Blog Evalution

My favorite blog was the strong opinion blog because it gave us the freedom to write about whatever interested us most. I liked having the freedom to write about whatever I felt like writing at that given time. My least favorite blog was the walk through Harlem because it was more fact finding from different sources instead of open ended opinion writing. I don't like looking for facts as much as I like hearing people's opinions. When a blog topic interested me I do feel like I put an effort into writing the blogs. I enjoyed having a blog this year because it was a good way to practice my writing while reviewing topics we have learned in class. It has definitely been a good experience and I would recommend next years Juniors doing it as well. Sometimes its hard to remember to do the blogs each week but if you just do your work and put some thought into it then it can be a great learning experience. It was fun while it lasted but I doubt I will continue this blog after this. It has been a great school year, a great year in English, and now its time for Summer!

Spring Break.

Spring Break has come and gone and all my blogs are up to date.

The Great Gatsby.

  1. Swanee - Al Jolson
  2. West End Blues - Louis Armstrong
  3. Rhapsody In Blue - Paul Whiteman featuring George Gershwin
  4. Ain't Misbehavin' - Fats Waller / Louis Armstrong

 I picked these 4 songs from the 1920s because they are 4 of the most popular songs from that era. It is very likely that Gatsby and his guests would have listened to some of these songs during parties or other social events.

The Poetry of Stephen Crane

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.
Because the lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them,
Great is the Battle-God, great, and his Kingdom -
A field wher a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

- Stephen Crane

I chose this poem not because of the idea behind it suggesting that war has a good 

side instead I chose it for the way it was written. In the poem he suggests that war

is kind and tells the maiden not to cry yet he vividly explains horrific examples of

war. He writes of dead corpses by the thousands yet tells the mothers not to weep. 

I do not fully understand this poem or the message he was trying to get across

and maybe that is what attracts me to it.  

Mark Twain's Wit

"If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're misinformed."
-Mark Twain

I like this quote because it shows that almost all of the news that we hear is told with a slant. Almost all newspapers are bias and almost all journalists write from their own point of view. This quote questions whether or not we can ever receive news that is solely the truth. By not reading the newspaper or in today's world watching the news or reading articles on the internet we are uninformed of what is going on. However if we do read the paper, watch the news, or read articles on the internet we are misinformed with false information. The question then becomes how can we ever truly know what is going on?

Stories of the Quest for Civil Rights

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/us/19birmingham.html?_r=1

I think this is a great story about the civil rights movement because he was not doing this for fame or recognition but instead he was doing it because he genuinely thought the black community deserved transportation. In a time where it was extremely difficult if not impossible for black men and women to receive transportation without being ridiculed he stepped in and made an effort to change that. He saw something that he disagreed with and instead of sitting there and moping about it he got up and made a difference. Its sad to to know that his story will most likely never be known by the masses but for those who know what he did or not he played an important role in changing history for the better. 

A Walk Through Harlem.

One of the similarities that I noticed from the website to Having Our Say was the importance of churches. Going to church was obviously a big deal back then in the community and more often than not it was expected. Bessie and Saydie touch on the topic of going to church while the walk through Harlem showed multiple churches on the same street.
On the 2nd link I learned more about James Weldon Johnson who we learned about in class. He was a poet from Harlem that helped put Harlem on the map. His poetry was closely tied with music and him and his brothers even wrote songs together. He continually pushed for civil rights and broke down many racial barriers for his time.

Expressions in Art.

Sadie and Bessie talked about how black people were talked down upon and treated poorly. This picture shows a black child in the most helpless position. To me this picture portrays suffering, fear, neglect and overall misery. The child seems helpless and doesn't know what to do.

Having Your Say.

Something I feel strongly about is not doing things just because society says you should do it. I feel like nowadays most people judge everything they do based of what society would think of it and not what they personally think about it. Their perception of right and wrong is what society says is right and wrong and not what they feel is right or wrong. Well society isn't always right and we need to stop basing our decisions of what is accepted by society and instead make decisions based off what we personally believe. We need to stop blindly following society and instead make our own unique paths.

There Was A Child Went Forth

In this poem I think Whitman is talking about how the child had all these experiences and memories that became a part of him to stay with him forever. As the child experienced something it became forever engraved in the child's brain and therefor a part of him. I connect to this because I try to experience as many things as possible and store them in my memory to learn from them. The more we experience the more we learn and maybe that is what Whitman is trying to say.

Emily Dickinson's Garden Of Poetry

The Bee

 

Like trains of cars on tracks of plush

I hear the level bee:

A jar across the flowers goes,

Their velvet masonry

Withstands until the sweet assault

Their chivalry consumes,

While he, victorious, tilts away

To vanquish other blooms.

His feet are shod with gauze,

His helmet is of gold;

His breast, a single onyx

With chrysoprase, inlaid.

His labor is a chant,

His idleness a tune;

Oh, for a bee's experience

Of clovers and of noon!

 

- Emily Dickinson

Dickinson shows her love and appreciation for nature and wildlife in this poem. The way she describes the bee you can tell that she holds it in high regard. You can tell that she has carefully observed bees before and she truly enjoys it.

Transcendental Vs Antitranscendental

I personally enjoy the antitranscendental writers over the transcendental writers. I think they are more bold and willing to veer off the path and go their own way. They do not do what society wants them to do. In a lot of their stories I feel like we can find great morals. Like in "The Scarlett Letter" she turned that punishment into a bold statement of individuality. I think the antitranscendental writers that we have learned about our amazing individuals with incredible imaginations.