TKAM Found poem

"He's ruinin' the family"

He is not!

Not my father

He's civilized at heart

He wanted me to hear

An unfair advantage 

Applies to the human race 

If he was proud

They 'preciate what you did

Not okay to hate anybody 

No particular race of men

I proved him a liar 

Never thought these thoughts 

Not my father 

He's civilized at heart 

 

I commented on Jackson' Blog, Sophie's blog, Jack's blog, and Carter's blog

TKAM character relationships e

 To do my TCAM character relationships I chose to do Atticus and aunt Alexandra. The two have quite a few similarities.  One of them is the fact that they are both Finches. For example, "Their sister Alexandra was the Finch who remained at the landing..." This shows that she is in fact a finch, just as Atticus is. Another similarity is that they both want what  they believe  is best for the children. For example, "'We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence. It won't be many years, Jean Louise, before you become interested in clothes and boys…"' This shows that although they disagree on many things, they want the children to grow up right.

 On the other hand they also have many differences. One is that is that Atticus believes that he should allow Scout and Jem to grow up as they please, however aunt Alexandra believes that scout should become a proper lady. For example, "'… You've got to do something about her,' auntie was saying.' You've let things go on too long, Atticus, too long' 'I don't see any harm in letting her go out there. Coward look after her there as well as she does here.'" This shows that they tend to argue about the things the children should be allowed to do.  Another difference that they have is the aunt Alexandra likes to gossip about people, well Atticus does not. For example, " she never let a chance escape her to point out the shortcomings of other tribal groups to the greater glory of our own, a habit that amused Jem rather than annoyed him:' Aunty better watch out how she talks – scratch most folks in Maycomb and they're kin to us.'" This shows that Aunt Alexandra does indeed like to talk, on Atticus's side there are no instances of him gossiping about anyone.

Atticus and Aunt Alexandria are both related to Scout by blood. In fact both are members of her immediate family.  For example, "Atticus said,' Sister, when you stop to think about it, our generation is practically the first in the Finch family not to marry his cousins…'" This shows that they are all members of the same family. As for the affect that Atticus has on scout, he is like a moral compass for her. He teaches her right from wrong and explains things about the world for her. For example, "  when Atticus look down at me I saw the expression on his face that always made me expect something.' Do you know what compromises?' He asked." This shows that scout knows to expect knowledge from Atticus, as that is normal for him. Aunt Alexandra, on the other hand, constantly tries to mold scout into what she thinks scout should be. For example, " Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants."

TKAM setting

The town of Maycomb is described as a small town by the people that live in it. As stated in the text, "Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square.” This description shows that Maycomb is an old, rural town that is under disrepair. There is also a mention of how there is a sleepy have to life in the town. Foe example, "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." This shows how boring life could be in Maycomb, and that the town was in a bit of an economic low.

The picture I chose for this comparison is a picture of a church on a farm field. I believe it is similar to Maycomb, because it connects to how rural and religious the town is. For example, "They did not go to church, Maycomb's principle recreation..." This shows just how religious the town can be, as it is something that the majority of the town partakes in. The town is also very rural as stated here, "...Atticus was related by bloodier marriage to nearly every family in the town." This shows how small and rural the town is, because in a larger town people wouldn't be so closely related.

 Delano, Jack. Church and Cotton Field near Greensboro, Alabama. 

 May 1941. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information 

 Black-and-White Negatives, Library of Congress, Greensboro, Alabama

Election Reflection

To be completely honest I think with this election America was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There were problems on both sides, and no mater who you voted for, there were people that had valid reasons to disagree with you. Hillary Clinton had the email fiasco holding her down, and Donald Trump had his comments on women and Mexicans that infuriated half the country. I think that no matter who we ended up with, someone was not going to be happy. Personally I am just glad we got it over with so we can all move on with our lives.

I could be happier about the results of the election. I understand that they were both less than optimal, but I think that Hillary was the lesser of two evils. At the beginning I was completely pro-Hillary, and believed trump to be the embodiment of all bad things. I couldn't stand him, and his actions didn't exactly help. Now I can see that he has cleaned up a bit, and I finally understand that Hillary is no saint either. Regardless I still think we could have done better, even so, I think we have to give him a chance to prove himself.

Of course I would like to be more involved in politics, it is only natural that I would care as it affects my life. The laws that are made have a huge impact on my life, so I want to make sure I vote for people that are going to make laws to make my life better. I'm sure you would be hard pressed to find a person that didn't care what laws politicians passed. Besides, if I don't tell people what I care about then who will?

Sadly I won't get to vote for another eight years, but when the time comes I will be really excited. Every vote counts in any election, so the idea that my voice will make an impact is really cool. I know that eight years is a long time but I'm sure there will be some minor elections befor then that I can participate in, after all the presidential election isn't the only one to look forward to.

Oh there is a long list of things to talk about when it comes to issues. First off there is the leaked video , the accusations against Donald Trump, the emails, people contradicting themselves, racist comments, etc. Let's start with Trump. There was a video in which Trump made some rather inappropriate comments about women and the things he does to them. Then to add insult to injury, there was a group of about nine women that came out and accused him of doing those very things. He has also made quite a few racist comments and actually got in twitter arguments with people and proceeded to insult them. Hillary hasn't been a saint either. There have been accusations that she handled classified information irresponsibly such as using her personal email account to send and receive important information. There are also some cases of her contradicting herself such as when talking about trading deals.

Remembrance of Death

The morning I saw death was red as blood
Red sky, red ground, red water
The air was thick with the stench
Of men greeting death, as I was

Friend and foe lay beside me
Titans laid slain, or nearly so
Some lay quietly, accepting their end
Others cursed the unfairness of it all

Over them floated a creature shrouded in shadow
The air around it seemed to ooze darkness
It was an odd sight on such a bright day
The thing glided over to me and lowered to the ground

“It is time.” The creature spoke softly, with a lilting tone
“What are you?” I asked
“I am you. Your future. I am death.”
“I am not ready,” I pleaded.
“Look at you,” it exclaimed, “you are injured. You are dying. You are ready.”

I continued to argue my point,
 “ I have a country to serve, I've given too much to give up now!”
“The country will survive,” death assured me,
 “ it does not need you, you have done what you could.”
Perhaps it was right,
But perhaps….

“One man is all that is needed!,” I insisted, “ One man could change the tides of war!”
It tilted its head at me, an air of tiredness seemed to surround it.
“Many a man on this very field have made such a claim, what makes you different?”
I considered it's words.
What made me different? Nothing. Nothing but a chance to beat back death and win.

“Remembrance, I can offer them remembrance.” I told it.
“Every soldier deserves that,” I continued, “and even if I am the lone survivor I am enough to give them what they deserve.”
At this death almost laughed.
“Oh? And those fighting you? What of them? Do they deserve a memorial along side you?”

This made me pause, I had to think on this.
Did they? Could I give them that?
Did it matter? Did we not all fight for our beliefs?
Who was I to say one was correct and others were not?
To another man I could also be the enemy, but did that make me wrong?

“Every person leaves a mark, whether we wish to see it or not.”
It was the only answer I could give.
“I do not make them, but I can carry them with me.”
At this the world grew silent,

“Very well, for now I give you a chance,” it paused,
“But should you forget those words, I will be waiting.”
With that I was left alone,
The morning I saw death was bright as the sun

1st Quarter Reflection

     It's finally the end of the quarter, and I personally can't wait to go home. This quarter was pretty good, other than the occasional issue with lunch. It's been so eventful that I can't begin to describe it. Hopefully the next three quarters are just as great!.

      Some of my goals for ELA for the next three quarters are: Keeping my missing assignments to a minimum, and continuing to improve my blogging skills. Hopefully, if I can accomplish these tree things I can have a good year in this class.When it comes to remembering to do my homework I can honestly put up ten different alarms and still forget to do it, which makes this the most difficult of the three goals. Last year I wasn't the best at remembering to do my homework. (I think it's genetic, because my dad is the same way.)I'm not going to be delusional and declare that I will never miss any assignments, so I'm just going to try to minimize my errors. I will be the first to admit that I'm not the best when it comes to blogs. It's not as though I'm terrible at them, it's just that I could improve if I tried. Besides, isn't that the point of going to school? I think that if we were beyond the point of improving ourselves, we wouldn't need to go to school. Looking back at my older blogs I'm honestly embarrassed at how bad they are.

     I have had some definite improvements in my writing this year. I feel like the beginning of the year is probably the worst time for my writing. We just got back from summer, and I don't know about everyone else, but I never write during the summer if I can help it. I just can't get myself to do it. This year we have been doing a lot of writing and reviewing so I think that is helping. Then again, that is probably the point. In the beginning of the year I had a lot of run on sentences and incomplete thoughts, but I think I have improved.

     There are lots of things that I learned about the world so far this year. The majority of them came from the AOW's we have done. One example of this is that there used to be a group of cannibals living in caves in the U.K. There were signs that about 15,000 years ago there was a group of people that were cannibals.  It is thought that perhaps it could be a part of their culture, and that it was some kind of ritual. Supposedly they would do this to their dead  so that they could carry the bones. I was surprised that this was a culture so recently, as it wasn't to long ago in comparison to the world's history.

The Confessions of a Madman

This is the recorded (written down) confession of  ------ Montresor to the murder by asphyxiation of one ------ Fortunato.

You understand why you are here correct?
Yes.
So then, why are you so calm?
You do not frighten me.
And why is that?
Nothing does, nothing ever has. Now then can we get on with it? You're wasting my time.
Just to clarify, you are speaking of your own free will?
Yes.
And you will speak the truth, and nothing but the truth?
Of course I will.
Now then can you please explain, in detail, why you are here?
You already know why I am here.
Yes, but you must say that yourself, otherwise it is not a confession.
You have a point. I am here to confess to murdering my dear friend Fortunato.
In detail, Mr. Montresor.
Everything? From planning to the act?
Yes.
Very well, I first wished to kill him when he dared to insult me.
He insulted you?
Yes.
Was it really deserving of murdering him though?
Yes.
Well what did he say?
He insulted the Montresor family. If I'm correct his exact words were, " The Montresors we once a great family, so full of culture and talent. It is a shame that they have been reduced to this."
Well that is rather harsh. When was this?
Over my dead mother's grave.
Ah....I see.
You understand my contempt for him, no?h
Regardless of what was said and where, don't you feel remorse for your actions?
No.
Not at all?
No, not at all.
I see. Carry on.
I returned home and considered if I would ever have a chance for revenge. I wanted to reduce him to a mere sentence, as he did to my family. I understood that it would not be easy, he was a rather public figure, then there was the pesky matter of witnesses. I was thinking that I would need to lure him to a place he would not be noticed, and then do the deed. I know that murder can be a messy business, so i had to find a way to kill him without killing him. That way if they found him I wouldn't be directly responsible.
So why are you confessing?  
I got bored.
Bored? Bored of what?
Bored of everything. I had been planning this for months, it was my everything. And so now I have nothing to do with my life.
You do realize the years you could be facing? 
Considering the insult, plus all the other thing that I had to bear, it was worth it.
What other things?
He hurt me in a thousand ways.
Hurt? As in a physical injury?
One could perceive it that way.
You could be facing the death penalty, and yet you claim it was worth it? 
I have no intention of facing those charges.
And just how do you intend to escape them?
I have just as many enemies as I do friends.
Please elaborate.
I'd rather not.
It was not a request.
I do believe it was.
I will repeat myself, how do you intend to escape your charges?
..........
Mr. Montresor?
.........

"Our Beautiful World"

Our treacherous world

Broken and bloody 

By all the harsh things 

It had known 

Families became bullies 

Friends became prey

It never occurred to us,

All of us forgot 

As our world grew older, thought,

Our eyes opened 

Our hearts opened 

Bullies became angels 

Prey became heroes 

Something good and

Something broken 

Our differences are 

Our inspiration 

Our beetles are

Angels 

Angels, and beetles;

Bullies, and heroes.

We forget our differences 

And unite

Aow 9/23/16

One of the similarities between Of Beetles And Angels (OBAA) and "Shrinking small towns see hope in refugees" is that there  were organizations that helped the refugees relocate. OBAA had Word Relief, and my article had Rutland Welcomes. For example, " A volunteer organization Rutland Welcomes…700 volunteers…to learn Arabic and plan…" Then in OBAA, "They needed help, so they contacted World Relief, a U.S.-based Christian organization that located refugees and helped them resettle in the United states." these quotes show that refugees need help to get in the U.S. and settle down.

Another connection is that there were people that objected to having the refugees in the United States.  They could be anyone, from politicians to civilians. For example,"Seven of the 11 members on the Rutland Board of Aldermen signed a letter asking the State Department not to send refugees." An example of this in OBAA is, "'Why don't you just go back to Africa where you came from?' We were just two, and they were often many" This shows that refugees did, and still do, have to deal with adversaries, be it an adult or a child.

War affects individuals and societies by making them less kind and more focused on survival. This can especially effect those born into war. For example,"Some of the other kids tried to push us around, so Tewolde and I quickly mastered Sudanese-style fighting, where the only object was survival." This shows just how harsh the camps were. Most children in countries that are not in war don't have to worry about day-to-day survival, however these kids had to fight to live almost daily.

Introduction

Hi reader, welcome to my blog! Right now I will tell you a little bit about myself. I am an avid reader, and I like to think up my own stories as well. My favorite genres are sci-fi and romance.

I also like hanging out with by friends at the local park. We often get a bit carried away, as a result my friend is now dubbed the "Duck Killer". (no ducks were harmed in the making of this blog)

Thanks for reading, bye!

End of Year Reflections

    One important thing that I learned this year is that in literature the most normal of things can have deeper meaning. I saw examples of this in Of Mice and Men, such as Lennie's rabbits. The rabbits symbolized hopes and dreams, thus showing a deeper meaning. Another thing that I learned is that a period is the strongest type of punctuation, while a comma is the weakest type of punctuation. The order from weakest to strongest is: comma, semicolon, colon, and period. The final thing that I learned is that there are four different types of poetry. They are: free verse, quatrain, cinquain, and extended metaphor.

    One thing that we did this year that I will remember is the socratic seminars. They really made me think deeply about the different topics brought up. They were also a good way for me to find the different opinions of my classmates. There was also the chance o voice my opinions, and discuss the differences in our opinions. It was truly a great chance to get new views on the same topics that I wouldn't have gotten in a different class.

    The nicest thing someone in this class did for me was when I first started in this class Brimady showed me the ropes. She was seated next to me, and although at first it was strained, we finally became accustomed to each other. She was very kind to me, and didn't get aggravated when i didn't understand. She also did a great job putting up with all the stupid questions I asked her. I am very grateful that she was patient with me or I might not have caught on to the routine until later.

    One thing that I taught the class about was the change in the Barbie line. The company added three body types to the usual. They are: tall, curvy, and petite. I taught this to the class, because I thought it was important for them to know that things are changing. Society has always judged people on their body, this change in Barbie shows that this could change. Our ideals start in our childhood. If we are told that being different is okay from a young age, it could impact our perception on life. I believed that this topic and the things that it leads to may one day effect my classmates.

    I feel that I improved the most in AOW. In the beginning I was a little confused as to what was expected of this, and my work suffered for it. Through observing the work of my classmates i have come to understand what my AOW should look like and I believe that I have been improving. Something that I did that I'm proud of is getting up to read poetry in front of the class. I am very shy and I dislike going in front of an audience. Sometimes it gets to the point where I am shaking! I am proud that I went up, (despite the fact that I was practically forced to.) and I don't think that I sounded too terrified.

    The most challenging part of the year was definitely finding material for my AOW. there was either too many things to choose from or nothing. There was never a middle! Plus on the chance that there were a lot of articles, they were mostly irrelevant topics. They might also be impossible to match to the questions being asked, thus making the task more difficult. While I realize this may not have been an intellectual difficulty, it was very frustrating.

    I think my best piece of writing is my picture poem. I chose this piece, because I feel as though I channeled the emotions of the mourning family and girl very well. I also like this piece because it reminds me of my late grandfather. He was very kind to us and I think we wouldn't be able to watch us mourn hime either. Coincidentally the week that we wrote these poems was the week of the third  anniversary of his death. Perhaps I was channeling my feelings toward him into the poem.

    My favorite book from this year is the Clockwork franchise. For those of you who don't know this book it is a bout a young girl named Tessa. She lives in the Victorian era. In the book she goes to London to live with her brother, after she gets there one thing leads to another and she ends up a pawn in a supernatural war. I like this book, because Tessa believed that she was a normal girl until she left New York. It gives me hope for my future. (Although Tessa was probably not that grateful.)

    One piece of advice I would give to students is, "Don't overthink Mrs. Larson's humor! I know at first you will not be sure if she is joking at times, but give it time. I was quite confused when I first entered her class, but it gets better. If you are unsure do one of two things: 1) take hints from more experienced members of your class, they know best.  2) remain silent, what you don't say can't hurt you! Follow these tips and you will most likely not offend anyone. Good luck!" (I wish someone thought to give me this advice.)

                             

OMAM Movie Blog

   The "incident in Weed" is actually shown to the audience in a flash back. Mean while in the book it is merely talked about, there is no flash back at all to give the audience a better understanding of the incident. I believe that he chose to do this, because it makes it more seem more recent. In the book the incident feels very distant and unimportant; however, the flashback makes you realize that the incident took place just before the beginning of the plot. It changes the story by making the event seem more recent, and finalizing the fact that Lennie often gets himself and George in trouble.

   The director Showed George alone on the train to show that George is having a flashback to the events of the story. We know that the story has already passed, because Lennie is not in the frame with George, and when Lennie was alive the to were inseparable  The director might do this, because he wants to show that George is truly alone. Lennie and George were always together, in fact they said that they were the only people that cared about the other. By showing George alone, the director hammered in the fact that the only person who cared about George was gone.

   I think that the director made a good choice in choosing Sherilyn Fenn as Curley's wife. She is obviously a talented actress, and passionate about her role. She does not look completely different from what I imagined, but some things are different. For one she seems to look younger than I imagined. I know that Curley's wife in probably a teenager, but the way she was described made her sound aged. Another thing is that her voice, described as "nasal" is not as unpleasant as i assumed it would be. I quite honestly would not have chosen a different actress, as she did quite well in her portrayal of a non-main character.

    I honestly feel slightly disappointed at the portrayal of the book. Don't get me wrong, the movie was great. However, the things that were removed took way from the character development. There were things that the characters lacked in the movie, that could have been added with a simple line or phrase. The thing that had the most impact was, the added foreshadowing. Such as, in the beginning when George was alone. It is subtle, but it is very effective. I would recommend this book to my friend Alexis Garcia. She would like the suspense, and it isn't to long so she wouldn't have to wait too long for the ending.

OMAM conflicts

One of the conflicts in Of Mice and Men is the fact that Curley doesn't like Lennie and tries to fight him every chance he gets. This is an example of Man v. Man. For example, "His eyes passed over the new men and he stopped. He glanced coldly at George then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists." This shows that even upon just meeting George and Lennie, Curley wanted to fight them. The exact reasons are unknown, but this eventually leads to a fight that Lennie wins. This could lead to more conflict, as Curley was humiliated in front of many people.

Another one of the conflicts is that everyone is surprised and suspicious of the fact that George and Lennie travel together. This is an example of Man v. Society.  As stated in the text, "'Ain't many guys travel around together'" This shows that it is not normal or expected for full grown men to travel together. This causes problems in the beginning as it draws suspicions on George and Lennie. First The Boss questions George's reasons for promoting Lennie, then Slim talking about how unusual it is. Whatever the context this is a frequent topic, which makes it seem as though George and Lennie are the only ones traveling together. 

Dreams of OMAM

what is life without a dream?

Is it a puppet who's string

were long ago cut?

 Or is it like a fallen star

that has lost it's glow?

One thing is sure

the river of fate

cannot move forward without 

a purpose.

And what is a dream

if not the purpose of 

life?

Of Mice and Men

Describe the atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse. Be sure to include characteristics of different characters that were formally or informally introduced to us in this chapter. Support your choice with textual evidence and interpretation.

The atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse was varying depending on who was present at what time. They ranged from tense and angry, to calm and flirtatious. For example,"George was tense, and motionless." Also," She said playfully" This shows that there was a wide range of emotion in a short time, making the place seem a little hectic.

Why doesn't Curley's wife have a name?   What message, if anything, is John Steinbeck  trying to send by not giving her a first name?  Support your choice with textual evidence and interpretation.


Curley's wife doesn't have a name because John Steinbeck is send the message that back then people thought that women should be obedient and never disobey their husbands. As stated in the text, "' Well I think Curley's married…a tart." this shows that because Curley's wife hangs around the farm people perceive her as a "tart". This may or may not be true, most people now a days wouldn't assume the worst and would probably think that she was interested in what they were doing.

3rd Quarter Reflections

In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts?

     In ELA, I think that my ability to write essays has improved. Before I would often not add enough information in my paragraphs. I would usually not include a quote, as I did not see the point of having one in every paragraph. Also, my information was more scattered and I did not connect my paragraphs to one point. As such, they looked more sloppy than they do now.

What is something you have accomplished this quarter that you are proud of?

     Something that I accomplished was becoming slightly more responsible with my homework. I tend to postpone any work that I have until the last possible moment. I will be the first to admit that I am lazy. After getting grounded I realized that I had to get my act together. After that I made myself a schedule and have been sticking to it. Although I do still slip up, it's not nearly as much as before.

What has been the most challenging part of 3rd quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

The most challenging part of 3rd quarter was having time to do all my work. For three days out of the week I often didn't come home until 8PM. This left me little time to do my work and the quality started slipping. As there wasn't much I could do about it I just tried my best to finish the work on time. Thankfully one of the things keeping me out ended, so now I only stay out late one day a week.

Lit Circle Blog

     I chose to do our first EQ: Why do fire fighters burn books? This question is one of the more mysterious questions that this book presents, and one of the most important. The entire book focuses on a firefighter's developing thoughts. Yet it is never explained in clear terms why firefighters do this, we only get tidbits of information as to why this is. For example, "Not enough hurt in the world…" "…poetry and tears, poetry and suicide…" This could make you believe that this started because people were taking things too seriously and hurting themselves. The emotions drove people to extremes, so in an attempt to help the government started to burn books.

     we chose the article "North Korea: On the net in the world's most secretive nation". The article and book do have some similarities. For example both focus on censorship. Ans example from the website," In a country were citizens are intentionally starved of any information other than government propaganda…" From "Fahrenheit 451", " Technology, mass exploitation,and minority pressure…Today, thanks to them you can stay happy all the time…" These two quotes give you a feel of how the people are being censored. Both are having their access to information limited. In North Korea they can only find information that the government deems "acceptable". In "Fahrenheit 451" people could only read comics because they were not as offensive and pointless as books.

     The article and book are different in what is censored. In the article,"…the internet too is dictated by the needs of the state…" In "Fahrenheit 451", "…while the flapping pigeon-winged books died on the porch and lawn…" These two quotes explain the two different ways that these two different societies are being censored. While North Korea focuses more on the internet, "Fahrenheit 451" focuses more on books. While North Korea gives incorrect information, "Fahrenheit 451" gives none and hopes that no one asked too many questions. Though they use different means the out come is the same, the public is censored

Blog for 1/27/16 poetry response

      The poem I choose is, "Fire&Ice" by Robert Frost. This poem is about a person that is telling the audience how they think that the world will end, at first they seem to believe that fire is the most destructive of the two, however at the end they admit that both would "suffice".  However I believe that there is a deeper meaning to the poem. I believe that when they refer to "the world" being destroyed, they mean a person being destroyed by an inner conflict. If that were true the person would be split between acting based on their emotions and acting based on logic. (Hence the name "Fire&Ice")

      This poem reminds me of how I often feel when wondering on how to deal with conflicts. It feels like my brain has separated itself into two parts. The logical side and the more emotional side. As I believe in being blunt, like my mother, my more emotional side tends to win that internal argument. I am also told that I tend to be hotheaded, again like my mother, and can be brash at times. (I am beginning to see a theme here.) While I like to think about things, if I get very angry or happy I act without thinking. On the other hand some people tell me that sometimes I seem like I overthink things. That, and I can put out a cold exterior that makes me look very unfriendly. In that way I am also like my father. When I'm angry, and not yelling, I tend to shut the world out and retreat into my mind. That gives off an emotionless front.

This is the image that I imagine when I read this poem:

Poetry Reflection

1~ Poetry can be a vital, real part of everyone's life. What place or importance does poetry have in my own life? Does poetry belong to everyone? How do I know?

In my life poetry is best described as a deep trench that looks to large to explore completely. Now that I have jumped over the edge I have realized that poetry is not as daunting as it seemed. Yes, there is a lot of poetry,  and yes I won't be able to read it all, but in poetry I have learned that you only really have to read what you want to. There is no requirement for the amount you read or the type of poetry it is. he only requirement is to read and write whatever you wish. Yes, poetry does belong to everyone. I know this, because we all have the freedom to interpret things in different ways. Although we may not own the piece, the way we interpret it is entirely our own. No one els will find the exact same meaning as you when they read "Harlem". It may be similar, but not identical

2~ How does the life and experiences of a poet affect the poem he/she creates?

The life and experiences of a poet affect the poem they create by changing the mood, tone, and subject of the poem.For example, if the poet had a rough childhood then their poems might focus more on the negative things because that is what they are used to. On the other  hand if the poet has a positive and family oriented their poems may be more positive  because that is what they are used to.

3~ Choose two poems (one that you have read and one that you have written yourself) and analyze how a poem's form and structure contribute to its meaning. Also, analyze the impact that words/phrases, rhyme, alliteration, repetition, and figurative language have on the poem.

I will be comparing my nonfiction poem and the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes. These poems often single out a word or phrase to emphasis it's meaning. They also use figurative language that will make readers need to stop and think in order to understand what that means. In "Poison" the poems eludes to famous stories or movies in order to make the people think more. "Harlem" also makes people think by asking rhetorical questions.


- Non-Fiction Poem
- Bio Poem
- Where I'm From Poem
- Spine Poem
- Found Poem
- Nonsense Poem

"Fatal Smile"

"Poison"

Did you learn nothing from the fall of Washington?

The inky scar of poison was your only clue, and yet

that should have been more than enough.

And as concerned as you were, you did not

a thing to stop me. My poison.

The law was uninformed. The law was wrong.

But your creatively colorful campaign

didn’t mind one bit. And as disgusted

as the parents of innocence were, you did not

a thing to stop me. My poison.

The damage has been done. To not the body,

but the mind. The protection, sadly, misfired.

Those who were in need had no hazmat suit.

And as angry as the people were, you did not

a thing to stop me. My poison.

The only thing that eases my guilt over my

part in this war, is the knowledge that when

you were thrown in the lion den, no one

let  you out.

Inspired by the article: "Lead companies pushed their products even as people were being poisoned"