Pass/Fail #4

You will never graduate

from this dream

of blue books.

No matter how

you succeed awake,

asleep there is a test

waiting to be failed.

The dream beckons

with two dull pencils,

but you haven't even

taken the course;

when you reach for a book - 

it closes its door 

in your face; when

you conjugate a verb - 

it is in the wrong 

language.

Now the pillow becomes

a blank page. Turn it 

to the cool side;

you will still smother

in all of the feathers

that have to be learned

by heart.

This poem was interesting when I first read it because I thought of the future and how a person generally has dreams they strive to achieve and sometimes those dreams are hard to succeed in. I think the meaning of "never graduating from this dream of blue books" tries to symbolize that we will never stop dreaming or wanting something. That once a dream ends another one begins. It makes it sound like when you're aware of what you're doing, you do it well but when you're dreaming its only a test thats most likely going to fail. Not all dreams come true and this poem seems to want to point that out. I liked the way the author referred to the pillow and the way it's like a blank page, when I thought about that I thought of it as when we go to sleep we always dream something different and that shows that once again you start with a blank page, and the reference to where the pillow is flipped to the cooler side, I assume the author wants us to think about a new beginning or a new dream that someone has. The last part of the poem talks about how although you have all these different dreams you want, it doesn't mean you will be able to get them all. You'll be influenced by all of it but not all of it will effect your heart. This was a poem a read about ten times and every time I had a different thought or interpretation about it. In a way it made me think that's what the author was trying to demonstrate, a person who keeps figuring out new things or ways they see things or want them. 

In The Waiting Room by Elizabeth Bishop #3

This poem confused me,  the way the narrator talked seemed to be present day or at least a casual day.  When reading it the first time I thought of a child at an appointment with their aunt. I felt a shift in the poem when it said that it was dark and everyone was old. I think that made the environment change throughout the entire poem. The narrator seems to be invested in the National Geographics magazine and describes to us exactly what she see's in it. We know that the images inside of the magazine bother the narrator but what catches her attention is the yelp of her aunts. The lack of surprise was interesting because it seems that both have a close relationship. I don't think I got the concept of this poem but I feel as though when I read it the second time around I thought of the narrator being thrown into the future while going to the appointment or maybe even the past because at the end of the poem the narrator realizes that they are not at the dentists but in the middle of war. The author did a great job at giving the reader false hope regarding the location. The plot just changed so quickly at the end. I didn't see the end coming at all. The poem did a good job at giving the reader a visual of everything that the narrator was experiencing. But I'm still a bit confused after reading it for the third time!

Let America Be America Again By Langston Hughes

When I first started to look at this poem what caught my attention was the title but I feel as though my thought on the title was completely different than the poem. My initial thought about the title was about immigrants and how Langston would like to get rid of them in order to give America back to Americans again but when I first read the poem it seemed that Langston was speaking to the government about how America has changed. But the poem also seems to be talking about how America was never free and no matter what a person looked for in this country they wouldn't be able to find it. I think what Langston is trying to say is "Let America be exactly what the constitution states" Everyone should be equal and have the freedom they want. Langston also mentions dreams and I think he wants us to know that people come here for the American dream but what they don't know is that dreams are crushed and ruined here. American isn't the same and he doesn't feel welcome in it anymore. Life isn't free in America, he describes everything he feels and sees regarding the people that live in american and have lived in America. This poem does a great job at explaining the life in America. Langston uses a lot of examples in which gave me the sense of how right he is. This poem is unique and I think it has a lot of meaning to Langston.

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden

When I started reading this poem for the first time I thought of a hard working man and a family that isn't of high class because of the way the narrator states that the father is always working and that "Sundays too my father got up early" The mention of Sunday shows how much the father works. Sundays are supposed to be days of rest but we get to know that in this family that is not the case. Reading the poem for the second time I realized the narrator doesn't only want to show us his fathers hard work but also the appreciation he has for his father. He demonstrates the hardship of his father and wants us to know how important his father is. I think the poem gave us a glimpse into the authors life because of the emotions he used to describe certain things. He seemed to want to show us that it wasn't easy, quite difficult. Through the cold and the early mornings. The title of this poem gives us a clue as to what it will be about, overall I did enjoy reading this poem.

Since There's No Help by Michael Drayton

1) When reading this poem for the first time I saw how it was written in a beautiful way, I just thought it was was very passionate and held a sense of heartbreak. I got a little bit caught up in a certain lie, when it said "When we meet at any time again, Be it not seen in either of our brows." I honestly can't tell you why this caught my interest but he seemed so uncaring. I think its what a typical guy would say to his long time girlfriend. Kind of a slap in the face. What changed when I read it the second time would probably be the tone I read it in, the first time I thought of it as heartbreak and a man trying to comfort himself with how the break up should go but the second time I thought of it as a careless tone.

2) The questions that followed the poem weren't that difficult. I had to go back to the poem to refer to the lines and meanings but overall I seemed to understand this poem better than the other two poems we read. The questions made sense to me.

Spring and Fall

Annotating the poem Spring and Fall helped me understand the poem in different ways and made it easier when it was broken down. When the poem was broken down in sentences it made me stay focused on each phrase. I enjoyed reading the poem because it was short which helped with how I understood it. The fact that I had to annotate while reading through each line really was helpful. I liked the flow of the poem and the way it made me think.

#1 How To Analyze Literature

Three important things I've learned while reading this article:
        - Plot implies that there is conflict occurring.
        - The purpose of a foil character is to reveal by contrast the characteristics or traits of a main character.
        - Symbols do not mean, they suggest or remind or reflect.

Two questions I still have or want to learn:
        -I want to learn how to identify Point of View and understand it in a stronger way.
        -How do I enhance my ability to use Diction?

One thing I know well that I could teach others:
       - The structure of the story and how it contributes to the text.