My Poem

       What kid wouldn't want to look up to their parents? To idolize, to believe they can do anything. It's a comfort to be able to trust your parents could rule the world if they wanted to. In the poem Father by Edgar Albert Guest a child looks up to it's (his/her) dad, describing him in a bragging, naive manner. I think it's cute how proud the kid is of it's dad. Edgar Guest puts an infantile spin on things, but he does so in a way that is hard to recognize. I can see the wording coming from a child's mouth, though it isn't what I would call a child's vocabulary.
    Throughout the poem however, the parent's faults are brought up. This man may have snappy solutions, but when it comes to putting things to action... well, that's someone else's job. Reading this poem makes me laugh. It reminds me of a little kid blurting embarrassing family stories to whoever that will listen. Not to be embarrassing of course, but just to talk to other people and to "sound smart". It's like saying"look what I know! Bet you don't know this secret!" Edgar Guest does a great job of portraying this immature nature in the narrator without using a four-year-old's vocabulary. That must take some skill.
    Other than being in awe of Edgar Guest's talent, I found it very amusing that the dad could come up with plans but the mom was the person who actually did anything. The last two lines state "We look to him for theories But look to ma for action". Not to be stereotypical, but I must say that seems pretty common for old men that just sit around reading newspapers. It also seems very unusual to me that a male poet would write of this. I mean, he could easily say that the men are the people who actually go to the office and work if he wanted to. I guess he's just a happily married man.
   I'm not going to do much with my hands during the poetry out loud contest. Maybe a few gestures here and  there, but not many. I think that I will start out really into that "yeah he's my dad, and he knows everything." and just every once in a while refer stuff with actions.Towards the end of the poem it will be more like "that's funny, I guess he really isn't so good with completion..." and finally end with the tone of "well, mom's still pretty awesome."

Poetry Reading

1.Keeping Things Whole
2.Sheet Music
3.I suggested Sheet Music, I then read All This and More
4. For My Contemporaries, Fortuna, I Am Learning to Abandon the World

I really enjoyed reading "Sheet Music" and "I Am Learning to Abandon the World". They both quickly drew me in, they were interesting to read. My favorite line in "I Am Learning to Abandon the World" is "the sun lays its warm muzzle on my lap-
as if to make amends".
It is the last line in the poem, and the first thing I thought of while reading it was my giant yellow lab; he's very needy and social. Whenever he feels lonely he'll come up to you and place his head on your lap, he has the cutest face! It's nice to feel loved and I think that's kind of what Linda Pastan was trying to say in her poem "I Am Learning to Abandon the World". 
I didn't really like the poem "For My Contemporaries". It was really short and held little meaning to me. Even after just a couple of minutes it is hard to think back and remember what it was about, because it just wasn't as special to me. If I were to choose a poem to recite out of these, it would probably be "I Am Learning to Abandon the World" by Linda Pastan.
The easiest criteria for me would be the posture with confidence when reciting my poem. I don't normally have any difficulty with speaking in front of audiences, so this would definitely be easy for me. I also think that finding an appropriate tone and speed in the poem will be simple. The hardest criteria point for me would be choosing multiple poems with different themes and tones while still enjoying and connecting with the poem I'm reciting. Another challenge for me would be just standing still, I wouldn't go into detail with acting things out, but without holding a sheet of paper I don't know what to do with my hands!
      I listened to Stanley Andrew Jackson recite Writ on the Steps of Puerto Rican Harlem written by Gregory Corso. It was amazing to me how serious and into the poem Stanley was. He seemed to ponder every line before saying it, but the pause was short enough to know that he wasn't just trying to remember the text. I felt like he was actually having an interesting conversation with me, and I probably would have thought so the entire time if there wasn't any subtitles on the bottom of the screen. He got me really into what he was saying, I probably wouldn't finish the poem if I just saw it on a piece of paper, but listening to him tell it was really fascinating. I also listened to Carolyn Rose Garcia read Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins. The entire time her voice sounded far away which fitted the poem, but it was also hard for me to concentrate and understand the point she was getting to. What about the skies? The hills? The landscape? I felt a bit bored but I suppose that could be just the author's fault. She also made the same expressions and gestures for things that were really different in the poem, which was also slightly annoying and repetitive in my opinion. 
   Poetry Out Loud would take a lot of dedication and time, after going on the website I'm not sure I'd want to compete in it. I already have homework and music to work on. But for the people who do compete and work hard on it, they sound great and it's a great achievment for them. It probably really builds their charisma. If I were to enter this competition though I'm not sure how I'd do. Some people would be extremely hard to beat. I would assume that the judge's would be tough also, I mean you'd have to really appreciate and work with poetry if you're going to be a judge of it. How many people do you know that just randomly decides someday "Yah know, I'm gon'na be a poetry judge, do yah think I'll need a scholarship fer that?". It's just one of those subjects that seems like you'd have to be really dedicated to it from the beginning to get a job commited to poetry. But if I were to perform and hopefully do well, then I would read "I Am Learning to Abandon the World" by Linda Pastan. It's a really neat poem that just connects with me, I appreciate Linda's work and I admire her for it. The Poetry Out Loud Website probably took a long time to write up. The first thing I thought when I looked at the millions of poems was "Kudo's to the editor of this archive." It's a neat website though, there's a ton of work put into it, and it's nice to read what the people of America believe and work with.

Something Interesting

      During the class discussion on "Lobsters" there was one thing that strikes me as interesting. Quite frankly I was puzzled that the author would bring up such gruesome details in the poem. This was brought up about halfway through the discussion and I found it particularly confusing. Why would an author want to traumatize his readers with such horrid accusations? At first I thought it totally spoiled the poem for me. I don't mind reading a poem that makes me think on the actions of humans, but to make it sound so horribly disgusting was almost too much.
     After the discussion I realized that the author was trying to catch my attention, which was done so without my noticing. Embarrassing slightly, but I suppose it then gave me another point of view on the poem. Also, the descriptions show a strong connection between the lobsters and people. One example of that would be "...cadaver green." the specks on the lobsters before they are cooked are dead people green. Disgusting but it creates quite a strong connection. Another connecting spot would be the pot of water, a killing machine for the lobsters even though water is their natural environment. How sick is that? Yet again the pot is related to the Earth and the lobsters are the people. From this I got that if you don't pay attention to the environment you're in, you may just find yourself in a pot of boiling water (not literally though).

Five Part Paragraphs

     A main weakness in writing five part paragraphs just so happens to be the overlook of simple mistakes. There are many typos and errors that can make no sense at all thanks to spell check. A misspelling can easily turn into an unfitting word or phrase. I believe that an easy solution to this problem would be to read over your paper multiple times aloud to yourself before presenting your work. When saying what is written out loud, your brain doesn't skip over the tiny mistakes, giving you a higher chance in correcting them. Another common error when typing a five part paragraph seems to be embedding quotes. Sometimes it seems easier to write out a sentence explaining the quote, but it is highly necessary to introduce the narrator properly first. The topic sentence is a very important part of the five part paragraph, and therefore should be thought upon and worked with carefully also. In order to write a successful topic sentence you must do a few things. For one, you must introduce all that you are going to talk about and explain, throughout the rest of the paragraph. This means that if you are to introduce multiple things then you must in some way include or make them relate clearly to the topic sentence. Also, if you are writing an essay on a book, then you need to include the title and the author of that book.  Concrete Details should be accurate and sourced correctly. They should also be very strong and supportive to the topic sentence without repeating yourself. All of this though is practically useless if you don't include your own insight to the argument. Commentary is proving this is your own work and not the author's of the book you read. This is the telling of what you believe. Plot summary is Absolutely Forbidden.
      Even knowing all of this, I did far from perfect in my own paragraph. I believe (though I haven't seen my grade yet) that my topic sentence needs more work. I needed to include more of what was written in my paragraph to give the audience a better insight to what was coming and what I was about to prove. I did though, have the title and author. Another thing I must learn and improve upon is writing smoother. To achieve this I think I should take more time to plan out my writing assignments and think them through carefully before I begin typing. And when finished, I should read carefully through my work to make sure everything makes sense. Another possible solution would be to have a family member read through it and tell me the pieces that need more clarification. With these simple steps it should be easy for me to improve upon my writing skills when writing a Five Part Paragragh.

Low Diction

       I've been totally overloaded with homework all through this week. Uuuuuugh. And I can't believe that Halloween is on a Sunday. I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps. I've had nothing to do this week, all week, besides homework. I hope I don't die of boredom. Even the leaves look a li'l dreary. I can remember one fall where all the trees looked bright and pretty; that made me happy. But this year the leaves look weighed down by water and just dead. You could call me pessimistic, but then I'd call you a nerd, 'cuz thats a freakishly long word.
      This weekend I'm gonna do even more homework. I'll have ta write about fancy words and words with hardly any meaning. And then I'll have ta write about what other people have written. If I had my ruthers, I'd be somewhere sunny. Which is kinda funny 'cuz the whole time I'd be spendin' time on somethin' music like, which would have ta be inside. Aww well, I guess life isn't so rough when yah get ta thinkin' 'bout it. Maybe I'll have time ta play some games or hang round with my peeps. I guess I should get ta that homework then.

The Speckled Red Rock

       I have written and typed many things, from poems to short stories to the beginning of super spectacular novels. But if I were to pick and choose out of them all, my proudest piece would be The Red Speckled Rock. This short story started out as a painfully time consuming english project, yet it is finished meaning much more to me than a letter grade. Quincey Eliza Stanford is a young girl whose parents are divorced and she's stuck with her pesky mom, who hardly understands her. Quincey hates her life, she hates her name, the only two things she loves are the sea and her father. If Quincey could live on the water for the rest of her life she would. She would wake up early in the morning and row far out over the water and just watch the sun rise. Quincey's father understands this and understands her, which is why Quincey loves him. In the very beginning of the novel Quincey finds a speckled red rock that was washed onto the shore, it fits perfectly in her palm and stands out from the others, just like she does. One night Quincey's mom confronts her, telling her that they are moving to the city and that she is coming too. Quincey is horrified and decides to protest against such inhumane treatment. Quincey tricks out her old rowboat, giving it a roof with a tarp and re-attatching an old motor. Quincey rows out to the sea bringing only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for meals. The second day on her own, Quincey trips over the cooler, starting the motor which causes the whole boat to fly forward. Surprised, Quincey loses her grip on the red rock in attempt to turn off the motor. Her precious treasure flys out into the water, gone for good. That night is rough on Quincey and she finds it difficult to keep the blood circulating in her legs from sitting so long. The next morning she rows home and finds her father waiting on the dock. The whole reuinion is very emotional. Quincey's father said her mother phoned him worried, and that he would buy a house on the sea so that she could live there with him. At the very end, her father presents a rock which he had found in the water, that he thought she would love it to be in her collection. Quincey is overwelmed with joy to discover that the rock he found was indeed her speckled red rock, this symbolizes that she had been found. I enjoyed writing this not only because I was getting credit for it, but because it is a touching story, and because I enjoyed the challenge of comparing part of what Quincey loves (the rock as part of the sea) to being a part of Quincey. I believe that the story turned out well and I got 100% for my grade, which made me even prouder for completing it.

Wuthering Heights

         What do I think of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte? The book itself isn't so bad, but the characters in it are soooooo annoying. All these messed up lovers who have serious social issues, uggh. It just sickens me! Heathcliff is horrible enough to marry Ms. Linton, whom he doesn't love, but she loves him- thinking that he's a totally different person. Mrs. Catherine Linton (who married Ms. Linton's brother which is why they have the same last name) is downright cruel. She treats others disrespectfully to humor herself, and during her childhood she would laugh if someone asked her to apologize. The characters names are even confusing and annoying! So far there are two different Catherine's (but one was married and her last name changed) two or three male names that start with "H" and Nelly as the storyteller and young friend. It's a bit difficult to keep track.
   The setting has been  very important in the novel. When Isabella Linton agrees to marry Heathcliff, they go to Wuthering Heights (which is only around three miles away from their original home). Most homes and farms are a couple of miles apart so this journey really wasn't so far. Also, because of the time frame in this novel, marriage is a very serious thing so usually if you are married, you can't get a divorce. This is why "love" is such a serious conflict in the novel, you don't exactly want to marry quick and hope the spouse will suit you eventually, you want to find someone who is right for you and won't drive you into poverty over time.
    I don't think I've ever read a romantic book before so Wuthering Heights is really different and kind-of a challenge for me. Normally I try to pick an action or mystery novel, but this time I decided to try something new. The closest book to this one is probably To Kill A Mockingbird because it has about the same laws of society. Women wear dresses, slaves or servants work in the fields while women prepare teaparties and meals. The main difference between the two would be the distance between houses (from across the street Miss Maudie's to three miles away Heathcliff and Isabella).
   I think for the project I'll either make a painting or create a movie on a scene in the book.

To Kill A Mockingbird in relatiton to my life

               To Kill A Mockingbird  is set in the early nineteen hundreds and so many things have changed since then, so I find it difficult to really compare my life to the character's lives in the novel. Some little things do really stand out to me though. For one, people mess up. Children and adults. Have you ever met a person that is always overly happy and perfect? It would be creepy... and inhuman. That's because no one is perfect and you really can't be happy if you've never been sad. I don't think it's possible to never mess up, but I do believe it is possible to make the best out of your mistakes. In To Kill A Mockingbird racism is widespread and serious. People are made fun of because of the color of their skin, and for an African American there is no such thing as a fare trial. In this case the adults were too cowardly to stand up for African Americans, therefore they were wrong. Sometimes I am wrong (but most of the time I'm totally right hahaha) but the thing is I can still learn from my mistakes. After the Tom Robinson case, people were moved, and at least a couple more people discovered the cause of their actions (in other words actually noticed the damage they provoked) and if the story was to be continued, I do believe that at a steady pace, the people of Maycomb would learn to accept all that came into their arms willingly.

My Boo Radley

Boo Radley is the kind of person you don't come by often. The shy type of innocence and naive essence that is given off simply by his presence; it's all just so unordinary. First of all, it's very  hard to find a person who normally keeps to themself, because they want to be alone in the first place. Yet in the end, Boo Radley strips himself of all familiarities and goes out into the open to save the lives of two children whom he hardly even knows. Boo Radley should be an honored person, is it really possible to have such an innocent life? Is it possible to meet someone who has never made a mistake? What are the chances? I know not a single human being that is like a "Boo" to me. I do, though, have quite a few people who care about me. Some of which I've probably only seen when I was a baby; church members, friends of my parents, neighbors from past neighborhoods, etc. I suppose these people would be my "Boo". Because they are the type of people who care about my family and I, even if they haven't seen us for five years. I know a family that is very close to us. They moved to Alaska and I haven't seen them for around seven years probably. Even so, we still care about each other, and would work hard to help each other. I guess, that that sort of person, these people, would be my Boo Radley's.