"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
The Road Not Taken, Page 634
I found these three lines of "The Road Not Taken," very deep. We all come to a point in our lives where we have to make a decision. Two roads diverge, and by using the fact that they are in the woods, makes it seem like you can't see exactly where the roads are taking you/will end up at. In this poem, it seems that he stops, and thinks about it and since it says "and I-". The dash really makes this seem like he paused and started second guessing himself. Then he took the road less traveled, and it was all the difference, meaning life will never be the same. It doesn't really say if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but the whole poem seems to be in a light, happy sense.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Poem Paraphrase-Blog 12
The Hippopotamus on Page 567
"I shoot the Hippopotamus
with bullets made of platinum,
Because if I use leaden ones
his hide is sure to flatten'em."
The guy is hunting Hippopotamus' and knows that they have very tough skin. He has to use a high quality bullet otherwise they may not work/penetrate. From this poem, you can learn many things. Hippos have tough skin, and you know what will work when shooting them. This poem also sounds like the guy knows this from past failures.
"I shoot the Hippopotamus
with bullets made of platinum,
Because if I use leaden ones
his hide is sure to flatten'em."
The guy is hunting Hippopotamus' and knows that they have very tough skin. He has to use a high quality bullet otherwise they may not work/penetrate. From this poem, you can learn many things. Hippos have tough skin, and you know what will work when shooting them. This poem also sounds like the guy knows this from past failures.
Quote-Response-Blog 11
"On my boat on Lake Cayuga
I have a horn that goes 'Ay-oohgah!'
I'm not the modern kind of creep
Who has a horn that goes 'beep beep.'"
I found this poem, on page 565, to be kind of funny, random, but also descriptive. You get that they are on a boat, and they even make the noise that the horn makes. They don't go into describing the noise, they straight out tell you what noise it is. Also when discribing the 'creeps' horn, they also don't try to describe it, they just straight out tell you the noise also. I found this poem just to be so random and kind of meaningless to me. If I were someone who owned a boat at that the time, the different kinds of horns might stand for something higher. Such as, what kind of boat they have or the quality of boat. Perhaps the 'creep' is a 'wanna-be' boat, trying to be the bigger, better boat.
I have a horn that goes 'Ay-oohgah!'
I'm not the modern kind of creep
Who has a horn that goes 'beep beep.'"
I found this poem, on page 565, to be kind of funny, random, but also descriptive. You get that they are on a boat, and they even make the noise that the horn makes. They don't go into describing the noise, they straight out tell you what noise it is. Also when discribing the 'creeps' horn, they also don't try to describe it, they just straight out tell you the noise also. I found this poem just to be so random and kind of meaningless to me. If I were someone who owned a boat at that the time, the different kinds of horns might stand for something higher. Such as, what kind of boat they have or the quality of boat. Perhaps the 'creep' is a 'wanna-be' boat, trying to be the bigger, better boat.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Song Quote-Response-Blog 10
"There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always” (Jeremy Camp)
The repetition of ‘no more’ really leaps out and is important because he is trying to emphasize that soon there will be no more pain and burdens and life will finally be whole. This passage is important to the poem because he is emphasizing that through the poem and it brings all him ideas together and you understand everything he is getting at. I love this song/poem because it is so deep. It is not only a beautiful song, but it connects to the listener/reader and makes you think about things other than the right here right now. It’s talking about the big picture.
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always” (Jeremy Camp)
The repetition of ‘no more’ really leaps out and is important because he is trying to emphasize that soon there will be no more pain and burdens and life will finally be whole. This passage is important to the poem because he is emphasizing that through the poem and it brings all him ideas together and you understand everything he is getting at. I love this song/poem because it is so deep. It is not only a beautiful song, but it connects to the listener/reader and makes you think about things other than the right here right now. It’s talking about the big picture.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Poem Paraphrase-Blog 8
The Victory
I thought you were my victory
though you cut me like a knife
when I brought you out of my body
into your life.
Tiny antagonist, gory,
blue as a bruise. The stains
of your cloud of glory
bled from my veins.
How can you dare, blind thing,
blank insect eyes?
You barb the air. You sting
with bladed cries.
Snail! Scary knot of desires!
Hungry snarl! Small son.
Why do I have to love you?
How have you won?
Wow!!! This poem catches me off guard. This woman is blaming all her pain on her child. He is obviously a baby since he stings her with his bladed cries, hungry snarl. She thought after having him everything would be ok and he would be her pride but she thinks he is making her life hell. She questions why she has to love him, she wants to hate him. But he is 'winning' because he is getting her love without her wanting to give it.
I thought you were my victory
though you cut me like a knife
when I brought you out of my body
into your life.
Tiny antagonist, gory,
blue as a bruise. The stains
of your cloud of glory
bled from my veins.
How can you dare, blind thing,
blank insect eyes?
You barb the air. You sting
with bladed cries.
Snail! Scary knot of desires!
Hungry snarl! Small son.
Why do I have to love you?
How have you won?
Wow!!! This poem catches me off guard. This woman is blaming all her pain on her child. He is obviously a baby since he stings her with his bladed cries, hungry snarl. She thought after having him everything would be ok and he would be her pride but she thinks he is making her life hell. She questions why she has to love him, she wants to hate him. But he is 'winning' because he is getting her love without her wanting to give it.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Free Style-Blog 7
Students have different reading styles. Not every student learns what they are reading the same way. If you make all the students do the same thing, then it is going to be difficult for them to stay on the same level. When kids are first learning how to read, there are two major groups of ways to learn how to read. Some kids understand and get the sounds of letters and words and can learn words by sounding them out, while other kids will always struggle with sounding out but are very good at memorization and the site of words.
This interest came from a class I took last year. It was a class from Idaho that was an Education class that was completely about students and reading. I see classrooms changing to this approach in the future. The approach is that reading is involved in every subject, whether it be math or english. We were taught how to involved reading in areas like math and how this truly makes the students better overall readers and they understand the subject, like math, a lot better. I find this very interesting.
This interest came from a class I took last year. It was a class from Idaho that was an Education class that was completely about students and reading. I see classrooms changing to this approach in the future. The approach is that reading is involved in every subject, whether it be math or english. We were taught how to involved reading in areas like math and how this truly makes the students better overall readers and they understand the subject, like math, a lot better. I find this very interesting.
Quote-Response-Blog 6
"So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her."
I really like this quote. You can just picture her beautiful hair and it makes you want it. It seems like her hair is heaven, a cascade of brown waters sounds amazing and I think they couldn't have described her hair better. It really gave me a picture of this amazing looking water with its flow and shimmer, and it makes you understand how beautiful her hair really is. Also, they describe how long it is, how it is below her knee, showing that this hair isn't only beautiful, but also there is a lot of it. It makes you think of Rapunzel and her beautiful long hair that everyone was envy of. I just really liked how they described it and it really didn't take that many words to get a clear picture of what it looks like.
I really like this quote. You can just picture her beautiful hair and it makes you want it. It seems like her hair is heaven, a cascade of brown waters sounds amazing and I think they couldn't have described her hair better. It really gave me a picture of this amazing looking water with its flow and shimmer, and it makes you understand how beautiful her hair really is. Also, they describe how long it is, how it is below her knee, showing that this hair isn't only beautiful, but also there is a lot of it. It makes you think of Rapunzel and her beautiful long hair that everyone was envy of. I just really liked how they described it and it really didn't take that many words to get a clear picture of what it looks like.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Free Style-Blog 5
A book I am reading right now, other then the ones for class is Lost Boy by Greg Laurie. This book is about Greg Laurie's journey in finding himself and God. I especially like the fact that he describes the timeline of his life. The fact that he went through the hippy time in America. For example,
"As the hippie scene unfolded in Southern California, a new movement grew out of it. The flower power, be-in thing had started with peace and love, but some people were becoming disillusioned. Many who started on pot and LSD were graduating to mescaline and heroin. Too many of them died, desperate and alone, with dirty needles stuck in their arms. " (Laurie, 76)
I really like the description that he uses because throughout his book he is experiencing things that I will probably never really understand. I wasn't raised through the hippy days and so by doing this he makes the book for a larger crowd then just the one that grew up during those times. He puts you there in the events. I find this book to be pretty amazing because of the things that he did were pretty terrible and he has totally done a 180 degree turn. He makes him more relatable in his journey also because a lot of people do things they are not proud of and he can relate to him. Also, I have heard Greg Laurie talk before, and it was so surprising to find out what kind of life style he came from. I figured he would have been the kind of guy that was always on the straight and narrow path, but he wasn't.
"As the hippie scene unfolded in Southern California, a new movement grew out of it. The flower power, be-in thing had started with peace and love, but some people were becoming disillusioned. Many who started on pot and LSD were graduating to mescaline and heroin. Too many of them died, desperate and alone, with dirty needles stuck in their arms. " (Laurie, 76)
I really like the description that he uses because throughout his book he is experiencing things that I will probably never really understand. I wasn't raised through the hippy days and so by doing this he makes the book for a larger crowd then just the one that grew up during those times. He puts you there in the events. I find this book to be pretty amazing because of the things that he did were pretty terrible and he has totally done a 180 degree turn. He makes him more relatable in his journey also because a lot of people do things they are not proud of and he can relate to him. Also, I have heard Greg Laurie talk before, and it was so surprising to find out what kind of life style he came from. I figured he would have been the kind of guy that was always on the straight and narrow path, but he wasn't.
Quote-Response-Blog 4
I found the story Miss Brill very interesting. It kind of caught me off guard how it ended and I liked it.
"She thought of the old invalid gentleman to whom she read the newspaper four afternoons a week while he slept in the garden. She had got quite used to the frail head on the cotton pillow, the hollowed eyes, the open mouth and the high pinched nose. If he'd been dead she mightn't have noticed for weeks; she wouldn't have minded. But suddenly he knew he was having the paper read to him by an actress! 'An Actress!' The old head lifted; two points of light quivered in the old eyes. 'An actress-are ye?' And Miss Brill smoothed the newspaper as through it were the manuscript of her part and said gently: 'Yes, I have been an actress for a long time.'" (Kennedy, 86)
I think this quote is kind of hilarious. She just now, in the story, 'figures out' that she is in a play. And now she is making this scenario of what is going to be happening from now on because she is so 'famous.' How this old man is going to finally figure out she is an actress and it's going to change everything. Also, she says how she has been an actress for a long time and just 'realized' she was in a play. This really gives insight on what Mr. Brill thinks about and how she views herself. She wants to be important and thinks that everyone notices her; yet in the end she hears two kids talking about her and how ridiculous she looks with her fur that she was so proud of wearing.
"She thought of the old invalid gentleman to whom she read the newspaper four afternoons a week while he slept in the garden. She had got quite used to the frail head on the cotton pillow, the hollowed eyes, the open mouth and the high pinched nose. If he'd been dead she mightn't have noticed for weeks; she wouldn't have minded. But suddenly he knew he was having the paper read to him by an actress! 'An Actress!' The old head lifted; two points of light quivered in the old eyes. 'An actress-are ye?' And Miss Brill smoothed the newspaper as through it were the manuscript of her part and said gently: 'Yes, I have been an actress for a long time.'" (Kennedy, 86)
I think this quote is kind of hilarious. She just now, in the story, 'figures out' that she is in a play. And now she is making this scenario of what is going to be happening from now on because she is so 'famous.' How this old man is going to finally figure out she is an actress and it's going to change everything. Also, she says how she has been an actress for a long time and just 'realized' she was in a play. This really gives insight on what Mr. Brill thinks about and how she views herself. She wants to be important and thinks that everyone notices her; yet in the end she hears two kids talking about her and how ridiculous she looks with her fur that she was so proud of wearing.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Freestyle Blog Entry-Blog 3
Right now I am reading Saltwater Buddha. It is a very interesting book and different than any book I have ever read. A quote in it is:
"I vowed to myself, 'I will not move from this spot until I have ended suffering.' I sat very upright and waited. But after about thirty minutes, my left knee felt like it would go up in flames. Continuing to sit seemed like it would only create more suffering, at least for my knee, so I reneged on my vow." ( Yogis,41)
This is a very interesting quote because if someone who hasn't read this book read this quote they would already know some of the personality of the character Jaimal. Jaimal makes a lot of big promises but never seems to be able to finish what he first set out to do. And usually he doesn't make it very far.
"At one point, I ran up to my room with the statue and closed the door and tried to mimic the Buddha's posture and expression. I figured his mind was somewhere very nice and I tried to picture that place: waterfalls, green grass, white birds. After about three minutes, my dad burst into my room, "Hey, are you meditating in here?" He wasn't upset. But I was embarrassed that I'd stolen away with the Buddha." (Yogis, 40)
This quote also shows Jaimal's character. Here you can tell that he is lost and that he is trying to be like something else. I find this interesting because everybody goes through this sometime in their life when they are searching to be like something. This whole book is about Jaimal searching for who he is and what he believes. This book is about his life journey. When we go through trying to figure things out like this, it always seemed like we were also embarrassed about it. I find this quote just very interesting because he does a good job of making you connect and having the feeling that you are there. Perhaps that it is even you.
"I vowed to myself, 'I will not move from this spot until I have ended suffering.' I sat very upright and waited. But after about thirty minutes, my left knee felt like it would go up in flames. Continuing to sit seemed like it would only create more suffering, at least for my knee, so I reneged on my vow." ( Yogis,41)
This is a very interesting quote because if someone who hasn't read this book read this quote they would already know some of the personality of the character Jaimal. Jaimal makes a lot of big promises but never seems to be able to finish what he first set out to do. And usually he doesn't make it very far.
"At one point, I ran up to my room with the statue and closed the door and tried to mimic the Buddha's posture and expression. I figured his mind was somewhere very nice and I tried to picture that place: waterfalls, green grass, white birds. After about three minutes, my dad burst into my room, "Hey, are you meditating in here?" He wasn't upset. But I was embarrassed that I'd stolen away with the Buddha." (Yogis, 40)
This quote also shows Jaimal's character. Here you can tell that he is lost and that he is trying to be like something else. I find this interesting because everybody goes through this sometime in their life when they are searching to be like something. This whole book is about Jaimal searching for who he is and what he believes. This book is about his life journey. When we go through trying to figure things out like this, it always seemed like we were also embarrassed about it. I find this quote just very interesting because he does a good job of making you connect and having the feeling that you are there. Perhaps that it is even you.
Quote-Response-Blog 2
"King-fish Fancy Herring Snacks in Pour Sour Cream: 49¢. Now her hands are empty, not a ring or a bracelet, bare as God made them, and I wonder where the money's coming from. Still with that prim look she lifts a folded dollar bill out of the hollow at the center of her nubbled pink top." (Updike, 17)
The title of what she bought really jumped out because he is being so descriptive. Also the way he described her hands. This whole quote shows a lot about Sammy's personality. He is explaining every little move that this girl is making and so he describes in detail what she bought and how much. After this, he is still studying her. She has nothing on her hands, just the way God made her. His mind is still thinking 'sexually' about her. The way he describes her throughout the story and the fact that he is wondering where she could possibly be hiding her money. He describes her expression when reaching for the money, and notices every little detail. The fact that the dollar bill was folded and exactly where she pulled it out from.
This passage is important because it really explains his reasoning for what he does next. He quits his job for these girls, these girls that he is kind of obsessed with. This quote really explains his personality in even greater detail and he is willing to give everything up for these girls he doesn't even know.
The title of what she bought really jumped out because he is being so descriptive. Also the way he described her hands. This whole quote shows a lot about Sammy's personality. He is explaining every little move that this girl is making and so he describes in detail what she bought and how much. After this, he is still studying her. She has nothing on her hands, just the way God made her. His mind is still thinking 'sexually' about her. The way he describes her throughout the story and the fact that he is wondering where she could possibly be hiding her money. He describes her expression when reaching for the money, and notices every little detail. The fact that the dollar bill was folded and exactly where she pulled it out from.
This passage is important because it really explains his reasoning for what he does next. He quits his job for these girls, these girls that he is kind of obsessed with. This quote really explains his personality in even greater detail and he is willing to give everything up for these girls he doesn't even know.
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