Blog Entry 10: Song Quote

The following song quote is from Ballad of Birmingham written by Dudley Randall in 1966.
"And march the streets of Birmingham to make our country free" (kennedy Pg. 526)
This quote really illustrates the passion of the girl and her desire to take part in a demonstration for equality in a difficult time, it also sets the ironic stage for what should be a safer alternative that actually ends in tragedy. I think the author wants the reader to understand the fear that black people were feeling in America during the civil rights movement and just one of the many unjust tragedies that occured during this era.

Blog Entry 9

Haiku is a writing style that appears to equal "short and sweet" in English writing style. I like the fact that the Japanese poets attempt to use more than just words, but imagery and current events like weather, seasons, or their surrounding to help illustrate a story or message. It is also a more bold and confident writing style because it leaves less material open for interpretation and usually only has one meaning. I look forward to the opportunity to learn more about this particular writing style more in this course. Can you think of a similar writing style used in English poetry or story telling?

Blog Entry 8- Poem Paraphrase

Tony Hoagland- Beauty. Page 758.

Any false hope that my sister was holding onto suddenly disappeared the day she suffered facial blemishes from the medications she was taking. She suddenly accepted and realized that the game was over.

But to my amazement the tears never came, in fact what I saw in those eyes was relief. My sister was tired of trying to win a game that could not be won, and now she was just......done.

She had spent her entire life from as far back as I could remember trying desperately to be that girl...you know one of those air-brushed make believe girls on the cover of one of the many magazines that you probably only notice when your waiting in a grocery store checkout line.

She had done her best to keep up with the magazine girls, a valiant effort really, and now she was waving her white flag around for all to see. Game over. She even looked a little amused by it all. Who would have thought?

The relief in her eyes said it all. She was finally happy and I got my sister back.

Post Entry 7

Computer or newspaper? Lately I have noticed that I get the vast majority of my news from the Internet and don't buy as many newspapers or news magazines. In fact the only magazine that I still read religiously is National Geographic. Does this make me a sell-out? My reasons for this conversion are simple, newspapers are not as green & Internet news is about as up to the minute accurate as you can get. I didn't intentionally set out to give up newspapers, it just sort of happened. Obviously I am not the only person who has made this decision, across the US major newspaper companies are going out of business at record levels as people turn to their computer for their primary source of news. Where do you get your news??

Blog Entry 6: Quote Response

" Whatever it was we were looking for, we weren't about to find it at Greasy Lake. Not that night." (Boyle, T. Pg. 115)

This quote from Greasy Lake really sums up the point of the story. Tonight is going to be different than other nights. Events will take place that have lasting physical and psychological effects on all of the players in this story, especially the primary character. They are going to know more about who they are than they ever will again on this night, and it will happen in a matter of minutes. Excitement, fear, rage, lust, fear again, sorrow, guilt, relief, and then ultimately loneliness. It all happens so fast and when the dust settles, Greasy Lake will never look the same.

Blog Entry 5

I just finished reading a book called The Lost City of Z written by David Grann. The read is a non-fiction story based on the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett who in 1925, along with his son, disappeared deep in the Amazon jungle while searching for a fabled civilization that he referred to as Z. I would highly recommend this book if you like to read about adventure & survival.

Regardless of what I am reading, in order to really enjoy a book, the author has to have the ability to paint a picture so vividly and profoundly that I cant help but imagine myself right there, at that very moment that is being described. It is better than watching a movie (why is that?) and the next best thing than actually being there. Perhaps this is because when watching movies we are experiencing sensory overload and things are always dynamic and fluid. We miss the tiny details that when reading tune up the story. Books=details while movies=the big picture (no pun intended)

I enjoy watching movies but its refreshing to know that despite all of the technological advances and special effects, nothing beats a good book.