Characterize the boy who speaks in this poem. How do his and the poet's attitudes toward his lot in life differ? How, especially, are the meanings of the poet and the speaker different in lines 3, 7-8, and 24?
The boy in this poem is kind of the kid that just wants things to be over with. Because he is very optimistic and always looking for the bright side in things. For example, when Tom was getting all his hair shaved off Tom did not like it and the speaker just said that without his hair the soot from the chimney would not spoil his white hair. The poet sees the story as a horrible thing because it is not right for little kids to be sold and they have to lead terrible lives of cleaning chimneys out. It just sucks. The speaker in the poem just goes with the flow of things. He tries to always stay positive and he knows that his and his friend's lives are crap but they just have to deal with it.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Ozymandias
The speaker of this poem is some guy that heard of a visage that are in the desert. He hears about this visage through some traveler from an antique land. The situation in this poem is that the traveler told the speaker of some visage in the desert and the statue is of some, "great" king that lived a long time ago. The pedestal says, "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" So he's basically saying that he is so great and so amazing and that he will be remembered forever and just to give up hope. The irony about that though is that his great kingdom crashes and now all there is is a statue of him and he has nothing.
Barbie Doll
1. "dolls that did pee-pee..." this is an example of an apostrophe.
2. "wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy..." this is an example of a metaphor.
3. "in the magic of puberty..." this is an example of metonymy.
4. "Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs." this is an example of metonymy.
5. "her good nature wore out..." this is an example of personification.
6. "like a fan belt." this is an example of a simile.
7. "doesn't she look pretty?" this is an example of irony.
2. "wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy..." this is an example of a metaphor.
3. "in the magic of puberty..." this is an example of metonymy.
4. "Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs." this is an example of metonymy.
5. "her good nature wore out..." this is an example of personification.
6. "like a fan belt." this is an example of a simile.
7. "doesn't she look pretty?" this is an example of irony.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Toads
The speaker in this poem is a very lazy man! He is not willing to work for what he wants and he just wants thing to be handed to him. He says that he does not need to work and that if he just uses his wits than he can make it in the world and support himself. He looks at people and sees them living in leisure and wants to yell at them, "stuff your pension!" The easy life is what he wants but its not going to happen. This is the toad that is keeping him from getting the fame and the girl. He has to work for what he wants and can't be lazy.
The Victims
Explain exactly who the victims are in this poem and how you know.
The victims in the poem are the children and they witness all of these horrible things that are happening to their father. The sad things though, is that they are enjoying it and are amused with the pain that their father is going through. The mother taught the kids to hate their father and that's just not right. I can understand some what of a dislike for their father but nothing as drastic as hating him. All these unfortunate events that happen to their father are being enjoyed by the kids and they are the true victims because it is as if their hearts have turned black with a hate for their poor old man.
The victims in the poem are the children and they witness all of these horrible things that are happening to their father. The sad things though, is that they are enjoying it and are amused with the pain that their father is going through. The mother taught the kids to hate their father and that's just not right. I can understand some what of a dislike for their father but nothing as drastic as hating him. All these unfortunate events that happen to their father are being enjoyed by the kids and they are the true victims because it is as if their hearts have turned black with a hate for their poor old man.
"Out, Out-"
The speaker of the poem is an onlooker of the accident from the start until the end. In the poem a little boy probably around the age of twelve is cutting wood with a saw and the blade comes flying out and cuts his arm off. This takes place in the past when saws were extremely unsafe and when little kids worked. Tone of the poem is kind of dreary and sad because this young kid loses his life because his arm get cuts off and he bleeds to death. The theme of the poem is that life is very unpredictable and that you never know what could happen. Just like in the poem I'm positive the boy never thought he'd die that day while he was working with the saw. The author achieves the overall affect of the poem because of way the poem never has pauses or breaks so it just flows and is sort of fast. Just like life you can't slow down, you can only do what you have to.
Woman Work
Most of the chores in the first 14 lines are associated popularly with "woman['s] work," but two are not. What do these exceptions reveal about the situation of the speaker?
These exceptions reveal that the speaker is doing what she has to do in order to live. She's got to do what she's got to do and I'm guessing that she is a slave because she has so much work to do and also she has to pick cotton. Most likely she is treated harshly and she just wants to leave the life she has right now and she reveals this when she says, "storm, blow me from here with your fiercest wind let me float across the sky 'til i can rest again." She wants to rest and at least rest every now and than but the sad truth is that she can't.
These exceptions reveal that the speaker is doing what she has to do in order to live. She's got to do what she's got to do and I'm guessing that she is a slave because she has so much work to do and also she has to pick cotton. Most likely she is treated harshly and she just wants to leave the life she has right now and she reveals this when she says, "storm, blow me from here with your fiercest wind let me float across the sky 'til i can rest again." She wants to rest and at least rest every now and than but the sad truth is that she can't.
Those Winter Sundays
From what point in time does the speaker view the subject matter of the poem? What has happened to him in the interval?
The speaker views this subject matter as looking back in the past. He is remembering his father and how much he was underappreciated, and he says this because his dad did so much for the speaker and the rest of his family and nobody thanked him. His father would work so hard that his hands cracked and ached and the speaker always thought that his father wasn't to fond of him because his father never told him that he loved him. Although he never told him that he loved his he showed him he loved him by doing things for him such as polishing his shoes and little things like that.
The speaker views this subject matter as looking back in the past. He is remembering his father and how much he was underappreciated, and he says this because his dad did so much for the speaker and the rest of his family and nobody thanked him. His father would work so hard that his hands cracked and ached and the speaker always thought that his father wasn't to fond of him because his father never told him that he loved him. Although he never told him that he loved his he showed him he loved him by doing things for him such as polishing his shoes and little things like that.
Hazel Tells LaVerne
Discuss the poem's use of irony.
It is ironic because there is this lady that finds a frog in the toilet and the frog talks. You don't expect the frog to talk because frogs can't talk but in this poem it does. Also, the frog tells the girl that if she kisses the him than she will turn into a princess. What I thought was ironic was that this slave does not kiss the frog and if she did her life would be so much better because she would have become a princess! Instead she just thinks the frog is a pervert and those him back into the toilet and flushes it three times until he is completely gone.
It is ironic because there is this lady that finds a frog in the toilet and the frog talks. You don't expect the frog to talk because frogs can't talk but in this poem it does. Also, the frog tells the girl that if she kisses the him than she will turn into a princess. What I thought was ironic was that this slave does not kiss the frog and if she did her life would be so much better because she would have become a princess! Instead she just thinks the frog is a pervert and those him back into the toilet and flushes it three times until he is completely gone.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
To His Coy Mistress
Outline the speaker's argument in three sentences that begin with the words If, But, and Therefore. Is the argument valid?
If you love me than you would listening to me and love me back. But your not listening to me and your not giving me all that I want from you. Therefore we can't be together because I've wanted you so long that now it's just getting old.
I don't think that the argument is valid because he just wants to have some fantasy with her and it's really not true love in that case. He says your getting old and now all my lust for you is gone. He never really loved her; just wanted to have a fantasy with her.
If you love me than you would listening to me and love me back. But your not listening to me and your not giving me all that I want from you. Therefore we can't be together because I've wanted you so long that now it's just getting old.
I don't think that the argument is valid because he just wants to have some fantasy with her and it's really not true love in that case. He says your getting old and now all my lust for you is gone. He never really loved her; just wanted to have a fantasy with her.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Dream Deferred
Of the six images, five are similes. Which is a metaphor? Comment on its position and its effectiveness.
The last line is the metaphor and all of the other lines that explain what happens to a dream are similes. Using the metaphor at the end was very effective because it makes you wonder whether dreams that are deferred are just lost and gone forever. Its great because its right at the end and it is not a simile, so it is very effective saying that dreams explode. Which means that the dreams are gone and dessinagrated into tiny pieces and are never coming back.
The last line is the metaphor and all of the other lines that explain what happens to a dream are similes. Using the metaphor at the end was very effective because it makes you wonder whether dreams that are deferred are just lost and gone forever. Its great because its right at the end and it is not a simile, so it is very effective saying that dreams explode. Which means that the dreams are gone and dessinagrated into tiny pieces and are never coming back.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
good times
How are this family’s good times different from the good times your family has? Explain.
The difference is that these people are barely getting by. For example in the poem it tells of how the rent is paid and the lights got turned back on. That means that the lights to their house were shut off and they finally get their bills paid and they are happy. They are loving it because it is paid and they made it once again. Another difference is that all the people come to there house and are drinking and get drunk. They are all drunk and happy. It isn't common that everyone in the family gets drunk and they are all happy.
The difference is that these people are barely getting by. For example in the poem it tells of how the rent is paid and the lights got turned back on. That means that the lights to their house were shut off and they finally get their bills paid and they are happy. They are loving it because it is paid and they made it once again. Another difference is that all the people come to there house and are drinking and get drunk. They are all drunk and happy. It isn't common that everyone in the family gets drunk and they are all happy.
Richard Cory
What are the reasons for why Richard Cory does what he does at the end?
Because even though he has all that money he is still lonely and sad. Money can not buy happiness. On the outside he is this great, handsome, gentleman to people and they love him! They wish they were him! The sad truth though is that he is dying on the inside and he is slowly getting eaten away at. Because of all these emotional problems he kills himself.
Because even though he has all that money he is still lonely and sad. Money can not buy happiness. On the outside he is this great, handsome, gentleman to people and they love him! They wish they were him! The sad truth though is that he is dying on the inside and he is slowly getting eaten away at. Because of all these emotional problems he kills himself.
We Real Cool
English teachers in a certain urban school were once criticized for having their students read this poem: it was said to be immoral. What essential poetic device did the critics misunderstand?
The reason that the poem was banned in some schools because of the word jazz! People thought that the word made a sexual reference. She did not intend for the word to be translated in that manner. She used to word jazz to mean cool and layed back. Because of this small misunderstanding people thought this was an immoral word.
The reason that the poem was banned in some schools because of the word jazz! People thought that the word made a sexual reference. She did not intend for the word to be translated in that manner. She used to word jazz to mean cool and layed back. Because of this small misunderstanding people thought this was an immoral word.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Cross
What different denotations does the title have? What connotations are linked to each of them?
A cross has many denotations but the one's mainly used could be the cross as in what Jesus died on and a mix of two things. This poem really related to the title because the speaker is half black and half white which is a cross of nationalities. Also his parents are dead and it seems like he regrets it because he says he wants to take back the horrible things that he said to his parents. His parents are dead and usually over a grave there is a cross which also relates to the title.
A cross has many denotations but the one's mainly used could be the cross as in what Jesus died on and a mix of two things. This poem really related to the title because the speaker is half black and half white which is a cross of nationalities. Also his parents are dead and it seems like he regrets it because he says he wants to take back the horrible things that he said to his parents. His parents are dead and usually over a grave there is a cross which also relates to the title.
Pathedy of Manners
At what point in the poem does the speaker shift from language that represents the way the woman might have talked about herself to language that reveals how the speaker judges her? Point out examples of both kinds of language.
This shift occurs in the fifth stanza where he tells the reader just how miserable she is. The first four stanzas she's this amazing girl that all the guys want and she is wealthy and smart. She rejected many men and, "impoverished marquis," which meant she made noblemen poor. Than in the fifth stanza she loses everything. Her kid is dead along with her husband and she basically has nothing to do anymore. She doesn't have any friends and she's lonely and just seems to be going in circles so she is not getting anywhere.
This shift occurs in the fifth stanza where he tells the reader just how miserable she is. The first four stanzas she's this amazing girl that all the guys want and she is wealthy and smart. She rejected many men and, "impoverished marquis," which meant she made noblemen poor. Than in the fifth stanza she loses everything. Her kid is dead along with her husband and she basically has nothing to do anymore. She doesn't have any friends and she's lonely and just seems to be going in circles so she is not getting anywhere.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Mirror
2. In what ways is the mirror like and unlike a person (stanza 1)? In what ways is it like a lake (stanza 2)?
The mirror is unlike a human because it describes itself as silver and exact. Also it says that it has no feelings which a person has and an example of this is when it says, " I am not cruel, only truthful." In the second stanza the mirror says it is a lake and it demonstrates this by saying just little things like, "a women bends over me..." Also it says things like, "reflect it faithfully," and,
"in me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish." By saying these thing such as putting words in it such as drowned, fish, and reflect, tell qualities of a lake.
The mirror is unlike a human because it describes itself as silver and exact. Also it says that it has no feelings which a person has and an example of this is when it says, " I am not cruel, only truthful." In the second stanza the mirror says it is a lake and it demonstrates this by saying just little things like, "a women bends over me..." Also it says things like, "reflect it faithfully," and,
"in me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish." By saying these thing such as putting words in it such as drowned, fish, and reflect, tell qualities of a lake.
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