Blog Post

Blog Post topic: Choose a few lines that stand out to you in the poem, and explain how the author makes them stand out, why you are interested in that section and what it makes you think about, and how it connects to the overall meaning of the poem.

Lines:

“Look for small revelations all day.”

The author makes this line stand out because it is the only one line stanza in the whole poem, which catches your eye and ear when you read it out loud. It also is a main theme in the whole piece is about finding little things in your daily routine and improving your quality of life, so this line really encompeses the whole poem. This line also really shows an idea of Carpe Diem, or Seize the Day, this is important not only because it is the title but because the whole poem follows a very flowing and free idea. THis line also is is one that come towards the beginning, and feels like a climax.

This line is also really good at demonstration what will come of the rest of the poem. Also this line is one of hr only lines without carrying to the next, this is important especially because it is the only line by itself through the whole poem.

Most of the stanzas are focused on a theme where this line is focused on the whole thing rather than a small portion of the poem. THis is also the first line before the author begins to talk about the how to seize the day. It is really an introductory piece that still carries a lot of meaning with the rest of the poem. It also can be added to the end of every other stanza which makes it very versatile, which is interesting because most of the stanzas could stand alone, where this line not only stands by itself but is easily adaptable to fit into every other stanza there.

This line is also interesting because it is one of the handful that the whole line is the sentences, often there is the stop of a sentence in the middle or not at all in a line so this one really being a whole sentence on one line is very different and draws your attention.

In Class writing - reflection of Carpe Diem

In-class writing -- reflect on your project and your peers' (on blog). What was interesting? Also, how did performing the poem allow you to experience it differently than from reading it? For B period, do this at home since you have the college fair Wed.

400-600 words

My group decided to change the poem almost entirely, which was something unique that not many other groups really did. However, our group stayed relatively static through the whole performance which was uneventful and displeasing to the eye. In my peer groups, I saw some really entertaining, an example is Nans groups turning the poem into a song. Most groups focused more on the movement that changing and interpreting the poem in different ways. Many groups in the other period did lots of dance and movement. In my class period, the Yuns group had a lot of walking on the bridge but also stopping throughout to give their portion of the poem, while in contrast, Jacobs group was in almost a constant motion. Both of these captures you at the beginning but the movements that they had seemed very repetitive and I got bored and sometimes couldn't hear what they were saying or was too distracted by the movements they were doing. Jasmins group focused a lot on matching the words to the actions that she was doing. This was good because it wasn't too distracting and it blends well with the reading rather than the ones that just had movement in it. Joey’s group also had the readers stationary with a good use of levels because they were on the bridge while the rest of the group who spoke a little bit and acted the piece out were lower, that gave good contrast.

All these performances gave a different element of the movement and rendition, this changes how you experience the poem because you see different things and find different meaning based off of their movements and tones. Yins group was soberer and was balanced by different motions that were more rugged. But, Jasmin's group had movements that were more fluid so that you got a different, softer feel of the poem and it was almost more sincere because the movements were so subtle at times but flowing more. I also got a different feel in JOey’s group because Josh came on the scene in the middle of the poem so you got more of an interaction between two people rather than one person speaking to someone else.

In my group, we had not managed our time well, which caused us to only have a draft and unpolished version of what we were going to do. I will say that I tried to get some motion into the scene but nobody was willing to do it and that was where most of our time went, bickering about trying to get movement. In the end, we had to do some movement but not nearly as much as I would have liked.

Overall, this exercise gave me a bunch of new ways to look at this poem and different idea that people had for them. This helped me when deciding how to really perform a poem.

Poem For Performance

Alone by Edgar Allen Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were -- I have not seen
As others saw -- I could not bring
My passions from a common spring --
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow -- I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone --
And all I lov'd -- I lov'd alone --
Then -- in my childhood -- in the dawn
Of a most stormy life -- was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still --
From the torrent, or the fountain --
From the red cliff of the mountain --
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold --
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by --
From the thunder, and the storm --
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view --

Lessons Poem

His touch was a drug,

One I couldn’t live without.

But I shouldn’t have,

I never should have.

I never should have talked to him,

Never should have walked to him,

Never should have unlocked myself to him.

Because then I was land locked,

Then I was shell shocked.

Padlocked, Restocked,  into his world.

into a wave of happiness.

And I gawked.

But I never should have,

I never should have talked with him.

He had these gentle hands that lifted me,

Brought me to the top of the world.

Curled into a dream world,

That was not the real world.

More like the underworld.

I should have fled,

Hid away from him.

But, at the end of the day.

He made me feel,

He could do that.

Make you forget pain, and sorrow.

Hold on for another tomorrow.

He could make you feel like the center of the universe.

His Universe.

Slowly, ever so slowly,
I submitted.

So when his hand would grip mine a little to hard,

Or raise up my thigh a little to high,

I let him.

And in the end,

He owned me.

He bought his way with excuses,

Excuses to get agreement,

From me,

From them.

And his arms,

Covered in thorns,

They would snake around my waist.

A Snake that was two faced,

Covered  in disgraced,

Untraced,

Sour taste, snot-faced distaste. 

Giving a bad chase like toxic industrial waste.

But I still gave in,

So when he would come over angry,

Wanting things,

I gave them, because I thought that was love.

Its what he told me love was.

I never saw the pain, when I limped through school,

I never saw the bones, when I lost too much weight.

Never saw the cruel fate,

Pure hate,

No weight girl I was.

Someone he got to “home plate”.

A playmate,

He would inflate,

Call his date.

A girl who grew flowers to decorate,

Never saw his mortality rate,

Never saw I was only the bait.

Then, one day I woke up.

Like from a trance,

And I saw the bruises under my eyes from no sleep,

I saw the ribs through my skin.

And the fingers that for so long lifted me gently,

Had begun to claw and drag across my skin.

Making me feel like a sin.

Words that had melted my core, began to seep in

And burn a path like acid.

Acid that would leave open wounds.

Torn burnt flesh,

A whole in my heart,

and mind.

And these wounds were meant to be new homes for scars.

Scars that would never heal over.

Scars that would blemish my body.

Scars that would indicate my weakness.

Scars that would showcase his victory.

Scars that would mute my voice.

Scars that would cut through my thoughts, like a knife.

Scars that were meant to tally,

Tally disobedience

And hold lessons,

lessons that he taught me.

Poetry Blog Post 1

Poetry blog post #1 due Saturday by midnight -- choose any poem from the ones posted on the class blog (or Seize the Day from the handout) and analyze 1) how it works, and 2) what it means. 500 words.

This poem is very empowering to young people, specifically girls. It reminds me of the Three Tongues poem that we went over in class because it has that more mysterious and open theme for interpretation. This poem uses a lot of repetition with the word 'you' and 'like'. This poem also uses many similes in order to compare the girl the speaker is referring to in order to compare her to powerful things and give confidence. This poem also has 8 stanzas with most of them being rather short except the third to last is the build up. You can tell this because it contrasts greatly with the rest of the poem and refers to why strength is needed.It is also used to stress how wrong these contradictions are and how powerful the 'you' in this poem is. The poem uses it as a moment to draw on the past and use that for strength to push yourself forwards and draw on the 'show them how they were wrong' ideology. Nikita Gill also has each stanza use only one sentence, until the middle long stanza which is broken down into three sentences rather than one. Even after this, she goes back to one sentence per stanza. Nikita also has three lines in every stanza except for one. This draws even more emphasis on what she is trying to say in that stanza. Nikita doesn’t really use rhyme in her poem, that I could really see. Nikita also only uses capital letters at the start of a sentence, most of the time it is in a new stanza but in the longest stanza, she uses capitalization to start her sentences. I also noticed that almost all of her capitalizations start with the letter ‘L” or the word “Like”. The only two times this doesn't happen are the last who stanzas.

2.) This poem is great because it can mean multiple different things to different people. For me, this poem is telling a young girl to lift her chin up, no matter how beaten it may be and to stand with her shoulders square. Nikita is writing this for what I think is almost a younger version of herself. While an older audience would be more likely to read this, it reminds me strongly of a letter that someone would write to a younger self. This poem puts emphasis that the predators inside a person are not always demons but they are sometimes just defenses that you need in order to strengthen yourself. It also focuses on control and not abusing your power. “Only sinking your fangs into those who have wronged you.” This focuses more on showing the people that hurt you how powerful and dangerous, in a good way, you are rather than going around ‘striking’ other people that have not done anything to harm you in the first place. This poem focuses on growing as a person and being strong enough to stand up for yourself and be your own individual rather than sitting by and letting people harm you.

In Class Writing - This Is Just To Say

Sounds in the poem - Hear
Pictures that they poem is creating - See
Stroy behind the poem - Meaning

1. Sounds
1. There is a clear repetition of the soft 't' sound in the poem with the beginning of the lines of the first stanza. Williams also keeps his lines short and around the same number of syllables for each line, around 3-4. Williams uses sound to create enjambment, so the reader follows the path laid out by the narrator who ate the plums. Williams has 4 lines in each stanza.
2. 2-3 Sentences in the poem
3. 3 stanzas
4. Lots of 's' sound
5. Lots of 'o' sounds
2. See
1. While Williams doesn't use a lot of descriptive words in his poem he gives the idea of coldness right away when saying an icebox and then at the end talking about how the plums were cold. He also created, for me, a scene of a little boy because he says forgive me like a child who took something that they were not supposed to. He also creates the sense of morning and cooking when he says "saving them for breakfast".  Williams gives a picture that reminds me so much of Little Jack Horner 
3. Story
1. Williams gave me a story of a little boy, who I pictured as blonde, going into the kitchen when his parents were busy and taking the plums out and eating them quickly, so that his parent wouldn't find out,and then he feels bad so he goes and either writes it down or tells his parents what he did because he feels guilty. Williams gave me a really clear picture of almost a late 19th or early 20th century feel with the language he used mainly 'icebox' and forgive me'. These are words that I often imagine an older story about a little boy. It reminds me a lot of Jack and Jill and Little Jack Horner sticking his thumb in the pie. 

A Poetry Handbook - Pages 35-75 Notes

The Line:

• Prose
• Printed or written with attention to the margins
• Poetry
• Printed or written with no focus on the margins, specifically the right margin.
• Verse:
• A Latin words meaning “to turn”
• Turning the line is usually more purposeful in poetry 
• Supposed to be felt by the reader
• Metric Line
• Length and Rhythm
• Metric Verse
• Each line can be broken down into feet and each on e of those feet can be turned into stresses.
• Scansion
• The process of turning a line into metric feet and The metric feet into stresses.
• Iambic foot.
• A light stress followed by a heavy stress.
• Five Iambic feet together create iambic pentameter.
• Iambic pentameter is the most widely used 
• Seen with Shakespeare’s work
• Changing even a foot in a counted line will change the tone and feeling of the poem. It also changes the beat.
• Constancy
• Reader falls into the rhythm of the poem
• Usually takes no more than two or three lines.
• Free verse still has a pattern but is harder to mathmatically mark into a rhythm.
• Rhythm in poetry doesn’t have to be so strict that it repeats exactly.
• Variation 
• Touch of difference between beats and rhythm.
• End and beginning of lines are very important.
• Conclusion 
• Every poem is different 
• Poems have basic measure
• Poems still needs to be reliables as a poem not a prose

Some Given Forms

• Poems require a design 
• Rhyme
• Meter
• Length of line
• Sounds of various letters
• Overall length of poem
• Imagery 
• Subject itself 
• Stanza
• Stanza is used to determine a ground of lines
• Syllabic Verse
• Pattern is set but the number of syllables in the first stanza and followed throughout the poem.
• Free Verse
• Still requires a design 
• Different set up cause it has no pattern that needs to be followed.
• Design 
• Free verse is a poetry style that realweases from many restraints that other styles have.
• Doesn’t have to follow metric rules
• 
  

A Poetry Handbook - Pages 29-34 Notes

More Devices of Sound

• There are other literary devices that can be used in order to hold the reader in your poetry
• Alliteration
• Repetition of a sound either at the beginning or within the word through a line or stanza.
• Assonance 
• Repetition of a vowel in words through a line or a verse.
• Gives the readers a sense of near-rhyme.
• Onomatopoeia
a word that also makes the sound of the word.
•  It also represents what it defines.
• In the Bells, it is mainly used in order to sustain the atmosphere and sound of the bells being run around you.
• There is also alignments of vowels that do not fall into a literary device for sound but make it clear that there is a change in tone and sound that is vital for the poem
• Don't always have to follow what the devices are because you can get another effect with something that has no name.
•  There are more literary devices of sound that can make tour poetry stick out to the reader but you can also use none of them and get similar effects. 
• You can mix them together to create endless possibilities for our poem.

A Poetry Handbook - Pages 19-28 Notes

Sound

• We need sound - But Purposeful Sounds.
• "Not random sounds, but chosen sounds."
• Words that have different sounds have different feelings attached to them.
• There is an old theory that people don't use anymore called the "dingdong" theory.
• It is sort of like onomatopoeia but extends much further than what onomatopoeia does.
•  Vowels can be entirely pronounced without any other sound.
• Consonants need to have a vowel or another sound in order to be pronounced perfectly. 
• Consonants are divided into two categories 
• Semivowels
• A consonant that can be pronounced imperfectly  without the sound of a vowel
• The semivowels are f,h,j,l,m,n,r,s,v,w,x,y,z, and c soft, and g soft
• c,f,g,h,j,s, or x would be protracted only as an aspirate
• l,m,n, and r - are called liquids because of the fluency of the sound
• v,w,y, and z - are more vocal than the aspirates.
• Mutes
• A consonant that cannot be sounded at all without a vowel 
• The mutes are b,d,k,p,q,t, and c hard, and g hard
• k,g, and c hard - sound almost exactly alike
• B,d, and g hard stop the voiceless suddenly than the others
• Alphabet represents families of sounds rather than random sounds.
• Words don't only have a definition but a feeling to them and certain situations give the word different sounds.
• Phrases could have a connection between meaning, connotation, and the actual sound of the words.
• Looking at Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.
• Plays with the environment to affect the sound.
• Poets use words for their sounds equal to their meaning.
•