A "Blessing" Imitation

I will always remember coming home after school
Off the bus and down the street
Walking up my driveway, opening the front door
Excited to get inside
Knowing exactly who would be excited to see me.
Walking into my room, dropping my backpack as I went
Watching her poke her head out of her handmade home
Inside the cage she lived
Where she spent most of her time alone.
I would open the cage,
And she'd jump out with ease
Just like a dog, excited to see me
Cinnamon the rat
Or Cinnie, as I would affectionately call her.
I'd let her run around, maybe get her a snack
And soon she'd be in my lap, munching away.
I'd play with her, and watch her scurry
Little brown body, with patches of white
Long and lean tail, the whole length of her body.
I'd let her run around for ever it seemed,
Petting her and watching her burrow under the blanket.
Looking back on all our time spent together,
I will always remember
Her and me

Does Poetry Matter?

Of course it does. That's an easy question to answer. Poetry tells us stories from the past, both historical and fiction, and brings a sense of whimsical romanticism to daily lives. I enjoy poetry because of the sounds of the rhyming words, and the topics which poets write on. Anything, from simple conversation to an ode about someone, can sound amazing when read in proper stanza and time. Poetry is a lot like music. It makes you feel happy. Dana Gioia gives the reader of her article at least two reasons why poetry matters. She connects poetry to the freedom of speech, and says that poetry gives you the power to understand language. The other reason she gives is that the decline in poetry shows a decline in other art forms, all of which an intellectual society should not lose.

If the question had been " Does poetry matter to the youth of America?", I would have answered no. Poetry does not matter to most people, let alone the youth and even most people in college. Isn't that one of the reasons we studied fiction before moving to poetry in our class? Little to no one cares about poetry any more because it is "hard". It's hard to write a poem, its hard to read poetry, and its even harder to make out the jumble of words. American youth would much rather watch television or eat Taco Bell than ever consider writing or listening to poetry.

The ultimate question should be: How can we make poetry matter? We can do this by making it more enjoyable for the youth. If kids would realize that some of their favorite musicians, especially in the rap genre, are poets kids would appreciate poetry more. Now if rap music was cleaner, and less derogatory towards women...

City

The dark and decrepit city without sight of light
      A flower, petals falling 

Friend

When I think up a thought
As I sit, looking into the past,
Thinking of things long forgot
It all come back, at long last,
 
My thoughts start to flow, 
During the dark and damp night,
I think  " oh, woe", 
My heart and my mind start to fight
 
But you are foregone
As I fall to the floor
I think to myself and moan,  
I remember how it was all before.
 
When you were my friend,
But now we're at our end.

Fall in my Shawl

1
Oh how I love fall
I just want to leave
Becasue I believe
I'm too cool
To go to school
In my comfy shawl

2
In my shawl
All I do is think about fall
And all the things the season brings, is that cool?
To believe
That I can  leave
The place that teaches me, my school?


3
But how I love school
Especailly when I wear my shawl
During the fall
In the weather so cool
I believe
That I can leave

 4
But if I were to leave
Lewis-Clark State College, my lovely school
Without forgetting my shawl
In the lovely Lewiston fall
Which is a perfect temperature, oh so cool
Should I go home, I believe?

 5
To  believe
That I love to leave
In the fall
While wearing my shawl
The place I so love, my school
Which is so cool


 6
Sometimes I think I'm cool
But then I believe
That think,  "leave"
This place, this school
In my shawl
As I walk into the fall...

How I love the fall, the time of year wear it is cool
I decide that I never want to leave, or at least I believe
That school is my favorite place, especially when I wear my shawl

An Ode To the House Cat

An Ode to the House Cat

Oh, the house cat
Pretty and fluffy
Your eyes like green sea glass

Hair as soft as a baby's behind
With four cute little paws
And whiskers so long

The way you stalk
Up and down the windowsill
Silently moving, twitching your tail

Ever so craving that rush
The rush of catching and pouncing

Daydreaming in the sun
Dreams of mice and rabbits
Catching and killing
Chomp Chomp Chomp

A&P vs. Orientation

The stories "A&P" and "Orientation" are two very different stories. For this blog, I'll not try to compare them both in entirety, but rather I'll compare the role of a bosses in each of the stories.

The boss in A&P isn't around much, from how the narrator describes it. "Lengel comes in from haggling with a truck full of cabbages on the lot and is about to scuttle into that door marked MANAGER behind which he hides all day..." This sentence suggests that the manager of this supermarket is always hiding in his office. But once he sees the girls, "improperly dressed" he cracks the whip. Lengel goes from being a push over, uncaring type boss, to a hard ass in less than :30 seconds.

The boss in Orientation is completely different. This boss is the all knowing type. You can also assume that this boss is the hard ass type, since he always repeats the phrase "Ask too many questions, however, and you may be let go." He doesn't seem like he's the pushover, or hide-in-his-office type. This boss knows all. He can tell you anything about all of his workers, even adding in that one is a serial killer. "He is a serial killer, the one they call the Carpet Cutter, responsible for the mutilations across town. We're not supposed to know that, so do not let on. In any case, when Kevin Howard gets caught, act surprised." The fact that he knows all about his employees suggests that he is all knowing.

"After this come in here with your shoulders covered"

The short story "A&P" written by John Updike was definitely written by a man. If I was to critique this article as a feminist would, I would definitely not be happy with Mr. Updike. This short story is tasteless, and demeans women in the most terrible of ways. Throughout this story, the main character, a 19 year old male, refers to women in demeaning ways: "There was this chunky one..." "You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)..." Only a man would speak so harshly about a women. Another thing I found disturbing was the fact that the three girls, and all the rest of the women in the story, spoke little to no lines. The only time the girls speak, they get shot down by the male manager, who tell them "after this come in here with your shoulders covered." The last thing that really offended me was the fact that the guy, obviously enjoying the fact that three pretty girls came into his place of work in swimsuits, called them out on that fact in his mind. As he's watching them walk down the aisles, he thinks "You know, it's one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach...and another thing in the cool of the A&P, under the fluorescent lights..."

This story is a perfect representation of what most men are thinking all the time. Remember ladies: Don't go into a super market, or anywhere that isn't a beach, without properly covering every inch of your body. Can't let the men think we're "impure" or "racy".

Welcome to Facebook Mrs. Mallard!

Hey guys, my name is Louise Mallard. I'm married to Mr. Mallard and we have a great life!
Follow me if you want! :)



Friends and Family:

Married to Bently Mallard
Sister of Josephine
Friend of Richards

Richards posted on Mrs. Mallard's wall:
I have some bad news for you...
         Comments:
Mrs. Mallard: What Richards?
Richards: ....Brently is dead...
Mrs. Mallard: .....

Josephine posted on Mrs.Mallard's wall:I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your husband! :*(


Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
Running to my room crying isn't how I thought this day would go...

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
I feel like something is coming to me...but I don't know what this feeling is..Can I go through any mroe pain today...?

Mrs. Mallard shared a picture:

Mrs. Mallard shared a website:
www.sisterhoodofwidows.com


Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
"Free,free,free!"

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
Maybe this whole single thing is something  I could get used to... ;)

Josephine posted on Mrs. Mallard's Wall:
Louise, open the door! Come on....please!

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
I'm coming out of my room now, Josephine. I feel a lot better!

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
What a joyous day!

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
Who's coming in through my front door....?

Mrs. Mallard's account has closed.










 

Welcome to the Job!

Welcome to your first day on the job!! Working for our office is great job, once that's not too hard or too easy. This is your cubicle. You should make it feel like home. Here is your computer. You'll have to call the Technical Department to get your password to log on to the computer. Once you've logged in, you will go to the website on the piece of paper in your drawer. Once there, you'll use the same password to login as you did to log into your computer. Is everything making sense so far? Good! I left you an instruction sheet on how to use the program. If you have any problems, you can always call my office. My extension is 2339. I'm in and out of my office, so you might have to call a few times or text me on my cell phone. If it’s after 5, I won't be in my office, so always text me.  

The types of calls we make in this office vary. They can be anything from calling first time students and asking them how their first semester is going, all the way to calling prospective students and asking them if they're still interested in our school. I will provide you with a script for each type of call, and I'd like you to stick to that as much as possible. Once you get more comfortable with the job, you can go off script a little. I've given you instructions on how to get around the site, and in your binder there are also helpful hints. Oh, I didn't mention your binder? It’s right over here in the drawer. I'd like to see you completing two sheets an hour, but for now get as many done as possible. This job gets a little boring, so if you want to take a 5 minute break every hour or so, I understand. You can also listen to music while you work.

You have two coworkers. Their names are Anna and Justine. They'll be here later. Justine is 21, and Anna is 19. Justine has worked her a long time, so if you need help ask her. She's from Oregon and is a Radiography student. Anna is from Idaho and is Nursing. Don't be like Erin, the girl before you. She would sit and watch Netflix movies during her shift and not get any work done. I helped her out a lot in getting to school, and it’s a bummer that she did that to me. So, don't be like her. Justine an Anna are good worker, so be like them. Sometimes you'll hear me talk about my husband, John, and our dog Timmy. My husband is 20 years older than I am (I kinda have a thing for older guys). I'm a step mom too, and I love my step daughter. And I love the Seahawks! Go Hawks!

This took a little longer than it should have...so have fun on your first day! :)

A Good Man Is Defintely Hard to Find, especailly in this story.

The story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor can be considered in the Southern Grotesque genera for many reasons. This story speaks a lot to the reader about the short coming of this family. In most families, children respect their parents. I've always assumed that the South was more civilized with their southern gentlemen and manors. But this in not the case with the character Bailey. He is rude to not only his mother, the woman who gave him life, but he's also distant and cold towards his wife and children. This is not a family I would have wanted to grow up in. Another good example of how this story is southern grotesque is the setting. As described, the setting of this type of story should be "decayed and or rural". Our setting fits perfectly. Traveling through Georgia, which the boy John Wesley describes as a "lousy state", the reader gets the picture that Georgia is nothing much, other than rolling farm lands and old plantations (contrary to John Wesley, I would actually love to see Georgia some day). This fits the rural setting perfectly, especially once the family makes the fatal turn on to the old abandoned dirt road. The reader starts to feel weary once they turn on to this road, and once the family gets into the car accident and we find out that they see a car coming, our intuition is proved right. 

The final reason why I believe that this short story is grotesque is one specific character: The Misfit. He is a secular grotesque character because as the grandmother pleads with him about Jesus, he simply doesn't care. The Misfit believes that no one can save him now. A grotesque character may posses an exaggerated personality trait or characteristic for the purpose of eliciting both empathy and disgust in the reader, which The Misfit does perfectly. As the reader, we are disgusted by him because he is a murderer. Once he tells Baily and John Wesley are told that they are to go with Bobby Lee, the reader assumes the worst. Once we hear the gun shots, we know what has happened. But we also feel bad for The Misfit. He grammar and speech suggests that he hasn't had much education, and when he tells the grandmother that he can't remember what he did to get locked up, the reader starts to feel pity for the man and his comrades. BOOM BOOM BOOM. Once those shots were made, we no longer feel pity for The Misfit.   

"The Lottery" - A sick and twisted game

In Shirley Jackson's, "The Lottery," one theme is Man's ability (and need) to rationalize generally unacceptable actions.  Murder, murder in the first degree, is what takes place once a year in this village and many others. But the people of the story don’t view it that way. Not once in the story do the villagers, or the narrator, mention that someone will be chosen to die. This ceremony is something that has been practiced for longer than the villagers can remember. Everyone has their role in the ceremony. In the beginning of the story, all the boys collect rocks, which we find out in the end, are used to kill the “winner”. This heinous act is rationalized by the people; it’s even viewed as a burden by some. One woman even says “come on, hurry up” once the winner has been chosen. This story is not the only case of people rationalizing generally unacceptable actions. In our own society murder happens daily. When I read this story, I compared the villagers to gang members. Once their target has been chosen, some take part in the killing, and some just stand around and watch. Murder is rationalized by the gang members, whether it is for territorial rights or power, or simply because their leader told them too. If these gang members couldn’t rationalize murder, one would be safe to say they wouldn’t commit it. "If there's a will, there's a way" especially if behind that will there is a reason or a rationalization to back it up.

From "Girl" to "Boy"

Boy

Don't play those video games for too long, it'll waste away your day as well as your mind; try to be active in school; do your homework right the first time, I want to see my baby succeed; remember to make friends in school, and choose them wisely; don't get in fights, I don't want my baby to get hurt; try and play a sport to make your father proud; if you can't play a sport then get good grades; do good in school so you can go to college; find a good career to go into, but you can't do anything too dangerous, so become a lawyer or a doctor; but what if I want to be a police officer?; I just don't want to see my baby get hurt; when you meet a girl, treat her right; take lessons after your father; always pick her up from her home and meet her parents; open the doors for her; treat her like a princess, girls watch all those romantic movies and they expect it; never try to make a...what do you call it... "move" during the first date, girls don't like that; if you take her out at night, remember to stay by her side when you're walking back to the car in the dark; be careful in the city at night in general, I don't want my baby to get hurt; don't grow up too fast; remember that your family loves you and will be proud of you no matter what; remember that mommy loves her little boy.

Get to Know Me Questions!

1. My greatest asset is either my eyes or my smile, depending on who you ask.
2. The nicest thing I ever did for anyone was help me get to where I am today.
3. My teachers last year will tell you that I am a hard worker.
4. My friends will tell you that I am kinda weird.
5. People like me because I'm fun to be around!
6. One thing most people don't know about me is I'm an avid bowler, and I own three bowling balls and my own shoes.
7. I want to know more about everything!
8. Five years from now, I will starting a career with my Master's Degree in Social Work.
9. The bravest thing I ever did was come to college in a town I've never been to, on a campus I'd never seen in person, and without knowing anyone.
10. I have trouble dealing with negative people.
11. I like Mexican food because...who doesn't?
12. I really need to get organized!
13. My pet peeve is when people clip their nails.
14. The most stressful thing in my life is working two jobs and going to classes.
15. If I had one hundred dollars, I would....can you say shopping spree?!
16. It was easy to learn English.
17. It is difficult to learn anything math related.
18. I regret little to nothing. I try to view regrets as learning experiences.
19. I like alternative/indie music, particularly these bands: Blink-182, Death Cab for Cutie, Snow Patrol.
20. My favorite color is green!
21. My favorite place on earth is Ireland, though I've yet to go there.