The Road Reflections

            I suppose I should spew some of my thoughts about The Road, but I will warm you, they will be random and incoherent at times. Blogging has become old. Whoops, sorry, Dela. I have actually like The Road a lot though! The commitment and struggle to survive is amazing. The father’s dedication and love for his son are unparalleled in any other literary work I have read—which is not many. I could feel the pain the father feels when he lets his son down, or when he unintentionally puts him in a lethal situation. A perfect example of this is the cannibal scene. The man doesn’t listen to the intuition of the boy, thus blindly leading them into the closest brush with death in The Road. I cried when the father died at the end of the book—that’s how good it was.

            I guess talking about why The Road should be added to the AP Lit curriculum is a topic I should cover, so here goes: this novel is a perfect addition to the end of the year curriculum of the class not only because of the wrenching meaning and events throughout the year, but it can be analyzed in numerous ways: the tone, the fact there are no names, the structure, the syntax, and repetition are huge points that can be discussed in class. Maybe how the point there are no chapters is symbolic of how there is no more order in the world of The Road, how the syntax of the work contributes to the relationship of the man and the boy, or how the repetition of key phrases such as, “Its okay”, convey the constant protection the dad shows for the boy.

            There are so many aspects of this book that can be picked apart and analyzed in an AP way, as I just discussed. The theme of The Road is just the beginning. Symbolism is also another integral part of this novel. Symbols such as the road, the cart, the gun, the bleakness of the world, the “fire inside”, etc. can be interpreted in so many fashions. One meaning is how the road symbolizes their will to live and persevere past all obstacles. No matter what happens, the boy and the man also try to return to the “safety” of the road. They may veer off track, and become discouraged, but they continue to return to the road. This book is exceptional, and would be a mesmerizing addition to this class. Hell, there is even a movie to go along with it!

This Is Water

            On Monday, Mr. Delacruz showed us a video on YouTube called This Is Water for our MoMo (motivational Monday). It was a great video, and it focused on changing your perspective about trivial things. This Is Water specifically focused on the grocery store, and the occasional frustration that can come with waiting in line, and many other things that can be compared to the grocery store—the frustration with believing everyone is in your way. It was this statement that really hit home for me. I am a big sufferer of this mentality, and funny enough, it happens quite often at the grocery store. I have a tendency to become flustered with the smallest things: people not driving fast enough, someone parking idiotically, people saying things, people making mistakes, and essentially being human. I have systematically conditioned myself to become upset over these arbitrary happenings, and that is such a poisoning way to go about living. This mentality is exactly what This Is Water addressed: don’t think people are in your way! They are not! Get over it, and focus on the good things!

            Another path of thinking This Is Water touched on is the thought we are the center of the universe, and everything revolves around us. Thinking people are in your way plays right into this thought. It is crucial to think in a different way, and to realize, that really, we are just a speck of life in an endless universe, and our lives mean nothing—just like my boy, Ecclesiastes, preaches. We are not all powerful and important like we tend to crack ourselves up to be. Everyone else around us is going through things, so be sensitive to that, and try to not be so quick to judge. Just because people go about things in a different way than you doesn’t mean they are a lesser person because of it—be empathetic and understanding! It is all about how you perceive and think about events in your life that determines your outcome and ultimately your happiness. Since that video on Monday, I have put a lot of effort into restructuring my thought process when things happen. I have made an effort to not believe I am the center of the galaxy, and I have put a lot of mental sweat into realizing people are not in my way! Remember, THIS IS WATER!

Solitude

Solitude

By: Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

    Weep, and you weep alone;

For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,

    But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer;

    Sigh, it is lost on the air;

The echoes bound to a joyful sound,

    But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

    Grieve, and they turn and go;

They want full measure of all your pleasure,

    But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many;

    Be sad, and you lose them all,—

There are none to decline your nectared wine,

    But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;

    Fast, and the world goes by.

Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

    But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure

    For a large and lordly train,

But one by one we must all file on

    Through the narrow aisles of pain.

The second poem I chose to do for the Poetry Out Loud is Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. This poem is a very intense poem. It does a ton of juxtaposing. The structure is essentially a very elegant compare and contrast. One line talks about being happy, and how people will flock to you. The following line then directly contradicts it’s predecessor, and discusses how the world will almost ignore you if you are sad and alone. This structure is essential to the point Wilcox is attempting to make. She wants to convey that society and the world will shun you if you are not happy, outgoing, successful, and generous: people take advantage of you when you are successful, but avoid you when you’re not. The structure of Solitude contributes to this because it directly compares for example, how one is treated when they laugh as opposed to when they cry.

Another reason why I took a liking to Solitude is it reminds of my cottage on the shore of Lake Superior. More specifically, the line “But no man can help you die” is what made me think of my refuge in the UP because this implies you have to do things on your own. When I am up north, I am by myself—it is just nature and my own thoughts. I love the time I get to be there up there alone: I get to reflect, recharge, and escape the people I don’t care to see on a regular basis. It is truly amazing. This excerpt also means that no matter the great pile of friends you have, nobody can help you die. It is something you must do yourself. Just you. Solitude. Wilcox also intends to mean only YOU can help yourself, only YOU can determine YOUR happiness, only YOU can live YOUR life. You cannot depend on others to do things for you. This notion is what made me envision the time I am able to spend in the north country, and why I love the poem, Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

The Daring One

The Daring One

By: Edwin Markham

I would my soul were like the bird

That dares the vastness undeterred.

Look, where the bluebird on the bough

Breaks into rapture even now!

He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm

As tho he would a world o’erwhelm.

Indifferent to the void he rides

Upon the wind’s eternal tides.

He tosses gladly on the gale,

For well he knows he can not fail—

Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings

Will bear him upward while he sings!

This is the first poem that I chose to recite for the Poetry Out Loud project in class. What drew me to the poem was the theme it presented: be daring, courageous, and most importantly, trust yourself! I think these themes relate a lot to my current life, especially when I begin to think about college just a few short months away. When I get to East Lansing in August, I need to have confidence in myself, and be daring. I need to be able to trust my abilities and my skills. I know I will adapt readily to college, but I need to trust in myself. This poem also has some undertones of daring yourself to do new things. Be like the bird who flies into the wind unafraid. At Michigan State, I want to try new things and meet new people—I need to be daring.

            This theme of confidence and bravery is highlighted through the lines “Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings / Will bear him upward while he sings!” This passage demonstrates how this bird has full trust in himself that he will be able to fly if something goes awry. “If the bough breaks” the bird doesn’t freak out because he knows “his wings / Will bear him upwards.” The excerpt “I would my soul were like the bird / That dares the vastness undeterred” displays how a bird dares to fly into the wind because he knows his wings will carry him. The bird is confident. 

TPCASTT of Evening Hawk

1. Title:
When I think of Evening Hawk, I literally think of a hawk flying through the evening.

2. Paraphrase:
The sunset light forms lines and shapes with it's rays
The sun is setting, with just a little light left
A hawk comes swooping through the last of the light
The hawk's wing cuts through the air

The hawk climbs the through the last of the dying light
The unforgiving Earth flies below him, and his eye sees everything

The last breath is still
His widow is ancient and immense
The star is steady

3. Connotation:

Imagery: There is a lot of amazing imagery in this poem. The main type of visual imagery. Warren does a great job of enabling the reader to picture what the hawk. and the scene is doing.

Diction: Warren uses numerous geometric and shape references to bring to light the scenery of the hawk flying at sunset.

Symbolism: The Evening Hawk is riddled with symbolism. in general, the sunset is symbolic of a life coming to a close, and the hawk itself represents death searching for its next victim. The lines "The crashless fall of stalks of Time" and "Scythes down another day" and "Who knows neither Time nor error, and under / Whose eye, unforgiving, the world, unforgiven, swings" demonstrate the heavy use of symbolism in the Evening Hawk. The stalks very well could be human lived being cut down, or ended. A scythe cuts down another day from our lives. The last passage is symbolic of the unforgiving nature of death. No matter your education, wealth, poverty, looks, etc. death is not picky: you can die at any moment.

4. Attitude:

The attitude is dark and ominous. The hawk seems to be feared, yet revered in the same token. This is representative of death: we fear the day we die, always trying to prevent that last moment, but for some, death can be relief and a beautiful thing.

5. Shifts:

The Evening Hawk begins with heavy description of the scene: the hawk soaring through the dying light of the sun. The poem is smooth and flows. There is obvious shift in the fourth stanza with the words "Look! Look!". This break is where the poem shifts from a mere description to a in depth and ominous description of human death.

6. Title:

Now looking back of the title, The Evening Hawk, I no longer think about a literal hawk cutting through the rays of sunset. I now picture a messenger of deaf coming down upon it's next victim. The sunset is symbolic of a life coming to a close.

7. Theme:

The theme of the Evening Hawk is solely about death, and the end of a human life. It describes a hawk, gracefully flying through the evening. Time, regrets, misfortunes, accomplishments, etc. are unimportant at this stage. Death overcomes all. Our days are numbered--humans are not invincible, and death shows no mercy.

Mr. Steinbeck

            In class, we have started a new book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I have not read too far into it, but I can already tell why it has won so many awards: the way in which Steinbeck writes this telling tale is profound. He is able to weave words together so beautifully it seems it was meant to be. Furthermore, Mr. Steinbeck has a talent for describing an action or an object in such detail that it transcends the simplicity of the thing he is describing. Steinbeck is able to take an insignificant detail in the book, and word it in such a way that is truly remarkable.

The passage “The concrete highway was edged with a mat of tangled, broken, dry grass, and the grass heads were heavy with oat beards to catch on a dog’s coat, and foxtails to tangle in a horse’s fetlocks, and clover burrs to fasten in sheep’s wool; sleeping with life waiting to be spread and dispersed, every seed armed with an appliance of dispersal, twisting darts and parachutes for the wind, little spears and balls of tiny thorns, and all waiting for animals and for the wind, for a man’s trouser cuff or the hem of a woman’s skirt, all passive but armed with appliances of activity, still, but each possessed of the anlage of movement” (Steinbeck 20) illustrates the masterful way in which this iconic author can weave his words. It is remarkable the amount of detail he uses to describe the seemingly insignificant process of fertilization.

 Steinbeck utilizes multiple metaphors and an extremely long sentence structure in this specific excerpt to convey the mood of America during the Great Depression: long, drawn out, and exhausted. Everybody was depressed, worried, and beat. This description of a plant waiting for someone to pass by so it’s seeds can hook a ride is symbolic of America in the 1930’s. People were waiting for someone or something to come and save them; to transport their families to a better place so they could grow. Steinbeck clearly shows how imagery should be done to accurately describe something. I can only hope to be an ounce of the writer John Steinbeck was.

Caught'ya #46, 47, & 48