Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
What my poem communicates.
My poem is Song of the Powers, by David Mason. I chose this poem mainly because it starts out to me in a sort of whimsical, light manner, and ends in a dark somber tone. I really enjoy the contrast from the start to finish. And, to be honest, it's about rock paper scissors at the start, so I thought it might be easy to remember, but that's not the point. The points the poem conveys are balance and uselessness of fighting.
The reason why I thought this poem fitted me was because of the messages, said above. I hate when people fight, and I thought the satire in the art of using rock paper scissors to make a strong stance against fighting was great. The final stanza basically says, lower your guns, for it's useless. I also love the theme of balance this poem creates. See, while all the objects destroy each other, they continue. Paper will always beat stone, while scissors will always cut paper, and stone will crush the scissors. This was awesome to me because I try to base my life around balance, whether it be friends, family, school, etc. Another I thoroughly enjoyed about this poem was the vivid imagery and the strong and powerful language.
Finally, what shall I do to enhance my performance you ask? Well, let me just say that I will deliver a fair amount of dramatic appropriateness in my performance. I know very well that this poem has a strong message, and I am your messenger. I will also be clear in voice and articulation, so that you may also be able to enjoy the vivid imagery and wording. Also, I plan to keep my hand gestures to a small amount, because I don't want to over do it, seeing as this is quite a humble yet overpowering poem. I am not worried about this at all, and I am confident I can do well.
The reason why I thought this poem fitted me was because of the messages, said above. I hate when people fight, and I thought the satire in the art of using rock paper scissors to make a strong stance against fighting was great. The final stanza basically says, lower your guns, for it's useless. I also love the theme of balance this poem creates. See, while all the objects destroy each other, they continue. Paper will always beat stone, while scissors will always cut paper, and stone will crush the scissors. This was awesome to me because I try to base my life around balance, whether it be friends, family, school, etc. Another I thoroughly enjoyed about this poem was the vivid imagery and the strong and powerful language.
Finally, what shall I do to enhance my performance you ask? Well, let me just say that I will deliver a fair amount of dramatic appropriateness in my performance. I know very well that this poem has a strong message, and I am your messenger. I will also be clear in voice and articulation, so that you may also be able to enjoy the vivid imagery and wording. Also, I plan to keep my hand gestures to a small amount, because I don't want to over do it, seeing as this is quite a humble yet overpowering poem. I am not worried about this at all, and I am confident I can do well.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Poetry Out Loud
Part 1: Cruising the web.
1. Poor Angels by Edward Hirsch
2. Elegy on Toy Piano by Dean Young
3. Cartoon Physics, Part 1 by Nick Flynn
4. Good People by W.S Merwin
5. In the Basement of the Goodwill Store by Ted Kooser
Part 2: What Do I Think??
I really liked Good People, because it's message is very hidden and deep, and it makes you think a lot. I also enjoyed In the Basement of the Goodwill Store because I like the detail and descriptive words. I didn't really enjoy Cartoon Physics and Elegy on a Toy Piano because I felt that they were trying to hard to be deep, or complex, and didn't have the simple yet complex feel of the others. I really want to do Good people, because I thought it was complex and of decent length. I really personally connected with it because his writing style of poetry is much like my own.
Part 3: Scoring Criteria
I will probably be best at Physical Presence and Voice and Articulation because I have good posture and a voice that carries. I probably won't be too great at Dramatic appropriateness because whenever I act dramatic it ends up in me laughing at myself.
Part 4: Videos.
I watched The one with Forgetfulness and I think he did so well because the poem was very funny and he delivered it seamlessly. I also watched Sophia Elana Soberon and she did very well because she used her voice very well and you could really see that she loved poetry.
Part 5: Summary.
Well, after viewing PoetryOutLoud, I must say that I am feeling highly confident in my ability to memorize and recite my poem, and that this competition won't be too hard for me. I am going to memorize Good People, because the nature of the poem just seems to fit my personality. I thought that the website was very interesting and I hope I can make it far in this competition.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
What's SO INTERESTING about LOBSTERS?
So, here I am again writing about the trials of Mrs. Gilman's class, and talking about the poem, Lobsters. One interesting idea that was brought up by my fellow classmate Levi was the idea of a slave trade metaphor within the poem. I pondered this and this is what it meant. Basically, the slave trade was a huge part of the 1800's and early 1900's and anytime before, where people could come and choose which slave they wanted, and purchase that person. Now, is this just an idle coincidence? Or, could this be a way of expressing that we, as humans, are STILL practicing the slave trade without even thinking about it.
This theory can be applied to many parts of the poem. Such as when the author talks about their colors, and how they are "velvet". But tell me, do these colors sound beautiful and awe-striking to you? Mud red, cadaver green, and bruise purple? Well, they may be awe striking, but in the other way... So, anyway, whit I'm getting at is that the author is trying to say that while the lobsters are beautiful when they are at their home on the bottom of the sea, but when we bring them here to buy and sell, they are considered odd, or weird. Now, we all pretty much know that Slave owners were white, and the slaves themselves may have been African American, Latino, or any race besides our own. And that was much like this. The slaves were not like the whites, so they found them odd and put them on the market, which is just an absolutely terrible and disgusting thing to do. Which, is what the author is trying to convey. That we have a fear of the unknown, so much so that we put it on the market and sell it to the highest bidder. So, is the slave trade still occuring, well no. But, it is with Lobsters, and other animals.
This theory can be applied to many parts of the poem. Such as when the author talks about their colors, and how they are "velvet". But tell me, do these colors sound beautiful and awe-striking to you? Mud red, cadaver green, and bruise purple? Well, they may be awe striking, but in the other way... So, anyway, whit I'm getting at is that the author is trying to say that while the lobsters are beautiful when they are at their home on the bottom of the sea, but when we bring them here to buy and sell, they are considered odd, or weird. Now, we all pretty much know that Slave owners were white, and the slaves themselves may have been African American, Latino, or any race besides our own. And that was much like this. The slaves were not like the whites, so they found them odd and put them on the market, which is just an absolutely terrible and disgusting thing to do. Which, is what the author is trying to convey. That we have a fear of the unknown, so much so that we put it on the market and sell it to the highest bidder. So, is the slave trade still occuring, well no. But, it is with Lobsters, and other animals.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
5 part paragraph critique.
In my class, there wasn't many actual BAD papers, but there were some tiny little issues. I think the biggest problems in our class was mainly word choice, and transitions.
The main problem with word choice was that it was kind of weak. Also, it seemed like a lot of people didn't actually know the meanings of the words they were using, and they just threw them in there because they sounded, "intelligent". This was pretty ridiculous because I felt that it completely took away from the flow of some papers and made it seem like people just put together a collage of 5 syllable words. People should try writing for themselves instead of just trying to impress everyone.
The only other big problem I found was transitions, in that a lot of people didn't use them correctly, or they didn't use any at all. I mean, it's in the format we were supposed to use to write, so why did people forget about them? We had a list of them in front of us! And I want to clarify, it seems as though I'm bashing EVERYONE in the class, I'm not. As I said, most were really well written. But the few that weren't, were not written well at all!
As for me, I felt like I did well, but also messed up. For instance, I used this shows, when it was in the rubric telling me not too. So, I guess it is a little hypocritical for me to get on people for transitions, when I didn't follow the rubric either. Oh well, that's just how the story goes.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
InDormal Fiction (InFormal Diction)
For my blog, I will discuss the nature of video gaming on society.
Video gaming has had a wide sweeping effect over the world, particularly on my generation. Many people I know enjoy video games and play them very often. I would like to now unravel the myths and speculations that, "Mature" rated video games have a negative effect on youth and teens. Mature rated video games are not evil and will not corrupt the mentally stable.
For one, I want to state that I think only the mentally able should play these types of games. Most teens around my age are able to handle these, so I will be talking about this age group and these types of children. The reason why I think that mature games are okay to play is because they are a good venting technique. We can let out our frustration with just going through a level, and maybe beating a few people up in the process. I mean some of it can be rather violent, but if you are able to watch an, "R" rated movie, is it not respectable to ask that video games be the same situation? Sometimes I feel as though the rating company takes teens for granted. No mentally stable teenager is going to get a gun and go on a murderous rampage just because he played a violent video game. If it does happen, I believe that the parent is guilty of that, but that's another tale for another time. I just mean that a parent should know if their child is not capable of the capacity that is mature video games. Feeling this way, I would like to further explain my idea of venting through video games.
We, as a population, were built off of violence. Could we have really survived if the cavemen had not made weapons and hunted? No. So why is it so wrong to tap into that primeval instinct once in a little while, in a completely non harmful and non violent way? I honestly do not see why. It's in our history to be violent, and while I may not agree that it's right to be violent all the time, I think that some times we, as human beings, feel angry and frustrated and have a need to be violent. So, we should settle it in a non violent way, and I think to deny teens of that is completely wrong and will probably just end up not even working in the favor that people going against mature games for teens are reaching for. Don't deny us the right to be ourselves, as humans.
Video gaming has had a wide sweeping effect over the world, particularly on my generation. Many people I know enjoy video games and play them very often. I would like to now unravel the myths and speculations that, "Mature" rated video games have a negative effect on youth and teens. Mature rated video games are not evil and will not corrupt the mentally stable.
For one, I want to state that I think only the mentally able should play these types of games. Most teens around my age are able to handle these, so I will be talking about this age group and these types of children. The reason why I think that mature games are okay to play is because they are a good venting technique. We can let out our frustration with just going through a level, and maybe beating a few people up in the process. I mean some of it can be rather violent, but if you are able to watch an, "R" rated movie, is it not respectable to ask that video games be the same situation? Sometimes I feel as though the rating company takes teens for granted. No mentally stable teenager is going to get a gun and go on a murderous rampage just because he played a violent video game. If it does happen, I believe that the parent is guilty of that, but that's another tale for another time. I just mean that a parent should know if their child is not capable of the capacity that is mature video games. Feeling this way, I would like to further explain my idea of venting through video games.
We, as a population, were built off of violence. Could we have really survived if the cavemen had not made weapons and hunted? No. So why is it so wrong to tap into that primeval instinct once in a little while, in a completely non harmful and non violent way? I honestly do not see why. It's in our history to be violent, and while I may not agree that it's right to be violent all the time, I think that some times we, as human beings, feel angry and frustrated and have a need to be violent. So, we should settle it in a non violent way, and I think to deny teens of that is completely wrong and will probably just end up not even working in the favor that people going against mature games for teens are reaching for. Don't deny us the right to be ourselves, as humans.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A Separate Peaz.
Well, I may as well just start my review by revealing to you, the reader, (but probably Mrs. Gilman, and not anyone else), that I am not very far at all in my book. I have had much schoolwork lately and haven't had much free time to read and do my annotations. But, I must say that I am relishing the book so far.
A Separate Peace is about two boys attending a boarding school in England, and their relationship, because they are two polar opposites. Gene is intellectual and cunning, with a slight danger side to him, while Phineas is the guy who is really good at everything he does, and everyone wants to be him. These two are completely different, and so far it has been a kick in the pants to read. The book is very exciting, and makes you really feel like you're there, experiencing the crazy happenings. It is extremely well written, and it also has some sentimental value, as it's set in World War Two, and the boy's have to cope with the war, etc.
One literary element that I will be REQUIRED to do is DEFINITELY the characters. As I said, these two boys are not at all anything alike, and some of the witty banter between them is just too much to miss. They both have arguments, but the sort them out with wonderful finesse, and it is just the classic case of opposites attract. This book so far also seems to have a theme of friendship, or knowing who your real friends are sort of theme to it, but as I said, I'm not quite far enough into the book to know for sure
A book that I can relate this too is probably Harry Potter. I know that sounds pretty odd, but just hear me out. I'm not talking about the conflict aspect, I'm talking about Harry and Ron's friendship. Every one's sure to have read Harry Potter by now, and they must know enough to know that Harry and Ron's friendship is one of the best ones thought of in literature yet. They are a quirky, and hilarious pair. And while Harry is a great, prophesied wizard, Ron is just a goofy, dim witted ten who can't get anything right, and this compares to the whole aspect of opposites attract.
As for my ideas of a creative project, alas, I have none. I would like to make a movie with someone but no one seems to be reading this book (Ha). Maybe a poster or something else, but you can rest assured knowing that it will be creative.
A Separate Peace is about two boys attending a boarding school in England, and their relationship, because they are two polar opposites. Gene is intellectual and cunning, with a slight danger side to him, while Phineas is the guy who is really good at everything he does, and everyone wants to be him. These two are completely different, and so far it has been a kick in the pants to read. The book is very exciting, and makes you really feel like you're there, experiencing the crazy happenings. It is extremely well written, and it also has some sentimental value, as it's set in World War Two, and the boy's have to cope with the war, etc.
One literary element that I will be REQUIRED to do is DEFINITELY the characters. As I said, these two boys are not at all anything alike, and some of the witty banter between them is just too much to miss. They both have arguments, but the sort them out with wonderful finesse, and it is just the classic case of opposites attract. This book so far also seems to have a theme of friendship, or knowing who your real friends are sort of theme to it, but as I said, I'm not quite far enough into the book to know for sure
A book that I can relate this too is probably Harry Potter. I know that sounds pretty odd, but just hear me out. I'm not talking about the conflict aspect, I'm talking about Harry and Ron's friendship. Every one's sure to have read Harry Potter by now, and they must know enough to know that Harry and Ron's friendship is one of the best ones thought of in literature yet. They are a quirky, and hilarious pair. And while Harry is a great, prophesied wizard, Ron is just a goofy, dim witted ten who can't get anything right, and this compares to the whole aspect of opposites attract.
As for my ideas of a creative project, alas, I have none. I would like to make a movie with someone but no one seems to be reading this book (Ha). Maybe a poster or something else, but you can rest assured knowing that it will be creative.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Extending the theme......... Homie.
Hey, whats up peeps? Today I shall be explaining how I felt while reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and how it related to me as a person. So anyway, let's get this thing going. The main way that this book related to me was, well, basically just being a kid again. Not having a care in the world, and just having fun.
This book brought memories of me running through town without having to worry about anything. It made me remember that sometimes it's not always the best thing to know how the world works, and how dark things can be. I felt as though a big message that Harper Lee wanted to put across was that yes, the story may be about growing up, but, that growing up isn't always the best thing to do. This clicked with me when I was reading the story, and there is one huge example that I can think of.
I think a point within the story that can represent what I have said above is definitely when Scout is being hassled about growing up and being a lady. When you're a kid, people don't really care how you dress or act, which I think is a great thing! People should be able to dress and act however they please! But then, when you start to grow up, everyone tells you just ho to act and dress, and that's just ridiculous. Boy's can act however they want, and girls can act however they want. It's sexist and wrong to tell a boy he can't wear something pink, or a feminine color, or to tell a girl not to wear jeans. But, when you're a kid., you aren't told anything like that. Huh, huh, you see where I be getting with this? Aw yeah. Talking bout' da truth.
So, I think that about sums everything up. Reading this book, I loved being able to remember my foolish childhood antics, and I just think that, while you do need to grow and mature, everyone should still keep in touch with that kid inside. Having said that, I am a little relieved to be finishing up with To Kill a Mockingbird, because frankly and honestly, I'm getting a wee tired of it. That is all.
This book brought memories of me running through town without having to worry about anything. It made me remember that sometimes it's not always the best thing to know how the world works, and how dark things can be. I felt as though a big message that Harper Lee wanted to put across was that yes, the story may be about growing up, but, that growing up isn't always the best thing to do. This clicked with me when I was reading the story, and there is one huge example that I can think of.
I think a point within the story that can represent what I have said above is definitely when Scout is being hassled about growing up and being a lady. When you're a kid, people don't really care how you dress or act, which I think is a great thing! People should be able to dress and act however they please! But then, when you start to grow up, everyone tells you just ho to act and dress, and that's just ridiculous. Boy's can act however they want, and girls can act however they want. It's sexist and wrong to tell a boy he can't wear something pink, or a feminine color, or to tell a girl not to wear jeans. But, when you're a kid., you aren't told anything like that. Huh, huh, you see where I be getting with this? Aw yeah. Talking bout' da truth.
So, I think that about sums everything up. Reading this book, I loved being able to remember my foolish childhood antics, and I just think that, while you do need to grow and mature, everyone should still keep in touch with that kid inside. Having said that, I am a little relieved to be finishing up with To Kill a Mockingbird, because frankly and honestly, I'm getting a wee tired of it. That is all.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
My Boo Radley
As I was growing up, I had one thing that completely relates to Scout and Boo Radley, and that was- my imagination. Some examples of this are that because I saw things in my closet, I wouldn't go to bed alone until I was five years old. Also, I was afraid that if I put my head under water, the water would rise up and swallow me in one big gulp. I was always afraid because of my overactive imagination, and I always over examined things and looked at the "scary" side of it all. I would say that as a little kid, my biggest fear was definitely a movie called Dolly Dearest. This movie was so scary to me, for the whole summer, I stayed up to at least two o'clock in the morning because I was so afraid of this scary little baby doll that ran around with a scary 70 year old "I've-been-smoking-all-my-life" kind of voice, killing people! It was so frightening that I had to go to sleep with my TV on every night so I wouldn't feel so "alone." Well, after several years when I was 13 years old, I had the pleasure of watching this movie again, and I was laughing so hard throughout the whole entire thing. I couldn't believe that I was so scared of that total pile of garbage. I now watch that movie as often as I can just to get a quick laugh when I'm feeling blue.
This can relate to Scout and Boo Radley because Scout was completely intrigued but afraid of Boo Radley. It wasn't until the very end of the book when she finally realised Boo wasn't an evil, malevolent spirit that enjoyed eating children and puppies, and that he was just a sweet, crazy old man who had saved both her and Jem's life. Whereas I looked at that movie as a true story, and that if I even thought of that doll she would come and get me, which I think is also true for Scout and Boo. Well, that concludes this edition of Paden's Engly Blog, I'll see you next time.
This can relate to Scout and Boo Radley because Scout was completely intrigued but afraid of Boo Radley. It wasn't until the very end of the book when she finally realised Boo wasn't an evil, malevolent spirit that enjoyed eating children and puppies, and that he was just a sweet, crazy old man who had saved both her and Jem's life. Whereas I looked at that movie as a true story, and that if I even thought of that doll she would come and get me, which I think is also true for Scout and Boo. Well, that concludes this edition of Paden's Engly Blog, I'll see you next time.
Friday, September 17, 2010
The First English Blog Post is Always the Easiest.
Now coming into this class and writing my first blog, I would like to state that I am very experienced with reading, writing, and communication, seeing as it is my favorite subject. When reading this blog, you should expect to see my thoughts on the literature or activities we do in class. I will try my hardest as a "Blogger" to make these subjects as exciting as I can. I am a very different English student, in that I have a different perspective on many things than most people do, or at least that's what I think.
Excelling in English will make me a better person because I will probably start thinking about what I say more if we keep having discussions like we did yesterday, (Thursday, September 16, 2010), and I'm pretty gosh darn sure that that will be the case. The question: "What is the meaning of English Class?" Can be answered in one easy to spell word; knowledge. See it's easy to spell because it's "know" and "ledge" together, ha, ha, ha. So funny. Anyway, Reading these different types of literature should expand and create knowledge of different formal and non-formal writing types and rules.
I will enlighten the online world by as I said before, giving a different perspective on all things literature. I am trying to get through this fast because I want to get the chance to work on my vocab a little bit but I don't think that shall be the case because it is very easy to get distracted in the computer lab. And I think I will end this by stating why I think that English needs to be a four year course in High School, and that is because it's ENGLISH! It's the language we speak, read, and write! Without English, we wouldn't be in High School at all. We'd probably be dead. This has been highly enjoyable and I am excited to do this again. Syke. No, just kidding, it was very fun.
Excelling in English will make me a better person because I will probably start thinking about what I say more if we keep having discussions like we did yesterday, (Thursday, September 16, 2010), and I'm pretty gosh darn sure that that will be the case. The question: "What is the meaning of English Class?" Can be answered in one easy to spell word; knowledge. See it's easy to spell because it's "know" and "ledge" together, ha, ha, ha. So funny. Anyway, Reading these different types of literature should expand and create knowledge of different formal and non-formal writing types and rules.
I will enlighten the online world by as I said before, giving a different perspective on all things literature. I am trying to get through this fast because I want to get the chance to work on my vocab a little bit but I don't think that shall be the case because it is very easy to get distracted in the computer lab. And I think I will end this by stating why I think that English needs to be a four year course in High School, and that is because it's ENGLISH! It's the language we speak, read, and write! Without English, we wouldn't be in High School at all. We'd probably be dead. This has been highly enjoyable and I am excited to do this again. Syke. No, just kidding, it was very fun.
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