Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The Eagle

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls:
He watches from the mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.


This poem is really cool because it takes a topic that can be just very plain and boring to write/read about but it is actually a good poem. It is short, but precise, just like how the eagle is described as flashing down like a thunderbolt. The poem really shows how open and free eagles are, and how nature around them is so peaceful, yet, the eagle is there to strike down in a moment and capture its pray all in such a graceful manor. I think this poem is really trying to portray the peacefulness that the eagle has. It also shows the eagle as a dominant force in nature.

One thing that can be taken from this poem is the stylistic idea of taking a maybe not so peaceful sight (such as an eagle capturing pray) and making it seem like a delicate and peaceful part of nature. There is nothing in this poem that isn't described with natural words, which makes everything about it seem pure, even the act of catching pray. The poem flows smoothly with words that combine nicely with each other to help it sound like a real setting. Everything about the eagle is just simplistic and easy going. It prooves how nature can really be freeing.

Week 3

The Piano Speaks
by Sandra Beasley Sandra Beasley
After Erik Satie


For an hour I forgot my fat self,
my neurotic innards, my addiction to alignment.

For an hour I forgot my fear of rain.

For an hour I was a salamander
shimmying through the kelp in search of shore,
and under his fingers the notes slid loose
from my belly in a long jellyrope of eggs
that took root in the mud. And what

would hatch, I did not know—
a lie. A waltz. An apostle of glass.

For an hour I stood on two legs
and ran. For an hour I panted and galloped.

For an hour I was a maple tree,
and under the summer of his fingers
the notes seeded and winged away

in the clutch of small, elegant helicopters.


This poem was particularly interesting to me because I was fortunate enough to hear to poet herself actually read the poem to me and my creative writing class. This poem is so intriguing by the way Sandra Beasley gives life to the piano and makes it feel things and think things. It is such a unique concept that a particular piano player (Satie) can give this dull inanimate object so much life and purpose to it. This poem takes the piano and makes it seem so natural and pure. This really proves how she feels that music, especially by an expert like Satie, can make dull things have life and seem brilliant.

The thing that Sandra Beasley used in her poem that I tried to use in mine is the idea of breaking out of a cage and just being free. I lifted a line from her poem to begin mine and took off from there. In my poem the theme was how just unthinking things can help you enjoy life, and that sometimes people just think too much and are too up-tight. Her idea of breaking into primitive instincts, like how the piano did, helps show that life can be excellent if you just go and do what is fun and possibly childish. Another thing Beasley does so well is her imagary and word choice. The lines "under his fingers the notes slid loose/from my belly in a long jellyrope of eggs/that took root in the mud." are, in my opinion, the best example from this poem of how smooth everything the piano was doing was. You can picture exactly what Beasley was intending, and you actually feel the kind of slimy "belly in a long jellyrope of eggs". It is amazing, and this along with many other of her techniques can be valuable to a writer.

Whatif

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

Shel Silverstein

This poem fits the characteristics that Silverstein is known by. Its fun rhythm and rhymes about everyday situations makes it a perfect signature poem of his. The repetition in this poem really shows how the mind can run wild at night, going through many thoughts rapidly. This poem is very relatable to pretty much anyone. Everybody has those times when they just lie in bed thinking about life, and sometimes things that are completely obsurd. This poem captures those thoughts by offering realistic ideas that may shoot through peoples' heads to more farfetched ideas that are unique to each individual. This poem shows how people can be self-conscious when they have time to think. The ending of this poem is that brief moment when sleep is almost upon you, then you are suddenly hit by another thought that keeps you going on to new thoughts. It is a process that is tiring and sometimes frustrating, but at the same time entertaining. Silverstein captures all of this in the poem by using his repetition and unique ideas.


One thing useful from this poem is how is runs through the actual stages of a real event. The poem goes from unrest to a brief moment of rest, just like at night-time your mind can go from thought after thought to suddenly slowing down and being ready to sleep. The idea of portraying the real time events in the same order as in your poem helps it make more sense and adds effect. This process can be used for any type of poem, from school to seasons to the development of your life. This process also helps set up your poems by helping you know an obvious starting point and a logical ending point. The sequence this poem follows is obvious and really portrays the chaos that happens when your mind runs wild at night. Using a technique like this could be an effective way to add more feeling to your poems and help readers easily relate to them.

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

This poem seems very unique. It speaks of destruction of the Earth in a very calm manner. Actually, Robert Frost doesn't just keep his cool when writing, but he goes to suggest that he would prefer to be destroyed by fire over ice. I am curious as to what inspired him to write this poem. It is a laid back poem about a dire situation. Frost's style really shines through in this one showing that he is not caught up in how he is going to leave this world, he simply accepts the fact that he will go in some fasion and it truly doesn't matter to him.


I think the most important thing that can be taken from this poem is the style that Robert Frost shows. His style seems more like what you would see in a poem about daily activities that are somewhat comical. This event is a pretty big thing and he writes in a way that comes across as laid back or even unphased by the end of the earth. This style can be effective because it gives the reader a curve ball. It makes them curious and interested in your writing and your topic and how you could keep controlled and stay nonchalant about it. The contrast of two destructions, for Frost, comes across as if it is just a decision as to whether he wants his pizza microwaved or straight from the fridge. His style in this poem effective and powerful, and can be used to make different works have a unique edge and come across as meaningful.

Chapter 22

In this Chapter Foster talks about blind people and how they generally have a better view of the world then the main character. It is the blind person that shows the main character the proper ways, or sheds true light on whatever subject. At first I thought of blind main characters like Daredevil and the guy from "The Book of Eli" but then I realized how it talked about a side character being blind. The first thing that came to my head was the play "Antigone". Tiresias is the blind guy in this play like mentioned in the chapter, but he is the only one that sees what is the truth and what will actually happen. Introducing a blind man into a play adds irony automatically because it is almost guaranteed that the blind person will be more aware then those that can actually see what is going on. One of the main purposes for making somebody blind is to highlight the ignorance around that man. If a blind man can see the world for what it actually is then why can't a person who has vision? Writers use the blind characters to help make their points clearer and to help point out flaws with regular humans that don't suffer such handicaps.

Chapter 21

For this chapter I refer to Harry Potter book/movie.

In this Chapter Foster reveals how characters that are marked with some unusual physical characteristic are marked for greatness. Some of the first things that came to my mind when responding to this chapter were Forest Gump and Nemo. Those, of course, are movies so I decided to actually choose a book that I had read: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry's mark on his forehead represents many things of his past, and what he will become in the future. Everyone knows Lord Voldemort came to the Potter house, murdered his family and tried to kill Harry but could not succeed. What was left of Voldemort's attemp was a zig-zag scar or Harry's forehead. This scar represents his tragic past, the power that is within him, and the dificult road he has ahead of him. You may ask how is this a mark of greatness? Well it is because of all the reasons for what the scar represents. The fact that one of the most powerful wizards known could not but leave a scar on an infant's forehead automatically sets Harry up for stardom. The reason why Voldemort couldn't hurt him though is even more important: the fact that Harry has so much magic potential in him that made him able to resists spells. This just shows that if he takes the proper path and listens to guidance he will inevitably be a great wizard. Finally the scar represents the path ahead of him because he knows Voldemort is still out there and able to get him. The scar is a mark of greatness in so many different ways, and really exemplifies the thoughts of the chapter almost perfectly.

Chapter 26

For this I read the "The Unknown Citizen"

This poem was definitely not my favorite I have ever read. I also did not find anything super ironic about it, but I'm taking a stab in hopes to become a better AP student. After reading this, I find it ironic that a poem would be written about an average old joe like the guy the narrator is describing. Then I go on to and remember the "Bureau of Statistics were in on every detail of this man's life. It is weird that they would want to know so much about a guy who is just like everyone else in the world. Then it goes to talk about he had five children, which Eugenists say is a normal amount of kids. I actually have never heard of a Eugenist, but to have one giving advise about this average guy being talked about seems like it would cost money to get his opinion. In general, to be researching every detail of this man's life is just ironic. He has done no heroics, nothing spectacular, nothing outgoing, yet he is still under the microscope. For him to be called the "unknown man" is the biggest irony of the poem because infact everything is known about him except his name. All things this man has done are known, but his name is left a mystery, which of course is a great example of irony