Poetry Out Loud: My Poem

For poetry Out Loud I chose the Poem "A Boat Beneath A Sunny Sky" by Lewis Carroll. This poem starts with the image of a boat, lazily floating down a body of water. It goes on to say that three children are eager to hear a story. Memories fade and die as time passes, warm July is overtaken by the frosts of autumn. The deeper meaning the poem could be that the story of Alice in Wonderland (also written by Carroll) is being told to the children and they escape to the mystical fairy land. Alice is as intangible character who is always in his mind, but has never been seen in real life. The story is told to the children (possible Carroll's children) and they are swept into it as time floats dreamily on. The passing of time is shown throughout the poem as a boat, a boat that glides on forever.
This poem is so beautiful and I love the way the language flows together so gracefully. I chose this poem because the metaphor of the boat caught my attention. Having been on a crew team this summer, there have been countless times that my own boat glided onward in the golden light of July, while I pondered deep thoughts. The peaceful silence of the water is perfect for thinking and wondering. This lovely language is so serene and captures the image of time perfectly.
I love this poem and hope to capture its meaning during my recitation. The stanzas are written in lines of three, which makes reciting it somewhat awkward and not flow as well. I will make sure to have good posture and annunciation while I recite. Being relaxed and well practiced will help my words flow and have good rhythm. These elements are very important when reciting poetry and I will be sure to do my best.

Poetry Out Loud

Part One:
1. Revenge-Latitia Elizabeth Landon
2. Another Feeling-Ruth Stone
3. Onions-William Matthews
4. On a Drop of Dew-Andrew Marvell, Part for the Whole-Robert Francis

Part Two:
Of the five poems I read, the ones I liked were "On a Drop of Dew" and "Part for the Whole". "On a Drop of Dew" uses beautiful language to show the image of a tiny drop of dew, dropped from the open sky. It was amazing how the poet used so much figurative language to describe such a simple thing. One poem I did not like was "Another Feeling". This poem was not as beautiful as the others and used the image of a pig being captured. It was much more somber and dark than the others and was not as enjoyable to read. If I had to choose one of these poems I would chose "On a Drop of Dew". I felt that this poem flowed beautifully and used the image of the drop of dew to capture the emotions of humans. It was described as a tear from the skies.

Part Three:
Physical Presence and Accuracy will be the easiest for me because I have a good memory and will be able to memorize my poem perfectly. I also will be able to physically show my connection to the poem through my good posture and confidence. I might have the most trouble with Dramatic Appropriateness and Evidence of Understanding. I might have trouble knowing when to be more or less dramatic when reciting or how to communicate understanding.

Part Four:
Stanley Andrew Jackson-"Writ on the Steps of Puerto Rican Harlem" Gregory Corso
This was a successful recitation because Jackson used dramatization and hand motions to communicate his understanding of the poem.
Shawntay A. Henry-"Frederick Douglass" Robert E. Hayden
This recitation was also successful because she was very articulate and paced the entire poem.

Part Five:
I hope the competition will be layed-back and not pressuring. I think I will do a fine job with the poem I'm going to recite. I plan on reciting "A Boat Beneath A Sunny Sky" by Lewis Carroll. This is a beautiful piece about a tiny boat floating endlessly on down a stream. I thought the website did a great job of providing resources and guidelines for the competition and it made everything very clear for the competitors.

Lobsters

Th poem "Lobsters" by Howard Nemerov is a much deeper poem than than it first appears.  The beginning of the poem starts out with the huge glass tank in a bright supermarket. The lobsters sit in the cold water waiting for someone to take them home and boil them alive. The dark and somber tone make this poem pretty depressing to read. It describes the slow moving lobsters sleepwalking around the tank and the dark hues blended into their shells. The last stanza puzzled me, it said that something under the world was the flame under the lobster pot. What? What could be under the world? It was not until the discussion that I began to understand. One of my classmates brought up the fact that the "flame" under the world is our inevitable fate: death.

This brought a whole new meaning to the poem. I realized that the whole picture of the lobsters was just a symbol of humans. We are the unknowing lobsters that are kept in the tank of the world, waiting for death to pluck us from existence. We pretend to be immortal and float through life avoiding reality at every turn, until we are hit. I now understand that the poet was not talking about lobsters at all, he was talking about humans the entire time. To me, this poem solidified man's greatest fear, death.

So Many Paragraphs, So Many Skills

While listening to the many theme paragraphs in English class, I noticed some reoccurring issues that I, too, struggle with in writing. In order to write a solid paragraph, one must have given the topic much thought. A key element in good writing is patience. Something might not turn out the way you want it the first time through. Being able to try again and rework it can make a huge difference. Another important part is including only quotes and commentary that supports the thesis. Straying from the topic is distracting to the reader and doesn't support the point you are trying to make. Wandering commentary is also an easy mistake to make. You can get so caught up in describing the story that you roam to another element of the book. Strong transitions also attribute to a well written 5 part paragraph. They help the writing flow together and easy for the reader to know when a new point is being introduced. These elements all contribute to a well written 5 part paragraph.
Yes, I also need help with my 5 part paragraphs. My main errors were plot summary and quote embedding. Sometimes I was so focused on explaining the quote that I went overboard and summarized a whole scene from the novel. I also needed to explain the background of my quotes. I needed to say what was happening at that point and who was speaking. This was where I would go off track and explain a little too much. I also needed transitions and my concluding sentence could have been phrased better. These are definitely things I will be sure to catch next time.

Formal vs. Informal Diction

Just this past Saturday, my family and I set out on a short excursion to the little hamlet of Gig Harbor. The quaint little shops that lined the narrow lane beheld the gleaming water, not twenty yards away.  A heavy, swirling mist hung over the surface of the water, kissing my cheeks with tiny droplets. Nearly a fortnight before our arrival, a new museum had just opened in town. Being the historians that we are, we could not pass up this opportunity to learn about the record of this charming community. The elegant white building was adorned with tall wooden columns and polished silver lettering. As we soon learned, the main economic resource of Gig Harbor was the sea. Fishing was the most common trade and an old retired fishing boat was housed behind the museum. I was sure to get a photo beside the majestic vessel.

After completing our exploration of the museum, we strolled down to the marina to take more pictures. My elder sister takes particular interest in photographs and is always sure that we capture these special moments. Presently we stopped into a small deli along the water for a bite to eat. The tiny eatery bustled with people and the warm scent of hot chocolate rose through the air.  After our meal, we ambled back to our vehicle and began our journey back home. We were all cheerless now that out outing had come to an end, but we were glad to have discovered the charm of this small town and were sure to soon return.

Writing About Writing

I love to write. And not writing stories about mythical fairies or unicorns, I love to write about things. Random things like snowflakes, darkness, Thai food. There is nothing I enjoy more than describing a sunset or a misty Washington rain. Using imagery to make something come to life has enhanced my love for words. One of my favorite writing pieces was one that I wrote about a year ago. It was about walking through the snow on a blissful winter's night. It describes the soft blanket of snow covering the earth illuminated by the moon, the billowing form of my breath in the dark air, and the ceaseless passing of time. It beautifully captures my love for language and portrays my unique style as a writer. This was not an assignment for school, but something I did on my own. I had been longing for snow and decided to write about it.
Poetry is also a love of mine. It's so mysterious and deep, no one really knows what an poem means, except for the poet. It's sort of like art, a painting can mean something different to every person who sees it.  
The older I get the more I appreciate words and I hope become a better writer this year.

Outside Reading

The book I chose for my outside reading is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. The story begins with Mr. Lockwood visiting his landlord, who lives across the moor. He gets caught in a snow storm and has to spend the night at their house. Nelly, the servant begins telling Mr. Lockwood the story of Catherine and Heathcliff, who had lived at Wuthering Heights. So far nothing much had happened in the book. Bronte's old english vocabulary make it harder to understand what is happening. I am not a fan of romance novels and only chose this book because my friend recommended it. So far, I am not hooked on this book and find that there is much more talking than real action.
One idea I have for my project is doing a poster showing Nelly telling the story to Mr. Lockwood. I could show a speeck bubble filled with elements of the story.
One book that is similar would be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Both stories are a flashback. In TKAM Scout is remembering her childhood up to the point of Jem breaking his arm. In Wuthering Heights Nelly is remembering the story of Cathering and Heathcliff as the relates the story to Mr. Lockwood.
Up to my point in the book, Nelly has been speaking of Catherine's childhood growing up with Heathcliff and nothing much has hapened yet. I hope this book will be as engaging as I have heard.

Extending Theme

While reading To Kill a Mockingbird, the character I most identified with was Scout. Growing up I was a total tom-boy and hated (and still hate) to wear dresses or skirts. I loved to play in the mud, climb trees and get dirty. All of these things I still love to do, but being a girl of five years, I was unusual. I lost all interest in dolls around age four and spent most of my time outside. I had a special tree that I called my own and didn't allow anyone to come near it, much less climb it. I constantly had to be entertained, and if I was inside too long, I would start to go stir-crazy. I was so free and had not a care in the world. Like Scout, I hated going to school because it was too easy. Elementary school is still taught at the same level and was monotonous for me as well.
On a deeper level, this book shows me how messed up life is sometimes. How there is evil in the world but we need to try to find the good. Like Scout and Boo Radley. She saw him as an evil being, but later sees the good in  him. Beneath the marred surface of his reputation and peoples' judgement, was his kind heart that showed through his actions. Also, Tom Robinson was completely innocent of the crime held against him, but the evil of racism reigned in society and clouded the jury's view of justice. This book is rich in life lessons that Scout learns during this time of her life, lessons that we can use as well.

Boo Radley

My Boo Radley would be learning about people with special needs. What I mean is learning about people with autism, down syndrome etc. When I was young, people with special needs scared because they were so different and often behaved in strange ways that I didn't understand. I thought that there was something wrong with them and I didn't know how to react.
About six years ago, my mom took a job with the Olympia School District Transition Program. This is a program for graduates in the district with special needs who are learning to be independent adults. She teaches them life skills and helps them support themselves in the community. For example, they learn how to ride the public bus, cook for themselves, buy groceries, and interact with other people. My mom is an amazing person with the gift of patience and that is key to working with special need students.
Learning about her job has shown me acceptance of other people. I have met many of her students and learned how to treat people like them with respect. This, in a way, has been my Boo Radley because it brought light to an area of life that I didn't understand. My mom has taught me that they are people too and they deserve respect and grace just like anyone else.

Assignment #1

I love to write. But the kind of writing that throws images into your mind and appeals to your senses. I love describing a mid-summer sunset, bright pink cherry blossoms, or the aroma of hot chocolate. I like to call myself an artist, but my paintbrush is a pen and my canvas a notebook. Writing is an art and I hope to refine my talent this year.
I also love to read. I can fall in love with pretty much any book if there is enough imagery. In my opinion, if someone bothers to write a book, they need to make it worth reading. It needs to captivate you with strong words and draw you in, making you unable to put it down. One example of this is Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. There is nothing especially amazing in this book, there are no near-death experiences or adventures. It is simply about a young boy and his summer, the summer of 1928. But the imagery is beautiful. Ray Bradbury is an incredible author.
Anyone who reads my blog can expect to have my honest opinion about books or characters. Hopefully I can give my readers a new perspective about books and using description in writing. I think English is a four-year requirement for college because you use it in so many areas of your life, no matter what your job is. It teaches you to dive into a book and dig into the soul of the characters. Writing is a skill that will follow you throughout the rest of your life. Job applications require writing and in many jobs, reports are written. Having a solid foundation in English can give you a boost on your way to college and can help open many doors into your future.