POL hulabaloo

I originally chose The Paradox, but since that decision was garbage, I switched to Epitaph by Katherine Philips. This poem is pretty dope yo with all them foshizzle connections to my home jeezy and such, brohiem. In all honesty though, it does make some pretty personal connections. The poem is about a mother grieving the premature death of her child, and since i had a stillborn twin, it provokes some thought and emotions within me. Ummm....
idk this blog is a little half-baked but it's due tomorrow so whatever half credit idc

TEMP POST- NOT BLOG ENTRY

In Seltzer’s “The Knife”, his devotion to the job is represented via religious comparisons and figurative analogs towards nature. One such example is his use of flowers to stylize and art-ify his piece. Seltzer states “until the wound blooms with strange flowers whose looped handles fall to the sides in steely array”. He artistically describes two things in this statement, the first being the wound itself (the “flowers”), then his operating table, which he vividly contrasts against the naturalistic beginning of the statement. These both show how he believes his profession as more of an art, as opposed to simply a “job”. A second example is his use of words with religious connotation. Some such words are “Damascus” (a hotspot for religious everythings since the beginning), “pray”, “temple” and “ark”.  These words are all used in a way that convey his strong feelings of devoutness to his job, as one is devout in his/her religion. One final instance is that of his blunt claim of priestliness in his profession. He states “I must confess that the priestliness  has ever been impressed upon me.” It doesn’t get much more blunt than that. It is a clear preposition of his faithfulness towards being a surgeon. Between artistic analogs and steely bluntness, Seltzer easily conveys his ideas about surgeons  in a stylistic and artistic manner. 

POL Blog of horrendous atrocities

1) "The Paradox"
2) "The Light the Dead See"
3) "Insomnia", "I Hear America Singing"
4) "Immortal Sails", "I Am the People, the Mob"
5) I liked "The Paradox" and "I Am the People, the Mob" the best out of my five chosen poems. I liked "The Paradox" because it had a very deep connotation, and was a good length. It discussed dark topics which appealed to my rather ornery disposition. "I Am the People, the Mob", however, was more uplifting. It talked about how people as a whole move society along, and that everyone is in part responsible for the darkness and greatness of our history, which i also found very interesting. "Immortal Sails" was the only poem I disliked, and that's simply because it was too lofty and lovestruck-sounding. I believe that out of all these, i would most like to study/learn "The Paradox". It connected with me on a level of interest, as opposed to one of emotion. It piqued my love of all things dark, and... paradoxical?


I think the easiest criteria will be understanding and accuracy, for i am quite adept at memorization and recitation. I'll have the most difficulty in physical presence and voice and articulation, because when it comes to presenting in front of an audience, i am literally garbage. 


"Writ on the Steps of Puerto Rican Harlem"- this was a successful recitation because the reciter spoke with passion and confidence, and conveyed the poems meaning without distracting the audience.  


"I Am Waiting"- this was a successful performance because she spoke with conviction, and had a clear and strong voice.


I have confidence in my future performance the Poetry Out Loud competition. I believe it is a great thing to do to engage students in poetry. I believe my poem, "The Paradox", will be easy to recite and very interesting to the audience. 


Anyways, Salut- i'm tired of writing 
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Something Interesting

Last week's discussion on the poem Lobsters was, in my opinion, very interesting (albeit vaguely remembered). I remember some very thought provoking and insightful comments made and questions asked. One such speaker, whom insists upon remaining anonymous in my mind's eye, posed the idea of "somnambulist lobsters" being a symbolic representation of humanity and its general obliviousness to it's impending doom.

In an oh-so-Lovecraftian  manner, Howard Nemerov engages the reader (you and I) in an ominous session of apocalyptic contemplation on the end of humanity and our comprehension of our own mortality. As I ponder upon such subjects daily, it came not as a revelation or epiphany, but as a grim confirmation of my portentous musings on the matter of life and death.

Salut!
 

DICTIONATIONALATORABILITY (neutral)

I did something awesome this week. It happened on Wednesday, and it was a fairly brief event. After getting dressed and ready for school, i started running down the stairs. Usually, i do this with some degree of ease, but on this particular day my feet decided to bum out on me and trip me. Now normally, tripping down the stairs is quite a irredeemable event, but in this case it was. 

As i skidded down some four or five steps, i began to lose balance and start falling back. In a last ditch effort, i threw my weight forward, and by the time i hit the bottom step, i was still on my feet. That was the highlight of my week.  

Outside Reading, Slaughterhouse 5

I just finished reading slaughterhouse five... and i have mixed impressions of the book. I believe that it's literary quality is excellent, and Kurt Vonnegut's writing is top notch. The story was engaging and flowed very well, and it was very easy to get into. The only downside to this, is the extraordinarily depressing mood of the novel. It got to a point where i was actually becoming depressed, and falling deeper into depression, as i continued reading. In credit to the author, it's not the story or characters in particular that are depressing, but the meaning and outlook on life that the story forcefully establishes in your brain.

The imagery in the story, almost entirely scenes of madness, sorrow and death, draw the reader to conclude that he is worthless. The plot of the story, and it's message, that no matter what you do you cannot change your destiny, that every moment of your life is predetermined, and that time is utterly irrelevant can lead one to feel powerless and insignificant. I can compare this to no novel i have read, for nothing in my literary history can compare to such a gruesome representation of death, war, and the meaninglessness of life.

As for my creative project, i have absolutely no idea what i'm going to do...
something war/death/time related
probably on film
But beyond that i have no idea.    

Extending the Theme

While reading the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there were quite a few plot devices that made connections with me on a level beyond that which is intended by the author. These scenarios ranged from events in the book, to the many subtle nuances and themes which underly the face text. Once such instance is that of Mayella Ewell.
(indent doesn't work?) Mayella comes from extreme poverty, which affects her societal standing as well as other's opinions of her. In my life, I was once friends with a girl who in many ways was similar to Mayella. She was living with her dad from paycheck to paycheck in a state of poverty, and it greatly affected her way of life. She often turned to drugs to quell her inner sadness, and often surrounded herself with those who negatively affected her life and choices.      

This reminds me a lot of Mayella in the sense that she is held prisoner by the class into which she was born, and feels she has to act a certain way to feel loved and accepted.

lalalalalalalalala
Porter

My Boo Radley.... i have one?

Here it goes,
The closest person in my life that I can relate to Boo Radley from TKAM would probably have to be my dad. From my earliest remembrances of childhood until about four years ago my dad had gotten progressively deeper into drug and alcohol abuse. He just graduated court mandated drug/alcohol counseling/rehab after close to 650 days of treatment three months ago, and is an entirely changed man. Through this he has taught me how debilitating and life-destroying the abuse of drugs and alcohol can be, and how it can destroy homes and families.

Whenever I saw people at middle school hiding a little ganja in their shoe or lighting up on the trail behind the track, and when I was tempted to engage in said behaviors, it was the thought of what my dad was (at the time 'is') that helped me make the decision to just walk away. Thankfully, he's now a responsible father of four, and a man I can look up to, as opposed to being a figurehead of what i shouldn't be. In this way he is like boo, in the sense that what is unknown and not understood can in the end become known and help teach you important morals and life skills.
          

First Assignment

Hello all!

So, I have to tell you about me. Fasten your seat belts readers because this will be the thrill of a lifetime for sure.
As an English student, I enjoy reading and writing, as well as engaging in... engaging conversations. Those who choose follow this blog can expect to see lofty and highly hypothetical essays that often stray from the topic at hand. I believe that the insight I provide into our prescribed literature will both mystify and enlighten the online community... or something like that. My understanding of the meaning of English class is to prepare you for analyzing, participating, and engaging yourself in the world of written and spoken as art, as well as producing said art. I think that the skills provided to you throughout your years of English classes are invaluable, and are absolutely required should you hope to succeed in the professional and academic world.

                                                                                                                                 Salut,
                                                                                                                                      Porter