Thursday, May 24, 2012

Five A.M

Five A.M
        William Stafford, in his poem “Five A.M”  uses literary devices such as personification tone amplify the gentle caressing tone, while also using alliteration with phrases like soft sound or tone and lead past lawns to create a paced rhythm which alludes to the speakers comfortableness with his surroundings. All the devices show us the speakers  attitude  towards life and his community. All these thoughts and feelings of a man whose jogging on an early morning. And observes everything in his surroundings while jogging. 
           
        Stafford, creates a picture using imagery ad details in his poem to show how calm and peaceful the runners life is at the moment. He changes his tone to emphasize different images the runner sees ad how they affect him while he is running. The runners feeling are portrayed at is train of thought when running and how one’s mind tends to think about deep ideas when it is most peaceful. The image of a man casually jogging through his neighborhood  in this case Stafford’s, exposes a sense of peace that humans reflect on at times. The carefree tone and shifts from action to thoughts further reveal how at ease this jogging man is, and is specially emphasized by the end of the first stanza, “where are my troubles?”. The jogger is cleansed by the rain touching his face in the end of the poem an this illuminates the idea of how far away the worlds troubles can seem to be.
       The narrator in his poem show the contrasting attitude of the jogger with the attitude of society and the world. The images that become visible to the audience show a calm and peaceful neighborhood. These images that would appear elsewhere in places where there are“ troubles”. As the narrator is running/jogging he notices the relaxing ways of life and it over ruling the real world. The jogger and or runner ends up with the conclusion that the small problems he deals with mount up to things in the real world. Tats as he runs perhaps trying to escape from such problems that are bugging him he realizes the life style of his neighbors and begins to observe things that he might had not realize before. Such things as for example “the house of the couple who have the baby, the yard with the little dog” gives a sense of feeling as he had not put too much importance to the dog and while his thoughts continued to play in his head. He later realizes how the problems he once felt before starting to jog now he had left them behind and as felt almost as if he never had them before.
    
    William Stafford in the poem continues writing about the strange or unrecognizable feeling of peace that sometimes descends on a person at rare times. In this case or his case he’s out wondering early in the morning and has a moment of stillness and peace within himself. Leading this to a reflection on how the world and history is full of goodness, full of mysterious ending of bad things “conquerors have quit and gone home” as shown in this preview line. The last stanza “ rain touches my face” as in the lit biz one tends to suggest that water imagery almost always calls for a symbolic reading.  Therefore  the reader can read the rain as grace descending a cleansing of the world of his spirit. Is as if the poem suggests a moment of clarity that comes during an early morning jog, the world is sleeping and everything he sees is peaceful and full of nature.

         The speaker while jogging states of mind changes in two different ways at first he experience the peace and beautiful nature that surrounds him also observing his neighbors and noticing things he had perhaps not noticed before and then the speaker realizes how his problems that he once felt or was going through had for a moment were gone and had forgotten about it. Therefore, the narrator gives the reader two different states of mind. An illusion of nature of what he was experiencing at a moment and then again at the same time also showing how one can get distracted for completely over insignificant things but that help one  forget about problems end up forgetting about their problems.

          
      
     

To Paint Water Lily

To Paint Water Lily
      The poem “To paint a water Lily” depicts the theme of nature. Ted Hughes uses literary devices such as personification, visual imagery and the structure of the poem. To reveal the speakers attitude towards natures and the artists task.

      The poem evokes a part of nature, since the main subject is a water lily. Indeed, the construction of the poem shows an evolution the two first stanzas talk about the water lily. The poet introduces nature  as a manner to focus the attention on the warlike activity. The poet writes the poem as if it celebrates the beauty of the nature in its violence. Hughes uses some literary devices to create this ambiguity. He employs words by changing their first meaning and their traditional context “bullets by” is used as a verb and suggests the trajectory of the flies around the plant. Although “bullet” is used as a noun so also refers to the missile that is set from a firearm. This terms conveys an idea of war or violence. 

        The work of the poet is also to create some new words with the associations of expressions that gives more senses to the language the compound words like “battle shouts” and “death cries”. Ted Hughes poetic is based o emotion and no longer laid upon to the traditional conventions. The nature is considered as essential being. The poetic writes his poem in a consider way in two different dimensions. At first with a return to the elementary system. The nature is associated with human being the violence that man is able to create is included. The poet combines good and ban in order to solve a “problem”. Creation is a way t go beyond the opposition built between a good nature and the violence. The eye of the artist is the only way to see or to read the nature.

        Hughes used in his poem a symbolic use of hyphen in “long-necked lily flower” these two hyphens represent the neck of the water lily and suggest its fragility since it is “deep In both worlds”. Perhaps the poet may have in his poem a met textual reflection at the place oh his point of view. He is both a writer and a painter at this point the is in two different worlds. His role is to paint a scene, but without colors and images, and is just to convey the readers imagination which is a real difficulty. For the reason being that it is complicated to a narrator to transmit a vivid view through words and stay in a poetic mode. So that the reader can experience through reading the same image the poetic is trying to make him/her feel or imagine.

       The narrator Ted Hughes brings together or reunites man with his imagination, the senses and perhaps a bit of history. The nature is finally seen in its description movement. Structure of the poem and the short independent stanzas show that each thought is simply an idea in the speakers mind. His mission is to create a painted representation of a water lily in a pond. However as he observes his subject, he begins reflecting on aspects of the pond not on plain sight but yet real. 

Here


         The poem “Here” by Philip Larkin, in the first stanza itself, the word ‘swerving’ is used several times to amplify the movement. The things the poet sees are described vividly in the first until the last stanza. The poem is the poet’s physically journey to a place of ‘solitude’, where loneliness clarifies. Larking by using the right words and images concisely and incisively conveyed his thoughts and feeling in his poem.

        Larkin, expresses his experiences to these places and journey’s using a poetic language. He uses end rhyme often to provide lyrical tone as in the first stanza “Swerving east, from rich industrial shadows..” The rhyming scheme gives neat effect in the structure of the poem. Such as thus, ‘shadows’ is rhymed with ‘meadows’, ‘fields’ and ‘shields’ and so on. Larking in this instance retains the convention or romantic poets where the aspects of rhyme is given emphasis. His way of writing the poem is very real and one is attracted to read the poem further to discover what else the poet sees are described vividly. Larking makes his poem more visual and interesting so that the reader keeps reading the poem. Understanding every detail that he, as a poet, is trying to show him/her using such techniques that helps his poem portrait what he is looking for.

           As the poem continues, the poet keeps giving details about these places, the things in it, an the people. The things mentioned in the poem are mostly concrete. ‘Fields’, ‘meadows’, ‘skies’, ‘scarecrows’, ‘rivers’, and so on can all be mentally visualized as one read those words. The poet had swerved ‘from rich industrial shadows’ and ‘traffic all night’ when he came across the countryside. If lonely scarecrows and haystacks are symbols of a countryside, buildings, people and streets signify a large town, which the poet meets with surprise. The poet highlights the different atmosphere between the two landscapes using phrases like ’spires and cranes cluster’ and ’barge-crowded water’. The reader analyzes how the poet tries to be as detailed and specific as he can be so that the poem can be filled of imagination and delightful descriptions of such places that make the reader easily portrait itself as one was to be experiencing such moment.

          Although the poet mentions that ’loneliness clarifies’ in line 25 the poem itself is not about loneliness. It is more about being alone and finding solace in solitude other than being lonely. Larkin, feels highly liberated. The whole of the poet’s existence in concentrated at the place he has arrived at, which simply calls “here”. The juxtaposition of light and shadows brings out a contrasting effect which suggests a distinction between positive and negative. Somewhat at the end of the poem the sun seems to provide the positive element that the poet needs. He apparently has found solace at the end of his journey. He now enjoys feeling ‘untalkative’  and ‘out of reach’. Larking uses the word ‘unfenced’ to show liberty. In other words the poet suggest and or states how nature can provide freedom and comfort for those who want to escape the traffic and busy city life.

       Philip Larkin uses his thoughts that come from his images as he once presence these places to give the audience in this case the reader a more visual image of every place he describes. He does marvelous expressing in the poem his feels and thoughts.

           

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Letter to Cola

Dear Cola,
 

        My name is yaritza, I am eighteen years old. And even though I was born in El Salvador. I was raised in Los Angeles,  living in Los Angeles has been an awesome experience. One of a kind I can say, there is so much you can  do and experience here. Such as going to amusement parks like; Disneyland, Six flags, Knott’s Berry Farm, and of course one of the nicest place to go to during the summer is to the Santa Monica pier. The reason why I say that is because I worked there last summer and the experience was magnificent. The people there are friendly, charismatic, energetic, enthusiastic people that is nice to be around with. And not only that but there is so many games and rides you can get to play and ride for example water gun games, you can get on the fairest wheel, there is a roller coaster, Sea Planes and what not. And you can win prizes from free cotton candy to HUGE pillow pets that can be twice your size. There is all kind of delicious food; Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, a
Burger Place
, and of course sea food. The ice cream is incredible like Dipping Dots which are tiny dots of ice cream that melts in your mouth, there are a variety of flavors like cookies and cream, strawberry, cotton candy, banana split, chocolate, vanilla, rainbow and much more. There is also a science museum. Not only that but once you are done exploring the pier you can walk down to the beach and view a stunning sunset view. While working at the Santa Monica pier I had the privilege to see many famous people like the singer Usher and his two young sons, the kids from Michael Jackson, the player from the Lakers Shaquille O’Neal, Leon Thomas from the show Victorious, James Maslow from the show Big Time Rush and many others. Therefore this is one of greatest place you can come to. Los Angeles is a great city to come to not only because the weather is marvelous but because Hollywood is located here meaning you get to see movie stars when you least expect it. In Los Angeles you get to experience many interesting places. If you have no problem and are more than excited in experiencing a great journey, Los Angeles will be the perfect city to come to. I will be more than happy to welcome you to my city, and I assure you, you will not want to leave. You will have so much fun here. Hope to see you soon.

                                                                                                Sincerely,
                                                                                                your friend yaritza
                                                                                                   
                                                                                             PS: Love you and miss you!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Beloved

Beloved
        In the novel “Beloved” by Toni Morrison the character “Sethe” a former slave, struggles to free herself from the power of a man who he is known as “schoolteacher” by the slaves. Sethe goes through many suffer, humiliation, violence, and ingratitude towards her persona. Yet, she finds the way of escaping where she was, to reunite herself with her children and mother. Sethe happens to reunite with her family after so many struggles.
         Sethe characterizes in the novel, a strong and fearless woman. Who never gave up on her freedom. On her way of gaining her freedom, Sethe, went through so much but never gave up. The reader can take the chance of saying Sethe never actually gave up for the reason being that, after getting not only humiliated but also getting whipped while her pregnancy, she kept her word of running away to reunite herself with her family. Even though she was well aware that if she has had gotten caught by the man called “Schoolteacher” she would have not only died but would have been tortured. Although, Sethe took the risk and went for it, bravely she arrives to her mother in laws home reuniting with her now family.
      Sethe agony of the schoolteacher arrival at her house leads her on taking the decision of killing her children rather than surrender her children to a life of dehumanizing slavery. And ends up killing one of her daughter this catastrophic event would have not taken place, if it was not for the arrival of “Schoolteacher” and his unstoppable power towards in defense slaves who after all they end up being human beings like him. But this is what power ends up doing to people, making the deaf and blind about reality. Making the person not realize in this case the person “Schoolteacher” how cruel he is being with his authority on his slaves. Although the character Sethe shows the reader her capability and ability of making things possible, sethe seek what she wanted but brought her consequences as well having sadly to kill her oldest daughter.
      When Sethe finally happens to think about that she is about to start a new life far away from slavery and what not. The appearance of a mysterious young woman, who calls herself Beloved, weakens Sethe body and mind. Making her not live in peace at last once again Sethe escapes Beloved’s control over her. Beloved vanishes making Sethe once again rediscover the value of life and her own self-worth. This proves how Sethe continuously struggles to get her freedom in different type of ways. With the help of others and most importantly by her own persona, because of how bad she wanted to at last have peace and happiness in her life. She did everything that she could possibly to overcome her obstacles to her freedom.
      However, before Sethe finally got to reconstruct her life. Sethe had to go through so much and after gaining her freedom there is more to come since life is not easy and its full of many new obstacles and challenges.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

An Echo Sonnet Essay

An Echo Sonnet: To an Empty Page
        In “An Echo Sonnet: To an Empty Page” is a poem written by Robert Pack. A poem in which he use literary devices such as rhetorical questions and  the concept of an echo to express the narrator’s uncertainty and his beloved’s supposed answers. Through out the poem, the narrator asks questions to seemingly nothing and receives answers in the form of an echo. Although in reality it is only his own answers.
   
        In the poem, the narrator is going through some rough times perhaps sadness which has left an emptiness within him, and it is that hole that gives the opportunity for his irrational heart to resonate answers back to the minds questions. He wonders how he can start over, and if he does, whether he must “ master joy or grief”, to which he Echo replies with the latter. The narrator continues and asks “…where’s natural relief?” ere, the narrator wonders where he may find an escape from life, from the grief he was told to pursue. The leaves; leaves age beautifully and change into wondrous colors, making “ecstasy” of the dying process. He wonders, “Yet what’s the end of our life’s long disease?” If death is not, who is my enemy”, but then the echo calls itself the enemy. Though leaves age beautifully, people do not assimilates, aging , is an inescapable disease of life, not a pretty display.

        The concept of the narrator speaking to an empty page in unrealistic. Therefore, it must be that the empty page serves as a metaphor. The narrator is writing about his grief and misery on an empty page. He continues to ask rhetorical questions and the echoed responses are those he hear in his head. His usage of rhetorical questions and extended metaphor serve to convey the meaning of his poem. The narrator use of literary techniques greatly contributes to the overall meaning of the sonnet. It is evident that the narrator is confused through his incessant rhetorical questions throughout the entire sonnet. The narrators hesitation of starting life from nothing and his attempt to search for consolation is exhibited through his use of rhetorical and echoes.

         The narrator use of rhetorical questions express the speakers confused mental state by exposing the speaker’s true feelings about beginning his life and the adventure at comes along with it. Throughout the entire poem, the narrator continuously asks questions debating what makes life worth living. These rhetoric questions reveal to discover a more profound and relatable narrator. These unanswered questions leave the reader a duty to search for the answers. Making this poem more interesting and more particular of reading. 
             In the end, the narrator goes on to say that he would “leap into the dark, if dark were true,” which the Echo verifies is correct. This darkness is a symbol for death. The narrator is essentially considering suicide. The Echo tells him to “Go,” but the narrator is unsure. The poem end with the Echo confirming to him that there is no happiness in death. The poems literal end could possibly indicate how the narrator has stopped thinking and move into the darkness. The choice inside of the narrator, his hearts reverberating replies, becomes his enemy and drives him to end his life.

The Stranger

The Stranger
             In the novel “The Stranger” the character Monsieur Meursault responds to his trial as injustice. Although Meursault believes the trial is unjust, he happens to deal with his situation. As a careless person he then happens to not care or worry about his trial anymore. Though at the end it ends up changing.

             Monsieur Meursault meaning of justice or injustice is distinctive from a normal person. What he might think is injustice to a regular person might not be justice but injustice. Meursault understanding of justice is different. For the reason being that Meursault has a peculiar way of thinking. His ways of reacting and thinking are different from other people. Meursault mind is some what selfish not only with himself but with his surroundings. While in his trial the people he knew tried to defend his innocence. He did nothing but sit and careless about what the people that loved or cared about him were doing for him. Which was testifying on his defense. Meursault didn’t even bothered appreciating the fact that they all showed up for him.

            As the reader continues to read the novel, the reader continues discovering Meursault’s understanding of life and what justice might be to him. He reacts indifferent of how his trial is coming to be. Which is not in any way favorable to him since his consequences to his action might happen to be executing him. Although at first he acts careless, unconcerned, and inaccurate of how his trial is coming along. Late in the novel the reader discovers of how Meursault emotions turn out to reveal. He then cries, perhaps he now believes what is occurring to him is delicate and therefore serious. He now assimilates his actions. Starts to regret his way of performance since it wasn’t favorable to his trial but instead condemned him even more. Meursault, being now familiarize with reality is what is making his emotions come to life. Who which he reveals by imagining his mother being alive instead of dead. And wishes perhaps at some point not having to suffer for her lost. 
       
          Meursault’s character in the novel shows the reader how his way of justice or injustice are different. What the reader might think is justice for example, executing him for the murder he committed, to him might happen to be the wrong thing to do. Since for him what he did was not wrong. Meursault might just think that what he did was a way of saving his life from the Arab man who was going to kill him if he would have not immediately respond by shooting at him. Although the reader might just see how his character is nothing but a guilty murder, therefore he should pay with execution. Perhaps if Meursault would have not pressed on the revolver so many times without remorse what so ever. The reader would have had sympathy for his character. But because of his obvious intention of murdering the Arab man, the reader cannot portrait this sympathy for him.

          As a result Meursault seems to view the rest of humanity as the “others” as if he is a mere observer rather than a part of humanity that he was born into. Meursault makes all of his decisions based on his notion that his actions are unimportant because no matter how society classifies him, he will still die. Meursault utter rejection of all things irrational that separate him for his fellow man and make him a “stranger” from society and even from his close friends.


Academic Autobiography

I am one of four children’s. I am the only girl. I am eighteen years. And my name is

yaritza. School hasn’t been my best strength. Although I have worked extremely hard to stand where I am.
                           
                            
        To begin with I was born in EL Salvador. I don’t live with my parents. They have never been in the picture. Because of that, the person that has and is supporting me academically is myself. When younger I realized I didn’t have an adult that supported me academically that’s when I came to the conclusion of always being my own supporter. After I came to this country, I did not start school immediately that’s the reason why I am one year behind in school. I went to Alexandria Avenue Elementary School. Which is located by Alexandria and Oakwood street in Los Angeles. I went to Alexandria from first to fifth grade, when I graduated from there I later went to Marina Del Rey Middles school located by Catalina street. That middle school was a magnet school  a very beautiful but was too far from home. For that reason I attended Marina Del Rey Middle for only two years, and then changed to Berendo Middle school for my eighth grade. Since Berendo Middle school was my home school. Which is located by Pico and Berendo street in a not so good neighborhood. After accomplishing my last year in Berendo I ended up graduating with honors and received two metals. One in Science and the other one in Social Studios. I don’t have a favorite subject. The only two classes that I enjoy is art class and theatre. I like going to my art class because I get to be creative and I get to sketch interesting images and objects. Art makes me appreciate the smallest and simple things that daily surrounds me. Although theatre is the class that’s interests me the most it makes me relax and be myself. I also enjoy that class since I get to be different characters. My second grade teacher has to be the only influential teacher I have had. When I was in her class I knew nothing but Spanish. Ms. Isomotto which was her name since sadly past away, was patient and helpful to my learning. Ms. Isomotto would stay with me after class to try to help me improve my English and catch up with the rest of my classmates. She would always tell me “there is no limit to an extraordinary future”. At the time I did not understand what she meant but now I understand  that what she meant is that’s there is no limit to dreams. I once remember having to do a project in elementary. More than just a project it was about being responsible. My teacher gave everyone in class a pot which inside had a seed buried . Our assignment was to take the pot home and bring it a month later or so. I learned how to be more responsible and how to appreciate nature is so valuable. We later, had to write an essay about the development of the plant. That’s when I learned for the first time how to write an essay or at least how the structure of an essay is suppose to be written. First an introduction about your topic, then a thesis, at least three  body paragraphs and lastly a conclusion that takes you back to your thesis explaining about your main point of the essay. A academically I see myself in the future assisting to one of the best acting performing arts college or university. I am going to be honest and say I am not going to be the BEST student in class since I have a hard time expressing myself  although  I would be one of the best  since I always try my best in everything I do. In second grade is where I learned how read, write and speak in English. By going to SL classes and with the help of Ms. Isomotto. My English grades in Junior high, were a couple of A’s but mostly B’s. I wouldn’t a lower grade than a B. My specific goal for this class other than passing the AP exam is to get ready for college. I am in this class to become a better writer, reader, listener  and student. But more importantly to learn how to express myself when it comes to writing or communicating. I am in a AP class and for that reason I am going to act like one although that does not mean I am always going  to know the answers to everything. I expect my teacher to be patient with me since I am a slow learner but with great abilities.

Macbeth Essay

Topic:  Write an essay using plot developments in Macbeth to clearly analyze how the supernatural plays an important role in Macbeth. Analyze the extent in which it motivates Macbeth’s ambition and the consequences that result because of it.

              Ambition can either drive one towards success or destruction. Macbeth is the strong, valiant, warrior who brought victory to Scotland. However, his search to acquire more power, took him to his tragic demise. It is amazing how one can allow himself to be destroyed by such a thing (high ambition).
                            
                         There is no doubt Macbeth was seen as a brave man by all of his peers, including King Duncan. This is why King Duncan proclaimed, “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won,” (1.2.70). He risked everything he had to protect Scotland from Norway. Many would have think that after such accomplishment Macbeth would have been more than satisfied with his now new position. However, that was not the case, because Macbeth clearly realizes that his ambitions are too great. That is about to make him do something that he knows is wrong yet he believes there is nothing that can stop him from committing such murder, having to kill King Duncan in able for him to become more powerful, invisible, and harmless. Macbeth has second thoughts about his intent: “We will proceed no further in this business: He honored me of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people.”(1.7.32-34) but, through the persuasion of  being influenced by unnatural things such as the three witches who’s prophecies come to be true, motivated Macbeth’s ambitions to become higher.
                      
                    After such murder, Macbeth later orders the killing of other individuals. He feels he needs to commit. His ambition is blinding him of his wrong actions. It is clear he headed on a path towards disaster. Macbeth’s actions in the play caused him to lose control of himself, meaning he had no conscious between reality and fantasy: “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy glory locks at me.” (1.4.50-51)Shows imaginary fears Macbeth is having. Macbeth’s ambition made him do things that he had no control of. His guilt is making him control over things and slowly he is losing control of reality. And everything for his ambitious and his bad influences, the three witches who played an important role in affecting the actions of Macbeth with their abilities, making him do whatever they desired him to do. They not only use their supernatural powers but also prey on his ambition. Macbeth was at first reasonable enough to keep his ambition on check, however eventually became too strong for him and over powered him. This sadly led him to the way of destruction. It is more than clear that his enormously ambition and influences made him do UN thoughtful actions.  
                   Macbeth’s obsession with power “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked,” (5.3.33-34) demonstrates that he was determine to confront anything or anyone that would try to be against him. It was an obsession over power that made him desired for so much. Macbeth’s arrogance convinces him that he cannot be killed.’ Lay on, Macduff; and damn’d be him that first cries ’hold, enough!”(5.8.33-34) Demonstrates that Macbeth’s ambition to become king of Scotland turned him independent and ruthless. Although, this ambition destroyed him before his downfall he faces his end with dignity. His ambition was constantly putting him in a struggle between right and wrong. Letting himself influence by what he thought was good for him is what took him to the determination of his life. Macbeth lost this battle because ambition never wins when it is seek by force or by wrong methods.
                             Again, Macbeth’s intensified ambition and supernatural powers contributed greatly to his degeneration of character which resulted to his tragic demise. He choosing what was wrong and not for what was right is what took him to the destruction of his life. Showing how one can let themselves, get destroyed by ambition.