The Power of Poetry

My poems were:
The Missing Person

He has come to report himself

A missing person.

The authorities

Hand him the forms.

He knows how they have waited

With the learned patience of barbers

In small shops, idle,

Stropping their razors.

But now that these spaces in his life

Stare up at him blankly,

Waiting to be filled in,

He does not now how to begin.

Afraid that he might not answer

To his description of himself,

He asks for a mirror.

They reassure him

That he can be nowhere

But wherever he finds himself

From moment to moment

Which, for the moment, is here.

And he might like to believe them.

But in the mirror

He sees what is missing.

It is himself

He sees there emerging

Slowly, as from the dark

Of a furnished room

Only by darkness,

One who receives no mail

And is known to the landlady only

For keeping himself to himself,

and for whom it will be years yet

Before he can trust to the light

This last disguise, himself.

A Reason Why

Sometimes I wonder why I am here.
On a world so hostile and full of things to fear.
Where people fight, and more die.
Where people cheat, steal, and lie.
Where "good help is hard to find".
And people are rarely ever kind.
But right when I am stuck, not knowing what to do,
I stop thinking about everything but me and you.
And the world is suddenly a better place to be.
With nothing else, just you and me.
Holding each other in a tight embrace,
Or dancing around with the greatest of grace.
But then again that’s all I feel,
When I am holding you for real.
Like no one else is even there,
Just you and me in a world so bare.
I am never alone,
And never cold,
As long as you are with me,
For me to hold.

• What attracted you to this poem?

They both made me think and reflect on my life.

• What figurative/sound devices (if any) did you find in the poem?

They use end rhyme and personifications.

• What do you believe the meaning of the poem to be?

The first poem seems to be about describing yourself. It may seem like the easiest task but it's hard to choose those specific words that really define you. The second is about finding the one thing that makes this world bearable or tolerable. If the scenery is that of war, hatred, and hostility, you will still see Hope walking towards you.

Poetry

What is poetry???

Poetry, to me, is a unique way of expressing yourself. It usually always has a rhythm to it but most importantly is the way words come together to form emotions.

According to the class:
Way to express your feelings of strong emotions whether it is happiness, sadness, love, or lust
Form of writing that brings the feeling of the person alive in words
Something that comes from the heart
What isn't poetry?
The rhythm of one soul their deepest thoughts, their best and their worst, the good, the bad, the past and present, it's realism, but at times false, passion and joy, crazy youth and old age, unity and separation, hate, but most of all it is the love.
Form of writing to express more complex thought, ideas, and feelings in a more artistic way. Usually has a beat but doesn't always have to rhyme.
Poetry is more felt than it is written
Certain structures- sonnets, haiku, concrete poetry, limericks, epic poems

Parenthetical Citation Practice

Here is a direct quote from the article:
"....Children like Beah are being swept into armed conflict, robbed of their childhoods, and used to fight for greed and power" (1).

IBM: In an Upfront magazine artice, "The Perfect Weapon," writer Jeffrey Gettleman sums up a story about Ishmael Beah. He wrote "....Children like Beah are being swept into armed conflict, robbed of their childhoods, and used to fight for greed and power" (1).

PC: "....Children like Beah are being swept into armed conflict, robbed of their childhoods, and used to fight for greed and power" (Jeffrey Gettleman, 1).

Paraphrase vs. Direct Quote

"The war in Darfur has led to what the U.N. has called the 'world's worst humanitarian crisis.' Over the past year, the conflict has spread into Chad, and hundreds of thousands of Chadians have become refugees in their own country."

Paraphrase: The U.N. believe that the conflict in Darfur has been amongst the worst to occur. Throughout time, the problems traveled into a city known as Chad were many of these people were terrified to be living in their own country (Polgreen 19).

Direct Quote: "The war in Darfur has led to what the U.N. has called the 'world's worst humanitarian crisis.' Over the past year, the conflict has spread into Chad, and hundreds of thousands of Chadians have become refugees in their own country" (Polgreen 19).

The many themes of Julius Caesar.

"Patriotism goes unpaid for."

"What goes around comes around."

"Just let go."

"Compromise allows a person to succeed in life."

"Don't betray your friends."

"Speak what you think."

"Change is not accepted by all."

"Change is the only constant."

"Honor."

"By harming others, you are also harming yourself as well."

"Power is not everything."

"Power can be abused."

"You can't fight fire with fire."

"Be faithful to your friends, no matter the situation."

"We must respect people's thoughts, dreams, and abilities."

Act IV and V

Act IV/V: List one theme which is illustrated in the play Julius Caesar. Explain how this theme is supported with specific examples. Your theme should be in sentence format.

"Jealousy can lead to consequences." seems like a very promising theme in Julius Caesar. Caesar honestly did not need so much power and he could have easily shared it with people like Brutus or Cassius. Also I think Cassius was very jealous that Julius was obtaining so much power.

The theme "respect and loyalty" seems to be a reoccurring presence throughout the play. As said by Brutus, a true Roman need not of an oath and I believe it says a lot about his and other Roman's characters. When Caesar died, Mark Antony stayed by his side and was able to persuade a crowed to go against Brutus although everyone thought him to be noble.

Caesar Act III

Act III: Analyze Antony’s monologue to the people at the funeral. Is his argument a logical one? How does he appeal to the emotions? In your opinion, do you believe the speech is effective? Explain with specific examples!!

I don't think his argument is a logical ones because he uses examples such as denying the crown but today we think that it was all a facade. He raises his voice and lowers it to get the crowds attention but because of this it was very effective to get into the crowds emotions. He also used the will as a bribe to get the crowds attention and to try and let the people see that Caesar was compassionate and giving, all the opposite of ambitious.

Caesar Act I and II

Act I: Provide your opinion on Cassius at this point in the play. Do you think he has good intentions? Why or why not?
I think Cassius is very sinister. His motives are in the right place but what he plans to do and the means of accomplishing it doesnt seem very reasonable. I think they could have worked things out a different way with Caesar instead of stabbing him.
Act II: If you had to give advice to Brutus to join the conspiracy, what would you tell him? Provide support from the story with your reasoning.
I would not advise Brutus to join only because murder is involved. I would tell him to try and reason with the conspirators since they pay so much respect and attention to him. I'm pretty sure they would have listened to him.