Ladybugs. There were so many ladybugs floating in the water that day at the beach. Everywhere I turned, these small, seemingly insignificant creatures were floating around me. I was in a Milky Way of ladybugs but they were drowning. I needed to save them for they had the right to live as did every living thing at the beach.
Scooping up as many as possible at a time, I would quickly and carefully bring them back to shore and then run back to rescue more. I needed to be as fast as possible for there were so many of these beautifully detailed creatures in need of my help. Why weren’t the other children saving these ladybugs? Did they not care about them? Did they not notice the vast landscape of ladybugs they were swimming in? I begged my mother to help me, but she only complained about how cold the water was. No. It wasn’t water. It was a pool of insects that needed my help.
I ran back and forth for at least an hour before I started to cry over the impossible task of saving all the stars in this Milky Way. Also, if I hadn’t given up, my legs would’ve detached themselves from my small, lanky, eight-year-old body.I felt it was necessary to preserve life of all kinds: not just humans but also snails, the worms caught floating in puddles in the spring time, and even the motionless plants stuck sunbathing in the cracks of my driveway on the hottest, driest days of the summer hoping for even the smallest drop of water to slip into their roots.
I have my father to thank for introducing me to this beautiful world. He planted a seed, an interest and a passion for nature in me at such a young age allowing my love for nature to grow so strong. Consequently, I have always instinctively wanted to interact with it, hold it in my hands, hear it, smell it, taste it and learn about it. These desires demanded that I learn how to be patient and respectful of every aspect of nature, big and small. Throughout my experiences in its classroom, nature has become my teacher–reminding me to watch diligently, to care tenderly and to love all things equally and preciously.
As a child, I was overwhelmed and excited by the great number of interesting and beautiful creatures. I often felt like running up and touching them. The temptation was like that of an impatient youth looking at a swirl of dominos perfectly lined up, ready to knock over. Soon I learned that if I wanted to be even remotely close to these creatures, I would have to be patient. I’ll never forget the time my father and I stood outside with bird seed in our hands in the frigid winter weather for at least 30 minutes waiting for the chickadees and juncos to eat out of our hands. My patience was rewarded with the soft touch of a perfectly designed bird in my hand. To be that close to a creature usually so frightened by humans was one of the most amazing experiences as a child.
Some snakes are like people. If you approach them kindly, treat them with care, and handle them gently, they will usually react in a positive way. Every fall, my family and I would look for snakes under the same thin sheets of rusty metal that lay in the deep, fairy-like region of the woods. Because I handled them with care, they let me pull them out from under their shelter. They allowed me to feel their scaly skin. They let me observe them; look at them. But as soon as
pinched their tails a little too hard, which was by accident of course, they curled their strong bodies up towards my hand to bite me.
I was so lucky to have interacted with nature at such a young age. The lessons have rewarded me with some of the most life changing experiences because I have treated it fairly and cared for it like I would any friend.
Just like snakes, nature will bite us back if we do not treat it kindly. There needs to be a mutual respect between the natural world and society today. I feel that the love for nature needs to be instilled in children at a very young age when they are most curious, ready to explore and learn about their surroundings. They will be more likely to grow up into responsible care-takers and lovers of nature just like myself. If every person learned the care, respect and patience in nature that I was taught at a young age, humans and the world they depend on would be so in tune with each other—so in love with each other.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
John Keats "Ode to a Nightingale"
Un. John Keats, the speaker and the author of this heart wrenching poem, seeks out the company of the Nightingale because it calms him. It creates some hope in the poor man’s soul and moves him in such a major way. This small bird brings an illuminating discovery of happiness within Keats which he probably has not felt for so long. Keats has a great epiphany because of this bird. If it were not for the singing creature, he may have chosen to “sleep” rather than to remain “awake.” The bird brought back comfort in his life for the first time in a while and most importantly, the bird saved him. So it is no wonder why Keats continued to seek out the presence of this bird.
He records his life changing experience in the form of an Ode because that way it means more, displays more emotion. It would not make sense to present Keats experience in a simple structured poem because that would not parallel his discovery in the words nor would it satisfy his grim feelings towards life. This beautiful Ode draws the reader in more effectively and creates a more real impression of what Keats was dealing with. No great aspect of a person’s life, especially not an epiphany like Keats’, should be displayed in a simple manner because life itself is never simple.
Deux. Clearly this is a romantic poem seeing as it holds so much emotion. This poem fits into the romantic era perfectly because much like the visual art movement, the work holds deeper meaning, expression and is nothing like a traditional or “normal” piece of art. Also, it is quite evident nature (a characteristic of romanticism) is very significant and holds great meaning in this poem. This is true poetry filled with deep metaphors, many of which I can not quite pick apart but still, I feel Keats and understand him more and more each time I read his work. Never could reading this poem become boring. In romantic art, you can always be looking for more clues, more meaning getting closer to understanding exactly how the author or artist was feeling.
Trois. Keats so effectively displays his sorrow and heart ache in the first stanza. He clearly states, “My heart aches” at the very beginning. He is blunt in saying that, using no rhetoric, but that in some sense is a very effective opening because it clearly displays his life situation and provides us with insight for the rest of the poem so we will be able to more clearly understand Keats and his deep, hidden meanings. Keats shows his audience how important the nightingale is to him through many carefully placed metaphors. For at least three stanzas, Keats speaks of “the Queen-Moon…on her throne,” whose “brain perplexes and retards” and through those metaphors, he proves the significance of the bird that has no worries or concerns which Keats admires. One method Keats uses to emphasis his epiphany at the end is alliteration. When read aloud, the last two stanzas flow so well because of phrases like, “perhaps the self-same song” and “still stream.” Funny enough, the phrase “still stream” contradicts itself in this epiphany because it moves the poem along. So the alliteration allows for the two stanzas to be read more quickly which makes the epiphany seem more exciting and real. Keats has created so much opportunity to look deeper into his poem through the use of rhetoric and that is why this poem is such a great example for the romantic era.
He records his life changing experience in the form of an Ode because that way it means more, displays more emotion. It would not make sense to present Keats experience in a simple structured poem because that would not parallel his discovery in the words nor would it satisfy his grim feelings towards life. This beautiful Ode draws the reader in more effectively and creates a more real impression of what Keats was dealing with. No great aspect of a person’s life, especially not an epiphany like Keats’, should be displayed in a simple manner because life itself is never simple.
Deux. Clearly this is a romantic poem seeing as it holds so much emotion. This poem fits into the romantic era perfectly because much like the visual art movement, the work holds deeper meaning, expression and is nothing like a traditional or “normal” piece of art. Also, it is quite evident nature (a characteristic of romanticism) is very significant and holds great meaning in this poem. This is true poetry filled with deep metaphors, many of which I can not quite pick apart but still, I feel Keats and understand him more and more each time I read his work. Never could reading this poem become boring. In romantic art, you can always be looking for more clues, more meaning getting closer to understanding exactly how the author or artist was feeling.
Trois. Keats so effectively displays his sorrow and heart ache in the first stanza. He clearly states, “My heart aches” at the very beginning. He is blunt in saying that, using no rhetoric, but that in some sense is a very effective opening because it clearly displays his life situation and provides us with insight for the rest of the poem so we will be able to more clearly understand Keats and his deep, hidden meanings. Keats shows his audience how important the nightingale is to him through many carefully placed metaphors. For at least three stanzas, Keats speaks of “the Queen-Moon…on her throne,” whose “brain perplexes and retards” and through those metaphors, he proves the significance of the bird that has no worries or concerns which Keats admires. One method Keats uses to emphasis his epiphany at the end is alliteration. When read aloud, the last two stanzas flow so well because of phrases like, “perhaps the self-same song” and “still stream.” Funny enough, the phrase “still stream” contradicts itself in this epiphany because it moves the poem along. So the alliteration allows for the two stanzas to be read more quickly which makes the epiphany seem more exciting and real. Keats has created so much opportunity to look deeper into his poem through the use of rhetoric and that is why this poem is such a great example for the romantic era.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Short Fiction Essay Plan
"Transients in Arcadia" by O. Henry found in Imprints
Source Question: (pg. 42) How does O. Henry establish Madame Beaumont as a member of high society and therefore an acceptable guest in the Hotel Lotus? Are the two characters protrated as suitable guests?
Source Question (Theory): How does the use of elegant description persuade the reader to
believe Madame Beaumont is of higher class? (See blog below)
Focussing Question: How does O. Henry use description of both the setting and characters as well as tone to persuade his readers Madame Beaumont and Harold Farrington are of a higher class?
Potential Thesis: Through the use of description, comparison and tone, O. Henry effectively creates an illusion of luxurious characters within an elegant setting, easily persuading his readers to believe Madame Beaumont and Harold Farrington are of a higher class.
Source Question: (pg. 42) How does O. Henry establish Madame Beaumont as a member of high society and therefore an acceptable guest in the Hotel Lotus? Are the two characters protrated as suitable guests?
Source Question (Theory): How does the use of elegant description persuade the reader to
believe Madame Beaumont is of higher class? (See blog below)
Focussing Question: How does O. Henry use description of both the setting and characters as well as tone to persuade his readers Madame Beaumont and Harold Farrington are of a higher class?
Potential Thesis: Through the use of description, comparison and tone, O. Henry effectively creates an illusion of luxurious characters within an elegant setting, easily persuading his readers to believe Madame Beaumont and Harold Farrington are of a higher class.
Transients in Arcadia
How does the use of elegant description persuade the reader to believe Madame Beaumont is of higher class?
If it were not for O. Henry’s extensive use of description, his readers would not believe there was a higher class evident within his story. Almost no attention is paid to the world outside the hotel Lotus where as all eyes are on the hotel and its elegant guests such as the "wealthy" Madame Beaumont.
Firstly, because O. Henry has made the setting of this play a beautiful, expensive, and secret get-away within the core of New York City, it seems as though any person staying in the hotel would be rich and well put together like the characters seem at first. It is very unlikely a hotel with "broad staircases [that] glide dreamily upward in its aerial elevators, attended by guides in brass buttons..." (37) would be a cheap stay in the city. And when "the ceiling is painted in watercolors to counterfeit a summer sky across which delicate clouds drift and do not vanish as those of nature do to our regret," (37) what rich person would rather spend their days outside in the polluted air of busy streets? O. Henry makes his setting seem even more luxurious by comparing the Hotel Lotus to the outside world which he describes very little. The hotel is an "oasis in the July desert of Manhattan" with "the temperature [of] perpetual April." So not only by the use of his description, but also by the use of comparison, O. Henry is able to create a very luxurious setting in which his seemingly higher class characters seem to fit into very well.
Until the real Madame Beaumont is revealed on page 41, I would have never guessed she was actually a lower class woman. I believed so much about her pretend self because O. Henry described her so well and in detail. She must have been important if "she possessed the fine air of the elite...[and a] graciousness that made the hotel employees her slaves," that were always "fighting for [her] honour" (38). O. Henry dedicates many paragraphs to this elegant woman describing her as "a queen whose loneliness was of position only," and a "delicate being who [glows] softly in the dimness like a jasmine flower in the dusk" (38). The author relates this wealthy, beautiful woman to Versailles and Paris, two places that hold such elegance which in turn leads us to believe she holds the same wealth as those in Versailles and the same sophistication of a Parisian.
Another aspect of the story which led me to think of Madame Beaumont as a member of high society was the way they spoke. Oh Henry created a very elegant tone through his use of words. Hardly any phrases in the beginning of the story were simply stated and he had the two main characters speak gracefully compared to how they spoke at the end of the story while displaying their true selves.
So I suppose instead of just using description to create this feeling of a higher class, O. Henry has used comparisons and an effective tone in both the dialogue and narration. Also, he has not only simply described Madame Beaumont in a higher-class sort of way, but he has described the setting which proves to be effective in persuading his readers of the presence of a higher social structure.
If it were not for O. Henry’s extensive use of description, his readers would not believe there was a higher class evident within his story. Almost no attention is paid to the world outside the hotel Lotus where as all eyes are on the hotel and its elegant guests such as the "wealthy" Madame Beaumont.
Firstly, because O. Henry has made the setting of this play a beautiful, expensive, and secret get-away within the core of New York City, it seems as though any person staying in the hotel would be rich and well put together like the characters seem at first. It is very unlikely a hotel with "broad staircases [that] glide dreamily upward in its aerial elevators, attended by guides in brass buttons..." (37) would be a cheap stay in the city. And when "the ceiling is painted in watercolors to counterfeit a summer sky across which delicate clouds drift and do not vanish as those of nature do to our regret," (37) what rich person would rather spend their days outside in the polluted air of busy streets? O. Henry makes his setting seem even more luxurious by comparing the Hotel Lotus to the outside world which he describes very little. The hotel is an "oasis in the July desert of Manhattan" with "the temperature [of] perpetual April." So not only by the use of his description, but also by the use of comparison, O. Henry is able to create a very luxurious setting in which his seemingly higher class characters seem to fit into very well.
Until the real Madame Beaumont is revealed on page 41, I would have never guessed she was actually a lower class woman. I believed so much about her pretend self because O. Henry described her so well and in detail. She must have been important if "she possessed the fine air of the elite...[and a] graciousness that made the hotel employees her slaves," that were always "fighting for [her] honour" (38). O. Henry dedicates many paragraphs to this elegant woman describing her as "a queen whose loneliness was of position only," and a "delicate being who [glows] softly in the dimness like a jasmine flower in the dusk" (38). The author relates this wealthy, beautiful woman to Versailles and Paris, two places that hold such elegance which in turn leads us to believe she holds the same wealth as those in Versailles and the same sophistication of a Parisian.
Another aspect of the story which led me to think of Madame Beaumont as a member of high society was the way they spoke. Oh Henry created a very elegant tone through his use of words. Hardly any phrases in the beginning of the story were simply stated and he had the two main characters speak gracefully compared to how they spoke at the end of the story while displaying their true selves.
So I suppose instead of just using description to create this feeling of a higher class, O. Henry has used comparisons and an effective tone in both the dialogue and narration. Also, he has not only simply described Madame Beaumont in a higher-class sort of way, but he has described the setting which proves to be effective in persuading his readers of the presence of a higher social structure.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A Fiery Analysis of A Fire Truck
The purpose of this poem is simply to display a captivating moment the author had about a fire truck. I suppose he did this for his own enjoyment but also for his audience. Seeing fire trucks is something almost everyone can relate to and by reading this poem, the audience will probably end up observing the situation of a fire truck more closely the next time they see one.
This is an excellent piece of writing. The author clearly, and vividly at that, conveys his experience especially through the use of description. Phrases such as "blurring to sheer verb" and "make it around the turn in a squall of traction" bring out the exciting tone in the poem very effectively. It is quite clear the author was amazed by this fire truck and he gets that across by adding in personal comments and flattering words for the fire truck. "I stand here purged of nuance, my mind in a blank...and I have you to thank" and referring the fire truck as "phoenix-red" makes his amazement even more obvious.
Personally, I really enjoyed this short poem. I thought it was very exciting even though I have seen fire trucks before and have not been that amazed. Being a huge fan of description and visual images, I can safely say the author did a great job describing his exquisite experience and the next time I see a fire truck, maybe I'll observe it more closely and find myself in a trance. In fact, maybe I'll start observing everything more closely in order to appreciate the things most people don't often notice. This poem got me a-thinkin!
This is an excellent piece of writing. The author clearly, and vividly at that, conveys his experience especially through the use of description. Phrases such as "blurring to sheer verb" and "make it around the turn in a squall of traction" bring out the exciting tone in the poem very effectively. It is quite clear the author was amazed by this fire truck and he gets that across by adding in personal comments and flattering words for the fire truck. "I stand here purged of nuance, my mind in a blank...and I have you to thank" and referring the fire truck as "phoenix-red" makes his amazement even more obvious.
Personally, I really enjoyed this short poem. I thought it was very exciting even though I have seen fire trucks before and have not been that amazed. Being a huge fan of description and visual images, I can safely say the author did a great job describing his exquisite experience and the next time I see a fire truck, maybe I'll observe it more closely and find myself in a trance. In fact, maybe I'll start observing everything more closely in order to appreciate the things most people don't often notice. This poem got me a-thinkin!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Virginia Woolf's Descriptive Essay
The Death of the Moth by Virginia Woolf is a great example of good writing for many reasons. Her writing is very easy to understand yet it is still writen in an interesting fashion. The use of description makes this essay so appealing and because she uses this method of development so effectivly, she is able to paint a perfect picture in the reader's mind.
Woolf starts out by describing a part of nature that seems so insignificant but as her audience reads on, they discover she takes a sort of liking to this creature which is made clear through her use of descriptive words and personal opinions. "They do not excite that pleasat sense of dark autumn nights and ivy-blossom," and " "they are neither gay like butterflies nor sombre like their own species," are two examples how she makes the moth seem uninteresting. But then, Woolf goes on to say "one could not help watching him. One was, indeed, conscious of a queer feeling of pity for him." Finally, near the end of her descriptive essay, she shows her audience she really cares for the moth and all of her focus is on the small creature where as near the beginning of her essay, she would only briefly describe the moth and then move on to describing the "mid-September, mild" morning or the "plough...pressed flat [gleaming] with moisture."
The use of description in this essay is extensive. It only helps to make her piece better. Woolf uses both objective and impressionistic description but she shifts from using lots of objective description in the beginning to more impresionistic description near the end when she is telling her audience about her reaction to the moth she has taken an interest in. "It looked as if a vast net with thousands of black knots in it had been cast up into the air" is a perfect example of her objective desciption of the flying rooks. "He was trying to resume his dancing, but seemed either so stiff or so awkward that he could only flutter to the bottom of the window-pane... the helplessness of his attitude roused me" shows her impressionistic description. Instead of saying the moth was "stiff, awkward and weak" she spreads the desciption out into a longer, well formed sentence eventually revealing her reaction to audience. Virginia woolf effectivly used both types of description in her essay shifting from objective to an impressionistic feel. -very well written.
Woolf starts out by describing a part of nature that seems so insignificant but as her audience reads on, they discover she takes a sort of liking to this creature which is made clear through her use of descriptive words and personal opinions. "They do not excite that pleasat sense of dark autumn nights and ivy-blossom," and " "they are neither gay like butterflies nor sombre like their own species," are two examples how she makes the moth seem uninteresting. But then, Woolf goes on to say "one could not help watching him. One was, indeed, conscious of a queer feeling of pity for him." Finally, near the end of her descriptive essay, she shows her audience she really cares for the moth and all of her focus is on the small creature where as near the beginning of her essay, she would only briefly describe the moth and then move on to describing the "mid-September, mild" morning or the "plough...pressed flat [gleaming] with moisture."
The use of description in this essay is extensive. It only helps to make her piece better. Woolf uses both objective and impressionistic description but she shifts from using lots of objective description in the beginning to more impresionistic description near the end when she is telling her audience about her reaction to the moth she has taken an interest in. "It looked as if a vast net with thousands of black knots in it had been cast up into the air" is a perfect example of her objective desciption of the flying rooks. "He was trying to resume his dancing, but seemed either so stiff or so awkward that he could only flutter to the bottom of the window-pane... the helplessness of his attitude roused me" shows her impressionistic description. Instead of saying the moth was "stiff, awkward and weak" she spreads the desciption out into a longer, well formed sentence eventually revealing her reaction to audience. Virginia woolf effectivly used both types of description in her essay shifting from objective to an impressionistic feel. -very well written.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Appendix B
3. The author began with a fairly strong thesis stating "the power of the office has steadily increased since 1867," however I felt he did not effectively prove it. All of his points were valid and in order but did not support his claim. "The authority of [Canada's] highest statesman has grown too," from the second sentence is almost restating the thesis. He also includes statements that have to do with power, but not the amount of it. For example, "Macdonald's strength and stature made him appear pre-eminent amoung a number of able and imaginative leaders," is a good point but does not prove the power of the office today is stronger than in Macdonald's day. The author goes on to say the business of government today has "proliferated into an enormously complicated network of administration" but complicated does not mean the amount of power has increased. All of the author's points could be further explained or directed back to his thesis but he has failed to do so. Lastly, he concludes his paragraph with "the Prime Minister is still easily the most powerful man in the country" but in no way does that verify he is more powerful today than in 1867. Therefore I believe the main problem with this paragraph is that the author's points are not directed back to his thesis but otherwise he has thrown in some alright points.
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