POL

My poem is "The More Loving One" by W.H. Auden. I immediately connected to this poem, because of how the narrator is looking up at the stars, thinking about their future. Why I connected to the stars aspect of the poem, is because I enjoy looking at stars. The one memory I have that I am always reminded of when I look at the stars is a night in Oregon with my dad. We were camping on the coast, and I remember not being able to sleep in our cabin. So my dad drove me to the Devil's Punchbowl, which is a huge sandstone bowl that has been shaped by the ocean's pounding surf. My dad and I were above the Punchbowl on the cliff overlooking it, and we both looked up. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. You could not see the darkness of the night sky, because the sky was filled with so many stars. Every constellation was showing. So when the narrator is looking up at the sky, thinking about things, I immediately connected.

I really feel passionate about this poem, because I have a very sentimental connection to it. I also enjoy how the poem is some-what sarcastic. The language in which this poem is written is formal diction, so it is very easy to read-but it is somewhat harder to actually understand. I had to read it through quite a few times before I finally understood the view of the narrator.

Poetry Out Loud:

Part 1
1. Mulberry Fields by Lucille Clifton

2. Reverie in Open Air by Rita Dove

3. Analysis of Baseball by May Swenson

4. The Secret Garden by Rita Dove, Snowy Owl Near Ocean Shores by Duane Niatum, The River Now by Richard Hugo, Surfaces by Kay Ryan, A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky by Lewis Carroll

Part 2

1.I enjoyed the poem Surfaces by Kay Ryan, mainly because of its references to the ocean. I also enjoyed Reverie in Open Air by Rita Dove. I especially enjoyed this poem, because how calm and relaxed the author sounds in her writing. It is explaining how we all acknowledge the fact that we're strangers, and we all are different. So you might as well kick off your shoes, sit down, and relax with the breeze blowing slightly in your face. Surfaces is telling how everything in the world has a purpose, and how everything does not last. As before, I liked the references to the ocean.

2. I did not enjoy The River Now by Richard Hugo, because the author is complaining about life, and that everything around him is falling apart.

3. I am interested in Surfaces by Kay Ryan and Reverie in Open Air by Rita Dove. Each spark interest in me that the other poems failed to do. I enjoyed reading each of the author's point of view on similar subjects, about how nothing ever lasts, and that being the point, relax and enjoy. That is how I interpreted each poem.

4. I personally connected with those two poems, on a level of psychological meaning. I have been interested in sort of the 'soul searching' aspect of life, just trying to find myself, and a purpose, as well as inner-peace. Each poem touched me differently, enlightening my aspect on each subject of looking at life.

Part 3.

1. The two criteria that will be easy for me to meet will be the projecting of my voice and confidence. I am confident I will do very well on this, because I have experience with talking in front of large audiences, as well as performing. 

2. Two pieces of criteria that may be challenging for me may be articulating each word perfectly and not fidgeting.

3. I must project to the audience, proceed at natural and easy pace, and not be too awkward while speaking towards the audience.

Part 4

1. Bilingual/Bilingüe

by Rhina P. Espaillat She had a very strong stage presence and clear and accurate articulate.

2. Frederick Douglass
by Robert E. Hayden This was a successful poem, because of how the young woman was dramatic, but still inspired. She also had precise articulation which made the poem even better.

Part 5

For POL, I know I will have to practice my stage presence, because the videos I watched of the students who recited poems, all had a very strong stage presence. I also know that I will have to choose a harder poem to recite, but I like the ones I chose. I liked the website because it was easy to read and easy to understand.

Extra Credit Blog

This is year in Honor's English I have acquired many valuable skills from none other then Mrs. Gilman herself. The skill that has helped the most in English is TWIST. It has led me to dig deeper into the text and analyze further, which is aiding me tremendously. I already find myself being able to read snippets of text and analyzing each quicker, with stronger points and ideas than before. I know that this will help me throughout this year and later in life. Being able to have the knowledge to analyze and quote everything perfectly is a skill most people do not acquire. Thank you Mrs. Gilman,  you're already helping me suceed in English.

Lobster Discussion: A Tale of Life and Death

While discussing the poem Lobsters, I was intrigued by several ideas that were discussed. My main point/idea was the fact that this poem has very literal meanings. The difference between life and death, the end of everything has the possibility of being the beginning of something new, which was the pot, somewhat symbolizing the Earth. I didn't completely understand that, but after analyzing the poem further, it made me realize how insignificant all the judgements of people and that you have are pointless, because you have to be able to live and let die, because before you know it, you might be the one in the pot. In the text, there was a comparison between life and the death of the lobsters in a boiling pot. I hopefully made some insightful points and changed some people's view on the poem, because after sharing my own idea, I had my perspective definitely changed.
 An idea that dominated most of the discussion was that of society v. the lobsters. While we all were vocalizing our thoughts and feelings on the subject, it struck me as a very logical way to explain the style in which he wrote it in. I really liked the idea, about how the lobsters were treated like the outcasts of our society, because us, the ignorant people who hate to like changes or differences, or lobsters in this case,  kill them instead of trying to understand them. It quite clearly is this- people hate changes. The lobsters are killed because they're so different from anything else in the world that we think we know about. Also, because they're delicious and eating the crustaceans is the thing we know to do with them.

Critiquing & Analyzing: What I Have Realized

        In the last two weeks, I have listened to a number of essay written by my peers, and I have in turn read mine. After listening to all of the criticism (positive and negative), I have began to realize we all as a group have specific things to work on. The main thing in my personal opinion everyone needs to work on, is embedding quotes. There were a number of cases of people specifically said,"she said" or "he said", and I became acutely aware of everyone in the classroom becoming annoyed. Also, the page numbers. That was another issue. Most people embedded them correctly, but the other half of people put (pg. 17) or (Lee pg. 16). Another issue I noticed was people not having a very strong conclusion. The situation was individuals would have a very strong topic sentence, but as the paper read on, the weaker the diction and structure.

        One thing I need to work on from the checklist would be to shorten my paragraph, because I wrote to much for a 5 part paragraph. That will not be too hard because I know I can shorten all of my thoughts into a shorter, smaller, but smarter version. I also need to include embedded on my list of things to do, because I think I could improve my embedding on all of my papers. I do think that I did quite well, considering this be our first 5 point paragraph. The importance of all the aspects of one(5 point paragraph) is all very crucial in being able to get your point across and having a well written paper. Everyone did a good job for their first time writting the paper, but for the next paper I think it wouldn't hurt if we all tried harder to write outstanding paragraphs.

Diction: My Worlds

Last night I was enthralled, buried in a novel I have almost completed, when I heard a yell, a cry, and scrambling footsteps pounding on the stairs. As I pulled myself away from the pages below  me and to the outside world around me, I was suddenly aware something had gone awry from the daily business occurring in my household. I quickly tread into my parents bathroom to find my little sister, rocking to and fro on the bathtub bench. When I went over to examine what the matter was, she stuck a single finger out, which was emitting a steady flow of scarlet blood. I rushed to grab some tissue, and was hence absorbed yet again, in another world. This one, concerning the safety of my sister. I was in action, making sure she was not about to fall into a sea of darkness, and that each of my parents knew the condition she was in. As everyone raced around, busying themselves with other tasks, I found myself pondering what she would want. A snack? Her Pooh Bear? A refreshing glass of water? When I went to see what exactly she may have been craving it occurred to me that she may just prefer seek comfort. So I sat beside her and in the kindest and most nurturing way, stroked her head and comforted her with words of great sentimental value.
After all of the hullabaloo was over, I peacefully made my hike back up the stairs into the clouds of my imagination and own sanctuary. I fell back into a restful daze, which then lead me back to novel. I was at peace in a whole new world, away from everything-the stress, the sadness, and yet, the happiness as well-and I sank deeper and deeper into the pages of my book. This new world(which I came to discover) was filled with only one thing-homework. But I was happy about it, being able to accomplish everything in time, with no nonsense, all immaturity gone, and thus, I was able to accomplish so much, in so little time.

My Outside Reading Book: The Catcher In the Rye

I chose the book The Catcher In the Rye because after reading  To Kill a Mockingbird. I realized that I actually enjoyed reading classic stories. Ive been told to read certain books just because they were famous, and I was wary at the beginning when I was considering the book, just because everyone last year was reading because J.D. Salinger died. I didn’t want to seem like a fanboy, but I also wanted to read a very good book.

So after reading the first 15 chapters, I decided I actually like the book. The way the main character, Holden Caulfield, tells the story made me automatically want to read more. I am choosing characterization because in the novel there are many minor characters, and one main. The way each one comes and goes is interesting to me and I want to explore each aspect of the story more than any other. Holden leads a very shady life, and each other characters either push him in the direction of a positive life or a negative one. He likes the high life; drinking, smoking, sex, women, and money. He doesn’t put any effort into anything else, and slacks off in every private school his parents ship him off to. One thing I did happen to notice was, Holden has the urge to grow up and be an adult, similar to Ruby McCollin in the novel Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. Ruby’s mother abandons her, but then she is sent to live with her older sister and her husband. She thinks that because her mother doesn’t want her, she has to be an adult, especially since she’s 17. She reminded me of Holden, because she can be cocky, and is also self-centered. Holden only cares about himself, and no one else.

For my project, I have decided to make a poster of the novel. I am going to make a mural and have a quote from the story. I think that with making a visual, it will explain more about the book make people more interested.  I hope the poster will be a good idea, and get people interested.

The Novel and I

When I first read To Kill a Mockingbird, I wanted to read the novel just to comprehend it. I wanted to understand the main meaning of the plot, and not read the novel and become personally attached. When I re-read the book, I found myself not liking it, but as the rising action took place, I began to find myself falling in love. The way the characters are all interconnected, as well as each subplot is intertwined, made me look at life  in general in an entirely different way.
I have read several books that include racism in the plot as well as discrimination, but Harper Lee opened my eyes to an entirely new world. Having the narrator talk about the unfairness from both points of view made me realize how lucky I am today to be living in a society where discrimination is frowned upon and there is a higher level of exceptance towards difference. In Maycomb, it is definitely a different story. If you disagreed with someone on a higher level of prosperity than you, you were excluded and shunned from the community. If you were against slavery and the idea of harassing African-Americans, you were the gossip of the town. No one stood up against the injustice of gossip, discrimination or in other words, what was right.
When Atticus showed his caring nature as well as Jem and Scout, I was at awe. There aren't that many people in the world who will defy the odds against their friends, and it has made quite an impact on me. The novel has made me realize that you need to stick up for those people who can't support themselves, and to stick with your beliefs no matter what anyone thinks. Even though it may not be "the" decision that everyone else is making or deciding on, you need to only think about what is the "right" decision. In other words, I gained a lot from the knowledge Atticus gave Scout and Jem, as well as respect towards each character.Also, I appreciated the ever present Boo Radley, whose shy demeanor but important role showed me a new type of hero. Without all the characters coming together in the very end, the messages Ms. Lee is trying to convey would be different.

My Boo Radley

I have thought about this for a very long time, and I have finally realized that my Boo Radley would be my old band director, Mr. Grostick.
When I first met Mr. Grostick, I didn't know what to think of him. He was quite mean and very loud. I hated the fact that he was getting away we punishing our band, and none of the other teachers were doing that to us. Also, in band we have had a new band director each year, so the behavior of the class was getting out of hand. Everyone thought that they were able to get away with being bad, because of how our old teachers disciplined us. 
So we started making fun of him and telling crude stories and jokes about him behind his back. We didn't understand him, so we thought the only way to "connect" with him, was on the immature and mean level of bullying. I never wanted to understand who he was or anything else about him, because I didn't trust him. I thought that maybe he would be like the other teachers and be gone within a year.So, I decided that maybe I should try and be nice and help lead the class so that we actually learn something during that period for the rest of the year.
 I talked to him after school one day, and he realized that I didn't like him but was making an effort. He agreed to apologize to the class and try to make the period better. The only thing that happened was more harrassment and people being kicked out. So I tried to contact him again, through email, and this is where I think that my scenario is similar to Scout's and Boo's. Scout would try with Jem and Dill to get Boo Radley to talk with them, but he wouldn't. I tried to talk to Mr. Grostick about the class, but nothing he was doing affected what was still an on-going issue.
Finally, one day I decided to talk to band. I basically said, "You guys need to grow up and try and help Mr. Grostick make this year easier for all of us, or this year is going to suck". Also, I had the vice principle and principle talk with the class and Mr. Grostick about each of their behaviors. This helped a lot. As soon as Mr. Grostick showed some compassion and the other students showed some respect, they were able to connect with him on each of their own levels, everything went a lot more smoothly. All because they got to know him, got to understand him a little bit better.
That's all it takes, is some listening skills and respect, to create a better situation, out of one that has no control at all.

Introductory Post

Hello, my name is Meghann and I am in second period Honors English. I love to read and write. I love the excitement of getting a new book(from the library or bookstore) or writing a thrilling passage in the book I am writing. I read in my spare time all the time, and enjoy it thoroughly. For me, I love being able to challenge myself with books, and as well as in my writing. I enjoy taking writing prompts and trying to create a story or essay in my own words, to make it sound original. Another reason why I love to write, is the joy I experience when I write poems, and share them with my friends and family. I love hearing the positive, and constructive criticism. Without help, how are you going to gain in knowledge and writing skills? Quite frankly you won't.


That is another reason why I am in Honors English, so I can improve in my literary and comprehension skills. My personal opinion of myself as a student is I am very attentive, studious, open for new thoughts and ideas, as well as passionate about writing in general. I love to edit, so that is one reason why I am so open. I am very attentive, because I just love reading. Hearing anything about new authors to different genres, helps me.
Some things students will expect to see on my blog, are all assignments, as well as a few poems here and there. The way I will enlighten the English topic, is explain in the best way I can, with the utmost precision on each subject. I will try and make the topics interesting, and try to speak with enthusiasm, instead having a monotone feel to my writing. If I succeed in doing so, then I will be excelling in not only English as a class, but also in life. If I can create posts, as well essays and letters in a way that excites/interests the reader, then I will go far in life. I will not only be improving in my writing skills, but also in communicative abilities in English. While improving right now, I hope to have improved as far as having colleges look my abilities, but also being able to recognize my own writing style.
Thank you for following my blog!