Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thankful For-
This thanksgiving I'm thankful for Gabby. She's a really nice person and REALLY helped me on the English research paper when we had to peer edit. We also talk a lot about the Walking Dead and it's cool to have someone that thinks the as me about the show. So, Gabby if you read this, I'm pretty happy we sit next to each other in English! Have a good Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
2nd Quarter Nature Portfolio
The Most Beautiful ______
When I traveled to Japan over the summer, the last thing I expected to find beautiful was a fish. But it was not a regular fish. It was a koi fish and not just one fish, but ten koi fishes. The shrine I visited that day was slightly isolated. Everything is a bright, vivid green and not near the city so it’s quiet and peaceful. This was the last shrine of the day I was going to visit and I had to walk up a small hill where the shrine itself was located. The sun shone brightly through all the trees, but not enough to blind. It was particularly pleasant. There was a small stream going from the top of the shrine all the way to bottom and while walking up, I merely passed it. When I walked down, I looked at the pond for a second, only to stare a fish in the eye. Its entire body was orange expect for a white patch on his back. I asked my student what kind of fish it was and she told me a koi fish. I had only heard of a koi fish once or twice and just thought it was some regular goldfish. But it was really different than what I expected. For one, it was nearly 3 times larger than your average goldfish. I couldn't believe the size of it but it was able to swim fast as I learned when it was at the other side of the pond in a few seconds. I didn't want to stop looking at the fish so I walked around to see where it had gone. To my surprise, nine other koi fish had appeared and they began to swim in a single file line! Just one after the other, like kindergartners getting ready to go outside to play and the teacher tells them to stand behind each other. If that wasn't a spectacle enough, fish swimming right after each other in perfect synchronization, then the multitude of colors was better. The fishes didn't look like each other at all. Aside from size, the colors were all different. One was black with a white patch, a white one with a black patch, an orange mixed in with white. The colors blended as much as they clashed. I never thought that something as simple as a fish could create such a beautiful image. It was on my last week and I was really sad to think about leaving but with the perfect day outside, calm of nature and my array of koi fish, I could never forget my experience.
Word Count: 437
Native American Creation Story
There had been several rumors about the fabled Internets whereabouts. The beautiful full creature couldn't be caught or tamed. At the sight of a person, it would run with such speed no one could match it. People for years had been trying to harness its core processing power but it was deemed impossible. The government had finally had enough and just wanted the Internet caught once and for all. They placed a reward for the capture of the Internet, seven million dollars. Many people wanted the reward but a specific man really wanted it. His name was Bill Gates and he was the stop animal catcher in the world. He started with the capture of Microsoft and then moved onto to others, even stealing iTunes from another country. But people were starting to think maybe not even Bill Gates could capture the famous Internet. He wanted to capture the Internet desperately so he set out across the world, tracking the Internets’ every movement. Just when he would think he caught the Internet it would somehow break out of all of his traps. The trap where he sent his viruses to slow down the Internet failed miserably when Norton had protected the Internet. Or the other trap where Bill sent out Skype to stall the Internet has also failed.
Bill was at a loss and decided maybe he couldn't capture the Internet until a certain miracle. He was sitting in his tent, eating his meal when he heard a rustle outside of his tent door. He opened it only to see the Internet, trying to find the smell of food. “Come here little Internet. Yes, that’s it. No need be scared.” Bill inched the Internet forward with the temptation of food and before he knew it, the Internet was feeding from his hand. After the Internet had finished feeding, he put it in a cage and the next morning went to get the reward. The government had given him his reward and asked him to teach the Internet proper behavior. Bill Gates was successful and the Internet always fully obeys him. That is why we can now use the Internet whenever we please but occasionally the Internet runs away, which is why sometimes our Internet goes out.
Textbook Responses
The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls
The title carries the repetition of the whole story and main focus on this beach scene. The tide is seen as a constant while everything else continues onward. The sea, twilight and travelers are all doing something. "The traveler hastens toward the town" and meanwhile the tide "rises, the tide falls". In the second stanza, the focus is on the beach and the properties of the area taking on human qualities. The waves "with their soft, white hands" could imply a gentleness nature may have. The usage of the word "settles" has a calming effect. The word brings a sweet feeling with no malice and the rhyming makes the whole poem feel childish and innocent. However, in the third stanza, there seems to be a negativity towards this human "traveler". There is a beautiful scenery and "the day has returned", but the traveler never returns to the shore. The use of the word "nevermore" has such a strong time implication. The poem is short, it goes from day to night, the tide does but two things, and this traveler will "nevermore" return to the shore. This gives the feeling that Longfellow, the author, views people and humanity in a negative way. From the descriptions of nature having people like actions, for example waves effacing footprints on sand. its hard to dislike the scene and nature itself in this poem but the traveler is never returning. This puts a pretty dark spin on humanity and shows the innocence in a simple beach.
Word Count: 251
Grass
The first line gives such an abrupt feeling to a short and simple, yet deep poem. "Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo". It continues with "let me work- I am the grass; I cover all". A battle site of a well known war, and the grass says "pile the bodies high". From the words "pile" and "high", I get the impression of wanting more. The grass wants more bodies just to get to work. When using the phrase "let me work-", it carries a final tone. The person saying this usually means for others to leave the person alone and not be bothered again. The "grass" gives off the feeling of serious labor and highly bothered by burying bodies or the grass could give off the feeling of a monotonous task that has been done countless times before. In the next stanza, there are two more big battles where the grass wants them piled high. The same tone with the line "shovel them under and let me work". But the next line throws me off a little bit. There has been a time frame given, "two years, ten years" both close to one another. This could show how time quickly passes, and that the battles were the same in the end. But the mention of a passenger and conductor adds something new to the poem. A passenger and conductor could be anyone, referring to a train, a mode of transportation, or the passengers being the those covered by the grass waiting to go somewhere, waiting for something and the grass is the conductor. The next lines "What place is this? Where are we now?" could be referring to the grass always moving and always changing. Any bodies covered up by war are just moved onto the next war and covered up once more. The grass has never ending work and has one job. To cover all and take care of those it has covered.
Word Count: 327
Snowbound
The poem starts out with this depressing, ominous feeling. "The sun that brief December day rose cheerless.." brings a setting of this quick day with no sunshine and all surrounding are dark. But as the poem continues the people, or the man, of the story are going about their regular life, even as a storm is coming. At first I wondered why the people would just continue on their regular chores and work when a huge snowstorm is coming, but after all the snow feel, the people experience such awe. "We looked upon a world unknown" which implies there is so much snow you can't see anything but white. For me, I would be miserable but the people in the poem view the snow with such wonder and happiness. The people go even as far to compare it to the leaning tower of Pisa, one of the wonders of the world. The family that start clearing the snow go about it in such a happy way and compare the tunnel "with dazzling crystal" to the story of Aladdin's cave. With the way the snow scenery is described, I can't help but want to see this scene. As far as the eye can see covered in bright, white snow. From the story description, it sounds like the best view in the world. The description continues into a description of this calming solitude trapped in snow with "no social smoke" around. I had to agree that the feeling of no one around making loud conversations did sound incredibly nice. The author did a good job of describing a most simple object as snow in a way that even I, a person who hates cold, would love to experience the scene he wrote.
Word Count: 290
The Snowstorm
This poem gave me feelings I was more familiar with, which was annoyance towards snow but also some appreciation. In the first stanza, there is an immediate warning of a storm "announced by all the trumpets of the sky" and is heavily coming down, "seems nowhere to alight". Later in the same stanza, the author fives examples of all the people that are stopped by snow, "all friends shut out, the courier's feet delayed". This is the more realistic outcome of heavy snow versus in "Snowbound" a feeling of extreme joy and awe at the "unknown world". But, I got the feeling that the author doesn't like snow a lot because when he described people indoors they are "around the radiant fireplace". To me the word radiant is used to describe something that shines brightly, beautifully, a positive feeling usually, and then the storm is described as "tumultuous", rough, an uproar, giving me an aggressive feeling. In the second stanza, the snow is described in an angry way but also some respect it seems. "His wild work so fanciful, so savage". The word fanciful is slightly mocking to me but also shows respect at the beauty of snow covering everything. The use of the word savage brings the anger directed at everything the snow covered on the farmers land, "a swan-like form invests the hidden thorn". The author may complain about the snow, calling it "the mad wind's night-work" but he shows his admiration when he says "the frolic architecture of the snow". As a whole, the poem may express everyone's general feelings towards the snow. When it comes, it is aggravating. Sweeping snow all the time, not being able to get somewhere by car, getting trapped in your house, but you can still find the snow beautiful when it covers the land perfectly in a beautiful white blanket.
Word Count: 309
from Nature
From the descriptions Emerson gives of being outside on a simple day and being in the woods of "perpetual youth", I have begun to look at nature in a different way. Transcendentalism is not something I would fully be able to do but I have great respect and admiration for those that can fully embrace the simplicity of life. Although, some of things Emerson wrote about are not fully coherent to me and seem absurd. For example, when he says "I become a transparent eyeball: I am nothing", I find that a strange feeling to embrace. The idea of just being and finding nature the only comfort or companionship neccessary is really hard to figure out. So, while reading Emerson's piece I'm still not able to fully embrace nature in the way he wants people to. Solitude is not an idea I am happy with but the center of "Nature" is that the solitude you can find in being away from people and just living simply is endless. If someone can be entirely happy in solitude and living simply, I have a basket full of admiration for them but I can't see myself living as Emerson says is the best.
Word Count: 200
Weather Experience
Even to this day I am still not entirely sure if what I saw was true or not. It was a few years ago, I was maybe 7 or 8 years old at the time and desperately wanted to eat shrimp that day. So we took a family excursion to this shrimp place on western avenue. I have always loved everything about their jumbo shrimp. Its fried and the sauce there is divine. I was getting hungry just thinking about the shrimp and it was really sunny outside so I felt it was a good day coming on. After waiting in the car while my mom got the shrimp, suddenly the sky got dark. The clouds covered over with grey and the sun was hidden behind a blanket of gloom. I inquired to my dad about the weather and he just said it was Chicago having its weather mood swings. I thought that was right because only in Chicago could it rain in December or be snowy in March. We waited a little more and the weather didn't let up. The sky got darker and the wind picked up and soon the trees were shaking violently. I tried to open the car door so I could look at the sky better but the door was slammed shut by the wind. I was so scared at this point. I had never done well with thunderstorms and the day was getting darker (at the time I afraid of the dark). I hunkered down in the backseat and tried to talk to calm myself down. It worked a little bit until my mom came back with the shrimp and said that there was a tornado warning. Now, this happened within 20 minutes I would say, and at that age, the only information I had on tornadoes was stuff I saw on tv and my imagination. My first thought "oh man, are we going to die from a tornado or will I get take to the Land of Oz". I loved the movie "Wizard of Oz" so it gave me comfort to think that I would just see talking tin rather than have our house destroyed. I was fine with living in fantasy until we saw the tornado itself. Well, we may have seen it. I was crying and the sky was dark so my vision may not have been tenfold, but I do remember seeing the giant swirl of darkness. It felt like an extreme vacuum of sadness looking at a simple combination of winds. I had heard countless stories of peoples homes ruined and never thought I could really be touched by it. But staring at it form the inside of the car gave a new meaning to fear for me. Something so far from the car, seemed so close to causing possible doom. Not to mention it was raining intensely and the sheer power from the drops scared me. I had forgotten the shrimp entirely and just wished I was at home. At that point I was worried about my dog too. Poor thing was in the house by herself and my first thought was "What happens if the tornado gets her? I don't want another dog". I was too wrapped up in thoughts to even see we were pulling into the garage. I was to scared to part from my mom so she carried me upstairs (I was mildly tiny so I vouch that being carried was ok). I was too flipped out from the twigs and branches hitting our windows to eat the shrimp and kept crying. After a few hours the storm died out and I couldn't forget how scared I was. For over two years, I never went back to the shrimp place. I got the idea that the second I went back, a tornado would come, so I had my mom go get me shrimp if I really wanted it. I'm over that experience by now, but I can't shake the frightening feeling I get whenever there is a storm.
Word Count: 674
Reaction to Essays
Walking (Henry David Thoreau), The Sound of Trees (Robert Frost), The Force that Drives the Flower (Anne Dillard)
All three poems are about the interaction between man and the specific part of nature, the vegetable part of nature. All of the authors talk about people wanting to control nature and have power over its growth. When Dillard talks about plants growing she refers to it as "unnatural and freakish as the Frankenstein monster", but says that plants are our prey. She talks about how even in a city, like New York, money has to be spent to rid sewers of plants that cover water pipes, relating to central idea all the essays have of wanting to control the vegetative part of nature.
Thoreau has the same idea as well and talks about to enjoy nature, man shouldn't own it. He says "the best part of land is not owned" referring to people that may put a fence around their house, or have a lot of private property. Thoreau talks about when one day a man will put a fence over "the surface of God's earth" and that will translate into trespassing, he is relating to the idea of wanting to own that plant part of nature to oneself. To fence in or cover grass to have control over it, Thoreau thinks that is wrong. He talks about a bodybuilder wasting his time on dumbbells when "springs are bubbling up in far-off pastures unsought by him". Thoreau is making the point of being out experiencing nature is better that wanting to possess it.
Frost takes a much different stand towards the most common thought of nature, trees. He talks about the "noise" and "forever bearing" presence of the trees around our house. Frost even uses the word "suffer" and speaks of losing "fixity in our joys" because of the distraction of the trees. But as the poem goes on, Frost appears to become a tree, getting the physical feeling. "My feet tug at the floor and my head sways to my shoulders", that is the motion of a tree and towards the end of the poem is determined to not be like trees. What may be frightening to Frost is the idea that the trees never move, but stay in one place and become "wiser and older". He may not want to control this part of nature but he wishes to escape from it.
Word Count: 385
Nature Poem
The joy and thrill from chasing prey,
Was one thing I always loved.
Surrounded by the pack,
but I'm lonely.(12)
Why was it I that had been hurt?
I always worked hard to help the other.
Put everyone before me.
I'm so lonely.(16)
The day had been like any other.
Up until my fate was decided.
I thought I had my pack with me,
but I'm lonely.(20)
The blood trickled into the snow.
I didn't regret taking the bullet,
Until my pack left me to die.
I'm so lonely.(24)
I lay in the snow now,
bleeding my life force.
The snow covers my body like a blanket,
but I'm lonely.(28)
I imagined my pack still with me.
Enjoying the hunt and thrill of chasing prey.
I shouldn't mind the cold or the moon as my only comfort.
I'm so lonely.(32)
But, I think I see my pack.
They came back for me.
Their bodies are glowing, I wonder why.
I understand, I'm not lonely.(36)
When I traveled to Japan over the summer, the last thing I expected to find beautiful was a fish. But it was not a regular fish. It was a koi fish and not just one fish, but ten koi fishes. The shrine I visited that day was slightly isolated. Everything is a bright, vivid green and not near the city so it’s quiet and peaceful. This was the last shrine of the day I was going to visit and I had to walk up a small hill where the shrine itself was located. The sun shone brightly through all the trees, but not enough to blind. It was particularly pleasant. There was a small stream going from the top of the shrine all the way to bottom and while walking up, I merely passed it. When I walked down, I looked at the pond for a second, only to stare a fish in the eye. Its entire body was orange expect for a white patch on his back. I asked my student what kind of fish it was and she told me a koi fish. I had only heard of a koi fish once or twice and just thought it was some regular goldfish. But it was really different than what I expected. For one, it was nearly 3 times larger than your average goldfish. I couldn't believe the size of it but it was able to swim fast as I learned when it was at the other side of the pond in a few seconds. I didn't want to stop looking at the fish so I walked around to see where it had gone. To my surprise, nine other koi fish had appeared and they began to swim in a single file line! Just one after the other, like kindergartners getting ready to go outside to play and the teacher tells them to stand behind each other. If that wasn't a spectacle enough, fish swimming right after each other in perfect synchronization, then the multitude of colors was better. The fishes didn't look like each other at all. Aside from size, the colors were all different. One was black with a white patch, a white one with a black patch, an orange mixed in with white. The colors blended as much as they clashed. I never thought that something as simple as a fish could create such a beautiful image. It was on my last week and I was really sad to think about leaving but with the perfect day outside, calm of nature and my array of koi fish, I could never forget my experience.
Word Count: 437
Native American Creation Story
There had been several rumors about the fabled Internets whereabouts. The beautiful full creature couldn't be caught or tamed. At the sight of a person, it would run with such speed no one could match it. People for years had been trying to harness its core processing power but it was deemed impossible. The government had finally had enough and just wanted the Internet caught once and for all. They placed a reward for the capture of the Internet, seven million dollars. Many people wanted the reward but a specific man really wanted it. His name was Bill Gates and he was the stop animal catcher in the world. He started with the capture of Microsoft and then moved onto to others, even stealing iTunes from another country. But people were starting to think maybe not even Bill Gates could capture the famous Internet. He wanted to capture the Internet desperately so he set out across the world, tracking the Internets’ every movement. Just when he would think he caught the Internet it would somehow break out of all of his traps. The trap where he sent his viruses to slow down the Internet failed miserably when Norton had protected the Internet. Or the other trap where Bill sent out Skype to stall the Internet has also failed.
Bill was at a loss and decided maybe he couldn't capture the Internet until a certain miracle. He was sitting in his tent, eating his meal when he heard a rustle outside of his tent door. He opened it only to see the Internet, trying to find the smell of food. “Come here little Internet. Yes, that’s it. No need be scared.” Bill inched the Internet forward with the temptation of food and before he knew it, the Internet was feeding from his hand. After the Internet had finished feeding, he put it in a cage and the next morning went to get the reward. The government had given him his reward and asked him to teach the Internet proper behavior. Bill Gates was successful and the Internet always fully obeys him. That is why we can now use the Internet whenever we please but occasionally the Internet runs away, which is why sometimes our Internet goes out.
Textbook Responses
The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls
The title carries the repetition of the whole story and main focus on this beach scene. The tide is seen as a constant while everything else continues onward. The sea, twilight and travelers are all doing something. "The traveler hastens toward the town" and meanwhile the tide "rises, the tide falls". In the second stanza, the focus is on the beach and the properties of the area taking on human qualities. The waves "with their soft, white hands" could imply a gentleness nature may have. The usage of the word "settles" has a calming effect. The word brings a sweet feeling with no malice and the rhyming makes the whole poem feel childish and innocent. However, in the third stanza, there seems to be a negativity towards this human "traveler". There is a beautiful scenery and "the day has returned", but the traveler never returns to the shore. The use of the word "nevermore" has such a strong time implication. The poem is short, it goes from day to night, the tide does but two things, and this traveler will "nevermore" return to the shore. This gives the feeling that Longfellow, the author, views people and humanity in a negative way. From the descriptions of nature having people like actions, for example waves effacing footprints on sand. its hard to dislike the scene and nature itself in this poem but the traveler is never returning. This puts a pretty dark spin on humanity and shows the innocence in a simple beach.
Word Count: 251
Grass
The first line gives such an abrupt feeling to a short and simple, yet deep poem. "Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo". It continues with "let me work- I am the grass; I cover all". A battle site of a well known war, and the grass says "pile the bodies high". From the words "pile" and "high", I get the impression of wanting more. The grass wants more bodies just to get to work. When using the phrase "let me work-", it carries a final tone. The person saying this usually means for others to leave the person alone and not be bothered again. The "grass" gives off the feeling of serious labor and highly bothered by burying bodies or the grass could give off the feeling of a monotonous task that has been done countless times before. In the next stanza, there are two more big battles where the grass wants them piled high. The same tone with the line "shovel them under and let me work". But the next line throws me off a little bit. There has been a time frame given, "two years, ten years" both close to one another. This could show how time quickly passes, and that the battles were the same in the end. But the mention of a passenger and conductor adds something new to the poem. A passenger and conductor could be anyone, referring to a train, a mode of transportation, or the passengers being the those covered by the grass waiting to go somewhere, waiting for something and the grass is the conductor. The next lines "What place is this? Where are we now?" could be referring to the grass always moving and always changing. Any bodies covered up by war are just moved onto the next war and covered up once more. The grass has never ending work and has one job. To cover all and take care of those it has covered.
Word Count: 327
Snowbound
The poem starts out with this depressing, ominous feeling. "The sun that brief December day rose cheerless.." brings a setting of this quick day with no sunshine and all surrounding are dark. But as the poem continues the people, or the man, of the story are going about their regular life, even as a storm is coming. At first I wondered why the people would just continue on their regular chores and work when a huge snowstorm is coming, but after all the snow feel, the people experience such awe. "We looked upon a world unknown" which implies there is so much snow you can't see anything but white. For me, I would be miserable but the people in the poem view the snow with such wonder and happiness. The people go even as far to compare it to the leaning tower of Pisa, one of the wonders of the world. The family that start clearing the snow go about it in such a happy way and compare the tunnel "with dazzling crystal" to the story of Aladdin's cave. With the way the snow scenery is described, I can't help but want to see this scene. As far as the eye can see covered in bright, white snow. From the story description, it sounds like the best view in the world. The description continues into a description of this calming solitude trapped in snow with "no social smoke" around. I had to agree that the feeling of no one around making loud conversations did sound incredibly nice. The author did a good job of describing a most simple object as snow in a way that even I, a person who hates cold, would love to experience the scene he wrote.
Word Count: 290
The Snowstorm
This poem gave me feelings I was more familiar with, which was annoyance towards snow but also some appreciation. In the first stanza, there is an immediate warning of a storm "announced by all the trumpets of the sky" and is heavily coming down, "seems nowhere to alight". Later in the same stanza, the author fives examples of all the people that are stopped by snow, "all friends shut out, the courier's feet delayed". This is the more realistic outcome of heavy snow versus in "Snowbound" a feeling of extreme joy and awe at the "unknown world". But, I got the feeling that the author doesn't like snow a lot because when he described people indoors they are "around the radiant fireplace". To me the word radiant is used to describe something that shines brightly, beautifully, a positive feeling usually, and then the storm is described as "tumultuous", rough, an uproar, giving me an aggressive feeling. In the second stanza, the snow is described in an angry way but also some respect it seems. "His wild work so fanciful, so savage". The word fanciful is slightly mocking to me but also shows respect at the beauty of snow covering everything. The use of the word savage brings the anger directed at everything the snow covered on the farmers land, "a swan-like form invests the hidden thorn". The author may complain about the snow, calling it "the mad wind's night-work" but he shows his admiration when he says "the frolic architecture of the snow". As a whole, the poem may express everyone's general feelings towards the snow. When it comes, it is aggravating. Sweeping snow all the time, not being able to get somewhere by car, getting trapped in your house, but you can still find the snow beautiful when it covers the land perfectly in a beautiful white blanket.
Word Count: 309
from Nature
From the descriptions Emerson gives of being outside on a simple day and being in the woods of "perpetual youth", I have begun to look at nature in a different way. Transcendentalism is not something I would fully be able to do but I have great respect and admiration for those that can fully embrace the simplicity of life. Although, some of things Emerson wrote about are not fully coherent to me and seem absurd. For example, when he says "I become a transparent eyeball: I am nothing", I find that a strange feeling to embrace. The idea of just being and finding nature the only comfort or companionship neccessary is really hard to figure out. So, while reading Emerson's piece I'm still not able to fully embrace nature in the way he wants people to. Solitude is not an idea I am happy with but the center of "Nature" is that the solitude you can find in being away from people and just living simply is endless. If someone can be entirely happy in solitude and living simply, I have a basket full of admiration for them but I can't see myself living as Emerson says is the best.
Word Count: 200
Weather Experience
Even to this day I am still not entirely sure if what I saw was true or not. It was a few years ago, I was maybe 7 or 8 years old at the time and desperately wanted to eat shrimp that day. So we took a family excursion to this shrimp place on western avenue. I have always loved everything about their jumbo shrimp. Its fried and the sauce there is divine. I was getting hungry just thinking about the shrimp and it was really sunny outside so I felt it was a good day coming on. After waiting in the car while my mom got the shrimp, suddenly the sky got dark. The clouds covered over with grey and the sun was hidden behind a blanket of gloom. I inquired to my dad about the weather and he just said it was Chicago having its weather mood swings. I thought that was right because only in Chicago could it rain in December or be snowy in March. We waited a little more and the weather didn't let up. The sky got darker and the wind picked up and soon the trees were shaking violently. I tried to open the car door so I could look at the sky better but the door was slammed shut by the wind. I was so scared at this point. I had never done well with thunderstorms and the day was getting darker (at the time I afraid of the dark). I hunkered down in the backseat and tried to talk to calm myself down. It worked a little bit until my mom came back with the shrimp and said that there was a tornado warning. Now, this happened within 20 minutes I would say, and at that age, the only information I had on tornadoes was stuff I saw on tv and my imagination. My first thought "oh man, are we going to die from a tornado or will I get take to the Land of Oz". I loved the movie "Wizard of Oz" so it gave me comfort to think that I would just see talking tin rather than have our house destroyed. I was fine with living in fantasy until we saw the tornado itself. Well, we may have seen it. I was crying and the sky was dark so my vision may not have been tenfold, but I do remember seeing the giant swirl of darkness. It felt like an extreme vacuum of sadness looking at a simple combination of winds. I had heard countless stories of peoples homes ruined and never thought I could really be touched by it. But staring at it form the inside of the car gave a new meaning to fear for me. Something so far from the car, seemed so close to causing possible doom. Not to mention it was raining intensely and the sheer power from the drops scared me. I had forgotten the shrimp entirely and just wished I was at home. At that point I was worried about my dog too. Poor thing was in the house by herself and my first thought was "What happens if the tornado gets her? I don't want another dog". I was too wrapped up in thoughts to even see we were pulling into the garage. I was to scared to part from my mom so she carried me upstairs (I was mildly tiny so I vouch that being carried was ok). I was too flipped out from the twigs and branches hitting our windows to eat the shrimp and kept crying. After a few hours the storm died out and I couldn't forget how scared I was. For over two years, I never went back to the shrimp place. I got the idea that the second I went back, a tornado would come, so I had my mom go get me shrimp if I really wanted it. I'm over that experience by now, but I can't shake the frightening feeling I get whenever there is a storm.
Word Count: 674
Reaction to Essays
Walking (Henry David Thoreau), The Sound of Trees (Robert Frost), The Force that Drives the Flower (Anne Dillard)
All three poems are about the interaction between man and the specific part of nature, the vegetable part of nature. All of the authors talk about people wanting to control nature and have power over its growth. When Dillard talks about plants growing she refers to it as "unnatural and freakish as the Frankenstein monster", but says that plants are our prey. She talks about how even in a city, like New York, money has to be spent to rid sewers of plants that cover water pipes, relating to central idea all the essays have of wanting to control the vegetative part of nature.
Thoreau has the same idea as well and talks about to enjoy nature, man shouldn't own it. He says "the best part of land is not owned" referring to people that may put a fence around their house, or have a lot of private property. Thoreau talks about when one day a man will put a fence over "the surface of God's earth" and that will translate into trespassing, he is relating to the idea of wanting to own that plant part of nature to oneself. To fence in or cover grass to have control over it, Thoreau thinks that is wrong. He talks about a bodybuilder wasting his time on dumbbells when "springs are bubbling up in far-off pastures unsought by him". Thoreau is making the point of being out experiencing nature is better that wanting to possess it.
Frost takes a much different stand towards the most common thought of nature, trees. He talks about the "noise" and "forever bearing" presence of the trees around our house. Frost even uses the word "suffer" and speaks of losing "fixity in our joys" because of the distraction of the trees. But as the poem goes on, Frost appears to become a tree, getting the physical feeling. "My feet tug at the floor and my head sways to my shoulders", that is the motion of a tree and towards the end of the poem is determined to not be like trees. What may be frightening to Frost is the idea that the trees never move, but stay in one place and become "wiser and older". He may not want to control this part of nature but he wishes to escape from it.
Word Count: 385
Nature Poem
Lonely
by Alana Bourgeois
Usually, the winters were warm
they had love and family,
an exciting hunt,
but I'm lonely.(4)
I don't know why they're gone.
Disappeared in the dark of the woods,
leaving me behind.
I'm so lonely.(8)
Was one thing I always loved.
Surrounded by the pack,
but I'm lonely.(12)
Why was it I that had been hurt?
I always worked hard to help the other.
Put everyone before me.
I'm so lonely.(16)
The day had been like any other.
Up until my fate was decided.
I thought I had my pack with me,
but I'm lonely.(20)
The blood trickled into the snow.
I didn't regret taking the bullet,
Until my pack left me to die.
I'm so lonely.(24)
I lay in the snow now,
bleeding my life force.
The snow covers my body like a blanket,
but I'm lonely.(28)
I imagined my pack still with me.
Enjoying the hunt and thrill of chasing prey.
I shouldn't mind the cold or the moon as my only comfort.
I'm so lonely.(32)
But, I think I see my pack.
They came back for me.
Their bodies are glowing, I wonder why.
I understand, I'm not lonely.(36)
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