Poetry

     When someone says the word poet or poetry, I cringe! I hate poems. I do not like how everything has to rhyme most of the time, or how everything seems so slow. They rarely ever make sense to me. In my head, I am going back through all my years of schooling, and there has not been a poem that I have ever enjoyed reading. I enjoy many things, but reading poetry is definitely not one of them. I would much rather read something exciting. I am a very energetic person who always likes to be moving and doing. When I read poetry, it makes me sleepy! Throughout this section of English, I am going to try and keep an open mind. If I do like it in any way, that will be a big accomplishment for me. Who knows??!?!


:)lgj     

"A Jury of Her Peers" and "The Story of an Hour"

("A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell pg. 189) 
("The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin pg. 331) 


     This was not my favorite assignment. I really could not do a good job understanding "The Story of an Hour." However, I am going to try and make some sense of it :) I feel like these two stories are both dealing with the aspect of both marriage and death in some way. In both stories, the themes deal with a couple who has been separated by death. I can not imagine the feeling of someone that you have spent most of your life with just dying. In "The Story of an Hour," the wife is accused of murdering her husband by hanging him from a rope. When asked about her husbands death, she acts very nonchalant...almost like she does not care. In "A Jury of Her Peers," the main character's husband has just died. She has herself locked inside of her room just looking out enjoying the view. This gives the reader the idea that she has a sense of freedom that her husband is now passed on. Both stories deal with wives who are not very upset that their husbands are dead. If t was me, I would be devastated. In contrast, one woman dies from a "joy that kills" while the other one is tried for murder. Both women display hardly any concern or grief for their lost spouses. "A Jury of Her Peers" never tells us whether or not the wife actually killed her husband.


:)lgj 

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter"

D.H. Lawrence
(pg. 471)


     Joe~

• He was the oldest brother.
• He was handsome in a hot, flushed way.
• He was 33 years old.
• He was a broad shaped man.
• Had shallow and restless eyes.
• Had a sensual way of uncovering his teeth when he laughed.
• Had a black mustache. 
• He had a red face.
• He had a look of helplessness when the horses were taken; he felt like they were a part of him.
• He is engaged. 

     Fred Henry~ 

• He was the second brother.
• He was clean-limbed and erect.
• He was a very alert person.
• When the horses were taken, he had a very nonchalant attitude.
• He had a brown mustache.
• He was an irritable person.
• He was a controlling person, one that liked to be in charge.

     Malcolm~  

• He was the youngest of the three brothers
• He was 22
• He had a fresh, jaunty museau, which is the French word for nose!

     Mabel~

• She was the sister to the three boys.
• I see her as a very busy girl!
• She visited her mother's grave often. There she felt secure and safe.
• She kept the house in order.
• She was not a very attractive lady. Her brothers called her "bulldog." 
• She had a way of "tuning out" her brothers.
• She had no friends of her own sex.
• She had low self esteem
• She didn't think that Jack should love her.

     Jack Fergusson~

• He was a family friend.
• He was a doctor.
• He had eyes for Mabel.
• He seemed to hate the town and what he did, but it really excited him.
• He saved Mabel's life.
• He loved Mabel, but he denied it for a while.

"Blue Winds Dancing"

Tom Whitecloud
(pg. 313)


   What exactly classifies something as important? How do you decide what things, people or places are most important? Who decides what is important?


Many questions go through my mind when I begin to think about what is important to me. In my life, I have many places, people, and things that I  would consider important. To the casual passerby most of these things would not matter a hill of beans. Each and every person has their own list of important things. Some may have one thing on that list, while others may have a list that is pages and pages in length. The only thing that matters is that a person knows the exact things in their life that are important. For me, I am blessed to have a long list of things that I would consider important. However, I am about to describe something that is priceless to me. If someone were going to take everything from me but leave me with one thing... this is the one thing that I would choose.


This thing is not a person. This thing can not be touched. This thing can not be bought. This thing can not be lost. This thing can not be moved or changed. This thing can not be seen or heard here on earth. I would not trade this thing for all the money in the world. I would give up anything I own just to keep it. This precious thing I have and hold dear to my heart is simple---it is a relationship. 


Now the relationship I have is with a person. This person, however, is like no other. He is not a tangible person whom I can touch, yet I feel Him everyday. He does not speak in an audible voice always, yet I hear His voice speak to me all the time. He is the reason I live, move, and breathe. It is His love that keeps me going when I am ready to stop. If it was not for Him, I would have no purpose. He is the author of my life story, and everyday He is showing me more and more of that plan. He knows where I am going to go and what I am going to say, before I even move or speak. He gave His all for me, yet a lot I do not give my all for Him. I constantly fail him, yet he still loves me. I try to please Him in every area of my life. He is worth more to me than anything that I have ever received. He gave everything he had for me, and I think that the least I can do is try to honor Him with myself and my life. He is the reason I can smile everyday. To fully describe Him is impossible.  


His name is Jesus.


One of the neatest things about Him is that the same relationship that I have with Him is the same kind of relationship anyone can have with Him. He comes down to us on a personal level like nobody else can. I love him with all of my heart, and He is very important to me. Actually, He and the relationship that we have is the most important thing in my life. 


:)lgj 



  

"My Life"

"The Curse"

Andre Dubas
(pg. 563)

     This blog topic/question was hard for me! I had to put some serious thought time into something that has become my responsibility by accident. As I thought through my life and my experiences, I had a hard time coming up with something that I felt had become my responsibility. When I had almost given up; however, a thought sprang into my head. So here it goes---


    I have a friend. We have been close for a very long time, and we have known each other since we were both small. Over the years, we have had our ups and downs, happy times, and sad times. We have laughed together, cried together, smiled together, and yelled together! (HAHA) Anyway, this person is doing some things and acting in some ways that I do not agree with. They have gotten themselves into some things that are over their head over the past year. As they were doing these things, our relationship drifted farther and farther away. It came to the point where we did not speak. As time progressed and they came slightly back to their senses, I gave room for reconciliation and forgiveness. The person seemed to have a very humble attitude, so I forgave and we went on from there. We have become so close and pretty much best friends so   fast. This person tells me everything and comes to me for advice because they trust me and don't want to fall to the wayside once more. I try to help this person out all I can, without putting to much stress on myself. They do require a lot of attention and time! I say all of that to say this: I enjoy being this person's friend, but sometimes I don't understand how we got to be "best friends".  I  have a responsibility to them because I am the only true friend they have and trust. I did not choose to be in such a high standing place with them. They just chose me, and they chose to open up to me. Sometimes it feels like more of a burden than a blessing, but then I must look at it from the point of view that I am helping them! I may be the only help the see. So, really all of the time, tears, sweat, and stress it causes...is worth it!


:)lgj

"Cathedral"

Raymond Carver
(pg. 180)


   I can see. I can see well. I can see clear. I can see without the aid of contacts or glasses. I can see anything that I choose to see with no trouble at all. I am blessed with perfect sight! ---It is funny that even though all the things I just mentioned are true, I have been blind before. I have not been physically blind at any point. I guess you could say that I had the wool drawn over my eyes, and I was living in the dark. I will explain...


    In America, we are so fortunate to have the things we have. Power at the touch of a button, water at the spray of a faucet, well made sewage systems, air conditioning, heat, fully equipped cars, etc., etc., etc.! I have been living like this all of my life. Never having to wonder about whether or not I was going to have a hot meal, or whether or not I had a place to sleep. Believe it or not, some people must live day to day worrying about simple things like this. The event that really opened up my eyes was a mission trip to Belize. Last year, my church took a group of teens and adults over to work with a community and church around the area of Libertad. The people there were so friendly, loving, and accepting of us and what we had to give and tell them. We just went to share of our time, talents, and share the love of Jesus to a very deserving people. Anyway, the trip went very well and we were all blessed. The main point of me telling you about it is this~ I saw so many things there. They live so differently than we do. For example, they can't flush their toilet paper, some places have holes in the ground for the toilets, no hand towels to dry your hands, and no hot water. All of these are things that I don't think twice about having. We use simple things like this everyday. The trip really taught me to be super thankful for every little thing I have. (No matter how small) Honestly, sometimes when I wash my hands and use a hand towel to this day, I still think of Belize and how blessed I really am. Sometimes I don't know why God chose to give me more than he did people in poor countries. It is something I will never understand. That trip last summer really opened my eyes up to how much we have, and how much we take for granted! It is truly a lesson i will never forget.


:)lgj

"Neighbors"

Raymond Carver
(pg. 137)


  Minimalism... Before this assignment, I had no clue exactly what minimalism was. After reading the story, I think that I now have a better, clearer understanding of what it is exactly. In the textbook under the author's description, the writer describes Carver as the  following: "Carver is considered a master of minimalism, that is, fiction that stresses only the essential of action and description. Generally, his writing is economical, stripped to the bone." (Textbook pg. 137) I feel like this means telling the story while giving out vivid descriptions of each and every moment. In the end, this really takes up most of the story! In this short story, each and every detail is explained to its fullest. One example of this is when it says, "Bill and Jim shook hands beside the car. Harriet and Arlene held each other by the elbows and kissed lightly on the lips." You can see several examples of minimalism within this one small quote. It shows the reader who shook hands...Bill and Jim. Where did they shake hands...beside the car. Harriet and Arlene held each other by the elbows. Also, they kissed, but the story goes into more detail from there. They kissed lightly; the detail of where they kissed is also given...on the lips! My favorite example of minimalism from this story comes from the middle. "He selected a can of fish flavor for the cat, then filled the pitcher and went to water. When he returned to the kitchen, the cat was scratching in her box." I could choose many more quotes, but I think that this one goes into each detail so well. Like i said earlier, I didn't know what minimalism was at all. However, I will say that it has become my favorite so far. Raymond Carver has become my favorite author from this segment! I enjoyed the reading and then writing this post. 


:)lgj

"A Rose For Emily"

William Faulkner
(pg. 89)


I chose the word...Vindicated. 

"So when she got to be thirty and was still single, we were not pleased exactly, but vindicated; even with insanity in the family she wouldn't have turned down all of her chances if they had really materialized." (pg. 91) 

–verb (used with object), -cat·ed, -cat·ing. (www.dictionary.com) 

1.

to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like: to vindicate someone's honor.

2.      to afford justification for; justify: Subsequent events vindicated his policy.

3.     to get revenge for; to avenge.

   Now that i have a better understanding of what this word means, I can explain it much better! This word is perfect for this situation. It shows the exact feelings that need to be shown. When I read the word vindicated or vindicate, my mind automatically thinks of getting back at someone or maybe gloating in someone else's misfortune. In this story, when this word is used I believe that it is used in that exact way. In the sentence, the author is discussing how Emily is thirty years old and not married. The way I interpreted it, Emily was a beautiful lady who had everything, yet no man was good enough for her. I see it as she held herself at a higher standing than most people. In simple terms, she thought she was "the stuff". Many young girls were probably jealous of Emily, and the fact that she probably turned down men over and over made them angry. Just like the sentence says...they felt vindicated (or happy to watch her suffer) that she was single at thirty! Many women want to marry very young and the thought of being single at such an "old" age is horrible.  Knowing the technical definition of this word helps me to see the word in a whole new way. It shows the exact emotion that the writer was trying to express! I strive not to feel this way to much, but sometimes I fail and enjoy watching people I don't much like get what they deserve. That, however, is work in progress. We should try not to rejoice when they fall...instead we should work to lift them up, even when we don't want to! 


:)lgj

Rosie The Riveter

    It all started on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the date of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the date that the United States entered the fighting of World War II. Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack on the United States by Japan during which, “2,403 American died, five battleships sank, other ships were severely damaged, and 200 planes were destroyed”. Colman stated that after this attack, “Some things changed forever, other things changed just for the duration of the war. But almost everything changed”. Life as the middle class American people knew it was about to be altered greatly. Normal supplies that people usually used everyday were going to be in short supply, and many items were going to eventually be rationed. Many signs and posters were plastered around towns and cities everywhere with the slogan, “Use it up/Wear it out/Make it do/Or do without”. People began learning the value of things, how to live with less, sometimes do without, and they learned not to take things for granted.

             Once America got involved in the fighting, almost every male who was able and of the correct age got drafted to fight in the war. This left thousands and thousands of jobs open. The women of this time decided to step up and go to work and support the men who were away. In October of 1943, the magazine Woman’s Home Companion put out a quote that explains the new idea of working women perfectly: “American women are learning to put planes and tanks together, how to read blueprints, how to weld and rivet and make the great machinery of war production hum under skillful eyes and hands. But they’re also learning how to look smart in overalls and how to be glamorous after work. They are learning to fulfill both the useful and the beautiful ideal”. This quote sums up exactly what these women were trying to accomplish. They were working a man’s job to support the army by building supplies that were needed yet doing it with grace and class.

This was not without some propaganda. The United States government launched a campaign to make the idea of working look more appealing to women. A poster ad displayed “Rosie The Riveter” who was a fictional character that showed a woman worker with a “big, muscular body and a cute saucy face and pose.” She also has a rivet gun placed in her lap along with a lunchbox with the name “Rosie” inscribed upon it. Another example of one of these ads was the poster that pictured Rosie flexing her muscle and the phrase, “We can do it!” In February of 1943, the song “Rosie the Riveter” was released. Part of the lyrics to this song are as follows: “While other girls attend a favorite cocktail bar, sipping dry martinis, munching caviar; there’s a girl who’s really putting them to shame—Rosie is her name. All day long, whether rain or shine, she’s part of the assembly line, she’s making history working for victory, Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, Rosie the riveter”

Life for these women had to be tough sometimes. By the end of the war, 18 million women were working. Out of this large number, many of these women were single; however, many were married with children. After putting in a full days work, most women had to come home and care for their family. Downtime and rest were scarce. However, a certain element of patriotism kept them going and loyal to their cause. Most all women had family fighting in the war, and they felt like working to supply the army and help aid in production, a way that they could support their family members who were fighting. I believe this gave them a true love for what they were doing.

After the war was over, many people felt that women were not needed and should return to being homemakers and just doing normal “woman jobs.” Also, many men wanted to return to their original employers that they had before the war. This did not go over well with some of the girls! Many of them loved working in factories and such so much that they wanted to pursue a career in that field.  “The Rosie the Riveter campaign had created a new generation of women”

During this time, women chose to step up to the plate. They chose to put aside what made them   comfortable and work for a greater cause. I would hope that if America were ever put in a situation like this again that the women of today would follow the lead of these women who came before us. Sadly, I feel like most women of today are so selfish and self-absorbed to really care about what would happen if they didn’t step up! All we can do is hope that if it happens, we could display half of the courage and bravery of each and every woman behind the Rosie the Riveter label. I truly believe that she is a genuine inspiration to many! ....and to think that all that was behind one poster!


:)lgj

"The Black Cat"

(Edgar A. Poe)
(pg. 513)


   In this story, Poe uses a phrase to describe a bad feeling that comes over him that causes him to think and do horrible things! This term is 'spirit of perverseness.' Many people have episodes where their spirit of perverseness shows itself. When we say that phrase; however, it may not make total sense to some. I will try to explain... When I think of the word perverse, I think of something gross, morbid, dark, horrible, or something that could be detrimental to someone. According to Webster's online dictionary, the word perverse means, "A turned away from something that is right or good: corrupt." Overall, perverseness is not a very good thing. In fact, it is in no way associated with the word good. For example, I can remember a time in my own life when something like this took over me. I was probably about ten years old, and i had gotten in a little bit of trouble with my parents. I think it was something as simple as talking back, but I can remember thinking it was the end of the world as I knew it. Confined to my room for a while, anger began to well up inside me. Keep in mind, I was a very happy go lucky child and was rarely ever angry. It only took moments for me to give myself over to the anger and act. Stupidly, I then reached for my hairbrush and proceeded to chuck it across the room into a wall. Once it had slammed against the wall, I recovered from my spirit of "evil." I felt awful afterwards. I went over and noticed that I had created a large gash in my wall. I can remember thinking to myself "what was i thinking?" To this day, that gash still remains in my wall. It is a constant reminder to keep myself in check, and not to give myself over to foolish things and spirits! Keep yourself pure. Perverseness is a bad character trait to possess. It doesn't mean you are a bad person if you have it...you just have some work to do.


:)lgj

I SPARKLE!

‎"Those who look on him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame" ~Psalm 34:5 I read this verse today, and it practically made my day. (It definitely put a big smile on my face) I LOVE to sparkle, whether it be on clothes, shoes, fingernail polish, etc... I just love it. To give you a slight idea of just how much i will post a picture of my newest pair of TOMS! Anyway, looking at this verse from my point of view...It means that when I look to Jesus for anything and everything I am radiant, which in other words means I sparkle! This is the one way that I never have to stop sparkling:) It may seem like such a simple verse, but Jesus gave this to me today for a purpose. He wants to show me that with Him in my life, I always sparkle. 

A New Level

   I have been thinking a lot about patience in the last few weeks. I am a pretty patient person when it comes to normal everyday things. However, I feel like I am being taught a whole new level of patience here lately. I never really thought that it had many different levels, but it does. I am learning patience in the area of waiting on God to show me things instead of trying to control them myself. It is so easy sometimes to put myself at the number one spot, but I must remember that I am second! This is a whole lot easier said than done. For me, the trouble comes from a small thing called control. I enjoy being in control of things and knowing every detail, and when it is going to take place. The key thing that I am learning here lately is that I must put all of my trust in Jesus, and I must believe that He knows what He is doing. Also, i must surrender control of every little detail in my life to Him. This seems like it would be so easy...We don't have to worry about anything because He has it all already worked out. I know that I am a work in progress, but I feel like when I actually grasp the concept of this type of trust and patience; I will be able to learn new things with my eyes totally fixed on my creator!


:)lgj

"Luck"

(Mark Twain)
   (pg. 213)


     What exactly is luck? How do you define getting 'lucky'? Is there really such a thing as luck? ... All of these are questions that I tend to ask myself when thinking about luck. This simple quote from a book by Dr. Seuss is really a great way for me to express my views on this subject! “When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue, when you start to get mad… You should do what I do! Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky! Some people are much more…Oh, ever so much more…Oh, muchly much-much more unlucky than you!”  When I read this, it clicked in my brain that everyday I am lucky. I thought about several instances that I may have gotten what some people would call "lucky", but they were hard to come by and not very interesting. I loved that quote so much because it uses the word luck in a different way. The way I look at luck is really not luck at all. I look at it as more of a blessing. Instead of saying I got lucky, I love to say that I am blessed. My biggest blessing that I have in my life would definitely be my family. I was adopted when I was just a day old. My birth-mother was very young, and wasn't able to support a child, so she chose adoption over abortion! My parents were called right before I was born and alerted of a baby girl that needed a home. Growing up, I didn't fully        understand exactly how fortunate I was. However, over the years I have seen just how much I really did need them. I guess you could say that I was lucky to have been adopted instead of aborted. I like to look at it as i was blessed. Many children are not this fortunate, and I thank God everyday for giving me life. Also, for blessing me with the best family ever!


:)lgj