The Envious iPhone - Tone Paper

I have wanted an iPhone ever since they have come out. When I was finally eligible for an upgrade, my parents refused to even let look at one because they were to expensive and contained to many unnecessary features. Disappointed, I succumbed to a basic touch screen phone that often freezes and ceases to work. After a few months, my dad was up for a new phone. He had a Black Berry and despised the thing. It was to complex and he said, "All I need a phone to do is text and call people." So, during my dad's visit at the phone store, the representative talked him into getting the one phone I dreamed of having- the iPhone. I was so envious and jealous! He hated cell phones. He just wanted a phone to call and text people, so he bought the most complex phone currently available! The worst part was they wouldn't even let me glance at it, but as soon as the guy mentioned apple to my dad, he was drooling over an iPhone. He has had it for almost two months now and he absolutely loves it, and I hate him loving it.

Poetry Blog

Hey Mrs. White this is my free week for poetry blogs :)

Thank You Pie

Thank You Pie

Stephanie Kerbel
(b. 1993)

I thank you pie,
For giving us such a sweet moment
Of pleasure with every bite that we take.

I thank you pie,
For providing us with so many options
Of fillings, crusts, and toppings.

I thank you pie,
For your sweet flaky crust
Which holds this concoction together
And melts in my mouth
With every scoop of my spoon.

I thank you pie,
For your gooey insides
That make you unique
And embody your pieness.

I thank you pie,
For your diverse toppings
Which give beauty and elegance
To your face.
Thank you pie.

Those Winter Sundays

I liked this poem because you didn't have beat it with a hammer to get its meaning. you only had to barely look under the surface. "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden talks about a child's memories of his or her father. In the fist stanza, Hayden tells about the dad's work and how it damaged his aching hands. "[C]racked hands the ached from the labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze." This line from the passage reminds me of my dad's hands because they are often dry and cracked from his work. The next stanza, Hayden discusses the house and its atmosphere. "I'd wake and hear the coal splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he'd call and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house." This stanza some what confused me, but I was able to sort of relate to it. The line where Hayden says "fearing of the chronic angers of that house" makes me wonder if the parents did not get along, or if they had financial problems so there was tension, or the dad was angry from doing so much work. I was, however, able to relate this part because I have had times where my parents wake me up and I lay in bed and wonder if they are upset or if I am in trouble. The third stanza talks about the child's interactions with his or her father. "Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well." This line makes me think that the reader feels guilty for not being more grateful to his or her father because even though the dad did all these favors on top of working hard. The final stanza is more from the readers matured view. "What did I know, what did I know Of love's austere and lonely offices. This final line leads me to believe that the reader once he or she was older and more mature understood that his or her dad in reality did love him or her but may not have shown it through hugs and kisses but through favors and hard work.

A Work of Artifice

"A Work of Artifice" by Marge Piercy talks about the possibilities of a bonsai tree and how its growth was stunted by the gardener. This poem is very easy to relate to no matter who the reader is because almost everyone at some point in their lives have experienced some sort of repression or has learned of the repression of a particular group like women and African Americans. Piercy begins her poem by discussing the possibilities of the tree. "The bonsai tree... could have grown eighty feet tall on the side of the mountain." She then discusses how to tree was restrained from reaching its full potential. "It is nine inches high. Everyday as he whittles back the branches the gardener croons, it is your nature to be small and cozy, domestic and weak." Finally, Piercy says that to hold back living creatures one must start early. I really related this poem to Janie and Jody in Their Eyes Were Watching God. While Janie is married to Jody, Jody is constantly trying to win Janie's silence and obedience. He does not believe that Janie and all women have anything to say or think. He insults her ideas and dreams and even results to beating her until she finally gives in. Janie loses sight of herself and her dreams for a while. If compared to "A Work of Artifice," Janie is the little bonsai tree imprisoned in the pot, and Jody is the gardener holding her back from her true potential.

The Coming of Wisdom with Time

"The Coming of Wisdom with Time" by William Butler Yeats talks of a person acquiring knowledge throughout their life time. The first line, "Though the leaves are many, the root is one," can be interpreted several different ways. At first I took it as the leaves are many different ideas and the root as the one mind, the one person, who has those thousands of ideas. The second line, "Through all the lying days of my youth," relates to the mind set of a child. All the world is right in their mind and that is the lie. They believe they are right and their opinions are the only ones. Next, Yeats goes on to say, "I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun," which means he flourished in the learning of knowledge and wisdom and understood the world. Finally, he goes one to say "Now I may wither into the truth," which simply means as he grew old, he wallows in the truth and understating that he has learned throughout his lifetime. Then after rereading the first line, I thought maybe the world is the one root and the leaves are the people, and that first line is the wisdom that is acquired over time: that we are not alone in the world and it does not revolve around us.

Unveiling

I liked this poem because it reminded me of my childhood, so I could really relate to it. Unveiling by Linda Pastan talks about her memories walking through the cemetery and seeing her families graves. She recalls on family dinners and feeling left out as a child. "[A]lmost the way they used to sit around the long planked table at family dinners." This quote reminds me of my own family dinners at my Grandma's house. Whether it was Christmas, Thanksgiving, or just a get together, we all sat in the same place at dinner. "[J]ust left out a bit as if they kept from me the kind of grown-up secret they used to share back then." This reminds me of when I was chained to the little kid table and all the adults would be laughing and wouldn't tell us kids what went wrong, or when they would ask us kids to leave the room so they could have grown up talk.

Toads

The metaphor in this poem is the strangest metaphor I have ever read. The author, Philip Larkin, compares work to a toad, and . The theme of this poem is the mindset of the working "average Joe." They spend so much time working to afford the enjoyments of life which in turn often overshadows and ruins the enjoyments of life. Lark talks about how the speaker is envious of people who have conquered work and are able to enjoy life, but admits the he or she cannot break away from the expectations of society and the system. "Six days of the week it soils With its sickening poison- Just for paying a few bills! That's out of proportion." Not only does this poem compare toads to work but toads to the lack of courage inside ones self. This toad is the main reason why the speaker can't escape the "rat race." "For something sufficiently toad-like Squats in me, too;... And will never allow me to blarney My way to getting The fame and the girl and the money all at one sitting." His final sentence summarizes the two toads and describes how they work together. "Its hard to lose either When you have both."

Acquainted with the Night

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Lee Frost, is loaded with similes, metaphors, and symbols. If taken literally, the first line of the poem has no meaning. "I have been one acquainted with the night." In most poems night is a symbol for death, which it very well could symbolize in this poem, because Frost experienced many losses in his life including his father, mother, sister, and four of his six children. More or less, Frost is referring to being acquainted with death. In addition to death, this poem has several references to depression which often walks hand and hand with death. "I have outwalked the furthest city light." In this line, Frost symbolizes light as hope and is saying he has gone beyond hope in his depression. "I have walked looked down the saddest city lane." This line, Frost could be referring to a time when his depression was particularly strong. "I have passed the watchmen on his beat And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain." This quote eludes to the thought that Frost is ashamed of his depression and "unwilling to explain." The idea of depression and its stages are all depicted in this poem. Each line shows the different effect depression has on the speaker, starting with hopelessness, extreme sadness, and shamefulness.

In Black Water Woods

This was not my most favorite poem that we have read so far; however, I loved the first two stanzas. As you read each line there became a new meaning to what the author, Mary Oliver, was saying. She started off with "Look, the trees," which just simply means look at the trees. Then, she adds "Look, the trees are turning," which could be interpreted many different ways such as, the trees themselves are physically turning around or maybe they are turning from the wind like the wind is blowing and making them turn. She next says, "Look, the trees are turning their own bodies," this then eliminates the possibility of the wind turning them and personifies the trees to make them seem like they are picking themselves up and turning around. In the next line, Oliver then adds, "Look, the trees are turning theirs own bodies into pillars," this gave me the image of trees holding up buildings or houses. Finally, the author says, "Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light," this final line changed the whole meaning to me. I pictured tall, beautiful, elegant trees with light shinning through the leaves to create a surreal and tranquil feeling.

Little Apocalypse

Little Apocalypse by Charles Wright is not my favorite poem that we have read in class, but I still loved it. I really liked the sensory details and how the author made little things seem so important and monumental like "the ground shutters beneath the ant's hoof," or "the robin, great warrior, above." My favorite line in the poem was "Coffins and sugar bones awash in the sudden sun," because it refers not only to the bones whiteness with sugar but also to how long the bones have been at rest because they could blow away like sugar. The double meaning it portrayed really caught me attention. I also think the title was a perfect fit for the poem because it poses two contradicting ideas: little and apocalypse, and throughout the whole poem, the author compares contradicting things like butterflies on patrol, ants making the ground shutter, and a robin being a great warrior. Finally, I liked the biblical reference to the four horsemen and the apocalypse. Conquest, war, famine, and death are the four horsemen as described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible. Although the four horses were only mentioned in the last line of the poem, throughout the whole poem, it makes references to each horse.

My High School, My iPod

High school is like an iPod. With in it, it contains many unique individual features. Your friends are like your favorite songs. You’re constantly with them, listening to them over and over again. You sometimes get annoyed, tired of them, so you stop listening, but somehow you always come back to them. The classic good songs that you never really can get tired of but don’t necessarily always listen to are your friends from middle school. You may not be best friends, but you still have classic memories that you’ll never forget. The good artists are like the favored teachers. You enjoy their class, so you have several songs of theirs. The artists that you only have one or two songs of are the teachers not everyone loves. So, you only have one song of theirs; you only take their class because you have to. The playlists are your reoccurring events like sports, theater, homecoming, even lunch. They are set and selected by you. The different genres are like the different cliques: classic rock, country, rap, jocks, nerds, and band kids. And finally the random one song that downloaded but wont play for unexplainable reasons is the silent friend, the fallen classmate, the empty seat at graduation, the unturned tassel.

Eveing Concert, Saint-Chapelle

I really enjoyed this poem because I could relate to it very easily. The poem depicts an orchestra concert at Saint Chapelle, and because I play the violin, I can clearly picture this poem in my mind. The author, John Updike, starts by illustrating the scene of the concert with vivid details that allow the reader to picture the setting even if he or she has never been to Saint Chapelle. Updike continues on and describes the type of music being played. Vivaldi and Brahms were excellent choices for composers because they are both very well known and celebrated pieces of music, so it is easy for the audience to relate to them. Then, from here on, Updike describes the effect of the music, not on the audience but on the orchestra. The reader can infer this from the line "a glimmer ebbed until our beating hearts, our violins were cased in thin but solid sheets of lead." I really liked this part because I have experienced everything Updike describes. In fact, I have played pieces from both Brahms and Vivaldi and I can easily remember the feeling I got when I performed them. "[T'he listening eye saw suddenly the thick black lines , in shapes of shield and cross and strut and brace, that held the holy glowing fantasy together." This is my favorite part of the poem because there is a difference between playing notes on a page and actually creating music, and this part talks about the music jumping off the page and surrounding the orchestra. (picture: Saint Chapelle)

The Halo That Would Not Light

So far, this is my favorite poem that I have read for poetry responses and that we have discussed as a class. It is haunting, powerful, and very moving. When I first read the poem, I was confused at what the author was writing about. Then, after reading it a few more times and with the help of the class discussion, I figured out that the poem was talking about a child who had died. I really like the beginning because it reminds me of the classic nursery story of babies being delivered by storks. "When, after many years, the raptor beak Let loose of you, He dropped your tiny body In the scarab colored hallow...." Where the raptor is the stork and instead of being dropped on a porch step, the child is dropped into a grave. My other favorite part was "Tonight the wind is hover- Hunting as the leather seats of swings go back And forth with no one in them...." This part was the most vivid for me because I remember loving to swing on the swings as child and when the author, Lucie Brock-Broido, talks about them being vacant, it really hit home. I also really loved the title: everyone says children are little angels, so The Halo That Would Not Light reminds me of a fallen angel, a child who never got to live.

Lost Brother

When I first read this poem, I thought this guy was crazy, or at least that he was just another tree hugging hippie from Boulder, Colorado. He makes it sound like he thinks he is a tree, and that they both have the same mother. However, after reading it a several times more, I discovered that when he referred to "our mother" he was simply meaning mother nature.
I really liked the part when he "made up a story." The description the author uses to describe the scenery makes me feel like I'm in the mountains. I also enjoyed this part because it shows our inner child. It showed me that you are never to old to imagine even the wildest things, like being related to a tree.
"I am prepared to live as long as he did (it would please our mother) live with the clouds and those I love suffering with God." When I first read this last part I was extremely confused. I thought he meant he wanted to be immortal and live for "four thousand eight hundred sixty-two years" like his "lost brother," but then I looked a little deeper into the poem, and I discovered that maybe he did not mean literally living that long but figuratively. Maybe by living life to the fullest and trying to make a difference is the same if not better than living forever. I feel like this part teaches us that surrounding yourself with your loved ones and faith and shooting for the clouds would please "our mother."

Mr. Fear

I really loved this poem because you didn't have to beat it with a hammer to understand its meaning; however, at the same time, you could look deeper into the poem and find an alternate meaning or another twist. When first reading the poem it appears that the author, Lawrence Raab, is talking about our fears appearing in our night mares. "Mr. Fear, we say in our dreams, what do you have for me tonight?" Then, later in in the poem the narrorator says, "Tell me, Mr. Fear, what must I carry away from your dream?" as if saying we create new fears in our dreams. However, after "beating the poem with a hammer" I felt like the real meaning f this poem was that our fears don't let us dream. They block out our good thoughts and fill our heads with terror. They don't allow us to have good dreams.

Begining Again by Franz Wright

"If I could stop talking, completely
cease talking for a year, I might begin
to get well," he muttered.
Off alone again performing
brain surgery on himself
in a small badly lit
room with no mirror. A room
whose floor ceiling and walls
are all mirrors, what a mess
oh my God--

And still
it stands,
the question
not how begin again, but rather

Why?

So we sit there
together
the mountain
and me, Li PO
said, until only the mountain
remains.

--Franz Wright

When i first read this poem, i was extremely confused. It seemed like the author was just rambling. However, after reading the poem a second time, I began to figure out its meaning. Then after "beating it with a hammer" I realized what the poem was truly saying.
First, I divided the poem into structural parts. In the first stanza, the narrator reflects on the flaws in his character. "Off alone again performing brain surgery on himself...," shows that the narrator is trying to change himself. The second and third stanza then moves to discuss the importance of changing. It shows that the real question is not how to begin to change but why he or she needs to change. Finally, the fourth stanza addresses what is left after the change.
I found the last stanza to be the most confusing, yet the most beautiful part of the poem. "[U]ntil only the mountain remains," was my favorite line in the poem. I loved it because it could be interpret ted in so many different ways. When I first read the poem, I thought it meant that the mountain was the obstacles he had to over come. Then, after reading it several more times, I came to the conclusion that it symbolized the narrator after the transformation. Powerful, beautiful, strong.

(word count-not including poem: 216)

Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness definitely surprised me. Several people I had talked to before reading it said they found the book rather boring, but I disagree. I thought that several parts in the book created suspense and the plot was very original. However, I did find much of the book quite confusing, and sometimes I had to re read parts of the book or just never understood them altogether. Some events in the story felt somewhat rushed to me because it was such a short book . I think that a few spots definitely deserved more detail than what was written.
I used the create trails annotation style for this book, and I found it very helpful. It made me read more closely and actually think about the meaning of the book. I also liked making my own index and glossary because it made me look up definitions to words I don't know, so it also helped broaden my vocabulary. I also am glad that I saved this style of annotation for this book because I found several parts confusing so it helped to re read then write my own summary of what just happened which helped me keep track of the main events in the book. I definitely think that if I were to ever re read this book it would be much easier the second time through because of the summaries that I wrote and the words i now know the meaning of.
Because I read this book last, I had already practiced the other two annotating styles; therefore, I found myself using the other two types of annotation in this book, and it was difficult to stick to just the create trails style. If I were to use all three styles in one book, I think I would learn more from the book rather than just using one at a time.

The Great Gatsby

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by The Great Gatsby. For being such a common and classic novel I found the plot rather boring. The dullness of the book, however, may seem exaggerated to me because I read it after The Kite Runner, which was an extremely intense story.
I used the to learn to write style of annotation and I did not like it as much as the to create trails style like I used in The Kite Runner. Therefore, I found annotating The Great Gatsby difficult because my thoughts did not just flow, and I had to force myself to think of something to write. I think I found this style of annotation difficult because I have never been taught to practice this before; I have always just written down my thoughts when I am asked to mark the text. On the other hand, I am glad I picked this book out of the three for this style of annotation because F. Scott Fitzgerald uses very descriptive adjectives and verbs. I have a lot of respect for him as an author: he is very talented, and I like his style of writing. I do think that watching his style closely in this book will make me concentrate more on my own style.
This book moved very slowly for me. It seemed like the climax of the book was in the last chapter, and the whole rest of the book had a lot of unnecessary information. Another thing I did not like was it seemed like there were a lot of random characters that were hard to keep track of and I found myself getting confused.
I think a lot of my disappointment was because I had high expectations for the book because it is known as classic piece of American literature. I guess this just teaches that I should begin every book with an open mind.

The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner fell nothing short of its reviews by The New York Times and Newsday. It was powerful, haunting, and definitely unforgettable. I really enjoyed reading this book. Although it was 370 pages, it moved very quickly.

I liked annotating this book more than the others because I used the create trails style of annotation, and I found this book easy to relate to. One reason I was able to connect so well to this book was because I read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Rein which was set in the Middle East as well. Also, a large part of this book was based around atonement and righting wrongs. It was easy to relate to that because in AP Lang I wrote an essay about The Sunflower, whose main theme is forgiveness.
One part of the book I really liked was watching Amir's character transform from a young boy to a grown man. It was amazing to see the change and how he slowly grasped the gravity of things as he matured. It almost felt like i was there growing up with him and watching this process for myself.
Finally, I loved the level of intensity of this book. The events that happened to these characters blew my mind. I was shocked to see them described in such vivid detail and forwardness. I have never read another book that discusses such traumatic events. It crossed over the line of things people generally feel uncomfortable talking about which is why i loved it! It brought up emotions that I have never felt towards a book before. This made the book even more unforgettable and incredibly moving.