Blogging for the past few weeks has been surprisingly easy and useful. When it was first introduced, I thought it was so complicated and thought that we meaning my class should have just stuck with the Google forum. Now, after weeks and weeks of blogging, I think it is defiantly way better and easier than the Google forum.
Has blogging been valuable to you as a student, thinker, reader, and writer? I think it has. Before blogging, posting my work was a “project,” meaning it wasn’t as easy. On the Google forum, there always seemed to be an issue and it was difficult to figure out. Sometimes I would post work and not see it and have to post again. Or other times I ended up posting on the wrong thing or posting multiple posts of the same topic. Now that I have been blogging instead, I find things way easier. The process is simpler and everything is more organized and easier to see. And before, looking at other people’s work was boring. Now everyone has their own profiles which are all different and visually appealing. I actually enjoy going onto someone else’s profile and commenting on their work. Especially since I get credit for it.
Is this work different from other experiences that you have had in English classes? Blogging is defiantly something that was new to me. In all of my past English classes, we would have to submit written homework almost every day. This year’s English class has been way better in terms of how I turn in my work. It’s much more enjoyable blogging your work once a week as opposed to bringing in homework and textbooks every day.
In short, blogging my work has been an enjoyable experience. It is easy to do, and it makes it fun to post and look at other people’s work. It also saves a lot of paper.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Freewrite- Valley of Ashes!
Do you remember the valley of ashes from chapter two of The Great Gatsby? This place had me thinking about Philadelphia and how it is split up by different groups of people. In The Great Gatsby, the valley of ashes was a place in the city that was basically where all of the poor people lived. This area was created by industrial dumping and was dirty and not many people would like to go there. The rest of the city was blatantly better than this area, which made it seem that much worse.
There are a few places like the valley of ashes in Philly, but I don’t recall seeing any that are that bad. Now, I don’t want to offend anyone who may live in those areas, but there is defiantly a clear distinction between certain parts of the city. One difference that I notice everyday is how Passyunk Avenue divides South Philly into two parts. On one side of Passyunk, there are not so great houses where mostly minorities live. While on the other side there are noticeably nicer houses where mostly whites live. Now I have no clue how this happened, but it is very noticeable. I’m not trying to say that the side of Passyunk with the not so great houses is like the valley of ashes, I’m just saying that it is defiantly not as great as the other side. If the entire city looked like the better side of Passyunk, then the other side would defiantly look like a valley of ashes. There are other parts of Philly that resemble this and are even worse. Though I do not remember exactly where they are, I do know that other parts of the city are worse than any part of South Philly, where I live.
The valley of ashes is a place where I think no one would like to live. It is considered a place where only poor people live. It is basically the worst part of a city. No one would be proud of that. Although there are places in Philly that don’t look as good as other parts, I don’t think it is that bad to the point where it could be called a valley of ashes.
There are a few places like the valley of ashes in Philly, but I don’t recall seeing any that are that bad. Now, I don’t want to offend anyone who may live in those areas, but there is defiantly a clear distinction between certain parts of the city. One difference that I notice everyday is how Passyunk Avenue divides South Philly into two parts. On one side of Passyunk, there are not so great houses where mostly minorities live. While on the other side there are noticeably nicer houses where mostly whites live. Now I have no clue how this happened, but it is very noticeable. I’m not trying to say that the side of Passyunk with the not so great houses is like the valley of ashes, I’m just saying that it is defiantly not as great as the other side. If the entire city looked like the better side of Passyunk, then the other side would defiantly look like a valley of ashes. There are other parts of Philly that resemble this and are even worse. Though I do not remember exactly where they are, I do know that other parts of the city are worse than any part of South Philly, where I live.
The valley of ashes is a place where I think no one would like to live. It is considered a place where only poor people live. It is basically the worst part of a city. No one would be proud of that. Although there are places in Philly that don’t look as good as other parts, I don’t think it is that bad to the point where it could be called a valley of ashes.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Chapter 2 Gatsby Journal
Chapter 2 Gatsby Journal
“Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher on the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” (Nick, p. 23)
This quote by Nick is loaded with figurative language. From the looks of things it seems like there is personification and hyperbole. He uses personification when he says, “our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy.” This is personification because he gives human qualities to an inanimate object by saying that they have been keeping secrets. He also uses another form of figurative language in the same quote when he says, “Yet high over the line of yellow windows must etc.” He uses hyperbole when he says how his yellow windows are high over the city. In my opinion this is a hyperbole because there’s is no way that HIS windows would be so high that he could say they’re high above the city.
“But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose.”
These few sentences contain smorgasbord of figurative language. Just looking at these few lines, I see the use of hyperbole a lot, and also the use a metaphor. He first uses hyperbole when he says, “Above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it.” This is hyperbole because he over-exaggerates the “endless spasms of bleak dust.” He also uses hyperbole when he says, “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their irises are one yard high.” This is defiantly hyperbole because there is no way possible that his eyes would be so gigantic that they would be one yard high. There is also the use of a metaphor in this quote. Metaphor is used when he says, “They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose.” This is a metaphor because when he speaks about enormous yellow spectacles he is actually talking about Doctor Eckleburg’s glasses.
“Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher on the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” (Nick, p. 23)
This quote by Nick is loaded with figurative language. From the looks of things it seems like there is personification and hyperbole. He uses personification when he says, “our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy.” This is personification because he gives human qualities to an inanimate object by saying that they have been keeping secrets. He also uses another form of figurative language in the same quote when he says, “Yet high over the line of yellow windows must etc.” He uses hyperbole when he says how his yellow windows are high over the city. In my opinion this is a hyperbole because there’s is no way that HIS windows would be so high that he could say they’re high above the city.
“But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose.”
These few sentences contain smorgasbord of figurative language. Just looking at these few lines, I see the use of hyperbole a lot, and also the use a metaphor. He first uses hyperbole when he says, “Above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it.” This is hyperbole because he over-exaggerates the “endless spasms of bleak dust.” He also uses hyperbole when he says, “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their irises are one yard high.” This is defiantly hyperbole because there is no way possible that his eyes would be so gigantic that they would be one yard high. There is also the use of a metaphor in this quote. Metaphor is used when he says, “They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose.” This is a metaphor because when he speaks about enormous yellow spectacles he is actually talking about Doctor Eckleburg’s glasses.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Analyzing Li Lee
Li- Young Lee’s Poetry
1. The poem I chose for this writing assignment is Li- Young Lee’s, Eating Together. Li- Young Lee was born in China but raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after his family was exiled from China when he was about seven years old. Up until they were officially exiled, he and his family had to repeatedly flee persecution. In fact, in an interview Lee said, “I recall scenes of my childhood and youth in a kaleidoscope of dreams and nightmares.” In reading his poem, Eating Together, it seems as though his is in his own little dream world or is remembering a time in his past where there was peace in his world. It seems like this poem id the dream part of his “dreams and nightmares.” This is because during his childhood he was on the run, and in this poem, his family is peacefully enjoying each other’s company and enjoying good food. So I suppose his motivation for writing remembering times in his past and reflecting upon them.
2. It seems that the tone of this poem can be described as very serene. Everyone is relaxing and enjoying each other. Lee goes into detail about what they are doing and what food they’re eating. He describes each food and goes into detail about the foods. He also uses a simile when he says, “Then he lay down to sleep like a snow-covered road winding through pines older than him.” The theme for this poem would have to be enjoying peaceful times with your family and just to kick back and relax.
3. Another one of his poems I read was called, Nocturne. It seemed as though it was one big overall metaphor for something. Perhaps something that was bothering him. This is because he constantly talks about something screeching in the night, and he goes into detail about what it might be and what it sounds like. Maybe this goes back to his childhood and how he constantly had to flee persecution. I think this because in this poem he says, “Sometimes faint, far, then suddenly, close, just beyond the screened door, as if someone there squats in the dark honing his wares against my threshold.” This may be a metaphor for the thought of someone looking for him or just the thought that he has people looking for him.
4. I think what makes these two poems “American” is the fact that they don’t talk about any specific traditions that poetry and writings from other countries might have. Because as you know, America is like a melting pot of all cultures, so I would assume that American writing has a little bit of everything from every culture and part of the world. These two poems that I’ve read both contain no sign of a specific type of culture. When I read these poems I can see anyone from any race doing and think in the same things. Therefore, these writings are “American.”
1. The poem I chose for this writing assignment is Li- Young Lee’s, Eating Together. Li- Young Lee was born in China but raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after his family was exiled from China when he was about seven years old. Up until they were officially exiled, he and his family had to repeatedly flee persecution. In fact, in an interview Lee said, “I recall scenes of my childhood and youth in a kaleidoscope of dreams and nightmares.” In reading his poem, Eating Together, it seems as though his is in his own little dream world or is remembering a time in his past where there was peace in his world. It seems like this poem id the dream part of his “dreams and nightmares.” This is because during his childhood he was on the run, and in this poem, his family is peacefully enjoying each other’s company and enjoying good food. So I suppose his motivation for writing remembering times in his past and reflecting upon them.
2. It seems that the tone of this poem can be described as very serene. Everyone is relaxing and enjoying each other. Lee goes into detail about what they are doing and what food they’re eating. He describes each food and goes into detail about the foods. He also uses a simile when he says, “Then he lay down to sleep like a snow-covered road winding through pines older than him.” The theme for this poem would have to be enjoying peaceful times with your family and just to kick back and relax.
3. Another one of his poems I read was called, Nocturne. It seemed as though it was one big overall metaphor for something. Perhaps something that was bothering him. This is because he constantly talks about something screeching in the night, and he goes into detail about what it might be and what it sounds like. Maybe this goes back to his childhood and how he constantly had to flee persecution. I think this because in this poem he says, “Sometimes faint, far, then suddenly, close, just beyond the screened door, as if someone there squats in the dark honing his wares against my threshold.” This may be a metaphor for the thought of someone looking for him or just the thought that he has people looking for him.
4. I think what makes these two poems “American” is the fact that they don’t talk about any specific traditions that poetry and writings from other countries might have. Because as you know, America is like a melting pot of all cultures, so I would assume that American writing has a little bit of everything from every culture and part of the world. These two poems that I’ve read both contain no sign of a specific type of culture. When I read these poems I can see anyone from any race doing and think in the same things. Therefore, these writings are “American.”
Friday, March 6, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Cather's Writings
Cather’s Short Stories
I enjoyed reading Willa Cather’s short stories A Wagner Matinee, and Consequences. In reading these two short stories, I came to the conclusion that American realism writers are different than the American Romantics. Cather’s writings were blatantly different than that of the romantic writers like Martin Luther King or Gandhi. King and Gandhi both wrote about serious issue by directly confronting their audience with those issues. Cather used stories to talk about an issue. For example in Consequences, Cather was talking about suicide as the issue, but didn’t directly address the issue of suicide. She used characters to express their feelings about it and express her feelings through them.
As I just told you, Cather’s story Consequences is about suicide. Her other short story a Wagner Matinee is basically about love. In Consequences,, in my opinion, it seemed as though Cather didn’t really choose a side, but rather just expressed her opinion about it through both characters. Eastman thought there should be no reason that wealthy people would want to commit suicide. He also thought that there always has to be some kind of clue as to why a person decides to kill themselves. On the other side, the other character Cavanaugh, the one who committed suicide, tries to defend those who commit suicide when Eastman states his opinion. This tells me that Cather either is trying to understand people that commit suicide or that she is on both sides of the fence.
Based on the topics of these two short stories, I would say that Cather is wrote these stories for a few reasons. She Might have written Consequences to people possibly contemplating suicide, or to people that have lost someone to suicide. I think this because in the story, Eastman says that he has lost quite a few friends to suicide. This would be her writing to herself. Maybe she wrote this because she has lost someone in the same way. Maybe she lost one of her friends to suicide. Cather may have written A Wagner Matinee to those seeking a good love story. Or maybe, Cather has had a similar situation happen to her. In this case she would also be writing for herself.
Cather’s story Consequences makes relevant to me that suicide is a real issue that not everyone or many people understand. Not even her. This story, made me realize that you really never know who you know or may not know will or is thinking about committing suicide. For example, Eastman had had no idea that Cavanaugh was going to kill himself the night he talked him. The last time he saw him he was smiling and excited to go to Montana. Then the next thing he knew, Cavanaugh was gone. This means that suicide can be very sudden and unpredictable. That is an awfully dreadful thought.
To be honest, I really can’t think of what drew me to Cather’s works. I guess the issue of suicide is what drew me to want to read Consequences. I thought it would be interesting to read and find out a little something about what goes through people’s minds as they commit or think about committing suicide.
“The next morning, while Eastman was dressing, Rollins came in greatly excited. “I’m a little late, sir. I was stopped by Harry, Mr. Cavanaugh’s driver. Mr. Cavanaugh shot himself last night, sir.” Eastman dropped his vest and sat down on his shoe- box. “You’re drunk, Rollins.”
This excerpt from the story stuck out to me and also backs up statement that you really never know who wants to or is thinking about suicide. When Eastman heard the news, the first thing he did was drop his vest and sit down. He couldn’t believe Rollins. He even thought he was drunk. He had no clue. This also stuck out to me because this was what I thought to be the climax of the story. I had a feeling Cavanaugh would commit suicide because I knew that the story was about suicide, and also because there was something strange about him. He seemed to be going through some kind of conflict that was never fully understood.
I enjoyed reading Willa Cather’s short stories A Wagner Matinee, and Consequences. In reading these two short stories, I came to the conclusion that American realism writers are different than the American Romantics. Cather’s writings were blatantly different than that of the romantic writers like Martin Luther King or Gandhi. King and Gandhi both wrote about serious issue by directly confronting their audience with those issues. Cather used stories to talk about an issue. For example in Consequences, Cather was talking about suicide as the issue, but didn’t directly address the issue of suicide. She used characters to express their feelings about it and express her feelings through them.
As I just told you, Cather’s story Consequences is about suicide. Her other short story a Wagner Matinee is basically about love. In Consequences,, in my opinion, it seemed as though Cather didn’t really choose a side, but rather just expressed her opinion about it through both characters. Eastman thought there should be no reason that wealthy people would want to commit suicide. He also thought that there always has to be some kind of clue as to why a person decides to kill themselves. On the other side, the other character Cavanaugh, the one who committed suicide, tries to defend those who commit suicide when Eastman states his opinion. This tells me that Cather either is trying to understand people that commit suicide or that she is on both sides of the fence.
Based on the topics of these two short stories, I would say that Cather is wrote these stories for a few reasons. She Might have written Consequences to people possibly contemplating suicide, or to people that have lost someone to suicide. I think this because in the story, Eastman says that he has lost quite a few friends to suicide. This would be her writing to herself. Maybe she wrote this because she has lost someone in the same way. Maybe she lost one of her friends to suicide. Cather may have written A Wagner Matinee to those seeking a good love story. Or maybe, Cather has had a similar situation happen to her. In this case she would also be writing for herself.
Cather’s story Consequences makes relevant to me that suicide is a real issue that not everyone or many people understand. Not even her. This story, made me realize that you really never know who you know or may not know will or is thinking about committing suicide. For example, Eastman had had no idea that Cavanaugh was going to kill himself the night he talked him. The last time he saw him he was smiling and excited to go to Montana. Then the next thing he knew, Cavanaugh was gone. This means that suicide can be very sudden and unpredictable. That is an awfully dreadful thought.
To be honest, I really can’t think of what drew me to Cather’s works. I guess the issue of suicide is what drew me to want to read Consequences. I thought it would be interesting to read and find out a little something about what goes through people’s minds as they commit or think about committing suicide.
“The next morning, while Eastman was dressing, Rollins came in greatly excited. “I’m a little late, sir. I was stopped by Harry, Mr. Cavanaugh’s driver. Mr. Cavanaugh shot himself last night, sir.” Eastman dropped his vest and sat down on his shoe- box. “You’re drunk, Rollins.”
This excerpt from the story stuck out to me and also backs up statement that you really never know who wants to or is thinking about suicide. When Eastman heard the news, the first thing he did was drop his vest and sit down. He couldn’t believe Rollins. He even thought he was drunk. He had no clue. This also stuck out to me because this was what I thought to be the climax of the story. I had a feeling Cavanaugh would commit suicide because I knew that the story was about suicide, and also because there was something strange about him. He seemed to be going through some kind of conflict that was never fully understood.
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