I believe my most successful assignment was creating the Poetry Flyer for Essay 3. I enjoyed researching various poems until I came upon Emily Dickinson’s “Dear March _ Come In.” This poem fitted into my emotions perfectly, especially some big emotions from past experiences. The diction made me feel that march was a real person and that he was my visitor. The process of designing this flyer made me focus on the meaning of this poem and understanding the importance of March and the changes in the season from Winter to Spring. I am very proud of the flyer I was able to create. I think I could have done better on the quizzes. In the beginning of the semester I felt I could have studied for the quizzes a lot more. The thing I learned is reading a story and establishing the vignette. I am very excited about acquiring this knowledge and I hope I get to explore it some more.
Bernadette Kowlessar
Throughout her poem “We Real Cool,” Gwendolyn Brooks uses simple and straight forward narrative to capture the fate and lives of young people who live on the edge of societal norms. Despite her economy of words her meaning is very clear. Consider her opening lines ,”The Pool Players. Seven at the Golden Shovel” sets the scene with the use of simple, direct language, drawing the reader into the world of these young men. Her use of the word “we” showcases the groups sense of unity. The closing phrase, “We die soon.” embodies Raymond Carvers principle of precision. Short and to the point. Like Craver, this poem by Gwendolyn Brooks highlights the use of simple everyday language. It’s precise vocabulary and straightforward structure create a clear understanding of the self destructive path of the young men in the poem. It also demonstrates that true artistry does not have to be written in complex language but through simplicity can convey the truth of human emotions.
Fairy tales are good for children as they are a great source of examples of strength, perseverance and triumph. These timeless tales, can teach children problem-solving skills, build emotional resilience and encourage a love for reading. ,”The Positive Impacts of fairy Tales for children” states, Fairy tales not only aid in child development, but they also offer a rich source of material to draw from in a therapeutic manner” ( Johnson-Visikoknox 1 ). Another quote is taken from the article “Rediscovering the Power of Fairy Tales ” where it tells us that “I watched as each child took the tales and used them to foster her or his particular growth” ( Howard 2 ). The ideas that caught my mind are the ones that stated when these stories are read to children it can help them to understand and process some of their own emotions that might be a part of the storyline. Also how it can be used as a tool throughout childhood and even as adults. For example, Cinderella was bullied by her step-mother and step sisters; I have used this story to help my granddaughter to find ways like Cinderella to be kind to others and also to persevere and always believe in herself. As an adult I also use this lesson to help me be kind to others even in negative situations.
These are the specific ideas I made a connection with In a Good Man is Hard to find that came about from my reading Flannery O’ Conner’s On Her own work, The Element of Suspense: She used suspense to highlight the hypocrisy and self deception that was shown by the grand mother. The way she manipulated her son and his family into doing what she wanted so much so that I was uncertain of what the outcome would be. Another complex idea is the character flaw in the grandmother of being so self righteous, she dressed to appear as a lady but that was just a facade. Inside she was prejudiced and dishonest. I was taken even further into suspense when deep question surrounding the humanity of “The Misfit” when they arrived on the scene of the accident. The talk of religion , he had a memory lapse where he could not remember what led to his incarceration. In fact his conversation with the grandmother appeared to be grappling with the nature of justice and punishment. The climax of this story is true to O’ Conner style where she engages her readers in a climax where an action can be expected or unexpected. The violence and grotesque ending brought to light the harsh realities of the human nature.
I believe that my understanding of reading poetry has improved. After engaging in reading and analyzing poetry for the past two weeks, my understanding that the meaning and emotions of poems can be connected. I would give myself a rating of 6 at this time. My approach to get a better or clearer understanding of a poem is to read and reread the poems numerous times and try to discuss them with anyone who would listen. These experiences have highlighted that poetry is more than rhyming words; instead it portrays a depth of feelings and emotions . A poem that I have known, “Water is Taught by Thirst” by Emily Dickinson has helped me to connect with the theme and meaning of “Oedipus the King”. I believe “Water is taught by thirst” emphasizes the idea that something is truly valued in it’s absence. This examination is done through reflection, realization and loss. This can also be seen in the play, which has the theme of fate, self discovery, knowledge and self realization., Another connection in both poems can be seen in the quotations, “Peace – by its battles told-” (Dickinson). ” Similarly, I have come to this, the last and worst of all my deeds” (Sophocles). further illustrates the metaphorical emotional struggle that both the play and the poem highlights. The emotions expressed in the poem and the play has been real to me this past month after the death of my brother. I reflected on my actions and words that caused a rift between us that ran very deep and now saying sorry or forgive me is impossible.
Upon reflection, I did not give myself enough time to write essay 1. I usually make a rough draft and would teak it; sometimes adding new sentences or taking away some sentences. I would continuously read the stories that I am using and make jottings about the quotes. However, For this essay, I did not pay enough attention to the MLA style of inserting quotes and making sure that I introduced them correctly. I strayed from the original instruction of the essay as I lost track of my thesis statement. Most importantly I gave no citation for the student essay. Therefore in the future I will give myself more time to focus on the instructions, and review the videos on how to insert quotations. Maybe even use Chatgpt for ideas on the foundation of a great essay. Overall, I could have done a lot better if I was not rushing to beat the deadline.
As I read the story, “The Lesson “by Toni Cade Bambara, I was immediately drawn to the Sylvia’s description of Miss Moore. One of such is” This lady moved on our block with nappy hair proper speech and no makeup “(Bambara 1). There were many other reasons why Miss Moore stood out in this neighborhood, and one of them was that she was always planning something. For this reason my title for this story would be “Teachable Moments.” On this occasion Miss Moore took the children to The Toy store on Fifth Avenue. In this experience she piqued their interests to learn about new things; such as the paper weight and the microscope, had open discussions and explained the prices. However, most of all she observed their reactions. “And I watched Miss Moore who is steady watching us like she is waiting for a sign” (Bambara 5). Miss Moore wanted them to broaden their thinking and enjoy their childhood. As Sylvia said” I’m thinking about this tricky toy I saw in the store. A clown that somersaults on a bar then does chin ups just cause you yank lightly to his leg” ( 5).
This is a process in which there are many steps. It’s purpose is to help me in writing an essay with the correct structure. Through this prewriting process I be able to gather my thoughts and ideas based on the topic, review again and again and make changes, even adding new ideas and thoughts. During the pre writing process I can focus my thoughts as writing the thesis statement is a very important part of each essay. I have to read “The Handsome Drowned Man by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and also Overview of “The Most Handsome Drowned Man by Dean Rader, these are 2 articles from activity 1 and 3. I will gain understanding by watching the Format Matters video to learn the correct way to format illustrations and studying the MLA format guide.
