My poetry everywhere experience was very nice. These were my four favourite ones:
1) A Boy Once Told Me, by Naomi Shihab Nye. Poetry from a child's mouth. She had the best presentation, I thought. The poem, put together from quotes from her toddler son, was very sweet and funny. Also, you could tell that she enjoyed sharing it with the audience, she laughed along with them in several parts and had a really unique way of telling it.
2) Dust, by Dorianne Laux. A poem about working hard, and wanting to shut the world out sometimes. I think, from her biography at the side of the video and from what the narrator said, she's had a hard life, and this poem certainly reflects that.
3) Lake Echo, Dear, by C.D. Wright. She has a way with words, and how she tells her poem. She has her own way of writing things, I really can't describe it.
4) I Started Early, by Emily Dickinson. This was animated, and I really loved it. You could kinda relate to the poem, and the images in the movie just flowed so well with the words. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/poetryeverywhere/dickinson.html
Have a good weekend.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
~National Poetry Month Wrap Up~
All in all, I think National Poetry Month was a pretty good experience. I think that so far, it's one of my favourite things about PATH so far this year. I think what I liked most about poetry was that it always varied from author to author and from poem to poem. Unlike certain types of books, poetry isn't really all that predictable. You can get something that you think is one thing but it's really completely different. That's really cool.
I'm definitely going to keep reading poetry now that NPM is over, but in smaller amounts. I think it's a great way to kinda get away from everyday life, and to just kinda kick back and relax. On a similar note to this, I also kinda was listening to Adele the other day, and I got to thinking about how a lot of song lyrics (though not all of them) can be poetry but set to music. Both music and poetry create images based off of the words in my mind while hearing it, so therefore I'm kinda considering some singers and/or bands as poets in their own right as well now.
And last, but not least, did I gain any new favourite poets and poems? Why, yes, I suppose I did. I think the two I'm most fond of right now are Yeats and Connie Voisine. Both poets just kinda stuck in my mind. I like Yeats because of how he makes words flow, anad how they mix with each other (I hope that makes sense). As for Ms. Connie Voisine, well, she wrote a poem that I think will probably just stick with me for a long time, which is an acomplishment because unless I hear a poem over and over or really love it, that doesn't usually happen.
So long, farewell. Happy May.
I'm definitely going to keep reading poetry now that NPM is over, but in smaller amounts. I think it's a great way to kinda get away from everyday life, and to just kinda kick back and relax. On a similar note to this, I also kinda was listening to Adele the other day, and I got to thinking about how a lot of song lyrics (though not all of them) can be poetry but set to music. Both music and poetry create images based off of the words in my mind while hearing it, so therefore I'm kinda considering some singers and/or bands as poets in their own right as well now.
And last, but not least, did I gain any new favourite poets and poems? Why, yes, I suppose I did. I think the two I'm most fond of right now are Yeats and Connie Voisine. Both poets just kinda stuck in my mind. I like Yeats because of how he makes words flow, anad how they mix with each other (I hope that makes sense). As for Ms. Connie Voisine, well, she wrote a poem that I think will probably just stick with me for a long time, which is an acomplishment because unless I hear a poem over and over or really love it, that doesn't usually happen.
So long, farewell. Happy May.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sticks are Dangerous for Girls at Noel even if we all are Dusting.
I'm back! Not from the dead, but from a long week of no time for poetry. Here goes the list.
1) Dusting, by Marilyn Nelson. A lovely little poem centered around her gratitude for being alive and, well, here. I liked the images this poem conjured in my mind, of us all truly being little pieces of dust doing dusty things in such a large universe.
2) Sticks, by Thomas Sayers Ellis. This is a sad poem, I think it was about a child who was abused by his father, and felt like he was sinking. But then he discovered writing, and that became what he took his frustration out on. So say his dad hit him- He'd write it down.
3) Dangerous for Girls, by Connie Voisine. This poem was kinda freaky, but at the same time, it was like a safety lesson for girls and women everywhere. It was centered around a girl, any girl, seeing all the things happening around her, bloody Jane Does being found in refrigerators, women going missing without a trace, etc. Basically though, the girl in the poem doesn't think anything bad will happen to her, that it's always some one else. Unfortunately, she gets drunk one night, and meets a stranger, and in the morning, you can infer she was "that other girl" who disappeared.
4) Noel, by Anne Porter. Yes, I am perfectly well aware that this poem is very out-of-season, as a matter of fact, it's about Christmas, and explaining it to kids. I liked how the poem sounded, since I could relate to it really well. Christmas is, after all, a magical time of year. December, actually, is a magical time of year. I really adore Christmas (if you haven't figured that out yet).
Have a good week, and enjoy killing some chocolate bunnies.
1) Dusting, by Marilyn Nelson. A lovely little poem centered around her gratitude for being alive and, well, here. I liked the images this poem conjured in my mind, of us all truly being little pieces of dust doing dusty things in such a large universe.
2) Sticks, by Thomas Sayers Ellis. This is a sad poem, I think it was about a child who was abused by his father, and felt like he was sinking. But then he discovered writing, and that became what he took his frustration out on. So say his dad hit him- He'd write it down.
3) Dangerous for Girls, by Connie Voisine. This poem was kinda freaky, but at the same time, it was like a safety lesson for girls and women everywhere. It was centered around a girl, any girl, seeing all the things happening around her, bloody Jane Does being found in refrigerators, women going missing without a trace, etc. Basically though, the girl in the poem doesn't think anything bad will happen to her, that it's always some one else. Unfortunately, she gets drunk one night, and meets a stranger, and in the morning, you can infer she was "that other girl" who disappeared.
4) Noel, by Anne Porter. Yes, I am perfectly well aware that this poem is very out-of-season, as a matter of fact, it's about Christmas, and explaining it to kids. I liked how the poem sounded, since I could relate to it really well. Christmas is, after all, a magical time of year. December, actually, is a magical time of year. I really adore Christmas (if you haven't figured that out yet).
Have a good week, and enjoy killing some chocolate bunnies.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Poetry for the Week
First off, there's this amazing poem, The Rose of Battle, by W.B. Yeats. Fantastic poem, I love it. If you've ever read The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, it's actually featured in the beginning of The Sweet Far Thing, the final installment in the series. Problem is, it's not featured on the poetry website, which is too bad. I was really looking forward to adding it to my notebook. However, there were several other poems of his that I liked too.
1) A Prayer For My Daughter, a very sweet, very sentimental poem about a parent wishing the best for their daughter throughout her life.
2) The Player Queen, which is a song that's from an unfinished (and unnamed) play. It's about a mother who, I think, is imagining her son growing up to be a wonderful person, a king of sorts.
3) Easter 1916, I think this is about describing the poet's emotions concerning the Easter Rising in Ireland against British rule on Easter, 1916. On a side note, the uprising was apperantly unsuccessful, and most of the Irish republican leaders involved were executed for treason.
There were some other poems I found on the website as well.
1) Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost. It's about how you have to cherish life, but yet we sometimes just take it for granted. Also referenced in The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton.
2) Famous, by Naomi Shihab Nye. This was the first time I've read this poem, and I liked it a lot. There's just something about her poetry that makes you think.
3) Dulce et Decorum Est, by Wilfred Owen. A poem about what fighting in WW2 was really like, mostly centered around the hideous mustard gas used on enemies, and how dying for your fatherland isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
1) A Prayer For My Daughter, a very sweet, very sentimental poem about a parent wishing the best for their daughter throughout her life.
2) The Player Queen, which is a song that's from an unfinished (and unnamed) play. It's about a mother who, I think, is imagining her son growing up to be a wonderful person, a king of sorts.
3) Easter 1916, I think this is about describing the poet's emotions concerning the Easter Rising in Ireland against British rule on Easter, 1916. On a side note, the uprising was apperantly unsuccessful, and most of the Irish republican leaders involved were executed for treason.
There were some other poems I found on the website as well.
1) Nothing Gold Can Stay, by Robert Frost. It's about how you have to cherish life, but yet we sometimes just take it for granted. Also referenced in The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton.
2) Famous, by Naomi Shihab Nye. This was the first time I've read this poem, and I liked it a lot. There's just something about her poetry that makes you think.
3) Dulce et Decorum Est, by Wilfred Owen. A poem about what fighting in WW2 was really like, mostly centered around the hideous mustard gas used on enemies, and how dying for your fatherland isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Spring Break
Hello to all,
First off, I'd like to state that I sadly just signed up at poets.org for the daily poems. Therefore, I've been shifting through a bunch of different poetry topics to find different poems that sound interesting. So far, I've found four I really liked.
1) Red Slippers, by Amy Lowell. I really liked this poem because you see it so much in everyday life. Maybe you actually are shopping, maybe you aren't, but you see something that you can't or won't have. So you're stuck wishing for it, sometimes even after you walk away.
2) The Land of Nod, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Unsurprisingly, this particular piece of poetry is centered around dreams. It tells of how you go into a different world when you dream, how how it can be scary and wonderful. However, you can't quite ever go back (at least not to the same dream), which can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
3) To His Coy Mistress, by Andrew Marvell. First off, whoever put this poem into the "love" section of the site was a complete moron. They likely didn't take the time to bother figuring out what it really meant. Kinda like being told a certain word means "Hello" in a foreign language and then accidentally swearing at the person from that country without meaning to, cause you think that word means hello. Basically, don't ever give the poem as a lovey-dovey thing. Anyway, I'll post the poem here. http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16076
4) The Sandman, by Margaret Thomson Janvier. The poem is basically just about going to sleep, and about the Sandman who makes it happen. He closes people's eyes at night. It's sweet.
As for books I've read over break, I've been trying to work my way through two German travel guides on some old castles. I've been feeling like my German has been getting rusty lately, so I thought the books (which are in German) would be a good challenge. I also read a story in poetry, The Sign of the Seahorse, by Graeme Base. It's about sea creatures living in a coral reef that's becoming polluted, and they must follow the seahorses to a new reef. I also am re-reading The Hobbit by Tolkien, since I haven't read it in a good amount of time.
First off, I'd like to state that I sadly just signed up at poets.org for the daily poems. Therefore, I've been shifting through a bunch of different poetry topics to find different poems that sound interesting. So far, I've found four I really liked.
1) Red Slippers, by Amy Lowell. I really liked this poem because you see it so much in everyday life. Maybe you actually are shopping, maybe you aren't, but you see something that you can't or won't have. So you're stuck wishing for it, sometimes even after you walk away.
2) The Land of Nod, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Unsurprisingly, this particular piece of poetry is centered around dreams. It tells of how you go into a different world when you dream, how how it can be scary and wonderful. However, you can't quite ever go back (at least not to the same dream), which can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
3) To His Coy Mistress, by Andrew Marvell. First off, whoever put this poem into the "love" section of the site was a complete moron. They likely didn't take the time to bother figuring out what it really meant. Kinda like being told a certain word means "Hello" in a foreign language and then accidentally swearing at the person from that country without meaning to, cause you think that word means hello. Basically, don't ever give the poem as a lovey-dovey thing. Anyway, I'll post the poem here. http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16076
4) The Sandman, by Margaret Thomson Janvier. The poem is basically just about going to sleep, and about the Sandman who makes it happen. He closes people's eyes at night. It's sweet.
As for books I've read over break, I've been trying to work my way through two German travel guides on some old castles. I've been feeling like my German has been getting rusty lately, so I thought the books (which are in German) would be a good challenge. I also read a story in poetry, The Sign of the Seahorse, by Graeme Base. It's about sea creatures living in a coral reef that's becoming polluted, and they must follow the seahorses to a new reef. I also am re-reading The Hobbit by Tolkien, since I haven't read it in a good amount of time.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Reading & Trend Stuff
So far I've found out a fair amount of stuff from both sides of the silly band debate. One side is composed of those against silly bandz (many teachers, school workers) because they're distracting to students in the elementary school, causing problems that can easily be avoided. The other side is a lot of people who think silly bandz are okay. Their reasoning is usually one of two things: One, trends like these come and go. For example, hot wheels and beanie babies. Two, saying kids can't wear silly bandz to school is taking away their right to wear what they'd like. I'd agree with that, but it's not just wearing the silly bandz. Kids can trade, throw, and argue over the bracelets as well, which causes a problem.
Another thing was a lot of parents seemed to be okay with buying silly bandz. It's cheap, fun entertainment for kids, and plus, all kids should be able to "be a kid" and follow trends.
As for reading, I haven't really had much time to read anything in the last two weeks not homework related, and it bugs me. AS a matter of fact, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head was an article in USA Today about Liz Taylor's death (RIP Cleopatra). However, spring break is coming up, so I can hopefully read more books then. :)
Another thing was a lot of parents seemed to be okay with buying silly bandz. It's cheap, fun entertainment for kids, and plus, all kids should be able to "be a kid" and follow trends.
As for reading, I haven't really had much time to read anything in the last two weeks not homework related, and it bugs me. AS a matter of fact, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head was an article in USA Today about Liz Taylor's death (RIP Cleopatra). However, spring break is coming up, so I can hopefully read more books then. :)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Silly Trendz
My new topic, I've decided, is Silly Bandz and how they are nothing but a problem.
I'd describe them, but you probably already know what they are.
These multicoloured rubber bandz have been around for several years, but in early 2010 they really became the cat's pajamas. You can see it on the streets, little kindergarteners treating them like gold. It's ridiculous. I cannot believe parents actually BUY these things. I mean, they could buy coloured hair bands and they'd be just as popular, and useful at the same time. Kids these days... Anyway, silly bandz are a distraction. For example, as Jill Wolborsky, a fourth-grade teacher at my son's school, who banned them from her classroom before the principal implemented a schoolwide ban said to Time Magazine, " One student stole some confiscated Bandz from my desk, choosing them over the cash in my drawer." That's a problem.
In similar news:
- Fox News also had a rather interesting article on the bracelets last summer, saying how the tight rubber around the kids wrists could cause blood clots.
I'd describe them, but you probably already know what they are.
These multicoloured rubber bandz have been around for several years, but in early 2010 they really became the cat's pajamas. You can see it on the streets, little kindergarteners treating them like gold. It's ridiculous. I cannot believe parents actually BUY these things. I mean, they could buy coloured hair bands and they'd be just as popular, and useful at the same time. Kids these days... Anyway, silly bandz are a distraction. For example, as Jill Wolborsky, a fourth-grade teacher at my son's school, who banned them from her classroom before the principal implemented a schoolwide ban said to Time Magazine, " One student stole some confiscated Bandz from my desk, choosing them over the cash in my drawer." That's a problem.
In similar news:
- Fox News also had a rather interesting article on the bracelets last summer, saying how the tight rubber around the kids wrists could cause blood clots.
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