Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Somewhere i have never travelled

In this poem, it talks about love and how delicate it can be. "Somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond any experience, your eyes have their silence: in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me, or which i cannot touch because they are too near." (lines 1-4) When it talks about the eyes having silence; it has meaning behind it. The eyes can tell a story, or describe how someone is feeling. "Your slightest look easily will unclose me". (line 5) It seems to me that this person is really in love, because when it mentions how the slightest look will unclose them, they must have no control of there feelings. Love is a very serious thing that some people don't realize. For instance, if someone is in love with another person, but the other person doesn't want to be with them it can be very heartbreaking. " You open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens" (line 7) This line is explaining  that the love that this person has is becoming more and more stronger for the person. A person can develop a stronger form of love when they spend more and more time with that person. There are different types of love. A person may think that they are truly deeply in love with someone, but it may only be puppy love. A person that loves another person deeply shows that they care, and there affection for the other person. The person when stick with them no matter what if they truly do love them. The feelings are expressed in this poem of how much love the person expresses for the other. " I do not know what it is about you that closes and opens; only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses". (lines 17-19) The love this person sees is stronger than all the roses. Roses can reprsent a form of love when it is given to someone as a gift. I feel as if this poem is explaining how delicate love is for anyone. "Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands". (line 21) The feeling of love can be delicate in different forms. Someone may express kindness, fluttering eyes, or be sweet. They are signs a person may like the other person. The person in this poem is showing they do care about the person but the other person may not feel the same way. It never explains if the other person does love them back. Love is a wonderful thing for anyone to experience, but can be dissapointing for some. Love hurts sometimes if one person is still in love with the other. A person can't made to love that person, it has to be the feelings they feel. I believe the title of this poem wants readers to realize that some people that haven't experienced the feeling of love eventually do and it may end good or bad depending on the relationship that exists between the two.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Terminal Resemblance


In this poem it seems to me the father and son could be closer. "My father and I avoided being alone; we didn't know how to connect to make small talk-there didn't seem to be any other possibilities". (Lines 11-14) This line in the poem describes how the father and son felt when they were alone, they felt uncomfortable and awkward. They were not able to connect well, so nothing was said to one another really except of few words. The father is looking at the son when he is on the phone pointing to his watch. This is seen as the signal that he wants to talk, but the son is not too thrilled about this. Every time they do talk it’s just a few words."My father wanted to tell me what it was like to be dying". (Line 21) The father explains to the son what it feels like when you are close to death. “So this was special: when a man’s dying. He has a subject.” The father seems to only talk to his son about this because the subject is very important to him. (Lines 15-16) The father was sick and tells the son he is not suffering, because he doesn't want him to worry. He makes it seem like he does not have any pain, when he is dying slowly. "He said he kept expecting pain, waiting for it, but it never came."  The boy's father shows he is a trooper when it comes to his illness because he says he's not developing any pain, only weakness.  "The son shows that he is proud of his father and seen him as being lucky because he is not severely ill at the time. Even though the son and father weren't that close, they showed they loved each other. It talks about what was happening with other husbands. It explains how they are in there cars going to work. When the taxi comes and picks up the son, his father waves his hand. The son waves back, but has a trembling hand. The reason he does is he his surprised about how his father actually decides to wave at him for once. His father would not wave usually. I think this family sticks together, even if they don't have the perfect family lifestyle. Just because the son and father don't speak that much to each other, they still show a sense of love. The mother seems as if she showed her love for the son a little more because she does not have hesitation of blowing kisses and saying goodbye to her son. The boy accepts how his father acts towards him, even though he probably does wish his father could speak to him more, knowing he is his son. The important thing seen in this poem is he accepts his family members the way they are. I think this is a very important thing to pay attention to because even though one may not be perfect in a family, they should show they care, and love them for who they are.

Heritage

  In this poem the girl describes all of the features she takes after her family members. She feels as if this is important because she wants to fit in with her family. Being able to describe the same features her other family members have is important to her. All of her family members are full blooded Native American and she feels like she is a disappointment." It was the brown stain that covered my white shirt, my whiteness a shame". (28-30) this girl should be accepted for how she is because she is a part of the family. She is the only one that sees her as a disappointment to the family. "She said it is wise to eat flesh of deer so you will be swift and travel over many miles" (40-41). Her grandmother says this to the girl because she wants her to understand that by eating flesh of deer, it will help you stay strong when traveling. The grandmother sees her heritage as very important because they are seen as very important people. "She says tobacco would purge your body of poisons. It has more medicine than stones and knives against your enemies." The grandmother thinks of tobacco as being something good for the body when she mentions how it has more medicine than stones and knives against your enemies. This girl is proud of her family's heritage and shows that she wants to learn all the things about it. The girl takes after some of her mom’s features such as her skin her breasts. "She left me with the smell of baking bread to warm fine hair in my nostrils; she left the large white breasts that weigh down my body". (3-6) I think the girl is complaining about the features that she takes after her mother because of how she says, her breasts weigh her down and she sees her face take on lines that her mother has. The uncle that had sang to her, sang of chants. The father did not want her to remember the words to the songs. Her father must have felt like it was an unneeded thing for her to know. "From my grandfather who never spoke I learned to fear silence." (17-18) I feel what the grandfather meant by this is, don't always trust the silence because it could end up being a bad situation.  At the end of the poem the girl mentions how she has learned the family's secrets. She has learned history and important things that need to be known of never having a home. I can see from this poem these people are smart and have common sense. They have pride in what they describe about their heritage because they are proud of it. I think it is important for people to show their happiness for the nationality they have because that is a part of you. These people show that they are strong willed determined people that appreciate the things that they have in their life at the time.

 

Monday, November 14, 2011

A Doll House

In the play the Doll House there are a lot of different things that happen. Nora, who plays the wife, wants all the money she can get so she can feel a sense of security. The reason for this is so she won't have to worry about anything and be able to buy all the things she wants. Her husband Torvald treats her like a puppet. For instance when he gets some extra money, he shows her, and then asks her to act like a squirrel. Nora thinks of money being the most important thing to her. It is near Christmas time and money would be helpful for the whole family because they want to be able to buy presents. When Nora’s husband shows her money she gets excited. "Money"! Is what she says when she's the sight of him holding it in his hand. In the beginning of the story it seems like Nora and Torvald have a happy marriage, but it ends differently. He treats her like a little kid when he wants her to act and make noises mimicking a squirrel. Torvald ends up showing Nora the amount of money he has. He feels like he is in control because he is the one that gives her money to buy things. Nora and Torvalds marriage goes bad when he finds out that Nora borrowed money. Even though she did this, it was for a good cause. Torvald was sick at the time and Nora wanted him to get better so he wouldn't become severely ill. Nora had borrowed money from Krogstag, and Torald finds out because Krogstag tells him. Torvald is seen as a person in the play as someone who cares too much about what other people think. "I see. There a gulf that's opened between us that's clear. Oh, but Nora, can't we bridge it somehow?" He is wanting to get back with Nora, but she does not feel the same. The reason for this is because he had treated her like dirt. "The way I am now, I'm no wife for you." She makes her self-clear when she says this to Torvald. I think she makes the best decision not going back to him because she is better off that way. She was not really happy in the marriage because it was all about money and trying to impress people.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Forgiving my Father

Forgiving my father is a poem about the dad getting a check on payday and realizing he has deeds and responsibilities he has not met. In the poem the mother dies and the girl feels like she doesn't get what she needs. "It is friday. We have come to the paying of bills". When the father gets paid the daughter realizes that he has bills to pay but he does not think anything about it. The father in this poem shows he is not the most responsible person because of the lack of support he shows for his family. "My mother's hand opens in her early grave and I hold it out like a good daughter". The daughter is trying to show respect for her mother even though she has passed away. She wants her father to realize that he needs to change his ways and give money to her mom when she reaches out her hands. The father shows that he has no love, affection, or compassion toward his wife or daughter. He is portrayed as someone that is selfish and only thinks about himself. "You gave her all you had which was nothing". The father has shown he was irresponsible when he did not give anything to the mother when she was alive. Nothing was given to a mother that needed help from a father that was part of the family. The father is thought of as being a liar and needy one because he was the son of a needy father. He has been raised to act needy so that is part of the reason why he acts the way he does. This still does not give him an excuse to act this way towards his wife and his daughter. He should of been the better person by doing the right thing but was not in any way. Learning the wrong aspects from his father took him down the wrong path. "Daddy old pauper old prisoner, old dead man what am I doing here collecting?" The word prisoner signifies that the father had responsibilities and never did anything to achieve them goals. The daughter has to hold her hand out asking for money because her dad does not offer any money to her and is very stingy. He needs to show he is a better father and wants to take care of and the mother by offering what he has on payday. Even though the mother is dead the daughter is respecting her presence and still wanting the father to show respect for the mother. She wants to feel as if she did an accomplishment for her mom by making her dad pay up to his responsibilities.Rememberance of a person and how they act is always a important thing for anyone to think about because it's shows the character of the person.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Harlem

Harlem is a poem about one fulfilling their dreams. Dreams can be achieved if one believes in themselves and doesn't let anything get in the way. Sometimes someone that might want to reach a dream might get frustrated while doing it. The reason for this is because achieving dreams are sometimes out of the ordinary. "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun"? This sentence is trying to show the meaning of one's dream not getting reached like it should. It can be difficult to achieve certain dreams but in the end it's all worth it. At the end of the poem when it says "Or does it explode?" it is saying does this dream of one’s get reached. To reach a dream is a great feeling for anyone to have. Dreams are possible if anyone believes in themselves. A dream is a glory for anyone to have and one may have to go through different obstacles in their lives along the journey. Harlem is a poem explaining the difficulties African Americans had while trying to reach a dream. They had to battle many different things so it was not easy for them. African Americans wanted to be treated fairly and have freedom. It was hard for them to reach their dream because they had no freedom and were not able too. African Americans wanted to achieve their dreams because they wanted to show white people that they were like them and should have the same opportunity. "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load". Does this dream just exist in thought, or does it come true? Having a dream that you want to come true is a good thing to have in mind. It can help you focus on positive things in life. What happens to a dream deferred? It can make one sad and depressed because of not being able to fulfill that dream. Dreaming is something a lot of people do because it is a fun thing to do. It is nice to think about all the wonderful things out there in the world that can be reached if you put your mind to it. Freedom and equality is what African Americans wanted, they wanted to have the chance to reach a goal or dream they may have. African Americans in my opinion were very strong people. They had to wait a long time to gain freedom for themselves. They were then able to have that chance to go for the dream they wanted. Dreams need to be reached in order for a person to become the person they are. It would not be healthy for anyone to have a dream and then let it go to waste. You got to go for your dream, even if it may take longer than expected. Dreams can come true. African Americans had a dream of being free one day, and that dream came true. It was a hard long journey for them but that dream was reached. Dreams really do come true.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Song No. 3

Song No. 3 is a poem about how a girl feels about herself and how she thinks the world sees her. She has low self-esteem and doesn't like the way she looks. She feels like she does not look like everyone else and one day that will change. People in the world can be judgmental and hateful about how one looks. In the poem it says that people are just smiling to make her feel better because she thinks they feel bad for her. People do not see her like they should because of the skin color she has. People should see the true beauty she has aside from her skin color. Her features are mentioned as being ugly, such as "I know my hair's short, legs and face ashy"; this describes what she sees when she looks at herself. I believe this poem wants readers to see the importance of true beauty. People should not judge one because of how they look. Being comfortable with who you are an important concept that anyone should have. Sometimes it's difficult to feel pretty or confident if you do not like the way you look. "Can't nobody tell me any different" points out how people see her as being different than everyone else. They can't see she is like everyone else even though her skin color is different. Many people battle with obstacles in their life, whether it's appearance or where you come from. At the end of the poem it talks about how people will see her one day. She thinks they will see her as a pretty little black girl. She has this dream because she believes one day it will come true. Everyone will see her as the same and treat her equally. "I'm ugly anybody with sense can see" is describing how most people would see her as being ugly. She is a girl that feels lonely because of how people treat her and the way she looks. She thinks she cannot feel worse than she already does. "So I jump the sidewalk cracks knowing I can't fall'. Life cannot get any worse than it already is for her. She wants to be happy one day with life and her appearance. Being black she notices how her features are different than other people's features. Every part of her she does not like and wants to feel pretty. She just does not have the self-esteem that can make her happy with how she does look. She shows she is a strong woman and goes through life even though she has battles to overcome. One day her life will be the life she wanted, to be happy and confident with herself. Making a change of who you are starts inside you, you have to believe in yourself to make something happen. Having a positive outlook on life starts the journey ahead. Her life will be changed one day when everyone sees her as being beautiful and herself. Changes in life are possible if you put your mind to it.