Harlem

I like this poem more than others because it's short, I believe that sometimes less says more.  There are a lot of similies and metaphors, so there is a lot of thinking involved in reading this poem, but it's definitely worth it.  This poem contains a very important message, GO FOR YOUR DREAMS!  If they're deffered then it may "sag like a heavy load" and who wants that weighing on their shouldars?  Not I!

The Road Not Taken

I read "The Road Not Taken" a couple of years ago in high school and I really liked it then and even more now.  Every single person makes a thousand choices a day, what time to wake up, what to wear, what to eat for breakfast, etc... As the choices get more important I believe they become roads instead of tiny little paths, and that's when they become life-changing.  I would consider these "roads" to become weather or not to go to college or deciding what you would want to do with your life.  I think this poem is saying go for the road less taken, meaning don't take the easy way out.  Go for the one that your heart tells you to follow, the one that most people wouldn't take because it would be "too hard". 

Lone Rangerrrrr

My first paragraph of one of my essays describes exactly how i feel about the Lone Ranger story and racism!

"Racism is sadly just as rampant as it was in the olden days and with the modernity of times there’s even less excuses for in now than back then.  When one thinks of racism, harassment of African Americans is usually the first type that pops into the mind, however the story of “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” shows that they’re not the only race discriminated against.  No one should have to live in embarrassment, especially for being who they truly are as a person."

Happy thoughtsss (:

I really enjoyed reading the Dog Poem "Beau: Golden Retrievals" because the author was exactly right about humans.  People are often so involved and wrapped up inside their own thought that they're not focused on the positive and enjoying life.  So many daily thought are concerning regret, the past, what you could change, and what you have to do for the future that you don't realize all of the positives in your life.  As the dog puts it, just live day by day.  Go for your current dreams and don't stress about what could have been!

Taboooooo

Even though we didn't read Taboo in class, it still attempted to teach me as much as some of our readings have.  My main problem was I didn't want to look at the words at the bottom of the card because then that was all I was going to be able to think about.  However, by not looking at the words, I ended up saying just the words I wasn't allowed to use.  Too bad I didn't have the chance to practice around my friends and family before I seemed entirely goofy in front of everyone in the class!  Lol!

Poor Little Bunnyyyyyy

I didn't enjoy reading the poem "Retired Greyhound, 1" at all.  I followed what was going on with the first few lines where he talked about houses growing bigger at night, because I assumed he was talking about parties.  Little did I know he was going to start talking about ripping a poor little bunny apart and throwing it out a window!  I understand that this is from a dog's point of view and I suppose that this would be considered their ultimate dream but I wouldn't want to have to read another poem like this again...GROSS!

We Realllllll Cool

Gwendolyn Brooks is the author of my favorite poem, "We Real Cool".  This poem is about teenagers making bad decisions and hints if they don't slow down, they're going to die soon.  I like this poem because it's short and sweet, plus it has rythem to it.  I also like the fact that there's no hidden messages that you would have to discover, it's very literal and means what it says.  Why can't more poems be like that?

How rudeeee

I was really surprised when reading "The Glass Menagerie" because the story line with Laura and "the gentlemen caller" was nothing at all like I expected.  When I think of older times and "the good ole days", I think of males acting as gentlemen...not only by holding doors and speaking respectfully of women, but of men who are honest and treat their significant other right.  He not only led Laura on so that she would fall for him, he also gave her the moment that every girl dreams of...all in false pretenses.  Reading and watching this story made me realize that it's not the changing of times that have made people so disrespectful, it's just human nature.

My favorite story so far has been Hills Like White Elephants.  Once I realized that they were referring to an abortion, I went back and reread the whole story and it all fit in place!  I thought it was really interesting how much symbolization was used throughout the whole story, such as the hills for her pregnant belly or the landscape for a life versus death scene.

Everything That Rises Must Converge

I thought that O'Conner's "Everything That Rises Must Converge" was sad, but realistic in older times.  Julian treated his mother poorly, and even though she was wrong in her beliefs, she didn't deserve to be treated so poorly by her son.   The end of the story confused me however, it seemed as if a piece of the story was missing. I also thought that it was ironic that he was the one supposedly teaching his mother a lesson, when in fact Julian was the one who learned the lesson in the end.