A Noiseless Patient Spider

After doing this one for my teaching with Brit, the whole bridge aspect made a lot more sense. It seems that Whitman is saying that all throughout life, these sort of "filament strings" are attached everywhere. This comes with experiences, adventures, and just everyday life that is thrown at you. People go through life just taking it in like a noiseless patient spider. At the end of their life, they have a bridge made of all the filament. The soul is like a sleepless spider looking to experience life. It must throw out the filament throughout life before a bridge or anchor can be created. Whitman is comparing the human soul to the spider and does so through "filament" or the experiences of life that create the soul as a whole in the end.

I thank you god

The first thing I noticed about this poem was how god wasn't capitalized. That has always been very strange to me since I grew up in a christian school and not capitalizing god was a sin. But the only thing capitalized in the title is I and god is capitalized in the poem so I don't think there was a special meaning of that. I like in the first stanza how "you" is all capitalized, putting emphasis on God. It goes into expressing the love and adornment of the world around him. He gets into great detail about the beauty of nature. The use of the word "which" in the last couple of lines in that stanza is peculiar. It is sort of grouping natural, infinite, and yes into one category. The next stanza is all put in parenthesis. It gives a side note feel or an inner thought look to it. The third stanza focuses on the human senses. It touches on the fact that some things seem unimaginable. The last stanza is put into parenthesis again. It gives me a sense of renewing or rebirth. "(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)."

Thanksgiving Poem

T'was the night before Thanksgiving,
When all through the kitchen
Not a spoon was stirring, not even a spork.
The cornucopias were hung by the microwave with care,
In hope that St. Turkey soon would be there.

The chicklins were nestled all snug in their coop
While visions of grasshopper-cakes danced in their heads.
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our wings for a long winters nap.

Even If You Weren't My Father

The first thing that I noticed about the poem by Camillo Sbarbaro, "Even If You Weren't My Father," was that it seems to be translated from a different language. On the Internet, the poem is in a different language and everything about Sbarbaro is in a different language as well. That seems very different to me.

This poem seems very heart felt as well. Most authors don't seem as blunt as Sbarbaro is in this poem. They are normally more abstract and metaphoric about their topic, especially about families. But Sbarbaro comes right out and says how much he loves his father and how much he means to him. I also like how he broke up the poem in memories. The first one showed his love and dedication towards his children. The second stanza frightened me in the fact that the father was angrily chasing his little girl however. In no situation does that seem all that normal to me. But it then shows his compassion and warm heart towards his daughter as well.

My favorite part about the poem is how Sbarbaro repeats the line, "Father, even if you weren't my father, were you an utter stranger,..." It starts off the poem and ends it nicely.

Those winter Sundays

The first thing I noticed about this poem was the title. Winter is not capitalized. I don't know if that is just a typo or if there is a significance to that. Maybe it is trying to emphasise the word Sundays so not having winter capitalized draws attention towards Sundays. Or it could be the other way around so the attention is supposed to be drawn to winter. Either way it caught my eye.

After reading the poem, I immediately thought of my own dad. He is a contractor and construction worker so he endures hard labor all throughout the weekdays as well. He is also the one to dig us out of our driveway when it snows and get the corn stove going (our cheaper form of heat). I always stay in bed on Sundays until he says the breakfast he has prepared for us is ready. I feel that through the first 3 stanzas, I can really relate to what the author is talking about.

Once I got to the last stanza, I was somewhat confused. I think the author is saying that his dad's work was rough and lonely. I'm not sure if he is refering to the hard labor and taking care of his kids. I get confused by the word offices but that is the best guess I have.

Acquainted with the Night

The first thing I noticed about this poem was the fact that it was by Robert Frost. I have read his poem "The Road Not Taken" a million times in different classes. It is interesting that in this poem he talks a lot about walking and taking different roads just like in the other poem. He is known for his distributive writings on rural areas especially in New England. He does this to examine complex social and philosophical themes. Frost is a very educated man and has experienced life in many areas. He has traveled around the nation and taught at a lot of places he has been at.

I also thought of an insomniac when i first saw the title. They become very acquainted with the night since they are never able to fall asleep. I like the way the first 5 lines of the poem all start with I and flow together nicely. Also how each line is its own thought for the first two stanzas.

Unveiling

Linda Pastan talks about death all throughout her poem "Unveiling." I thought that the title of the poem was confusing to what the topic was. Normally when an author talks about death it's more of a covering up than an unveiling. This is because Pastan speaks about the topic differently. She doesn't fear death. In a way she is almost looking forward to it. She talks about how her aunts, mom, dad, and uncles are all "together" dead. The all "lie in two long rows almost the way they used to sit around the long planked table at family dinners." Pastan goes on to say how she almost feels left out of her family for not being there with them. She knows that it is not her time yet and her time will come. She relates this back to when she was a kid she didn't understand all the secrets that went on between the adults. My thought is that this feeling of being left out comes from being Jewish. Jewish families are known for being very close to each other and living their lives tightly with one another. Now that Pastan is missing that, she is the one left out and longs to be with them again.

For the Sleepwalkers

The first thing I noticed about this poem was the topic. Normally poets compare their topic to things like nature, a meaningful story, or basic things throughout life. I have never seen a poem related to sleepwalking or sleeping in general before. The fact that Hirsch does this makes the poem topic stick out to me even more. Hirsch talks about the fact the sleepwalkers are able to have so much trust in their bodies to get them from point A to point B without knowing it. He compares this idea to us as humans having to trust our hearts. Its weird to think that we don't always have 100% control over ourselves all the time. Sleepwalkers are able to explore an entire house and sometimes even the outside world without ever knowing it. I've never though of the aspect of sleepwalking before. Sometimes we have to learn to not always be in control and be okay with that. It doesn't mean that we let ourselves get hurt but we just don't have all the control all the time. Hirsch comparing sleepwalking to the human heart really gives a different view on the topic that I've never seen before.

The Coming of Wisdom with Time

Of course the first thing I noticed about this poem was the length. The poem is 4 lines long with an average of 8 words per line. Its short, sweet, and to the point. Kind of the way Yeats describes the coming of wisdom throughout the poem. The other thing I noticed was the fact that the first word of the poem is not capitalized but the second, third, and fourth lines have the first word capitalized. I feel like there is a significance to this but I'm not completely sure. Maybe it symbolizes the coming of wisdom like Yeats describes in the poem.

The first line, "through leaves are many, the root is one...," gives a very image rich idea of what Yeats views was wisdom. The leaves represents the countless experiences, memories, and adventures that people experience through life. The "root is one" represents the person in the end of all the experiences. Yeats then uses the last three lines to make a sort of metaphor to the youthful days and the older days.
"Through all the lying days of my youth
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;
Now I may wither into the truth."
Yeats is saying that now since he has experienced all of this, he can be done. The last line "Now I may wither into the truth," seems a little more harsh then the rest of the poem.

I Hear America Singing I,Too, Sing America

I always like to see two different sides to a story, idea, or situation. That's exactly what was given through the two poems; "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman and "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes. Both of these poems relate to the "American Dream" era that occur ed around the 1920's. Whitman experienced this era as a middle class, white man with the world at his fingertips. Hughes experienced this era as a low class, black man with nothing but the clothes on his back. These two different views and ideas come out through each of their poems. Whitman focuses on each individual person as workers, working toward that America Dream and having nothing stopping them. Hughes focuses on the fact that everyone else was living this dream life while he was considered, "the darker brother." He was never given the same chance as the "carpenter, boatman, shoemaker, and wood-cutter."
Seeing these two views gives readers a better idea of not only the personal struggles, but also the overall experience of the era.

In Blackwater Woods

The first thing i noticed about Mary Oliver's poem was all the nature, and natural aspects to it. She talks about trees as "pillars of light," cattails "brushing and floating away over the blue shoulders," and "the fires and the black river of loss." All of her distribution of nature gives readers an undeniable imagery of her work. The "New York Times" described Oliver as "far and away." This ideas becomes clear through this poem.

Mary Oliver's inspirations are known to come from her hometown of Maple Height, Ohio (a semi-rural suburb). She also lived on a farm with poet Edna St. Vincent Millay's sister Norma for 7 years. Being constantly immersed in nature gives Oliver a unique take on the topic. Oliver is also known for her "clear observations of the natural word." Many times she gets these observations from walking through nature.

Wallflowers

This poem seems to be one of the less ambiguous poems we have look at this quarter. Donna Vorreyer tells about the use of words. Some words are used very often and others that never get used. Words become like "orphans" ready to be chosen and used by people. Vorreyer is concerned about those words that never get used, that they might get lonely and become bitter. Vorreyer being a middle school teacher could be some inspiration for this poem. Middle school is known for its cruel atmosphere and constant loneliness. Vorreyer sees this common occurance everyday in the place she works.

Lost Brother

The main thing that stuck out to me about the author of "Lost Brother" was the fact that he grew up in New York. Growing up in such an industrialized area gives Moss a perspective that people like me don't have. I have had the luxury of growing up in a nature filled state unlike New York. I have been surrounded by trees, wildlife, and the "outdoors" my entire life. I've never had the opportunity to miss trees or really understand what life is like without them. Because Moss didn't get to experience this, trees are much more valuable in his eyes. He hasn't taken them for granted.

I also really like how he says, "I know we had the same mother." The reference to mother nature brings his idea together wonderfully. It gives me the idea that we are all related and actually do have the same "mother."

When Moss says, "I realized, when I saw his photograph,

he was an evergreen, a bristlecone like me...," I'm somewhat confused about what that reference is to. I understand he's trying to make the illusion that they are one in the same but I'm not sure if there is more to it.

Still Memory

Mary Karr- the author of the poem "Still Memory"- was born in a small town in South East Texas. She is known for writing poems based on memories, especially ones of her sister. This poem really portrays that part of her. The whole poem is about a certain memory of her childhood but starts out "The dream was so deep..." I'm not sure if it really is a dream or if Karr is just setting up her memory as a dream. Never the less, she talks about her father "...in the doorway, not dead, just home from the graveyard shift...," her mother "rummages through silver...," and her sister "steps fast because the bathroom tiles are cold..." Each description gives a different aspect to the memory and makes it come more alive.

Mary Karr also said that when she was 11, she had a notebook "to write poetry and autobiography." At the end of the poem "Still Memory," Karr makes a direct reference to this.
"My ten-year-old hand reaches
for a pen to record it all
as would become long habit."
This seems to be the climax of the poem. Her first memories of writing poems.

To Myself

The first thing that stuck out to me in the poem "To Myself" was the fact that it was one continuous thought. There are no stanzas or periods at any point. Not even at the end of the poem. It made me think that W.S. Merwin (the author) was thinking things out with himself. It may also be a way to emphasize the the personal reflection aspect. Not only does it give a personal vibe, but it also gives a calling to action feel as well. The first four lines end in the word "you." This gives me the idea that the poem is trying to make readers reflect on themselves as well.

The climax of the poem seems to be towards the end when he says,
"...I can recognize
you who are always the same
who pretend to be time but
you are not time..."
This makes me think that we as people try so hard to be something we aren't for most of our lives.

August 29th Poem- 1943

The first thing that stood out to me with Donald Hall's Poem "1943" was the structure. He keeps all the lines within the same length and has them spaced with two lines in each stanza. The structure gives me a matter of fact felling about his poem; like there is no distraction with how it is all set up. On the website poets.org-a site that gives backgrounds and bios on numerous poets- said that, "Hall has long been placed in the Frostian tradition of the plainspoken rural poet. His reliance on simple, concrete diction and the no-nonsense sequence of the declarative sentence gives his poems steadiness and imbues them with a tone of sincere authority. It is a kind of simplicity that succeeds in engaging the reader in the first few lines." The fact that Hall gives such "simplicity" makes his poems stand out all the more.

This poem is also a kind of tribute to Hall's life. Hall was born in 1928 in New Haven, Connecticut. This means that Hall was already 15 at the time of America entering World War II-prime age for a prospective solider. Hall had to experience the pressures of being a teenage boy at the time of war. As Hall said himself,
"They toughened us for war. In the high-school auditorium
Ed Monahan knocked out Dominick Esposito in the first round

of the heavyweight finals..."

The Heart of Darkness

About a week ago, my church ended a series called "Heroes...broken not made." The series consisted of heroes throughout the Bible that were called upon by God to lead. Some of these people included Jonah, and Joseph. In every story, God's chosen people didn't want to be chosen. They denied God time and time again. By doing this, Jonah, and Joseph were broken down to nothing. Jonah was eaten by a giant fish and Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Through all the hurt, disappointment, and betrayal that the men went through, they became heroes. Heroes are broken, not made.



This is exactly how I viewed Marlow throughout the story. Marlow in the end seem like the hero that saved the day for everyone. He got Kurtz, he restored the ship and he was there for Kurtz during his death. Being the hero didn't come with the glitz and glam that it's made out to be. Marlow was broken. Broken just like Jonah and Joseph. It might not have been in the same spiritual way, but still broken. Marlow felt that the world wasn't what it was supposed to be. He was also a huge cynic of his surroundings. In the end, the only way for Marlow to be the hero was to be broken. He had to feel the trials and tribulations of the world in order to make it feel right. Without this view of the world, Marlow would've just been another narrator.

The Kite Runner

My favorite part of this book would have to be the constant reference to Hassan (Hazara servant to the narrator) from begging to end.

Hassan stood out to me the second he was introduced. His loyalty, unconditional care, and venerability toward Amir (narrator) made him an unforgettable aspect to life. A character like Hassan is once in a lifetime. And Amir knew it. Amir had to live with the fact that he would never be the character Hassan was; he wasn't loyal, he wasn't caring, and he defiantly never made himself venerable. Amir had to live with the fact that his own father showed more love to the Hazara servant than him. Amir had to live with the fact that he hated one of the best things that would happen to him. Amir lived with the agony of Hassan. His best friend.

I really hate when my favorite people in a book are killed. That's what this summer has been filled with from reading these books. All the good guys getting killed. Personally I felt such sorrow when Rahim Khan told of Hassan's death to Amir. The betrayal and wrong doings that had fallen upon Hassan brought his story together all the more.

The twists and turns that took place throughout "The Kite Runner" were unlike anything I have ever read before. Just when I thought things would get better, Amir didn't step in between Assef and Hassan, Amir framed Hassan for stealing, Amir and Baba fled to America, Baba died, Amir and Soraya couldn't have a child, Rahim Khan was dying, Hassan had been killed, Sohrab had been taken by the Taliban, Assef had Sohrab, Amir almost got killed by Assef, Sohrab couldn't be adopted, Sohrab felt life wasn't worth living anymore. Although there were tiny victories throughout, the defeats were overwhelming.

In the end, through all my disappointment, the tiny victory for Amir-Sohrab's slight smile while flying a kite-was good enough for him. All of the irony that came with Amir's life left him happy and content with himself at last.

The Great Gatsby

"The Great Gatsby" turned out to be a lot different than I thought it would be. My idea of it was more of a rags to riches story on the narrator's side, not so much Gatsby. The plot started out a little slow with confusion on what character was who and why they were important. In the end however, it came together nicely with Wolfsheim as the exception. I didn't understand fully what part he had to do in it all. He was a business partner of Gatsby's but that's has far as I got with it. Overall, it was very interesting reading about those times. We learned a lot about the 1920's in Modern America but seeing one whole story of the lying, cheating, and scandals made it all come alive. It also related a lot more to modern day bourgeoisie than I expected (parties, affairs, deceit, mystery).

The annotating process was a very new experience. I felt bad about writing in the book at first but then got over it very quickly. For "The Great Gatsby," I used the annotating skill of "making trails." To me, that ment summing up the text and relating new ideas back to ones that had previously be made. Even if that isn't what "making trails" means, it still ended up helping me in the end. I was able to follow along a lot easier and keep track of minor characters more efficently. Hopefully annotating books will become more natural to me as I practice.