A Cold Coming
In this poem, the author speaks of birth and death. Death is obviously mentioned seeing as how this poem is about war and a soldier, the death of the soldier is talked about. The soldiers last words before his death were about birth. I think the author talks about sperm banks and procreation about the portayal of atrocities of war because he is making the point of how awful war is. It relates to how he disagrees with men putting sperm in sperm banks becuase they may not "make it." I think it is important to know that a poet is being spoken to becuase poets have a very different way of interpreting things, and in a sense twisting words around to make the piece more "musical" in a sense. Poets never just simply say what they feel, they use different figures of speech to always say what they mean to say.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Warm up for 4.17.08
Lion-
a lion is a wild animal. Lions are a form of a cat and can be very dangerous. Most lions that people in America see are held and kept in zoos. Lions live in the wild and are most prominent in other countries such as Africa.
Lioness-the female lion, without a mane around the neck.
I had a different take on this story. I did not get the impression that this person did from the story. The animals were all stereo typed and the author did so by describing the different ways in which the animals reacted to certain things. I do agree however with what she said about viewing everyone she meets as a single person and does not expect them to know certain things or facts.
a lion is a wild animal. Lions are a form of a cat and can be very dangerous. Most lions that people in America see are held and kept in zoos. Lions live in the wild and are most prominent in other countries such as Africa.
Lioness-the female lion, without a mane around the neck.
I had a different take on this story. I did not get the impression that this person did from the story. The animals were all stereo typed and the author did so by describing the different ways in which the animals reacted to certain things. I do agree however with what she said about viewing everyone she meets as a single person and does not expect them to know certain things or facts.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Homework for 4.17.08
She Unnames Them
I did not really understand the full meaning of this story. I did not understand who "she" was. I found it interesting though that the stereotypes of animals was talked about, something that is not often written about or discussed. I did not really care for this story simply becuase it confused me and was so different from what I am used to and enjoy reading.
Journey of the Magi
I always think it is interesting reading religious pieces or stories from different people, seeing their perspective and opinions on religion. I am not a very religious person, but I believe in God and am somewhat "spritual." This poem interested me, I liked the details and the vivid images that the author went into great detail explaining. I liked how the crosses are mentioned, the one cross for Jesus and the other for the two thieves.
A Cold Coming
I always enjoy reading poems about war, especially the Iraq war. There are so many different views and opinions that I enjoy reading and hearing what everyone thinks. This was from the eyes of a soldier, so everything was brutal. Knowing what happens on the inside is crucial, I feel to have a clear understanding of the war or any war for that matter. The jealousy of American soldiers is mentioned in this poem. This was a different type of poem, but had a lot of meaning and truth behind it.
I did not really understand the full meaning of this story. I did not understand who "she" was. I found it interesting though that the stereotypes of animals was talked about, something that is not often written about or discussed. I did not really care for this story simply becuase it confused me and was so different from what I am used to and enjoy reading.
Journey of the Magi
I always think it is interesting reading religious pieces or stories from different people, seeing their perspective and opinions on religion. I am not a very religious person, but I believe in God and am somewhat "spritual." This poem interested me, I liked the details and the vivid images that the author went into great detail explaining. I liked how the crosses are mentioned, the one cross for Jesus and the other for the two thieves.
A Cold Coming
I always enjoy reading poems about war, especially the Iraq war. There are so many different views and opinions that I enjoy reading and hearing what everyone thinks. This was from the eyes of a soldier, so everything was brutal. Knowing what happens on the inside is crucial, I feel to have a clear understanding of the war or any war for that matter. The jealousy of American soldiers is mentioned in this poem. This was a different type of poem, but had a lot of meaning and truth behind it.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Homework for 4.10.08
Siren Song-
I didn't necessarily like this poem. A lot of it was confusing to me and it was hard to make sense of it. The sirens were considered to be half women, half bird water nymphs. These half woman and water birds sang "beautiful" songs to sailors. This poem took place on an island and on a shore where things were destroyed. It seems that the half woman and water birds are unhappy, as they ask if they tell the secret will they be let out of the "bird suit." They also say they do not "enjoy it here." The songs lure the reader in by saying its a song everyone would like to know. Does that mean that people who are unhappy would like it and could sing along too?
Ulysses-
It was interesting reading about Greek Mythology. Ulysses looks back on his life in this poem and reflects on the things that have happened. Ulysses overcomes many different obstacles in his life such as Cyclops, the Sirens, and more. All in all he simply wanted to get back to his home to be with his wife and his son who is so different from him. He is an accomplished man and has done too many things in his life to just sit back and do nothing.
Leda and the Swan-
This poem obviously is a greek myth about a swan, involving Zeus. Zeus went to Leda as a swan and seduced her, who had also slept with someone else that same night. Leda was a beautiful Spartan queen. This poem seems to be being retold by one of Leda's daughters, who is obviously not dead anymore.
I didn't necessarily like this poem. A lot of it was confusing to me and it was hard to make sense of it. The sirens were considered to be half women, half bird water nymphs. These half woman and water birds sang "beautiful" songs to sailors. This poem took place on an island and on a shore where things were destroyed. It seems that the half woman and water birds are unhappy, as they ask if they tell the secret will they be let out of the "bird suit." They also say they do not "enjoy it here." The songs lure the reader in by saying its a song everyone would like to know. Does that mean that people who are unhappy would like it and could sing along too?
Ulysses-
It was interesting reading about Greek Mythology. Ulysses looks back on his life in this poem and reflects on the things that have happened. Ulysses overcomes many different obstacles in his life such as Cyclops, the Sirens, and more. All in all he simply wanted to get back to his home to be with his wife and his son who is so different from him. He is an accomplished man and has done too many things in his life to just sit back and do nothing.
Leda and the Swan-
This poem obviously is a greek myth about a swan, involving Zeus. Zeus went to Leda as a swan and seduced her, who had also slept with someone else that same night. Leda was a beautiful Spartan queen. This poem seems to be being retold by one of Leda's daughters, who is obviously not dead anymore.
Monday, April 7, 2008
SWA 10-Topic Proposal Martin Luther King
1. The poem I chose for my Historical Analysis text was "Martin Luther King Jr." by Gwendolyn Brooks. I chose to write about this topic because Martin Luther King Jr and the topics he represents have always interested me. The Civil War was one of my favorite wars to learn about, and although the Civil Rights Movement and The Civil War are two seperate topics from two seperate eras, I feel as if the two relate to each other simply because of the struggles of other races during the two times. There are many things that tie into Martin Luther King Jr and The Civil Rights movement that I am interested in learning more about than I already know.
2. In researching more about King, I have found much information on The Civil Rights Movement and other topics such as the Supreme Court Cases (Brown v. Board of Education) and historical sit ins and other historically famous people such as Rosa Parks.
3. The links I have provided have helped me to understand the work more through giving me thorough information and providing me with context about the Civil Rights Movement that I did not know before. I looked through timelines and read more about the background of King, which helped me to understand why King felt so strongly on the Civil Rights Movement and the equality of every race.
4. The underlying theme of the poem "Martin Luther King Jr." was equality. The Civil Rights Movement was all about the equality of everyone and the rights for the people. This theme carried over into the historical part of the poem and helped me to relate the poem to the Historical readings I was finding on King and The Civil Rights Movement.
5. There really aren't any parts of the work that I am struggling with. I feel I have a good understanding of this important era and the work that Martin Luther King completed.
6. Thesis Statement-
Martin Luther King Jr is a man of many things. When King is mentioned, bravery and remarkable confidence come to mind. King accomplished many things in his lifetime and will forever be remembered as a powerful leader of the Civil Rights Movement. In the poem "Martin Luther King Jr." by Gwendolyn Brooks, a theme of equality and true leadership are noted. King was a leader like none other. Since King was actually dead when this poem was written, Brooks chose strong words to make a lasting impression on the reader of the importance of King. Since King was such an important part of the Civil Rights Movement, the words chosen in this poem and the overall theme are what makes this poem one to remember.
2. In researching more about King, I have found much information on The Civil Rights Movement and other topics such as the Supreme Court Cases (Brown v. Board of Education) and historical sit ins and other historically famous people such as Rosa Parks.
3. The links I have provided have helped me to understand the work more through giving me thorough information and providing me with context about the Civil Rights Movement that I did not know before. I looked through timelines and read more about the background of King, which helped me to understand why King felt so strongly on the Civil Rights Movement and the equality of every race.
4. The underlying theme of the poem "Martin Luther King Jr." was equality. The Civil Rights Movement was all about the equality of everyone and the rights for the people. This theme carried over into the historical part of the poem and helped me to relate the poem to the Historical readings I was finding on King and The Civil Rights Movement.
5. There really aren't any parts of the work that I am struggling with. I feel I have a good understanding of this important era and the work that Martin Luther King completed.
6. Thesis Statement-
Martin Luther King Jr is a man of many things. When King is mentioned, bravery and remarkable confidence come to mind. King accomplished many things in his lifetime and will forever be remembered as a powerful leader of the Civil Rights Movement. In the poem "Martin Luther King Jr." by Gwendolyn Brooks, a theme of equality and true leadership are noted. King was a leader like none other. Since King was actually dead when this poem was written, Brooks chose strong words to make a lasting impression on the reader of the importance of King. Since King was such an important part of the Civil Rights Movement, the words chosen in this poem and the overall theme are what makes this poem one to remember.
SWA 8-9
Adams, Russell. “Martin Luther King, the Nobel Peace Prize 1964.” Les Prix Nobel. 1972.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
In this short article about King, Russell tells the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr. Russell talks about everything from the schooling King had as a young boy to when he graduated and the work he participated in with his father. The article talks about King and his work he completed at Boston University. He did work for his doctorate in 1953 and received his degree in 1955. Russell mentioned how King felt strongly about the Civil Rights movement and for fellow members of his race. King was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was the leading organization for the Civil Rights Movement. King participated in many movements and boycotts in ways to help the Civil Rights Movement. After much time and hard work, King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
“Civil Rights Movement.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 7 April 2008.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9082763/civil-rights-movement
This article, from the Britannica Encyclopedia talks much about the Civil Rights movement and the racially segregated facilities in the South. The 13th and 15th amendments were mentioned as the two amendments that gave black Americans fundamental citizenship rights. Also mentioned was the Civil Rights Act of 1975, which provided equal accommodations for blacks and whites in public areas. The article also talks about Rosa Parks and her attempts in changing Civil Rights Laws. Many other movements were mentioned such as the sit in, The Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act.
“The Civil Rights Struggle in Modern Times.” CNN Interactive. 1997. CNN Online. 1997.
http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1997/mlk/links.html
This timeline from CNN online offers many different facts about different events that took place during the Civil Rights Movement. Not only does CNN mention people such as Rosa Parks, who many are familiar with, but they also speak of smaller events that are unknown to people. For example, when President Kennedy sent troops to University of Mississippi so that the first black student could attend. I learned many small details from this article that I did not know before. I feel this article was very straight forward with no slanting in opinions and viewpoints. This article will be helpful for my paper in the fact that most of the events that took place during the Civil Rights movement are listed in this timeline.
Mount, Steve. “The I have a Dream Speech.” The US Constitution Online. 1995.
http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html
Before actually showing Martin Luther King Jr’s full speech, Steve Mount spoke about the Civil Rights Movement fully. Mount mentioned something that people often seem to look past, the fact that African Americans were not the only ones being discriminated against. It was people of color in general- blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc. In rough times like these, the President was not the one who had the final say. Such matters came down to big Supreme Court decisions (such as Brown v. Board of Education). Mount also mentioned that King marched non- violently, which stuck out in my mind as interesting because most of the times, to get a point across in the past and change things, violence was used. This text will help me mainly in quoting the speech that King made and also to look at things that were overlooked in this time of trouble.
“Civil Rights.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 3 Feb 2003. 2007.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/civil-rights/
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy was a very good source for simply getting straightforward facts and opinions about the Civil Rights Movement. Civil Rights is and has always been linked to the struggle for equality in America during the 1950’s-60’s. Civil rights are defined as the basic legal rights a person must possess in order to have a status. This article will help me to understand the basics behind the terms Civil Rights and to better have a grip on the movement as a whole during the 1950’s and 60’s.
Hoffman, Michael. “The Truth About Martin Luther King Jr.” 1991.
http://www.martinlutherking.org/thebeast.html
This article was completely different than all of the others I read. This article contradicted everything all of the other articles mentioned and how people view Martin Luther King Jr. for the most part. Michael Hoffman said that Kings first speech, book, essay and more were all plagiarized from other sources, therefore stating that King cheated in the words he spoke. This article definitely makes me, the reader, think twice about the things King said. This article has not really altered my viewpoint, because I feel that if these things were 100% true, there would have been much more talk about this and King would have been noted on doing this on more occasions.
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
In this short article about King, Russell tells the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr. Russell talks about everything from the schooling King had as a young boy to when he graduated and the work he participated in with his father. The article talks about King and his work he completed at Boston University. He did work for his doctorate in 1953 and received his degree in 1955. Russell mentioned how King felt strongly about the Civil Rights movement and for fellow members of his race. King was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which was the leading organization for the Civil Rights Movement. King participated in many movements and boycotts in ways to help the Civil Rights Movement. After much time and hard work, King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
“Civil Rights Movement.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 7 April 2008.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9082763/civil-rights-movement
This article, from the Britannica Encyclopedia talks much about the Civil Rights movement and the racially segregated facilities in the South. The 13th and 15th amendments were mentioned as the two amendments that gave black Americans fundamental citizenship rights. Also mentioned was the Civil Rights Act of 1975, which provided equal accommodations for blacks and whites in public areas. The article also talks about Rosa Parks and her attempts in changing Civil Rights Laws. Many other movements were mentioned such as the sit in, The Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act.
“The Civil Rights Struggle in Modern Times.” CNN Interactive. 1997. CNN Online. 1997.
http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1997/mlk/links.html
This timeline from CNN online offers many different facts about different events that took place during the Civil Rights Movement. Not only does CNN mention people such as Rosa Parks, who many are familiar with, but they also speak of smaller events that are unknown to people. For example, when President Kennedy sent troops to University of Mississippi so that the first black student could attend. I learned many small details from this article that I did not know before. I feel this article was very straight forward with no slanting in opinions and viewpoints. This article will be helpful for my paper in the fact that most of the events that took place during the Civil Rights movement are listed in this timeline.
Mount, Steve. “The I have a Dream Speech.” The US Constitution Online. 1995.
http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html
Before actually showing Martin Luther King Jr’s full speech, Steve Mount spoke about the Civil Rights Movement fully. Mount mentioned something that people often seem to look past, the fact that African Americans were not the only ones being discriminated against. It was people of color in general- blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc. In rough times like these, the President was not the one who had the final say. Such matters came down to big Supreme Court decisions (such as Brown v. Board of Education). Mount also mentioned that King marched non- violently, which stuck out in my mind as interesting because most of the times, to get a point across in the past and change things, violence was used. This text will help me mainly in quoting the speech that King made and also to look at things that were overlooked in this time of trouble.
“Civil Rights.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 3 Feb 2003. 2007.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/civil-rights/
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy was a very good source for simply getting straightforward facts and opinions about the Civil Rights Movement. Civil Rights is and has always been linked to the struggle for equality in America during the 1950’s-60’s. Civil rights are defined as the basic legal rights a person must possess in order to have a status. This article will help me to understand the basics behind the terms Civil Rights and to better have a grip on the movement as a whole during the 1950’s and 60’s.
Hoffman, Michael. “The Truth About Martin Luther King Jr.” 1991.
http://www.martinlutherking.org/thebeast.html
This article was completely different than all of the others I read. This article contradicted everything all of the other articles mentioned and how people view Martin Luther King Jr. for the most part. Michael Hoffman said that Kings first speech, book, essay and more were all plagiarized from other sources, therefore stating that King cheated in the words he spoke. This article definitely makes me, the reader, think twice about the things King said. This article has not really altered my viewpoint, because I feel that if these things were 100% true, there would have been much more talk about this and King would have been noted on doing this on more occasions.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Trifles vs. A Jury Of Peers
Reading Trifles and A Jury of Peers was interesting. It was cool to see the different aspects of this story through a play and a short story. Obviously, reading the play version there was more to look at because it gives the reader insight to the actions of the characters, as well as expressions seeing as how it is a play.Knowing this, it helps the reader to get insight and picture what is going on mentally in their head better than when reading stories and not knowing things such as facial expressions, body language, etc. However, I enjoyed reading the story form more so than the play. Obviously, had I actually seen the play instead of just reading it, it would have been different. The story was easier to understand because it was actually told, instead of explained, as I feel the play was.
I think the play version lends itself more towards Historical Analysis. When I read the play version of this story, I felt as if the play was set back in the olden days. The way they spoke of the house and described the setting and how they spoke reminded me of something that would have taken place many many years ago. Given that, thinking that the story is set in a certain time period, it would be easier to relate things in the story to what is going on in the world at the time. Also, looking at what is going on Culturally could help to determine why such things are happening and get a closer look into the scenario.
I think the play version lends itself more towards Historical Analysis. When I read the play version of this story, I felt as if the play was set back in the olden days. The way they spoke of the house and described the setting and how they spoke reminded me of something that would have taken place many many years ago. Given that, thinking that the story is set in a certain time period, it would be easier to relate things in the story to what is going on in the world at the time. Also, looking at what is going on Culturally could help to determine why such things are happening and get a closer look into the scenario.
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