LAST Blog of the Semester

It's the LAST first day of school
This is the LAST high school orchestra concert
This is my LAST night in my own home
This is the LAST blog of the semester

During senior year, there are so many phrases that we attach the word LAST to. Many people say that they will miss high school and that they aren't ready to move forward quite yet. I completely disagree. Sure, I will miss my family and friends when I am at Centre (GO COLONELS!!). But I know that I am ready for something new. My whole life I have been surrounded by the same people, and while I've grown to love them all, I think I need somewhat of a change in my life. I am pretty much the youngest in my family, and no matter how much freedom I am given, I tend to always depend on others to live my life. Again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think after almost 18 years of life I need to learn to be on my own.

I also need a clean slate. I think that when you've lived the kind of life that I have (being born and brought up in Lexington, KY for my whole life), you would agree. I absolutely love Lexington, and I imagine raising a family of my own in a city much like Lexington, but I need a different environment at least for a few years. To be perfectly honest, being around the same people has been both good and bad for me. I've grown really close to my friends, but being around the people that I don't like at school everyday hasn't really been doing me any favors. My dislike towards them could also be because I've lived here since I was a baby, and I judged them before I even gave them a chance. When I go to college, I will make an attempt to see the good in everyone and approach people with a more positive, more mature attitude.

Anyway, this blog is basically saying what everyone else in my class is probably saying: I can't wait for college, I'm excited for it...blah blah blah. But I think that everyone's experience in college and life in general is unique to themselves, and these experiences cannot be compared.

I know this isn't the last day of school or anything, but I just wanted to say: thank you Mr. Mullins for teaching me everything you have. I will never forget the fun times I had. (Shout out to interpretive dance by Becky, Alex, and Chris)

"Work Without Hope" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Work Without Hope"

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair-

The bees are stirring - birds are on the wing-

And Winter, slumbering in the open air,

Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!

And I the while, the sole unbusy thing,

Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.

Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow,

Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.

Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,

For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!

With lips unbrighten'd, wreathless brow, I stroll:

And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul?

Work without Hope draw nectar in a sieve,

And Hope without an object cannot live.

This poem is an excellent example of a Romantic Era poem. In the Romantic Era, personification and apostrophe of nature and the elements were very common. This poem demonstrates these techniques and may more.

Personification is present in this poem from the very first sentence: "All Nature seems at work."  Nature is a concept, and it cannot possibly be at work. Also, the word "nature" is capitalized, which makes it a proper noun. Proper nouns are generally used to refer to something that is actually tangible or concrete, such as an important place or person. Here, Nature is given importance and a human characteristic, which is characteristic of the Romantic Era because Romantic poets sure did get in touch with nature!

Apostrophe is significant in this poem because Coleridge addresses bloom by saying "Bloom, O ye amaranths!" This is an example of apostrophe because Coleridge is talking to "bloom" as if its a real thing. It is a real thing, but not one to be addressed as if it's a person.

These are only a few of the many techniques that were used in the Romantic Era. The Romantic Era of Poetry was known for praising and sometimes even condemning nature, which is what Coleridge does in his poem "Work Without Hope." 

What Should I Write About? What Can I Write About? What Can't I Write About?

So I was just sitting there trying to come up with some mind blowing concept on what to write for my next blog. I've already blogged about my independent reading book and poetry, and current events lately are pretty depressing (bombing in Boston). I just couldn't come up with something appealing to write about. Pretty soon, I started to get frustrated and wished that I didn't have to write these blogs in the first place (sorry Mr. Mullins). But not long after, I realized that wondering what I should write about is actually a luxury. I am asking myself what I should write about, but people across the world are wondering: What can I write about without being punished? What can't I write about? What am I allowed to write about?  Should I say what I want and worry about punishment later?

Luckily, the one question Americans have to ask themselves is: What should I write about? And we can thank these guys for that:



I think a lot of times we take for granted how liberal we are with our speech.  Just think of how many times you criticize someone, even if you're not actually angry at them. More times than I can count, I've called people stupid where in other countries you can get into serious legal trouble for saying this. I didn't call them stupid because I was angry. In fact, the word "stupid" has become very commonplace and it doesn't literally mean that the other person has no mental capacity. "Stupid" is also used to describe an action. If taxes are raised, someone in our country may say "That's so stupid" without being punished for slander.  Words like these are slowly becoming commonplace in our language and I think that sometimes its important to take a step back and be thankful that we have the luxury of asking ourselves: What should I write about?

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gilliam Flynn is my third independent reading book. In this novel the protagonist, Libby Day, witnesses the murder of her mom and two sisters. She testified that her older brother Ben committed the murders. These murders became known as the famous "Satan Sacrifice of Kinakee, Kansas." Around 25 years later, she is poor and is willing to do anything for money. She joins up with the Kill Club, a club that investigates tragedies such as this mass murder.  The Kill Club doesn't think that Libby's accusations against her brother from 25 years ago are valid, especially because there is no evidence to suggest that Ben was the one who killed everyone.  They pay Libby to talk to Ben (who has been in prison for the last 25 years) and her father, Runner, who abandoned her family long before the murders.

I haven't finished reading the book so far, but of what I have read, here's what I know: about a day before the murders, Ben (fifteen at the time) was falsely accused of molesting a ten year old girl named Krissi Cates, and was therefore dubbed as subjected to satanic practices.  This accusation made him an easy target for the murders.  However, Krissi agrees to lying about Ben. I also know that Libby was somewhat brainwashed by the child psychologist at the time of the murders and testified against her brother due to this. I still have to read more, but I really want to know what happens next.

This book relates to my inquiry project (truth v. ignorance) because Libby is in the  process of discovering what really happened all of those years ago. She was basically trained to accuse her brother because Ben had already been accused of worshiping the devil. He was an easy target that (for those times) didn't need any supporting evidence.  Another important aspect of my project is how Libby deals with the situation. At first, she agreed to join the Kill Club because they paid her for uncovering details. She continued her membership because she saw it as a good source of income. At the point I'm at in the book, she starts to become genuinely curious and seeks closure. She is also starting to feel remorse for her false accusations, where before she couldn't care less about the murders even though she knew there were some holes in her testimony. That is what my project is all about, and I'm intrigued to finish this book!

Carpe Diem

Today in class, we discussed the poem "To His Coy Mistress" and its relation to the phrase "carpe diem" which is Latin for seize the day.  I looked this phrase up on the internet, just to see if I could find anything interesting on it for a blog post. And what do you know? I found over 100 quotes that relate to carpe diem. I thought they were interesting because we've heard many of these quotes used (some of them overused) but we probably never would've made the direct connection to the phrase carpe diem.  Another interesting point is that I always thought of carpe diem as a phrase that isn't referenced very much anymore, but these quotes have proved me wrong. Here are some examples:

"Forever is composed of nows." - Emily Dickinson (Monty may not like me for that one)
        Originally, I thought that this quote was referring to the fact that what our future holds for us depends on what we do now.

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." - Mother Teresa
        This is one of those quotes that we've all heard before, and I never really thought of it in the "carpe diem" aspect. When I think about it, this makes sense now.

"We are the change we are waiting for." - President Obama
        Throughout both of his campaigns, President Obama's recurring theme was change. He wanted to change the public policy and the way America was run. Therefore, I think I had good reason to believe that this quote referenced. However, this quote could also imply that because "we are the change we are waiting for," we should "seize the day" and take action to make that change actually happen.

"If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul." - Drew Barrymore
        This is a relatively recent example, judging by the person who quoted it. This quote is not heard of as much, but I think we've all heard of the belief that you have to take risks to be somewhat successful. This shows that the concept of carpe diem is still popular.

"Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick of your shoes, and dance." - Oprah Winfrey
        At first glance, this quote seems to me to talk about relaxing and enjoying life. It seems to be the complete opposite of seizing the day, which means to take every opportunity to be productive, right? After looking closely, Winfrey could be talking about seizing the opportunity to enjoy once in a while instead of being so serious all the time.  This quote shows that seizing the day could be construed in two different ways.

I thought it was interesting to look at carpe diem quotes that are either by people we know, or quotes that we usually associate with something other than that phrase. If you want to see more quotes, these are only a few examples at this website: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/carpe-diem. 

Maybe you all can find different interpretations on your own! :)

The Stories That Don't Bind Us

The article that Mr. Mullins posted on his blog, called "The Stories That Bind Us," was very interesting. I would've never thought that regularly talking about positive and negative events that contribute to one's identity would have such a profound effect in reinforcing a child's confidence and self-esteem. Overall, the article was astounding, especially because I didn't realize that there was a whole field of research dedicated to this.

That being said, I don't really agree with some of it. I think that the evidence from the experiments conducted is valid, and I'm not questioning Dr. Duke's or Dr. Fivush's intelligence. I just think that their research only applies to families that live in America (note: this doesn't only mean Caucasian families, this could include my immediate family because I am Indian, but I still live in America). All stereotypes and generalizations aside, I do have some valid reasons for this. My family (which includes my mom, my dad, my older sister, and myself) is very open and I do know pretty much everything about my parents and grandparents. I agree that this has made me have a strong sense of identity and confidence, in terms of religion and culture. And the reason that my family has had this sense of openness is because my parents, over the course of 21 years have become accustomed to the American environment of being open with their children. 

I can tell you that in some other countries, this isn't the case. Parents aren't always open with their children. By no means does this mean that they're bad people, their culture just doesn't dictate this aspect. Families can still be close-knit in other countries, but the concept that learning about one's past can reinforce their identity may never occur to other cultures.

Another reason for my belief is that personally, communication about these sorts of things has never worked out. Sure, my immediate family is very open with me as mentioned earlier. But my grandparents, who live with us now, aren't really used to that. The only reason I know anything about them is because of what my dad told me about his childhood. Again, they're not necessarily bad people for that, but this isn't really in their habits. And my theory is that if some concept isn't already a part of one's culture, they're not about to act on that concept because they may see it as offensive.

As you can see, I'm not completely ruling out the communication aspect of the article. I didn't look into the experiment, so I'm obviously not educated about this field of study. I just think that in other cultures, and even with older generations, the facts of the article may not always be the case. 

Child Who Just Lost Balloon Begins Lifelong Battle with Depression

I was reading The Onion (which I do for fun...maybe not, whatever) when I came across an article titled "Child Who Just Lost Balloon Begins Lifelong Battle with Depression." The article is just what it sounds like: a child who just lost a balloon and is beginning a lifelong battle with depression. Click here to read the article.  And the following picture accompanied the article:



Just look at those eyes. Doesn't he look so sad? Poor little guy. (And yes, I picked the extra-large option on the picture size, because I'm just that way)

Here are some passages that made me almost laugh out loud, and explanations to follow:

"The increasingly distraught 3-year-old, who will gradually come to believe that he is a complete failure and a burden to everyone he knows, then reportedly burst into tears in what was only the very start of an inexorable, decades-long descent into severe clinical depression."  The words severe clinical depression is what got me there. Also the decades-long descent. This really made me rethink my reaction to losing my favorite teddy bear at a train station when I was little.

"Sources indicated that upon seeing the balloon disappear behind a line of trees, Tremont began to grapple for the first time with the same feelings of irreversible loss and guilt that will eventually prevent him from enjoying activities he once loved and cause him to become utterly despondent in the face of a seemingly hostile world." The fact that this statement is so long makes me laugh, especially because I know that this article is so grossly sarcastic. Using words like "grapple" and "irreversible loss" make the statement funnier.



At first glance, this is just a picture of a red balloon. However, the caption read: "The symbol of melancholy and loss that will haunt Tremont for his entire adult life." This one really just speaks for itself, no explanation necessary.

I thought this article was worthy of mention, particularly because it made me laugh. I thought maybe it would brighten your day too! :)

Toni Morrison: Challenges as a Female Writer

I think a lot of times what we neglect in our discussions about Beloved is the female aspect of it all.  Yes, Sethe is a slave just like Paul D, Halle, Sixo, and the other men at Sweet Home. But what sets her apart is that she is a woman, which calls for experiencing different types of emotions and having different reactions to certain events.  I noticed that in our Socratic Seminar, the element of gender did not come up in either circle (I can't speak for the chat while I was on the inside). Who's to say that if Sethe's character had been a man that this male character wouldn't have acted differently? Would he have still killed Beloved? Would he have been more brutal in an attempt to show his love, or would he have been detached as the stereotype goes?

The following video is one in which Toni Morrison reflects on why she chooses to write specifically about black women.

To a large degree, I think Morrison is right when she says that writing about black women offers her a broader spectrum to explore in her books.  As she implies, writing about white women or even just the African race wouldn't offer nearly as many facets as writing about black women does.  Therefore, I think that Sethe's gender plays a large role in her decision to kill Beloved. As I stated earlier, a black man, who still underwent the same horrors and tragedies as Sethe did, may have reacted differently in the situation which would limit Morrison's opportunities in writing this novel. 

I Am Left Speechless

Report by SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Wippern, Concerning Value of Money, Precious Metals, Other Valuables, and Textiles of Jews

Quantity	Item	Collective Value (RM)
17	Gold Fountain Pens	1,900
4	Platinum Watches	1,200
2,894	Gold Gentlemen’s Pocket Watches	1,427,000
7,313	Ladies’ Gold Wristwatches	1,828,250
6,245	Gentlemen’s Wristwatches	62,450
13,455	Gentlemen’s Pocket Watches	269,100
51,370	Watches to be Repaired	258,850
22,324	Spectacles	66,972
11,675	Gold Rings with Diamonds	11,675,000
1,399	Pairs Gold Earrings w/ Brilliants	349,750
7,000	Fountain Pens	70,000
1,000	Automatic Pencils	3,000
350	Razors	875
3,240	Pocket Books	4860
1,500	Scissors	750
2,544	Alarm Clocks to be Repaired	7662
160	Alarm Clocks, Working	960
477	Sunglasses	268
41	Silver Cigarette Cases	1,230
230	Thermometers	690
462	Boxcars of Rags	323,400
253	Boxcars of Feathers for Bedding	2,510,000
317	Boxcars of Clothes and Linens	10,461,000

I think most of you can tell that this is related to the Holocaust, because of the title. This chart was in my second independent reading book, which is called Not Me, by Michael Lavigne. This book is about a man named Michael, who is left a series of journals by his father (Heshel) who is suffering from Alzheimer's. Ever since Michael was little, he has heard about his father's tragic stories of the Holocaust and his traumatic experiences at concentration camps. It is not until Michael begins reading his father's journals that he realizes his father may not actually be a victim, but rather a Nazi/Gestapo officer who stole a Jew's identity in order to escape prosecution. However, Michael cannot be sure that the entries refer to Heshel because they are written from the third-person point of view, as if it's a novel.

I haven't finished this book yet, but this chart is recorded in one of Heshel's journal entries.  Believe it or not, this chart represents items taken from Jews over the span of merely 3 months. I don't know how much of this is true, but I have to believe that the author didn't make all of these numbers up. Also, the numbers in the third column are monetary values measured in reichsmarks. One US dollar is said to be equivalent to 4.2 RM. Even so, this amounts to a lot.

Anyway, I was reading and this chart really astounded me. I'll admit, when I come across a chart or picture in a novel, I tend to skip over because I lack the patience to read it. But this chart really made me stop and think. Therefore, I thought it was worthy of blogging. Yes, I understand that we've been learning about the Holocaust since before any of us could remember, but this chart left me speechless. So don't skim over it like I (and I'm sure plenty of others) do. Mull over it, and think about what it really means.

Guilt is a Silent Killer

It's true. Guilt can kill you silently. I read the article called "Guilt Trip" from Mr. Mullins' suggestions for last week's blog.  And I definitely agree with the article.  Although it isn't exactly on the "A-List" of emotions, guilt can be very overpowering at times.

Let me give you an example.  My grandparents (my dad's parents) live with us right now, and I'm well aware of the fact that they are talkers. They sure do enjoy a good conversation.  But I am a senior in high school and I have so much work to do (never mind the fact that I do everything in my power to avoid my work...).  When they try to strike up a conversation with me I stealthily look down like I'm doing something important while smiling and giving them one word answers.  I know deep down, way way deep down, that it's wrong. And when they walk away with that sad look on their faces I wish that I had just taken ten minutes and let them have my attention. This is what guilt can do. I feel so guilty that apparently I feel the need to blog about it!

Anyway, that's what guilt can do, to me anyway. But what does guilt have to do with English? Believe it or not, I think guilt may play a minute role in Beloved.  Beloved (as in the ghost/character) spends time with Sethe and Denver.  Specifically at the beginning of the novel, Denver and Sethe command different parts of Beloved's attention, because Sethe sees her as a someone she can vent to while Denver sees her as a companion/sister whether she knows that it's her sister.  Although we are never really told how Beloved actually feels about all of this, I can imagine that she would feel guilty about it.

Not to make a joke out of something serious, but remember how I said that guilt is a silent killer? Well if my theory is correct, and Beloved really did feel guilty, she's dead now, so....that's up to your imagination. 

By the way, the whole grandparent thing was a complete joke. I'm not that kind of granddaughter or person. Should I feel guilty that I lied to you?

I Do Not Love Beloved

The title pretty much says it all: I do not love Beloved.  If we're going to get really technical about it, I don't love Beloved or Beloved.  I actually don't love Beloved more than I don't love Beloved, if that makes any sense.

Anyway, most people in class right now (at least B3) tend to either absolutely love the book or absolutely hate it.  But when someone asked me whether I like it the other day, my reaction was "Eh, it's okay." I'm not exactly sure why because I was told by many that it was a terrible read and would put me to sleep.  Another English teacher even shuddered when I told them that I was going read this novel in my English class (not mentioning any names, I might get in trouble).

There are moments when I like this book and moments where I hate it.  I think that Toni Morrison does a phenomenal job of using flashback and imagery to display the struggles that slavery and its traumas can bring on such as loneliness, isolation, self-loathing, etc.  For example, take the following passage:

"The last of her children, whom she barely glanced at when he was born because it wasn’t worth the trouble to try to learn features you would never see change into adulthood anyway.  Seven times she had done that: held a little foot; examined the fat fingertips with her own – fingers she never saw become the male or female hands a mother would recognize anywhere.  She didn’t know to this day what their permanent teeth looked like; or how they held their heads when they walked.  Did Patty lose her lisp?  What color did Famous’ skin finally take?  Was that a cleft in Johnny’s chin or just a dimple that would disappear soon’s his jawbone changed?  Four girls, and the last time she saw them there was no hair under their arms.  Does Ardelia still love the burned bottom of bread?  All seven were gone or dead.  What would be the point of looking too hard at that youngest one?  But for some reason they let her keep him.  He was with her – everywhere."  (163-164)


I used this passage for my reading journal, and it really spoke to me because I realized how much we take for granted.  I think we can all agree that no matter how much we love or hate the novel, this passage really has a profound effect on its reader.

There are other moments when I either zone out or want to throw something. (Not at Toni Morrison, just throw something). I just can't wrap my head around some of the concepts of this book.  Sometimes I feel like everything would be easier if Beloved were either just a ghost or just a human being, but the I guess we wouldn't really have a book the, would we?

So if someone were to ask me if I like the book, my response would still be "Eh, it's okay." I might grow to love or hate the book, but seeing as we're at the halfway point, I don't really think that's going to change.  Those are just a few of my thoughts on Beloved and Beloved. 

Beloved

Okay, so I don't really know what to think of Beloved at this point. The part that I've read so far has not pleased me at all. That being said, I don't absolutely hate the book either. If someone were to ask me what I think about it, I would probably say, "Ehh... it's all right." 

The representation of the ghost is weird in my opinion. I don't really get why Morrison chooses to express it as she does. For example, when Paul D. walks into Sethe's house for the first time, he feels a rush of grief and sadness overcome him. To me, that is just an emotion that he feels out of sympathy for Sethe, not the ghost's presence. I think that if he really saw a ghost, he would've felt more than just an emotion. Perhaps as I read more into the book, I will understand.

I was confused when Morrison narrated Sethe's time at Sweet Home. She describes Paul D., Halle, and the other men "waiting" for Sethe to decide who she would have as a man. Previously, I had only heard of masters (white males) abusing their slaves, but I never really thought about men in slavery abusing other women slaves as well. 

Lastly, Morrison's use of irony is blatantly obvious. She chose to label Sethe's slave home in Kentucky as "Sweet Home."  This is especially ironic because the word "sweet" implies a pleasant, humbling experience, when in fact Sethe experienced the complete opposite. She felt so tortured that she escaped what is called a Sweet Home. I'm not sure how this contributes to the story yet, but again, I haven't really finished reading what was assigned yet (oops!) so maybe that will become clearer as I read.

The Forgotten Garden

For my first independent reading novel for the inquiry project I read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. My topic is on truth, especially with respect to ignorance. Basically, my project revolves around the following questions: Will the truth really set you free? Or is ignorance really bliss?

But where to even begin? I was fascinated by this book and I couldn't even put it down. This is the first time I've finished an independent reading novel over a week before the deadline, if that tells you how much I liked it. The story starts out with a young girl, Nell, about four years old, who is left on a ship departing for Australia in 1913. She travels alone because she was abandoned and is taken in by the dock master and his wife. She learns the truth about herself on her 21st birthday and sets out to discover her past and origins, including her real name. Her search is stopped in 1975 when she is left to take care of her own granddaughter, Cassandra. As Nell grows even older she develops Alzheimer's and dies in 2005, leaving Cassandra to inherit a cottage along with a "forgotten garden." Cassandra sets out to pick up where her grandmother left off and finds herself unraveling a complicated, tangled web of lies and secrets.

The author, Kate Morton, did a spectacular job of always adding something new to the mix. Just when you think that there couldn't possibly be anything new to discover, she throws something in. And to me, that keeps it exciting. The book switches between Nell in 1975 to Cassandra in 2005 and even all the way back to the early 1900's, describing the life of the person who abandoned Nell on the ship in the first place. This back and forth between characters and time periods led to some dramatic irony because at times, the reader wanted Cassandra to discover something that her grandmother had previously discovered.  I did some research and I found this video on YouTube:

                                   

You may not get where I'm coming from if you haven't read the book, but I can draw many parallels between Morton and Cassandra. They both have grandmothers whose identities were not what they thought, and some of the location was the same too.  And the music behind this video sounded a bit creepy, but the book is really not that creepy, just kind of scandalous.

I really hope my other two books for the inquiry project are as compelling. I think I can definitely use this book in my project, which makes me glad that I chose this topic. I will NOT give the ending away, and I would most certainly recommend this book to anyone. It's an easy read, and the characters are really easy to relate to. I thought it was predictable at first, but my predictions turned out to be way wrong. This novel isn't a cheesy love story (ahem Nicholas Sparks) but its not boring or dull either (not going to mention any names there).  I found myself getting very attached to the characters and I was sad that the book ended.  In short, this book rocked my world.

Outlining in Reverse

I read "Outlining in Reverse" this week, and I found it very intriguing. In the article, Hamburger states that he prefers to do reverse outlining, meaning that he composes an outline after writing down some main chunks that he already is clear about. 

I agree and disagree with Hamburger in some aspects. I agree that to sit down and do a specific outline can be daunting. I prefer to make a different outline depending on the assignment. If it's an essay, I usually do bullets with a separate section for each paragraph. If it's longer, I usually group my research based on topic similarity or relevance. It all just depends on how long the assignment is and how in-depth I need to go with it. I disagree with writing the outline after having written part of the work. That seems backwards to me because I can't stand it when someone doesn't complete something all the way through. To do some of the finished product, then do the outline, then go back to the finished product... it seems haphazard and very ineffective to me. 

But one thing about this article does ring true: reverse outlining can be abused. Maybe that's why I disagree with it. To me, it seems as though if you keep going back and forth between outline and draft, you will either keep adding extraneous information or experience the Christmas Tree syndrome. The Christmas Tree syndrome is when you keep chopping the Christmas tree until the three is practically only one foot tall (like you see on TV). Likewise, reverse outlining can result in constantly chopping off extra information until there is practically nothing left. Either way, I think reverse outlining works for only some people. I am not one of those people. Although I don't advocate a standard outline for every assignment I do, I think outlining should be done before drafts, not after, in between, or anywhere else.

*I am very proud to say that I used a vocabulary word. That is all.

The Elements

There is nothing left on this Earth.
Billows of ash, moving unseen
Charred ruins shrouded in the carbon fog.
We are not godspoke men,
yet we are carrying the fire,
enkindling what we don't remember,
the dark of the invisible moon
reminding us to venture at the edge of the world.
We do not curse God.
We will never be safe in heaven with God.
We knew that the world, long forgotten, would not last long.
But as we stare at the blackened shape of rock,
the dead black ivy, and the raw cold daylight,
we are ready and even willing to topple into the flames
into God knows what.

This was my "Found" poem from class, and I found the concept very interesting (pun very much intended). Each phrase that I took from The Road was used in a different context or situation (despite the repetitive ash/fire imagery) but it created a whole new meaning.

My two categories that I got quotes for were fire/ash imagery and religion/faith. I don't think that McCarthy intended to link these two topics together, but the poem actually does link the two together. 

What I find most interesting is that technically, these aren't really my words. I used linking words and made up a few phrases, but for the most part I didn't really "write" the poem. I just manipulated what was already there to make a message that I thought encompassed The Road. Also, even though a lot of us had ash and fire imagery as one of our topics, every one of our poems had something different to offer.

Even though I sort of enjoyed this process, I do feel a little guilty. I really like my poem but I know that I didn't really come up with the words for it. Mr. Mullins even gave us clear cut instructions on how to write this poem, which is not how poets usually write. My understanding is that poets take inspiration from what they see. I guess I could say that I am inspired by the road, but I was inspired way more by getting a good grade.

Long story short, I liked doing the poem, but I'm not sure whether I can really be proud of it because even though I wrote it, I didn't write it...if that makes sense.

The Road

                                          

It seems appropriate to start the first blog post of the semester with something very relevant to class right now: The Road by Cormac McCarthy.  I got mixed reviews from many of my friends who had English class on A-days. Some said it was amazing and written in a thought-provoking way. Others said it was depressing and they couldn't wait to get it over with, not to mention the ambiguity drove them crazy.  I am surprised to say that I like this book very much so far.  McCarthy really makes me think about what he's writing. Here are a few examples:

"On this road there are no godspoke men. They are gone and I am left and they have taken with them the world. Query: How does the never to be differ from the never that was?" p32

"Dark of the invisible moon. The nights now only slightly less black. By day the banished sun circles the earth like a grieving mother with a lamp." p32

I won't try to analyze those quotes because that's what we did in class, but I truly admire the deepness of those statements. To imagine how precisely and meticulously McCarthy must have worked to convey exactly what he wanted to leaves me awestruck. If nothing else, I think we can all agree that McCarthy should be commended on his hard work.

Another interesting point is the title. The man and his son are literally traveling on a road, but there is obviously some figurative meaning there too. The cliche about "the journey, not the destination" is important. When I saw the book, I thought, "What road? Where does the road lead to?" I also think it's interesting to note that most books that are considered literary fiction sometimes don't have such straightforward titles. For example, the three books I am reading for my inquiry project all have non-straightforward titles: The Forgotten Garden, Not Me,  and Dark Places. But even though McCarthy chose a perspicuous title, the language used in the novel is anything but.

Those are just a few thoughts as we start this unit. I think I will actually understand McCarthy's reasoning for using such complex thought processes in writing this book. As of now, I'm just trying to understand what's going on. I am also very proud that I kind of used one of the vocabulary words in this post. My goal is to try to do that as often as I can. Let's see how that goes! :)