My poem

           My poem is Up-hill by Christina Rossetti. I changed my poem at the last minute because I really like how the poem was questions and answers. In my life, there are always new things that don't always make sense at first but asking questions to an older person that know more. I also picked this poem because it reminded me of a grandfather or a father telling his son or grandson the way through life. 

           I think that the theme of  this poem would be growing up or even with hard work comes wisdom. I think that the theme would be with hard work comes wisdom because when Rossetti uses "wayfarers." A wayfarers is a person that travels long distance on foot. And when I think of someone traveling on foot, I think of someone putting a lot of effort to just getting to one place. Another example of hard work in this poem is "Of labor you shall find the sum." This is more obvious that when you put in work you will get something in return.

           As a man is walking, trying to find where he belongs in the world and he comes a cross a man that is older and knows a more about life and the world than himself. The younger man asks question about life while the older more wise man gives him answers and tries to guide the younger man through his life.

Poetry Out Loud!!

           Part 1:

1. Trees by Joyce Kilmer starts with the letter T.
2. I Dreamed That I was Old by Stanley Kunitz.
3. Medusa by Louise Bogan was suggested to me. I suggested Good People by W.S. Merwin.
4. A Birthday by Christian Rossetti and Waking from Sleep by Robert bly

          Part 2: 

• Out of all the poems I read My favorite poem was A Birthday by Christian Rossetti. I like this poem because it reminds me of nature, the sky and food. 
• I didn't like Medusa because it really doesn't put the picture of Medusa in my mind.
• Out of all the poems I have read so far I'm the most interested in A Birthday. I think I really connected with this poem because I love to be outside camping with my family, and love spending time on the beach.

          Part 3:

• The easiest criteria would probably be physical presence. I think it would be easy just to look at the people but it also could be hard for me because I get really nervous. 
• I will probably have a hard time with dramatic appropriateness and voice. I'm not that dramatic and don't really know an appropriate way to be dramatic while reading a poem. With the voice I'm not very loud when I get nervous.

       Part 4:

• For the video I watched Danse Russe by William Carlos Williams. This boy had a good performance because of the tone of voice he used. When he said something about a part of his body like his arms he look at them. And almost always had his eyes wandering through the crowd of people.
• The second video I watched was The Man-Moth by Elizabeth Bishop. This guy had a good performance because he used his arm to add something to lines that he was saying. And he really makes the poem flow.

       Part 5: After watching the videos and spending time on the website I think that the competition will be on the harder side for because I'm not use to standing in front of people and quoting something with out getting nervous and forgetting a word or even a line. I want to read A Birthday in front of the class. I chose this poem because I really like the flow of it and the comparison of the heart and birds, rainbows, and shells. If I dint have to do this as an assignment I most likely wouldn't do it because I'm not a big fan of poetry and having to remember things.

Lobsters

          In the discussion that I took place I didn't say anything, but I had a question. My question was; Why does Howard Nemerov compare the lobster to both happy things and depressing thing that make the lobsters seem ugly? An example of a  more happy thing is " the beauty of strangeness marks"

          When I was listening to the discussion one thing that changed the way I thought  about the poem was "The flame beneath the pot that boils the water." When I first read the poem I thought of it more of the circle of life. Now that we had the discussion think of it more as the people that are buying and eating the Lobsters. I know that different people interpret the poem different ways. But I think Nemerov is trying to show that the lobsters are innocent and the people that buying them and eating them are big bullies.

5pt. Paragraph

           I wrote my paragraph on lost of innocense. In other people paper's I notice that most didn't have great embedded sentences in their paper's. In a lot of the paragraphs I think people really need to work on their transitions. Some people had really good papers that followed the form really well. If some kids were to edit their papers one or two more times I think their papers would have been 20 times better.

          If i were to make another 5point paragraph two things. One thing I would change is  I would have make another draft of my paper. I also would spent more time embedding. In my paper i believe that I did a good on my choice of quotes.

Informal Diction

        This week my cuz came and stayed with me and my mom. On monday mornin I was in the shower and Amanda was doin her hair. All of a sudden I hear a loud noise. She starts laughin her *** off. I peek out of the shower and there is a frikin bug on the mirror. So I got out of the shower and she had taken lipstick and named the bug she killed and  wrote it above the bug. The bug's name is Kyle becuz thats her ex bf name.

       Later that mornin I waz sittin on the counter in the bathroom and Amanda came in the her cereal. I was just chillin tryin to hurry and get ready so I wouldnt be late 4 skool. I said something to Amanda and she spits her cereal out of her mouth. Then she jumps onto the shower rail thing and starts doing the chicken dance. You know the silly dance. I dont wanna chicken, I dont wanna be a duck so I shake my butt. It was the frickin funest thing in the world. Then we went and posted it on facebook.  

Extend Theme

           In To Kill  A Mockingbird there are many things that relate to me and my everyday living. In many ways I feel like Harper Lee is speaking right to me in some of the little things that she says. One thing that really spoke to me was when Atticus said "that you really don't know how one person feels until you have put on there shoes and walked around in them." I know that my mom has told me something a long those line many times. I have learned that "you can't judge a book by its cover" from this book.

My Boo Radley

            My Grandparents have lived in there house for almost 40 years and have had the same next door neighbors since they moved in. The mom that lived there had three sons, Roy, Tom, and Jim. Every Wednesday night I would go over to my Grandparents. And every time i would go over there, about 5 o'clock, Jim would walk by. Jim has a form of autism. And I thought that Jim was the scariest person in this world because he looked a little different. About A month ago Jim's mom died. when I went to the funeral I saw a different side of Jim. I saw the part of him that made me realize that Jim was just like everyone else. He was just a little different on the outside.

introduction to my blog

English isn't my strongest subject. I have always been behind in reading and in writing. I actually enjoy free writing when I don't have to follow a writing format. In English, I try my hardest but still I'm not the best student.

English class to me means studying literature and different writing styles.  English is a four-year requirement for college students because it prepares them for other courses of study.  English will help be be successful by enriching my reading skills and experiences.