to be successful. Without those skills, you would have a hard time with pretty much any career.
          Excelling in English will help you with every other class you take, and how you communicate with other people.
       I am really looking forward to taking English up to the next level this year, and the skills we will improve on.