Freewrite
From July 18, 2011
Today after this initial freewrite, students will choose a poem from the collection for a freewrite. Think about how poetry differs from fiction and dramatic literature, yet is the same. What do you like about the poem you chose? Share favorite lines; talk about the rhythm and language used. More so than in fiction, the language is heightened in poetry--language is almost in itself a character.
1. Freewrite: Group--Indivisible--Read an entire body of work. Read it again thinking about literary devices and the different ways one can think about poetry. The poem will speak to you. A poet might have a discernible style that one sees in several works or the poet might demonstrate a certain flare for a literary device like internal rhyme, such as assonance.
Respond in a 3-4 paragraph essay. Cite the poem. Print a copy.
Homework
2. Homework is to read the introduction to Indivisible, read another poet and write a 3-paragraph response to the work. Post it here as well. Choose a poet you haven't explored yet.
Group Presentation
3. The group presentation is tomorrow from 8-10 AM. Keep it to 15 minutes max.
Films:
What do we do with them?
Divorce Iranian Style and Persepolis
Re: "Divorce Iranian Style" and "Persepolis," the film, if students watched the films, they were to be included in the bibliography for the essay, so you can add it in subsequent drafts (for the portfolio, etc.).
If anyone wants to write a short essay (250-500 words about either for extra credit, you can). If you went to see the play, Persepolis, Texas, then the work should be included in your bibliography as well.)
Literary events:
The literary event responses need to be between 250-500 words. You can turn them in after the event. They all need to be in by Monday, July 25, 2011. The form is a review. Read a review to see how one is written, that is, the elements of a review. Ask me for help, if you have questions.
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Trang Tran
Rebecca Ramos
Guorong Li
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
Group Free write:
Vandana Khanna’s poem, Echo, tells her story about her father through the use of poetry and grasp the readers’ attention to its imagery. Vandana Khanna was raised in the U.S., but born in New Delhi, India. Her Indian background is translated into her poem, such as when she mentions chili powder, Indian grocery, or the smell of jasmine. Even in her other poems, Vandana incorporate her heritage as an Indian, such as when she talks about the bindi in her poem Dot Head. In Echo, Vandana describes her father body as “bruises braid his skin, the bitter black of leaves, eyes red as the swollen sting of chili powder” (10). Her vivid imagery creates the image of her dead father, using “bruises braid his skins” meaning he was beaten badly that he was covered in bruises. While “eyes red as the swollen sting of chili powder” creates the fiery redness as if you were to rub chili powder in your eyes. Throughout the poem Khanna’s imagery describing her father paints a clear picture of his legacy and last moments of life.
Khanna’s voice throughout the play is distinct and forthcoming. She refers to the audience when she says she needed metaphors in the poem and also when she asked “why do I write in the past”. Perhaps her question is asking why she is forced to write about her father in the past tense instead of the present tense. She continues to ask “what story must I tell”. She is unsure what happened the night her father was killed and towards the end of the poem she says he left that night open to her interpretation, she says “you have left the spaces empty for me to add in colors, the smells, to translate to English. To translate into the present, into beautiful”. What happened to her father was in the past but the poem allows her to bring it to the present for everyone to see. Khanna has a powerful voice; an inviting voice that allows the poem to flow from line to line.
When it comes to the subject of rhyme, Khanna does not have a set rhythm but is easy to read as the flow from line to line is effortless. Not every stanza ends with a period and instead it flows right into the next stanza. The stanza’s that does not end with a period connects immediately with the next stanza making the poem more fluid. Khanna’s poem Echo has many components that come together to make a profound poem that gives the reader insight into her relationship with her father.
Khanna, Vandana. “Echo.” Indivisible: an Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry. Ed. Neelanjana Banerjee, Summi Kaipa, Pireeni Sundaralingam. The University of Arkansas Press, 2010. Print.
Jennah Makalai, Shipra Pathak, Sharron Dawkins
Professor Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
The Power of Sen
Sudeep Sen is a Indian born poet known for his imagery and the more sophisticated use of stanza variation to create a visual and rhythmic complexity.
In Sen's Jacket on a Chair, the imagery he creates is a lifeless jacket on the chair. He describes the chair as lifeless since it no longer covers a body. He writes
"Wood, wool, stitches,
and joints-
an epitaph" (Lines 25-27)
The chair acts like a tombstone because it represents what once was.
"The chair's wooden
frame provided a brief
skeleton,
but it wasn't enough
to renew the coat's
shape," (10-15)
This passage conveys that the skeleton alone is not enough to bring something back to life. We think the author is referring to the fact that even if you can bring the physical back, the spiritual will still be lacking. You can briefly give the jacket a “shape”, but it will never fully come back to life.
In Sen’s poem Offering, it seems the poet is recounting an intimate encounter. He uses loaded words such as “libations”(Line 1), “essence”(6), “passion”(9), “heart-beats”(30) and “desire”(37) to create an erotic ambiance where perspiration, passion and poetry come together. He uses juxtaposition and structure to create a sense of back and forth which emulates the act of sex.
“seamless juxtaposition-
the brute and the passion
dry of the bone and wet of the sea,
coarseness of the page and smooth of the nib’s iridium” (9-12)
In Offerings Sen uses lots of dashes to indicate either an incomplete thought or a sudden change of thought (not uncommon while performing sexual acts)
Works Cited
Sen, Sudeep“Jacket on a Chair”. Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asain
American Poetry. Fayeterville. 2010. The University of Arkansas Press.
Sen, Sudeep. “Offerings”. Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asain
American Poetry. Fayeterville. 2010. The University of Arkansas Press.
Trang Tran
Rebecca Ramos
Guorong Li
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
A Father’s Tale
Vandana Khanna’s poem, Echo, tells her story about her father through the use of poetry and grasp the readers’ attention to its imagery. Vandana Khanna was raised in the U.S., but born in New Delhi, India. Her Indian background is translated into her poem, such as when she mentions chili powder, Indian grocery, or the smell of jasmine. Even in her other poems, Vandana incorporate her heritage as an Indian, such as when she talks about the bindi in her poem Dot Head. In Echo, Vandana describes her father body as “bruises braid his skin, the bitter black of leaves, eyes red as the swollen sting of chili powder” (10). Her vivid imagery creates the image of her dead father, using “bruises braid his skins” meaning he was beaten badly that he was covered in bruises. While “eyes red as the swollen sting of chili powder” creates the fiery redness as if you were to rub chili powder in your eyes. Throughout the poem Khanna’s imagery describing her father paints a clear picture of his legacy and last moments of life.
Khanna’s voice throughout the play is distinct and forthcoming. She refers to the audience when she says she needed metaphors in the poem and also when she asked “why do I write in the past”. Perhaps her question is asking why she is forced to write about her father in the past tense instead of the present tense. She continues to ask “what story must I tell”. She is unsure what happened the night her father was killed and
Towards the end of the poem she says he left that night open to her interpretation, she says “you have left the spaces empty for me to add in colors, the smells, to translate to English. To translate into the present, into beautiful”. What happened to her father was in the past but the poem allows her to bring it to the present for everyone to see. Khanna has a powerful voice; an inviting voice that allows the poem to flow from line to line.
When it comes to the subject of rhyme, Khanna does not have a set rhythm but is easy to read as the flow from line to line is effortless. Not every stanza ends with a period and instead it flows right into the next stanza. The stanza’s that does not end with a period connects immediately with the next stanza making the poem more fluid. Khanna’s poem Echo has many components that come together to make a profound poem that gives the reader insight into her relationship with her father.
Khanna, Vandana. “Echo.” Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry. Ed. Neelanjana Banerjee, Summi Kaipa, Pireeni Sundaralingam. The University of Arkansas Press, 2010.
Ricardo Antonio Chavarria
Ramel George
Gerardo Guzman
Daniel Lu
Branson Phu
Michelle Kith
Words, lineation, and personification
The author uses words carefully for her poem Oppenheimer quotes The Bhagavad Gita to paint vivid imagery in the reader’s mind. Words like “cream-colored dust” and “night clad car” are meant to draw an image for the reader to play like a mental film. Poetry is different in that the poet has a few lines to get her message across and the choice of words are vital to the poem. One of the wonders of poetry is that the author is not specific with her meaning and the reader is left to look for the relationships between the sentences and words. The poem Oppenheimer quotes The Bhagavad Gita speaks of a nuclear explosion but the author if the poem does not make references to nuclear bombs. The line “I am become death, destroyer of worlds” is the closest reference to nuclear bombs which by the thousands can indeed be destroyers of worlds.
Khosla uses lineation to great effect in two of her poems, “Sequoia Sempervirens” and “Under Wolf-Paw.” The former is organized into two-line stanzas forcing the reader to slow down and appreciate the enormity of the sequoias. The third stanza describes the sequoias, “Descending the mountains/ two hundred years ago” (19) reflecting the deliberate rhythm of the poem. In contrast, “Under Wolf-Paw is a block of lines with no stanza breaks. It features lots of enjambment allowing for a much quicker reading. Neither poem features a rigid rhythm due to the variation of punctuation, enjambment, and the occasional use of caesuras.
Personification brings life into the story by personifying the poetic ideas by giving them humanistic characteristics. For example, “Now wind, my upturned umbrella: / ribs displaying themselves, open, captive, / under thick cloud-jaws. / Brighter than a thousand suns/ I am become death, destroyer of the world.” (Khosla 17). The appealing parts of the quote is the overdramatization of the details, when she describes the upturned umbrella as “brighter than a thousand suns / I am become death, destroyer of the world.” Also, it was very descriptive in a humanistic way. For instance, “ribs displaying themselves, open, captive, under thick cloud-jaws” made it more real.
Khosla, Maya. “Under Wolf-Paw” and “Oppenheimer quotes The Bhagavad Gita” and “Sequoia Sempervirens.” Indivisible: An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry. Fayetteville: The University of Arkansa, 2010. 16-21. Print.
Virgil Gamble, Raymond Ye
Professor Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
Poetry Assignment
In the poem, The River’s Address by Kazim Ali, describes a person which lives by the river. The speaker is that person, as the listeners are anyone else living in such rural areas. The author uses the river as a symbol, the river is used to describe the home of the speaker, but it is also referring to anyone who is isolated and living in loneliness. Imagery is used throughout the poem to describe the environment and surroundings, saying that every turn and every tree is unique; so the environment is similar to a GPS. The speaker sounds as though he enjoys such solitude because of the peace within his environment as he states “Troubador, river-citizen, can you navigate the sound’s course to my far shore’s ecstasy?”(191).
The speaker of Thicket speaks out to people whom are emancipated and endure a journey of a rite of passage. One of the messages is that adults put their faith in religion, but children put their faith in their parents. As people grow up, they lose faith in religion, faith in themselves, and ambition. The stanza which brings the most imagery states “Does it hurt him that he’s been cut from the tribe of sons who believe, are unarmed, who recite all the rules?”(Ali 192). This quote brings the image of the rite of passage, when a child must journey alone to face difficulties and become an adult. Thicket and The Rivers Address holds a pattern of two lines in each stanza.
The message of Event is that everything is ruined in one way or another. The imagery and situations are mentioned to prove this point, such as: white birds ruined by the black tips, a kingdom ruined by the dessert, a defiled tomb with a corrupt guard, and even the speaker mispronouncing his name (Ali 192-193). Event has a different pattern from the other two poems by Kazim Ali. As the other poems strictly have two lines in each stanza, Events has one to three lines for each stanza.
Ali, Kazim. “The River’s Address”, “Thicket”, “Event.” Indivisible An Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry. Ed. Neelanjana Banerjee, Summi Kaipa, and Pireeni Sundaralingam. The University of Arkansas Press, 2010. 191-193. Print
Stephanie Chan, Alex Lam, Joanna Louie, Daniela Myovich
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
Group Free Write:
An Indian Childhood
Vivek Jain’s poetic pieces in the anthology, Indivisible, surround the idea of family and unity of the Indian nation. His three poems, “Poem for a Would-Be Revolutionary, My Father”. “Anand’s Story”, and “December, 1984”, are dedicated to close loved ones as he centers his poems for his father, brother, and home country. Like most poems, these tell a powerful story with vivid imagery and are written in a free-verse format. There are lively descriptions about the land, the people, and the devastating tragedy of the 1984 Power Plant Explosion. The author seems to praise his father and brother and feels sympathy and sadness for those caught in the explosion. Jain depicts the incinerating bodies of the explosion and states, “of hardening limbs/ as woodpiles’ flames confuse brown/ skin for bark”. The author portrays the explosion as if he was there himself.
Jain’s poem “Anand’s Story” differs from the other two. The poem shows the viewpoint of his younger brother, Anand, and his repulsion for God. Anand claims that, “god didn’t make me”, and with a lower case g acts as if god is not an almighty power. Also, he seems to loose his faith in God and assures that he is not a product of God. Vivek Jain’s other poem, “Poem for a Would-Be Revolutionary, My Father”, is from the viewpoint of the author. He shows his appreciation and respect for his father in the title as well as the text. Jain praises his father’s political career after being jailed, “Five times”.
Works Cited
Banerjee, Neelanjana, Summi Kaipa, and Pireeni Sundaralingam. Indivisible: an Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, 2010. Print.
Jain, Vivek. "Anand’s Story." Indivisible: an Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, 2010. Print.
Jain, Vivek. "December, 1984." Indivisible: an Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, 2010. Print.
Jain, Vivek. "Poem for a Would-be Revolutionary, My Father." Indivisible: an Anthology of Contemporary South Asian American Poetry. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, 2010. Print.
Sharron D.
Professor Sabir
English 1b
19 July 2011
In Class Poetry Reading:
Out of today’s poetry readings, I really liked Human Knowledge the best. Written by Christopher Brown, and presented by Michelle Kith. Michelle provided a brief introduction of the poem, and her relationship with the poet. The poem was not long, however I was able to envision what the poem was about, and associate it to my own thoughts of reincarnation. Overall I enjoyed the poem, and it was well delivered.
Ricardo Antonio Chavarria
Professor Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
In Class Poetry Reading
The poetry presentations today went well and it was interesting to see some classmates speak in other languages. Some people chose songs for their presentations because they were more passionate about them. It was also interesting to see that some of the presenters chose poems that they heard when they were younger. The poem that stands out the most to me is A Boy Named Sue by Shel Silverstein. I liked the poem because it is funny and it has the message of tough love. It seems ridiculous that the Sue would go through all of that chaos with his dad just because of his name but I think the poem was not meant to be taken literally. Sue decides that he will not give his sons effeminate names.
Daniel Lu
Professor Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
In Class Poetry Reading:
It was cool to hear all the different varieties of poetry that others enjoy, many of which I hadn't heard before. I enjoyed Alex's poem as it was in French. I thought that my poem would be the only one in a different language so it was a nice surprise. Even the translation rhymed, something unexpected as translations you find online are shoddy at best. I never read Latin or translated it out loud in front of a people who weren't taking Latin so it a bit nerve racking to tell the truth.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
In Class Poetry Reading Experience
The experience of sharing my favorite poem with the class was fun. I enjoyed the poetry presentation, because there were a vast variety of poems presented by the class. It was interesting to hear poems in Latin and French. The poem I really enjoyed is A Boy Named Sue by Shel Silverstein. The use of visual imagery in the poem helped me to visualize the entire situation, which was at times sad, funny and dramatic, which touched my heart.
Daniel Lu
Professor Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
Self Reflection:
My poem of choice was the Aeneid, written by the ancient Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro, more commonly know as Vergil. I chose this poem because I had just spent 4 years of my high school career translating all 12 books of the Aeneid, an arduous task to say the least. It was a great personal accomplishment translating the entire thing and I gained insight into the text that would be impossible to gain from reading a translation.
The translation of the selected passage is as follows:
I sing of arms and the man, he who, exiled by fate,
first came from the coast of Troy to Italy, and to
Lavinian shores – hurled about endlessly by land and sea,
by the will of the gods, by cruel Juno’s remorseless anger,
long suffering also in war, until he founded a city
and brought his gods to Latium: from that the Latin people
came, the lords of Alba Longa, the walls of noble Rome.
Muse, tell me the cause: how was she offended in her divinity,
how was she grieved, the Queen of Heaven, to drive a man,
noted for virtue, to endure such dangers, to face so many
trials? Can there be such anger in the minds of the gods?
Kline, A. S. "Virgil:Aeneid I." Poetry In Translation - A.S. Kline's Free Poetry Archive - Main Site. A. S. Kline, 2002. Web. 19 July 2011. .
(I got lazy)
B.P
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
19 July 2011
The presentation of poems brought out the past of the presenters, sharing poems of their childhood and youthful days. The poems were of many different kinds, from lyrics, silly poems, dark poems, modern day, and other kinds which shows that poem touches upon the idea that poems have many interpretations and thoughts. Poems are a network of ideas, because by being a broad and diverse topic, it allows diverse people to come in, enjoy, and share the poets' ideas to others and see what the poet sees during that time period or place.
I chose the poem “truth” by Gwendolyn Brooks. I chose this poem because the writing style is very personified, using the sun to represent the dominant white community while using the shade to represent the African American community. Also, by relating the poem to ideas of the real world, the meaning behind the writing was more clear than other poems and it allows the audience to connect to the experience she writes about.
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
Poetry Reading - Response
I really liked the poem presented by Daniel Lu. I remember learning Latin in middle school for 2 years and it is pretty interesting to hear this language again. I used to dislike it because of its difficulty: it is a pretty hard language to learn, especially since no one actually speaks it now (except at the Vatican).
I chose the poem “La Cigale et la Fourmi” by Jean de La Fontaine because it was one of the first poem I heard in my life. I had to memorize it in elementary school, and I was not really good at it. We were supposed to say it in front of our class, and repeat if not said perfectly. It was one of the easiest piece of work I had to memorize in my academic career, and this is probably why I chose it too.
Joanna Louie
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
In class poetry reading:
The last form of literature we are studying is very intriguing. Poetry is a unique way of expression that uses an intense style of writing to express symbolism and feelings. Having the opportunity of sharing favorite pieces of poetry or song lyrics with the class is a good way of broadening our poetry horizons. Most, if not all, are pieces of work I have never heard before. The only poem I am familiar with is “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe, where like the two students, I learned in middle school. All poems/song lyrics have a unique tone and meaning. One in particular stood out to me today. I enjoyed “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost, brought in by Daniella Myovich. This short and sweet poem holds a strong message of the popular question of whether the world will end in fire or in ice. In the final lines of Frost’s poem, he determines that either option will equally do its purpose. Very easily, listeners can hear end-rhymes in the poem. In the seventh line, Frost breaks the steady flow of the poem with enjambment, “To say that for destruction ice”. Frost jams a lot of information in this short poem.
Self-reflection on my poem:
I chose to focus on the chorus of the song “Circle” by Marques Huston. This is a love song with a mellow tone. I chose this song because I connect with his lyrics the first time I heard them and still, to this day, it touches my heart each time I listen to the song. Sometimes if we love something so much we are too afraid to let go of it. However, like Huston’s lyrics, if “[the] [love] comes back”, “then that’s how you know”. If the love returns, it is true love. The “circle” can be seen, “I got to the stop light then I made 4 rights/now I’m back where I started”. Huston is trapped in this circle, the circle of love.
Stephanie Chan
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
In-Class Poetry Response:
I enjoyed listening to everyone’s favorite poems. I really liked how some people picked different verses out of songs as well as traditional poetry. I also enjoyed hearing some of the poems being read out loud in another language. My experience with the poetry sharing was special because another person in the class had the same favorite poem, “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe. I was really interested of her interpretation of the poem and her story of when she first read the poem. For me, “Annabel Lee” is a poem that is romantic and heart-warming; this is a different side of Poe that he rarely expresses. The poem’s language and imagery are very vivid and picturesque for me.
Stephanie Chan
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 July 2011
In-Class Poetry Response Day 2
Today we listened to two classmates’ presentations of their favorite poems. There presentations were unique because they brought in music for us to listen to. The two songs we listened to are titled “Golden” by Jill Scott and “Circle” by Marques Houston, which differ in rhythm and style. The first song had a more upbeat rhythm with inspiring lyrics about celebrating life. The second song was at a mellow rhythm and its lyrics surrounds the idea of true friendship. I enjoyed hearing both songs and why the presenters chose to share these heart-felt songs.
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 July 2011
Reflection – Songs Presentation
The two songs we listened to, were pretty interesting. I never heard of those, but they were nice. I mean, it is always nice to discover new types of music and songs we don’t usually listen to.
Joanna Louie
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 July 2011
In-Class Poetry Response Day 2
Today we had two presentations, both audio. The first song we listened to was “Golden” by Jill Scott. This song varies in style from the song I brought in. “Golden” has a more inspirational feel. The song has an upbeat rhythm that gives a sense of accomplishment. Scott uses freedom, as an example and/or theme of something that “can’t [be] take[n] away”. I really enjoyed the beat to this song and I will definitely tune into this song if I need a quick pick up song that provides inspiration and hope. The song I brought in, “Circle” is a love song with a mellow tone. Within the song we hear some basic elements of poetry. We hear end-rhymes and we can see imagery. In the chorus the end words: “go”, “know”, “rights” and “life” flow with each other. From the song, we know Houston is the speaker and the listener is not only the girl he sings about, but the public in general. As an artist, they often compose songs that many can relate to. This message of love is a universal theme we can all relate to. Sometimes if we love something so much our first instinct is to never let it escape our side. Huston’s lyrics, if “[the] [love] come back then that’s how you know” is something we should all consider. I know it is a hard concept to let the thing your cherish most, but if it is true, it will return, one day.
Daniel Lu
Professor Sabir
English 1B
20 July 2011
In Class Poetry Response:
It was nice to be able to hear the songs "Golden" and "Circle" sung by the actual artist, hearing what words they put emphasis on and how they conveyed their meaning. Its one thing to read the lyrics and another to hear the artist themselves. The artist's message or take on life becomes evident in how they sing, revealed in what tone they sing their lyrics in or what parts are emphasized most. I thought both song had important messages on the topics of freedom and love. In "Golden" Jill Scott tells us to treasure our lives and in "Circle" Huston believes that true love will always come back again. Both of these are poignant messages, lessons that we should learn at some point of our lives.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
Free write about the two Favorite Poem/lyrics.
This morning I get to hear two beautiful songs “Golden” and “Circle” shared by Sharron Darwin and Joanna Louie. Both the lyrics were very meaning, inspirational and touching, but I personally enjoyed the soulful lyrics of “Golden” by R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress, Jill Scott. The lyrics of the song is foot tapping. The song was very hypnotic, it has such a positive vide that it was encouraging me to live my life to its fullest. Jill Scott’s beautiful and smiling face gave me very good start for the day today, I would like to thanks Sharron for sharing such a meaningful song with us.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
19 July 2011
Self-reflection on my poem.
I chose to share Cradle Song by Lord Alfred Tennyson, because this poem is very close to me. It is the first poem that I learned in element school. This poem reminds me of my childhood, when my classmates and I used to sing this poem to our class, without looking at the book or notes. I still remember each and every word of this poem that I memorized in elementary school, and I feel good about it.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
20 July 2011
Free write about today’s presentations.
Today my group was the first group to start the presentation. We presented three elements of poetry, The Speaker, Listener, and Imagery. Our presentation went well, and we were able to achieve our goal of providing better understanding of these three elements of poetry to the class. The response of my fellow students was helpful to identify that we met our goals.
Today all the presentation were very good. Each presentation was different, even though two of the presentations were on same topic, and each group presented the topics in unique way. I learned a lot from all the presentation and enjoyed the activities planned by each group. My personal favorite activity which helped me understand Imagery better was presented by Group two, because when they asked to draw the pictures of the provided poems, I was able to visualize the image that poet wanted the reader to see through mind’s eye. Thanks to all for adding to my knowledge about poetry.
Daniela Myovich
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 July 2011
In-Class Poetry Response:
I was really impressed by everyone’s poems choices. I especially liked Jennah Makalai’s presentation of Shel Silverstein’s “A Boy Named Sue.” Growing up I had the book Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. I enjoyed Silverstein’s of visual and tangible imagery, as well as his use of humor.
Self Reflection:
I chose “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost because it looks like a simple, nine line poem but it discusses something huge: the end of the world. I also enjoy Frost’s use of language to compare fire with the emotion of desire “From what I've tasted of desire/ I hold with those who favor fire.” and ice with the emotion of hate “I think I know enough of hate/ To say that for destruction ice/ Is also great/ And would suffice” (3-4, 6-9). I also liked Frost’s rhyme scheme, ABAABCBCB.
In-Class Poetry Response (Part Two):
Today we listened to two songs, "Golden” by Jill Scott and “Circle” by Marques Houston, neither of which I had heard before. I liked "Golden" because the lyrics were inspirational and "Circle" because the lyrics were relatable.
Response to Poetry Presentations:
I thought the presentations today went really well. I have fun with the activities and I learned more about imagery, style and form. The information I learned today will definitely help with the essay we have to write.
B.P
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
20 July 2011
The poems “Circle” and “Golden” are poems set to music, providing meaning to the lyrics of the song and expressing it through the spoken words of the singer. Because music has inspired millions in the past, poetry through music strengthen the power of the poem to inspire, as “Circle” and “Golden” has done for the two presenters, and present ideas.
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