Jessica Nelson Assignment 4

Studying literature puts new thoughts into your head. You are exposed to new points of view and you make connections to them. There are no ridged rules or logic like in math or science, it’s all emotions and what the reader can create. In that regard it’s a new type of education because you are creating it not just receiving it. It also rounds out education because it is interactive and changes with time. Current events influence the reader and effect how they perceive and judge a text, which can bring past times and the present together to pass on wisdom to a new generation. Literature can be a call to activism that isn’t addressed in any other class. We can’t do anything about math formulas, but what we learn from literature we take into the world and use to pass on to others or to motivate ourselves to change something. Most of all it gives you a window into the time and place it was written and into the author who wrote it and allows you to empathize with them, forming you into a more sympathetic and graceful human.

Kevin LaZur - Assignment 4

I'm not sure if the study of literature is going to affect me in the future because, while I know that I won't study it outside of high school, the deeper question is whether or not it's going to have an impact on the man I'm going to be, even though I don't connect with literature in the present day.  It doesn't feel like I'm changed by anything we read for a grade, and I sure don't read anything with "literary merit" outside of school. But do the themes of these stories live in my subconscious? Do they tug on the strings controlling my ethical choices, guiding me towards a more whole life? Is there a god? 

Jack Phillips assignment 4

The liberal arts provides a baseline for communication. Literature in particular gives us a control of language that helps us all express our thoughts and ideas in a meaningful way. Even when you look at famous scientists, their work would have been all for naught if they had been unable to communicate their ideas to the general public. Take Carl Sagan for example was a completely unremarkable scientist, but he was able to explain the most complex topics to a fifth grader. This ability that he had made him one of the most popular and influential scientists for almost two decades. Bill Nye also has this ability, and despite the fact he doesn't even have a science degree from any college, he is one of the most trusted scientists of our generation. And this ability wouldn't exist were it not for things like a liberal arts education and literature.

Madye Moore Assignment 4

The study of liberal arts has impacted my life the past couple years by helping me to become a more well rounded person both academically and in my daily life. Through my liberal arts education at Henry Clay, I haven't just focused on one subject over another, I have taken advanced classes in all areas, which have like I said, enhanced my learning by not forcing one subject over another. The study of literature has, and will continue to, enhance my life by causing me to find a deeper meaning in what I read besides just the words on the page. Literature also forces me to have an open mind because it shows how there are often times many interpretations of one text that differ from my own. The study of humanities rounds out my education because it ties all of my subjects together in a way, and provides an escape from the cookie cutter subjects we are forced to take, as well as providing a more creative outlet to express your feelings. 

Isabel Jenkins Assignment 4

Some of my friends in MSTC programs are years ahead of the average Academy student in math and science. While they definitely get bragging rights for taking linear algebra in high school, I've never deeply regretted going into a liberal arts program instead. The problem with most MSTC programs is that their other departments, such as english and history, fair poorly since they put so much emphasis on STEM topics. I can't unbiasedly assess the quality of education I've been given, but if anything, a liberal arts education has taught me to be well-rounded. Although it might come off as a bit pretentious, I've always fancied myself becoming a "Renaissance woman" of sorts as opposed to any kind of professional ... jack-of-all-trades, master of none? (it also justifies my occasional lack of focus and direction.) Anyway. It's undeniable that art and literature can have an impact on our life, and not only teach us about others but ourselves. I may not have any specialties or specific talents, but from reading literature and studying humanities I've become versed in a wide variety of subjects. My life could go in many different directions, and I'd prefer that to being boxed in.

Charlie Payne - Assignment 4

A liberal arts education often boasts to produce well rounded academic literati who know how to think for themselves, and while this isn't necessarily untrue, a liberal arts education means more to me than just knowledge about literature and a comprehensive worldview. I don't read as much as I would like to, but I do consume quite a bit of art (in a wide variety of media) on a regular basis, whether that be music or fashion or writing or visual art, and more than just providing me with a variety of different perspectives and information, the ultimate goal of my exploration of art is personal growth and discovery. So far what I have learned is that as I get closer to a complete construction of an individual identity the further away I get from understanding the world I exist in and the more content I am with this lack of understanding. I want to learn embrace this uncertainty with a continued education in the arts and literature, but I have a hell of a ways to go.

Assignment 4 Ji-Hae Kim

The study of liberal arts enhances my life by giving me certain skills that I wouldn't get from math or science. Critical, analytical, and creative thinking and reading skills are important to have for college and the life beyond. I also learn more about different cultures when I study literature of different kinds. Art enhances my life by giving me the opportunity to think about the deeper aspects of life. My studies of the humanities help me appreciate more about the world I'm in and it connects me to times when I didn't exist yet. I learn more about philosophical things through music, art, and literature than I do through STEM subjects. My education wouldn't be as full without humanities. My character has been changed through my appreciation of literature and music. When I learn a piece of music or read a piece of literature, it makes more of an impression on me than when I learn a new math formula.

Assignment 4 Sam Flomenhoft

Liberal Arts education, specifically literature helps enhance my life by helping me exercise my mind. It allows me to read things critically and attempt to determine the deeper meaning behind the surface story. Reading is scientifically proven to help prevent Alzheimer's and keep people sharp.
The study of the humanities in general helps make me more well-rounded. It gives me the knowledge base and opportunity to study in almost any field. The widened window allows me to have more job opportunities in the future, as well as make me aware of myself in the world and the universe. When I learn chemistry, I learn how matter, the stuff I'm made of, works. When I learn history, it helps better my understanding of the place I hold throughout time, and how humans arrived at the point we are today.
Finally, I think David Foster Wallace described how the liberal arts add to character the best in his 2005 Kenyon Commencement Speech, "This is Water". The liberal arts helps give you the ability to choose how to think, and to be more aware of how the world is working. So for example, when you're in rush hour traffic, and you just want to go home, you don't just assume everyone else is an obstacle, preventing you from getting home, but rather they too are frustrated with the traffic. Being more aware gives you more empathy and feel less self-centered.

Beck Michul Assignment 4

     The study if the liberal arts will absolutely help me expand my knowledge of the english language and the arts. I'll be able to apply many more allusions and much more information to my writings and everyday life. I plan to go into some science-oriented field of work when I get older, so getting the English and artistic education would help to round out my education. A liberal arts would be great for everyone because it allows that person to be better versed in literature and in other studies such as philosophy, mythology, and more. It would affect my character by making me more mature and intelligent.

Raiffa Syamil Assignment 4

Having STEM education and encouraging interest in these fields is very important but as many people argue not everyone is going to need calculus or chemistry for their futures. And as much as I hate when people say that (because they use it as a mean to not try) it's kind of true. Having some knowledge of that stuff is useful but a deep understanding is not necessary unless you go into a STEM field. But liberal arts on the other hand, does more than let you participate in pretentious, artsy discussion of novels and plays. It teaches about critical thinking and art appreciation. It gives you an insight into the past and the culture of those before us. While I will probably never need to know how to deconstruct a poem and explain why the poetic devices prove a theme, the analytical skills I have develop through this process is something I will be able to use throughout my whole life.

Also, like if the only art you are exposed to is fanart for some cartoon or whatever is on Netflix then do you truly have an appreciation for art and life?

Andrew Hardy Assignment 4

The typical answer about why liberal arts education matters is because it teaches you "how to think, not just what to think." That's a bold claim for any institution or learning style. Exposure to the various aspects of life may alter your perception of how things exist and interact, but my experience has been of more rudimentary growth. Through the thousands of pages of prose and poetry I've read, I've gained only an inkling of self-awareness. I've gained an abundance of information through my studies, but I can't claim that the summation of this has granted me any insight. Before liberal arts education can develop a refined sense of how I interact with the world, I must gain a proper sense of identity. As my sense of empathy and self-awareness develops through my reading, I hope that I can accept a level of uncertainty with my identity. Only when liberal arts can establish this secure a base, can it enlighten me on how I might expand.

Assignment Four Noah Welch

There are many benefits to a liberal arts education. I think that it is important to learn about everything the world has to offer and the liberal arts provide a solid foundation in many categories. Reading is extremely important to learn about the past and develop and challenge new ideas. It gives us skills that help people think in the world, such as critical thinking and superb communication skills. These skills are useful in all fields and are applicable everywhere.  In my personal life, reading novels helps me relax and poetry makes me consider other options. The liberal arts provide a solid foundation in general studies that give people a firm grasp of useful subjects that make students well rounded. 

Assignment 4-Samantha McGehee

Studying liberal arts and literature impacts my life because it creates a more well rounded person. Studying classics creates a more historical and worldly view. It helps to understand a different time and culture that we otherwise wouldn't be able to experience so intently.  Studying other works allows readers to explore characters and personas that maybe they have not experienced before allowing them to empathize with that character. And when someone is able to empathize with a person in a work that's unlike them they are more capable of empathizing with someone unlike them in their daily lives. I also think that studying works of literature are just connection points between other elements in life, whether its is a connection to a person, time period or idea.

T. Stewart Assignment 4

One of the main benefits of a liberal arts education is the broad variety of material studied, this applies to literature especially. Rather than just focusing on a specific subject, mindset, or viewpoint, we are exposed to a wide range of ideas, and in turn given the opportunity ourselves to decide what to think. Liberal arts education emphasizes critical thinking and finding multiple ways to approach and deal with an issue. I believe this will aid us all later on, because once high school and whatever formal education we pursue afterwards is over, the main things that will encourage us to be "lifelong learners" are the techniques we've learned from having a liberal arts education. In a more general sense, though, this type of education can give people more exposure to different career paths. Rather than strictly pursuing a specific aspiration, we find ourselves exploring and experimenting along the way. I want to be a dentist, and that's pretty specific I guess, but I also want to be an artist, and I might even want to write (just for me, though) - and I owe that diversity in part to my education. To have this background, especially in literature, makes us great thinkers and empathizers.

James Apo Assignment 4

The ability to think creatively and grasp concepts and literary works on a deeper level is something that English classes throughout Middle school and High School have taught me to do. The Liberal Arts Academy has molded me into a more well balanced student. To be honest, I am more of a math and science, concrete answer kind of person, and so I initially planned on going to Dunbar for their MSTC program. However, I am glad that I chose the program at Henry Clay, because it has allowed me to improve upon areas that I was weak on, most prominently English/Literature. Rather it be SOAPSToning a poem or writing an analytical essay on a Charles Dicken's novel, the balance of perspectives and finding out why someone does something can truly further your understanding of the Language. In addition to that, the ability to accept that there are often multiple right answers is something that no other type of class really offers you. Sometimes that will lead to debate, which can allow for working minds to agree to disagree, yet still understand how something is applicable to a situation. That within itself is an important life tool, and if you enhance your knowledge of the beauty of language and literature, then you will genuinely become a better writer and a better well-rounded person.

Keanu Gomez Assignment 4

From the start, I have never really been fond of literature. I thought of it as a set of unnecessarily complex texts. I always dreaded English in general, but literature was just my most hated part of it. But as a science and math type of person, the study of liberal arts and literature has opened me up to new perspectives, which I would not have otherwise been exposed to on my own. The study of literature is filled with many different interpretations and I find it interesting how the person sitting right next to you is taking the meaning of the text in a completely opposite direction. Of course, deciphering the text’s theme might be the first thing you have to worry about. Analyzing literature is not fun, but I think in the end it is very rewarding. The critical thinking skills practiced, along with the text-to-world, art-to-world, etc. connections being made are essential for students intending to pursue a higher level of education.  My involvement with the liberal arts extend my understanding of the world and introduce me to the mystery of human nature itself. Being exposed to different perspectives has made me into a more proactive, accepting, and understanding person.

Harrison Inocencio Assignment 4

The main effect that the liberal arts academy's various literature related work and readings have had on me is exposing me to both cultural, and stylistic elements that I would've otherwise never learned, or taken an interest in. Before I came to the academy, basically the only things I read were sci-fi and fantasy related books, and that sort of descriptive and imaginative style is the only style I had really familiarized myself with, I be able to read other works and poetry like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Metamorphosis" exposed me to new styles that I could use to refine or add to my own. My studies in humanities I first believed to be irrelevant to my interests, but after spending time here and learning here I've realized that things like good writing and speech are essential in every field, and I still believe I can take these skills I've learned and put them to good use, even if I'm not doing an art or literary related major.

Keionna Bailey Assignment 4

The study of literature is important because it allows us to think. Compared to what we normally read in the news or tabloids, literature allows us to come up with our own ideas about the characters and meaning rather than it be given to us. It also demonstrates a variety of emotions, enabling us as the readers to empathize with the characters and also the people we interact with in real life. Humanities is the study of humans, so in terms of our life it can help with our communication skills and make us more compassionate human beings. Also studying humanities would be great to accompany anything that we choose to study later on in life because no matter what career field we choose to pursue, it will always involve the communication with people and it will be helpful to know about other people.

Maya Creamer Assignment 3

Studying the liberal arts has allowed me to become knowledgeable and confident in many different subjects, and is preparing me to be successful in whatever I do after high school and college. Studying and analyzing different types of literature has made me more aware of the variety of ways in which an author can present their theme/purpose, and has enhanced my critical thinking skills; I am now better able to pick out the meanings behind different literary devices within the context of certain texts. This extends to my life in general because it allows me to understand important parts of our society's history, and understand the world more deeply, making connections to things I've read. My studies of the humanities has rounded out my education because it has bridged the gaps between the different subjects I learn in school; the arts, literature, etc., have helped me see how everything I learn at school connects, as well as how it connects to our history as the human race. I also feel like studying the humanities has made me a more well-rounded person, because I am able to better appreciate the beauty of the world around me and the people I interact with.

assignment 4- Tapan Darji

The study of liberal arts will enhance my life because it will allow me to understand good literature. I will be exposed to good literature and be able to enjoy good literature. Humanities rounds out my education because knowing and understanding art and music helps with concentration as well as math. Music can calm people down. Humanities helps my character by giving me a soft side and  a way to calm down when I am mad.

Assignment 4

How does/will the study of the liberal arts, specifically literature (novels, drama, poetry) enhance your life?  Beyond becoming an expert juggler and test taker, how might your studies of the humanities round out your education? your character?   

Remember to put the assignment number and your name in the title of your post.

Isabel Jenkins Assignment 3

1. Lawrence creates a tone of wishful reminiscence in Piano. The speaker utilizes warm and homely diction choices contrasted with those of passion and emotion. While recalling the piano and the memories tied to it, he describes his mother singing "softly" as she "smiles," hymns in the "cosy parlor" with the piano "tinkling" in the background. These pleasant and innocent words are juxtaposed against the current sentiments of the narrator. His heart "weeps" at the thought of his time spent with his mother at that piano; he feels a "flood" of remembrance. These diction choices demonstrate his yearning for the naivety of his past.

2. I am drawn most to the quote by Conrad. Art is narrative, depicting stories that words sometimes cannot express. With this also comes a wide array of emotions. Personally, I often find it difficult to comprehend abstract concepts when people merely tell me about them. But art speaks to me emotionally, and furthers my understanding of myself and the world. It tells of other wondrous people, and places, and cultures. It also tells of uncertainty in our lives. It allows me to live vicariously through others. But, most importantly, it gifts empathy.

Jessica Nelson Assignment 3

 In the poem "Singapore" a tone of fascination is created through imagery. The images reveal to the reader that the the speaker has paid incredible attention to detail suggesting he is intrigued by it. All of the pictures created in the reader's mind are happy and cheerful which lends itself to the tone of fascination because none of the words have a negative connotation that would suggest something more like disgust and the images don't show as much emotion as a tone of something like sorrowful instead they show a lot of interest and imagination. The images help to put the reader in that situation in hopes of them feeling what the speaker is feeling. It also creates metaphors too things more tangible than pure emotions, which makes the reader more understanding ans fascinated by the situation as well. "Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." --Amy Lowell

Art is an ideal way to express oneself. It comes in a lot of forms that are very adaptable based on the person using them. Some people like words and those people will write or sing and some people can't find the words and feel the need to make something tangible like a canvas. Regardless of the format the original desire to make something has to stem from an emotion, even if it's a weak one. Without that emotional motivation I doubt there would be any art because it wouldn't mean anything. For art to be worth making it has to resonate with someone and make them feel something that the creator has felt or experienced, or at the very least create to illusion that it is doing that to the artist so they can feel that they have released their emotions. Those emotions that motivate the art are all created as reactions to something happening in the artist life which ultimately makes art reactionary to something that is happening in the world and it becomes an excellent way to sympathize with one another on those shared situations or universal events. These essentially match those of Amy Lowell because we are both saying that art is meant as an outlet of expression for all that happens to us.

Jack Phillips Assignment 3

In the "Charge of the Light Brigade," Alfred Lord Tennyson sets the tone of the passage with a plethora of poetic devices, the most important of them being his allusion to the Valley of Death. This allusion is taken from the bible in Psalm 23, which is about strength in the face of certain death. Much like David in the Psalm, Tennyson sets the tone of gallantry with soldiers standing tall and fearlessly riding to their noble demise. Without this allusion, the poem becomes much darker and becomes a poem about death, not one of courage.

Jackson Pollock's quote on the variety of means that art can be expressed on is very similar to my view on art. Personally I hate it when "art snobs" look down on the works of modern artists like Banksy simply because of the medium that the artist chooses to use. Art is not static, but it is something that evolves with time, and whose meaning is never set in stone, so why do some people think that the mediums through which we can produce art should be? Just like how Alexander Pope says that the style of writing should mimic the meaning of the poem, the medium on which art appears can mimic its themes, or change them entirely. And so I have to strongly agree with Pollock that It doesn't make much difference how the pain is put on as long as something has been said. Technique is just a "means of arriving at a statement." 

Kevin LaZur Assignment 3

1. The figurative language used in The Harlem Dancer gives it a mystical tone. The dancer in the poem is portrayed by the author as other objects that possess grace. First he says "her voice was like the sound of blended flutes". He's saying she has a good voice, that sounds like more than one instrument. Because it's harmonious. With itself. Next up he compares her form to a "proudly-swaying palm". She's probably gyrating her hips or doing some other inappropriate dance number. He compares this to a palm blowing in the wind, and extends the metaphor by saying she has "grown lovelier for passing through a storm", which is clearly saying she has had a rough life, but pulls through to give these guys something to gawk at.

2. "Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." - Amy Lowell

Everyone has their own subjective view on life, their own complaints and praises for what they see in the world. We have such differing opinions that art can be an opportunity to create a magnificent bridge for all people of the world to reach each other, under the pretense that we care about others' perspective.

Harrison Inocencio Assignment 3

            Samuel Taylor creates a powerful and expressive tone in her work, Kubla Khan. She accomplishes this mostly through her use of powerful descriptive phrasing, with many explanation marks and exaggerated, almost hyperbolistic diction, such as "demon lover", "savage", and "mighty" to express the grandeur and greatness of the poem's subject Kubla Khan.

            I'd have to agree the most with the first statement by Amy Lowell, mostly because I believe that her classification of art as a medium to express oneself and react to emotionally high, or inspiring events though out life is true for most works. Look at works like "The Star Spangled Banner" written by Francis Scott Key, its one of the most inspiring and well known poems of all time, so inspiring that is our national anthem, and it all spawned from and event that Francis experienced in his life during the battle between the British and Americans at Fort McHenry. Seeing the American flag waving through the artillery fire, inspired him, and let him write out what he was feeling, with this his new-found sense of place and patriotism.

Charlie Payne Assignment 3

Love and alcohol are two ideas often associated with great poetry. A countless amount of poets have confessed their adoration for the two, whether that be in writing or in practice, but perhaps the purest manifestation of this relationship is William Butler Yeats' short poem "A Drinking Song." As striking as it is brief, "A Drinking Song" brings Yeats' existential inhibitions to the table. His tone in the poem is melancholic, but accepting. His syntax makes this immediately apparent. The use of a semicolon between the second and third lines causes the reader to pause more than they normally would when continuing to the next line, simultaneously linking the actions and ideas expressed and clearly defining them. Yeats uses a similar tactic in the last line, using a comma to break between the two mentioned actions and create a rift between love and life.

Art is an enigma, something even the people who create it haven't been able to pin down and define. However, Amy Lowell wrote that "Art is the desire of a man to express himself," and I think this comes as close to a definition as possible. Art can be created by anyone to express anything, whether they be emotions, however complex or elementary, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the world state, or anything else falling on the spectrum of human feeling. Artists use their art to express and explain themselves to the mysterious suffering that surrounds them.

Joshua Strange Assignment 3

In "Singapore" by Mary Oliver, Oliver used personification and simile to describe her emotions and display her tone of disgust and appreciativeness towards the worker.

In the first three stanzas of the poem Oliver's diction choices are extremely negative.  "Darkness" (l. 2), "ripped"(l.2), "Disgust"(l.6), "argued"(l.6), "gaudy"(l.9), and "falling"(l.12) show Oliver's negative tone to the work the woman has to do.  By personifying her disgust by saying it "argued" (l.6) in her stomach it is easy to tell the author is disgusted by the work of the woman.

Her tone changes in the 4th stanza, and mixes her positive and negative diction more through out the stanza. The "embarrassment struggled" is extremely negative, but to close the stanza the smiles exchanged begin to show the appreciation the author has for the worker.

Oliver uses a simile in l. 26 to show that she likes the woman, and is dissapointed that the woman has to work such a poor job.  In the last stanza the author begins to describe her empathy for the woman using verbs like "rise up" and "fly down".  Those diction choices show how the author is sad to see such a joyful woman doing work for such little reward.


"In everything that can be called art there is a quality of redemption." -Raymond Chandler

Personally I think that art is anything created by anyone.  If you create anything, it is reflective of what you have learned or have felt over your life time. So by expressing yourself through the creation of art, you are redeeming what you already have learned or felt in your past- or what you hope to redeem in your future. (While typing this I also thought of the most recent Under Armour commercial that says "You are the sum of all of your training" which is another way that can be used to describe any kind of artist or creation.)

Madye Moore Assignment 3

1. Mary Oliver creates both an empathetic and hopeful tone throughout her poem "Singapore" through her use of imagery. The tone she creates in the first 6 stanzas of the poem is empathetic. She talks about how "a darkness was ripped from [her] eyes" upon seeing the janitor in charge of cleaning the bathrooms, and how "her beauty and embarrassment struggled together, and neither could win." She continues to talk about how "we must watch her as she stares down at her labor, which is dull enough." These uses of imagery help create the empathetic tone because they show how the author is feeling bad for the girl, and her use of imagery causes the readers, like myself, to feel bad for her as well. The tone she creates in the second half of the poem is hopeful. This tone is also created through Oliver's use of imagery. She starts out by saying "I don't doubt for a moment that she loves her life,"  and she continues by talking about how "[she] wants her to rise from the crust and the slop" and find "the light that can shine out of life." This shows her hopeful tone for the girl because she knows that there are ways to come out of the situation she is in, and she is hopeful that the girl will find one of those ways so that she can make a better life for herself, even though she makes it seem like she's in a perfectly happy state.

2. I do not view myself as an artist. I can't draw or paint for the life of me, and I'm the least creative person I know. However, Amy Lowell's quote expresses a belief about art that is similar to mine. Lowell's quote states that "Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." This is similar to my belief about art because I think that art is simply used to express things that are hard to express with words. Whether it's dance, music, poetry, or literature, I believe that all art forms are used to fulfill the need for expression that comes from one's experiences in life, from day to day experiences to just one moment or thing you saw that stuck in your head, making you feel the need to express it in a more artistic way than just explaining it. 

T. Stewart Assignment 3

1.)
A tone of apprehension is created by John Keats in "On the Sonnet" through allusions, among other devices. Keats alludes to Andromeda in line two, a mythological princess left chained or "fettered" to a rock, and compares her to the sonnet. By making this allusion he better portrays the sonnet as something trapped by a human complication, as if Shakespearean standards have turned poetry into a caged animal. Keats also alludes to King Midas in line 11, basically saying that when people pay such close attention to detail on poetry, it's like Midas and his "coinage." The allusion has a pretty negative connotation, that's why he uses it for this part. Keats questions the effectiveness of the strict constraints we have traditionally placed on sonnets in this poem, and allusions help create the tone of apprehension.

2.)
"The artist speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives, to our sense of pity and beauty, and pain."
     I love this quote especially because it's so all encompassing - and that's probably what I recognize and covet most from art - the breadth of emotions it can be used to represent. Art elicits so many different responses, even the same piece can speak on several different levels to many people. As well as what it bring out in us, there's always that question of the artist's feelings. And any kind of artistic expression can have so many emotions behind it - that's what this quote exemplifies best.

Sam Flomenhoft Assignment 3

In her poem, "Singapore," Mary Oliver originally gives her speaker a tone of disgust for the woman washing the ash tray in the toilet, but it eventually turns into a tone of appreciation.

Oliver establishes the negative tone in the beginning with her strong, personal diction. In line 2 ("a darkness was ripped from my eyes,") she uses darkness which has a negative connotation and the word ripped, which is accompanied by violent imagery. She also writes, "Disgust argued in my stomach" (l. 6). The word disgust obviously goes a long way to describe the early tone of the speaker as disgust, because, well, they're the same word. Argued is associated with fighting, and adds to the negative tone.

Oliver finally switches her speaker's tone to one of appreciation using simile. She compares the way she works to a river, and her hair to a bird, while earlier in the poem she established these things (bird and river) were necessary to poems and for pleasant reading of poems. By comparing the lady to things the speaker likes, she is showing her respect and appreciation for her and the job she does.


"Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in."  --Amy Lowell

People often use art to express themselves. Music can be happy or tragic, depending on the mood the composer wants to purvey. Picasso in painting, depicted his emotions through the colors he worked with. He was sad during his blue period, and happy throughout the rose period. Many of Banksy's graffitis are expressing his political opinions. I believe art is the way people say things they can't say in words, and this is a way to keep us sane. It is how we show other people our view of the world, without imposing too much on their own view. 

Keanu Gomez Assignment 3

In Claude McKay’s “The Harlem Dancer”, he describes a story centered on a mesmerizing female dancer with a distant tone. Most of the poem seems to describe all the attention being attracted by this female dancer, however some parts – especially the ending – infer a hidden message. The ethereal nature of the poem is captured by all the imagery describing the gracefulness and perfection of the dancer, along with the metaphor: “Her voice was like the sound of blended flutes.” This metaphor perfectly supports the end observation which claims that the dancer, while seemingly graceful and luxurious, seems distant from reality. By comparing her voice to “blended flutes”, the poet infers the multi-faceted identity of this dancer. The narrator or observer only takes note of the superficial aspects of the scene and ignores the underlying factors. As the description continues the distant tone is more evident as the observer notices the dancer’s further detachment as suggested by her “falsely-smiling face.” This distant tone is reflective of the racism towards black women who were commonly found in nightclubs like the setting of the poem.

My belief about art is most similar to Amy Lowell’s. I think that art is a way of expressing inner thoughts and emotions. It is the medium through which we can convey our feelings to others. As a pianist, I find myself having a natural affinity for slow, relaxing melodies and this aspect of my personality is shown to my audience whenever they listen to me play. I also agree with the second part of her quote because no matter what piece I am playing, my current reactions to the world and my immediate emotions are conveyed through the style of my playing. So if I am feeling anger or frustration, I play more heavily and even find myself ignoring the proper dynamics of the piece.

Beck Michul Assignment 3

1. In Claude McKay's The Harlem Dancer, the tone is a calm, happy, and relaxed one. This is shown through the many forms of rhyme including end rhyme, internal rhyme and slant rhyme (assonance and consonance). The sonnet uses a ABABCDCDEFEFGG end rhyme scheme which allows it to be easy to read, keeping the reader calm and happy. There are also many internal rhymes such as "To me she seemed...," because of the repeated 'ee' sound. Consonance is utilized in the line "She sang and danced on gracefully and calm...," as the 's' sound is repeated. All of these rhyme schemes make the poem seem more melodic and happier creating a nice and easy feeling tone.

2. "Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." --Amy Lowell

This quote most expresses the belief similar to mine because I feel that art is an expression of a person's emotions; conscious or subconscious. It's what the artist feels and wants to show and relate to all of the art's viewers.

Maya Creamer Assignment 3

1. In her poem "Singapore", Mary Oliver uses imagery to convey a tone of realization. She says that "a darkness was ripped from [her] eyes" while she was in an airport in Singapore; she came to the realization that there is beauty in everything and everyone. When she saw a woman cleaning the bathroom, "her beauty and her embarrassment struggled" on her face, and her dark hair was "like the wing of a bird". She is able to see the beauty in both the woman and the work she is doing; she notes "the way [the woman] folded and unfolded the blue cloth" she was using to clean the toilet and ashtrays. She compares this often unnoticed beauty to the beauty hidden in nature. The woman's scrubbing motions mimic the consistent flow of a river, as "[s]he does not work slowly, nor quickly", but rhythmically. The speaker had not noticed the beauty in such simple things as cleaning bathrooms prior to watching this woman do her job; she came to the realization that there is beauty in every situation, if you only think to look for it.

2. "Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in."  --Amy Lowell
This quote really sums up, in a simple way, the way I feel about art. I think every piece of art, whether it is a dance, a painting, etc., expresses something about the way the artist was feeling when they created it. Sometimes, this reflection of the artist's emotions is very intentional and planned out by the artist, while sometimes it appears unintentionally; either way, every piece of art somehow expresses the feelings of its creator. Often, art acts as a commentary on what is happening in our society, and the way the artist is reacting to it. Many times, seeing society's problems reflected in art opens our eyes to issues that we have been living with for a long time but never really noticed. In this way, art is one of the best ways for a person to express their feelings and reactions, and actually be heard.

Noah Welch Assignment 3

In “The Blues” Billy Collins creates a tone of hope through his use of imagery. Collins paints a harsh world where troubles run rampant. In his very first line he makes the dark claim that “no one takes an immediate interest in the pain of others.”  He demonstrates that people are unwilling to care about spoken problems, but through music people will actually pay attention and “shift to the sympathetic edge of their chairs.” He uses his art to connect with people to share his emotional hardships in a socially acceptable way. He describes the blues as haunting and connecting everyone with the hardships of life. This poem has a hopeful tone, because troubles that could not normally be shared with anyone else are shared through the blues.

"The artist speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives, to our sense of pity and beauty, and pain." --Joseph Conrad

This quote captures the nature of art in my mind. I think that art is all about expression. When people create art they allow their audiences to understand their minds. This is a powerful bond that has allowed people to connect through the centuries.  We love to capture intense moments that show all the different aspects of life, the happiness and the sorrow.  I play the cello and I think it is a great way to demonstrate how I feel. It is a great way to express myself and I find it very relaxing.  I think all artists create this art to help people understand others.

Ji-Hae Kim Assignment 3

1.) D.H. Lawrence's poem, "Piano," has a nostalgic tone. The narrator yearns for something from the past. He uses imagery to describe a moment when a women singing softly reminded him of a memory where he was "[a] child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the / tingling strings / And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings" (ll. 3-6). There is something sweet about the image of a child looking up at his smiling mother as she plays music. The memory of that made the narrator feel as if he were a child again and he wept "like a child / for the past" (l. 11-12). His heart longed for "old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside / And hymns in the cosy parlour, the thinking piano our guide" (ll. 7-8). That image reminds one of something comfortable and warm. These sweet and warm images emphasize the sense of loss and nostalgia because it was no longer there.

2.) "The artist speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives, to our sense of pity and beauty, and pain." --Joseph Conrad
I agree with the quote from Conrad. There is something about art that amplifies emotions like delight, wonder, mystery, pity, beauty, and pain. An artist takes those emotions and find a source that not only expresses them, but amplifies these feelings and makes others feel them too. That is what an artist does-- an artist takes emotions and puts it into a recognizable form that speaks to others.

James Apo Assignment 3

1.) In the poem The Harlem Dancer, Claude McKay creates a lackadaisical yet chaotic tone, where he feels invigorated in the mystical club, and his use of the poetic device imagery allows him (and us) to get the vibe that the scene is coming to life. He mentions “light gauze hanging loose about her form,” which signifies that he notices the singer and has appreciation for her beauty and "proudly-swaying palm," and she too for his sight - maybe because he is drunk, and does not have good vision -  which is a peaceful connection for two important elements of the situation; the performer and the audience. When he mentions “passing through a storm, ” it enhances the chaotic yet empowered feel of the club. His mention of “swarthy neck black, shiny curls” further emphasizes the beauty of the singer, a motif that connects appearance and substance when it comes to setting and who is involved in it.  He also describes the sound of "blended flutes" being "Blown by black players upon a picnic day” and the images of a segregated minority (during that time) in a bright picnic setting outside provides a contrast of dark and light, expanding upon the chaotic nature of a club and its inhabitants.

2.) Although I wouldn't consider myself much of an artist, I definitely connect the best with the first quote by Amy Lowell. I might not be an artist, but that does not mean I can not create art. Similarly to how most people in the world are not painters by profession, those same 'amateurs' will most likely have to paint at one point or another in their life, meaning they technically can paint. Art is up to the individual, and if that person wants to just naturally reflect who they are in what they do and say, then the more power to them. When you create art you find yourself, and learn how what you made affected your surroundings and how that subsequently impacted you and your life. It is quite a deep topic, but the further you dig, the more effectively you can pour your emotions out, and feel satisfied all in all. Art can and will ever cement how you felt, feel, and/or will feel about something/someone, and that eternity of documentation offers a sanctuary for anyone struggling to find acceptance or purpose in the world.

Keionna Bailey Assignment 3

1.) D.H. Lawrence creates a sentimental tone with his use of imagery. Lawrence's description of the past with "hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide", creates a nostalgic moment from his childhood describing the sounds that he would listen to when he was younger. His word choice of "tinkling" demonstrates how peaceful the music was and he also states "the tingling strings". This allows his audience to become affectionate as well with this one childhood moment when you were in a comfortable place. Lawrence is demonstrating the tenderness of  adolescence with his imagery.
2.) "Art is the desire of man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." -Amy Lowell
This is very similar to my personal beliefs about art because I too believe that art is a way for people to show the world what they feel about a particular event or problem and it is a way to communicate without words. Others may scream or argue but art is a different outlet.

Andrew Hardy Assignment 3

Frank O'Hara writes about the city and all that it can provide for humans. Rather than seeing it as an isolating world, he finds it to be enriching, a sign that “people do not totally regret life.” O'Hara's poem about the death of famous jazz singer Billie Holiday The Day The Lady Died uses urban imagery to create a frantic tone about life. His images veer off into nothingness (literal blank space) as if he's too busy to finish the thoughts and amidst the hustle and bustle of New York his teller (of which he only vaguely knows) is too preoccupied to look up his balance. He can drink and smoke and read parisian authors, but none of the frantic, desperate acts can bring back to him the life of a great jazz musician, or what she represents, the vitality of the city.

Human experience is as enigmatic as anything that we come across in our lives. It is understandable that art, which emulates and expresses the human condition is just as enigmatic. Amy Lowell, as a poet, understands this relationship between art and the artist. “Art is the desire of a man to express himself” Lowell writes, and sums up much of the fundamentals of literary criticism in ten words- how fitting for a poet. Life isolates you from everything, and much of life is spent trying to regain some of perceived connection. You can see this from Oedipus to the anime Neon Genesis Evangalion. It's something we discussed in our Socratic Seminar on Videotape, but it transcends any of these specific works. People create art to express themselves to an unfamiliar world.

Tapan Darji Assignment 3

1. The tone of "Piano" is of reminiscence and guilt. The tone is created through diction. "Vista of years" shows that the narrator is remembering the past. "Betray" shows guilt because the narrator wants that time back from his childhood to redo because he was "insidious" at the time and now he misses it. This is why the narrator "weeps." His life as an adult is "cast" and he wishes it was like his childhood.

2. I would most likely agree with the first quote by Lowell. Lowell's quote is most similar to my belief because I think that art is created when someone wants to express something. To create art, you have to want to express a feeling or idea. Without meaning, an artist's work is not art. That relates to Lowell because she said that man creates art to "express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in." So art has to have meaning for one to be able to express oneself.

Assignment 3

1.) Study a poem we haven't read in Chapter 9 "Art and the Artist" (except for "Prufrock"). Thoroughly explain how tone is created through one specific poetic device.

2.) Choose one of the following statements, explain why it expresses a belief about art that is similar to yours:

"Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in."  --Amy Lowell

"In everything that can be called art there is a quality of redemption." --Raymond Chandler

"The artist speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder, to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives, to our sense of pity and beauty, and pain." --Joseph Conrad

"It doesn't make much difference how the pain is put on as long as something has been said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement." --Jackson Pollock

"Art for art's sake? I should think so, and more so than ever at the present time.  It is the one orderly product which our middling race has produced.  It is the cry of a thousand sentinels, the echo from a thousand labyrinths, it is the lighthouse which cannot be hidden . . . it is the best evidence we can have our our dignity." --E. M. Forster
(Adapted from exercise 4 on page 1163 of our text.)


Please remember to title your post with your first and last name, as well as with the assignment number.
Ex: Nathan Spalding Assignment 3

Madye Moore Assignment 2

High School in Few Words

School.

Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. 

Repeat.

Long, hard, demanding,

Never catch a break.

Homework, essays, college applications,

Calculus, Literature, Biology.

Crowded hallways, blank stares, people pass by.

New faces, new teachers, new ways to memorize.
People we don't know,
some we don't want to.
But we all have one thing in common-
we're all forced to go to this place called
School.

The tone I meant to create in my poem was a very exhausting, kind of miserable tone, because that's how I view school for the most part. I used diction choices like "long, hard, demanding" to help create this tone because those words imply a more negative connotation towards the subject, which in my case was the high school experience as a whole. I transitioned from short, choppy sentences at the beginning of the poem to long, drawn out sentences to put emphasis on the drawn out and exhausting effect that school has on me as well as many of my classmates. I also used the diction choice "forced" to show that school is not a voluntary thing, and if it were most of us wouldn't be here. That is also used to emphasize the miserable tone because it makes school out to be kind of like a jail, since we are forced to come and follow a routine from the time school starts to the time it ends. 

Thomas Stokes Assignment 2

1)
I Still Don't Know how to Write a Poem

Freshman year now, I don't know
New halls, teachers, friends
Who knows, how it'll go
Are the hallways always like this?

Mr. Lentz, does his job,
But we don't write poems
So I simply learn about the rest
And I think I know 'em

Freshman year, closing in
Now that final rolls along
I take that test, feeling zen
Get my A, and continue on.

A bit older, come sophomore year
Same halls, teachers, friends,
I'm here now, so best not worry
It feels like an eternity, before the end

Mr. Behler, our English teacher,
Doesn't teach us, poems
Just another class, with more procedure
The hallways are still like that.

Finally, the year's almost over
Finals go by, no thought required
Got decent grades, not to bad
I keep on going, climbing the spire.

Junior year, here at last
With familiar halls, teachers, and friends
Waiting for it to come to pass,
It's almost there, past half way

Mr. Logsdon, our new teacher
He's pretty rad, but his class is cold
But we don't learn how to write poems
The test is what we learn, and that's how we rolled

End of the year, and I'm ready
The AP Test, is here now
I get a decent score, moving steady
Junior year went by pretty fast.

At the end, it's senior year
Same halls, teachers, friends
Counting the days, for it to be over
It's been forever, I can't comprehend

Mr. Spalding, a familiar face
asked us to write these poems
so I'm trying my best to stay on pace
and that's my high school experience so far.

2)
So I tried to achieve a confused tone. The imagery that I used was mainly of the teachers, and this helps to convey confusion because it doesn't show any physicality to my problem, and only provides a partially related thought. The use of syntax also helps convey confusion. I tried to use varying sentence lengths, and frequent comma's in order to throw the reader off, to make them feel as if they couldn't quite grasp how to read it. I tried to make my diction both repetitive and familiar, as this can convey confusion because, to the reader, it might seem as if they are rereading a passage, or even having the same thoughts over and over, as I do when I try to write a poem.

Samantha McGehee Assignment 2

Where did you go?

Go go go
No no no
Yes maybe no

Laugh
Love
Regrets

No, no regrets,
Mistakes, yes

Lessons
In textbooks
Sure

Lessons
In life
Without a doubt

Laugh
Love
Memories

Friends
Here and there

Friends
In all faces

Heartache
Tears
Mourning
And
Morning came

Not the same

My tone of this piece was supposed to be realistic but positive and the contradictions of the two. Like when it says "yes maybe no" and  contrasts regrets and mistakes, mourning and morning. It also repeats some phrases like "laugh" and "love" and " friends" but varies what context they exist to emphasize that they change. The last line was intended to be an answer to the title by showing that the reality of high school and all its contradictions and changes that we go through result in the fact we are not the same people we were when we entered high school. We can be contradictions to our intended selves and that in and of its self is a reality that we must try to be positive about. The contradictions also show that we don't necessarily know everything we should about ourselves or how high school impacted us.

Isabel Jenkins Assignment 2

deadpan

at times I notice
the inconsistencies -- the conflicting opinions
expelled by my peers
with their faces void of all expression
but simultaneously narrating
a story woven with complexity.

and at times I feel
no one is seeing with clarity
blinded by paper flurries from colleges
and black percentages on white slips
that are meaningless
much like those found in fortune cookies,
indeterminant of the future.

and at times I wish
we could be engaged
that everything would sharpen into focus
at a knife point aimed with precision,
yet all around me
eyes glaze over
subtly aware of life's incongruence.

and although I notice the inconsistencies
at times I fear
all the color in me is washing out
that I'm becoming another blank face --
one of the millions
that chose to do nothing.

//

The tone I created was one of deep reflection and pessimism on the high school experience. (Promise I'm nowhere near this angsty in real life - when I try and write happy things they end up even more ridiculous). Diction choices such as "conflicting," "blinded," and "meaningless," convey a sense of despair, while images of emptiness and black/white contrast utilized throughout further this distress. The lack of capitalization, most punctuation, and proper syntax breaks shows apathy and carelessness in the writing. The brief allusion to fortune cookies and fate prediction demonstrates the speaker's disillusion with grades, and how we tend to determine our self-worth and probability of future "success" and happiness by a couple scores and percentages.

Raiffa Syamil Assignment 2

What More?

Day after day after day after day

I drag my feet through clown colored hallways.

Drudgingly down the ever cycling stairs

Drowned in crumpled paper

Waterlogged textbooks

Leadless pencils

In the hope that there is something more.

Something more than what these tall walls mold me into.

Something more than waking up and walking through the same routine:

School, stress, sleep, repeat. School, stress, sleep, repeat.

Something more to love, to life, to find when we’ve all left this 12 chapter long story.

Something more to me.

My poem has quite a sad, miserable tone in the beginning. I used phrases that have the same rhythm to monotonous routine that is the source of all the miserable-ness and negative, heavy diction like clown colored, drudgingly, and drag to amplify the miserable tone. I then alluded to things that many students will find in their backpacks so they can relate their own struggles with the ones I outline here. Then I shift the tone with hope—a word with more of a positive connotation. There is still a sense of struggle that you can see through the diction choices, but as I lengthen the phrases I am trying to shift the story from actions to the thoughts of a student. So while one may feel absolutely miserable in this monotonous situation, the one thing getting them through is this hope for the future. 

Ji-Hae Kim Assignment 2

1.
One step in front of the other,
moving,
sounds and colors
blurring
as I stride
through the sea
of faces too numerous to
remember.

My limited
understanding
of this place
makes me want to
take a deep breath
and observe.

But unforgiving time
doesn't halt for a
small moment
like this.
The bell
rings
rings.

One day after the other,
time keeps slipping.
I slide into a groove,
an unremarkable routine,
of the same people
and the
same words
that have been
vainly repeated.

Every now and then,
I'll stop
and wonder
what the
story
is for all these blurred faces,
what opportunities
I have missed
while thinking about

Tick, Tock.
One step in front of the other.
Time is almost up.

2. I had a regretful tone. Regret of how I spent my time in high school. Wondering about, as I phrased it, the "opportunities I have missed" while spending my days the same way "one day after the other." In the last stanza, my sentences are short and choppy. I used that syntax to indicate how fast the last bit of my time here will pass. Imagery of striding through a blur of faces too numerous to remember help convey the feeling that I passed through high school too fast, without paying attention to what was right in front of me. Diction like "blurring," "unremarkable," "vainly," "missed" add to the feeling that I rushed through high school too fast.

Noah Welch Assignment 2

Contradictions 

Sitting atop a windy road.

An old school bursting at the seams

houses crowded halls filled with students scurrying to their next class.

It’s a land of forlorn hopes and dreams.

They bear great burdens of back and heart.

The simple acts blown out of proportion

can change the future of a student.

Memories both happy and sad

permeate the building in an oppressive fog.

All appear trivial in retrospect and close examination.

At the end of this extensive journey

we will look back with joy and sorrow.

We have worked so hard for achievements

that will mean nothing and everything in the future.

In this poem I tried to express a tone of hopeless contradictions.  To do this I used contradictory words together pairing happy and sad, joy and sorrow, and nothing and everything. These serve to show how important school is to students. However since many spend so much time focusing on trivial things, they lose track of what is important. I tried to structure my poem in a free flowing manner that describes how the future is still unsure, but there are patterns if you look hard enough.  The “simple acts” I was alluding to are the dramatic relationships that people form that are flighty and shallow. They do not help promote an atmosphere of intelligence and learning.

Josh Strange Assignment 2

The Routine

Enter through the door at 8:25

Still not completely alive.

Go over homework, and learn new things.

My day already feels like molasses.

I follow the wave to my next class,

surrounded by friends, but still exhausted,

waiting for lunch

as if it's life or death.

It's only second hour and my stomach sounds like its about to explode.

Wishing that I was able to fast forward to the end of the day.

To my extra-curriculars where I can slay.

It's time for lunch and I can actually talk.

What sport will be discussed today?

Or what teacher gave out too much homework tonight?

The bell rings and I'm bumped too many times through the orange hallway.

Fifth hour's a pain.

Only in senior year will I end my day here.

I've waited so long for an opportunity,

but it's become too much of a routine to see one appear.

I never expected this when I was little.

I attempted to create a boring tone.  The poem has some various lengths of verses. I intentionally made the middle verses a little longer to make it seem like the middle of the day would take longer.  The days at Henry Clay usually start and end quickly, but the middle sometimes becomes slower and can mesh together for me.  I also had negative diction choices like "death", "exhausted", "molasses" to describe how the day felt like to me.  The imagery like "about to explode" and "feels like molasses" lets the reader know exactly how hungry and how slow I feel like the day is going. The reader understands I am extremely tired and bored by those images.

Andrew Hardy Assignment 2

Field Reports Upon Entering the Troposphere

Our spaceship landed on a green expanse
strange symbols in some ritual order
our engines echo in the grey silence
could this space be a place of sacrifice?

we extend the probes into the nearby structure
through coloured corridors droves of organisms flock
they're adorned with identical insignias
perhaps we've discovered a hive mind

Off the main corridors, these creatures crowd into small chambers
so many of them slumber, preliminary reports
 conclude some sort of incubation facility
but detailed observations provide contradictory conclusions

the creatures have too unpredictable behaviors
and have some sort of convoluted communication habits
such animated responses. decoding sequences will commence
maybe, this is a sentient species that might accomplish something

        I tried to create a curious tone throughout the piece because that's how I've felt towards high school. I've had difficulty understanding a lot about the structures of high school. I used some pseudotechnical language to describe high school, almost as if from a Star Trek episode about discovering a new planet. I tried to have line breaks emphasize these absurd observations like "preliminary reports" that high school is merely an sleeping chamber. The poem is not meant to be a criticism or a judgement of the high school system. The last line contributes to a hopeful sense that high school and the people within it can accomplish significant things.

Keanu Gomez Assignment 2

Inextinguishable Flame

High school,

The stepping stone for greater things,

Reaches out to me with an open hand.

I accept it half-heartedly,

Yearning for a brighter future.

As a freshman I adjusted

To the crowded halls,

To the hundreds of people.

Shoulder to shoulder,

But just another obstacle to overcome.

Junior year was a hard beast to tame,

Like a hydra.

Choices had to be made,

Disappointments had to be faced.

After each one even more emerged,

Only to be ceased by flames.

Most days are the same.

The lifeless letters and words

Stare at me from the page.

The sounds seem distant.

And the world seems faint.

After high school I will be renewed.

Like an exhausted phoenix

Who will rise from the ashes,

Leaving a trail of inextinguishable flames

As it soars to the sky.

I intended to convey a disappointed and lackadaisical tone for the first part of the poem, to show my loss of interest in high school. I used words like: “half heartedly”, “lifeless”, “distant”, and “faint” which all contain a similar connotation to my intended tone. I used short, simple sentences in the 4th stanza to show emphasize my boredom caused by high school. I alluded to the mythical hydra since the growing of heads were symbolic for the many obstacles I faced during my junior year, both as a person and as a student. I created a shift in tone during the 5th stanza to show my eagerness and hope for college. The simile and imagery concerning the phoenix were used to convey how the struggles I faced during high school will prepare me for success in the future and college.

Maya Creamer Assignment 2

The path to success?

Crowded halls
Bodies jostling along narrow paths
Fighting to reach their final destination
To enter rooms
Where they will learn
Gaining knowledge
About the world
And their place in it

I, caught in the river of bodies
But also floating above it
I know
I am getting the education
I need to succeed
I enjoy my time here
Opportunities are abundant
I see my friends
We complain about the work
Wonder why we chose the Academy
When we could have taken
The easy road
But we know
That we are the lucky ones

I watch
As other students struggle
Simply going through the motions
Hoping, praying to pass
This is no Mean Girls
No slamming heads in lockers
Or faces shoved in toilets
But some people rise above the rest
Many are not given the choice
And are forced to accept their place
in the intellectual hierarchy of high school
Luckily for me,
Fate ruled in my favor

In my poem, I discuss the underlying hierarchy I see in our school when it comes to the quality of education I receive compared to other students. I used diction, imagery, and allusions to create a struggling, yet grateful tone. Words like "fighting", "jostling", "slamming", and "shoved" all have connotations of a struggle, highlighting the way many students struggle within the walls of high school. Words like "floating", "gaining", and "abundant" show my experience; I am enjoying my time in high school, and have learned a lot, which I am thankful for. Images of a "river of bodies", students getting their heads slammed in lockers, and faces shoved in toilets, though hopefully the last two don't apply to Henry Clay, show the hardships that many students endure in high school; I, on the other hand, can "float" above the rest of the students, because I have been given the opportunity to be challenged and reach my full potential. I allude to the Academy and Mean Girls to show two contrasting images of struggle; the first is a place where, although we work hard, we know we will reap the rewards, while the second depicts a school where many students struggle under the wrath or rule of a group of girls who think they are superior to everyone else. Although at Henry Clay the hierarchy of students is unintentional, it is still there, and I, luckily, have been placed near the top, and because of it receive a good education.

James Apo Assignment 2

Scarce

1.)

There isn't enough time in a day

To accomplish everything you want

But pile on classes and homework galore

How could you also maintain a social life?

It's a constant competition to be #1

But what about those who are not?

To those who work and work all day and night

At the end are just a number.

Freshman year is not too bad

Nor is sophomore or senior

But that junior year can be rough,

it will make you or break you, good luck.

With so much pressure,

requirements,

expectations,

failure seems like such a better option.

However success is still lurking

In the shadows of possibility 

With your teachers' help and maybe your friends

Along with your self, you can overcome it.

So study hard,

do your homework,

ace your tests,

and apply to the college of your dreams.

High school is just the beginning,

college will be harder,

but you have at least been prepared

for the grueling process.

2.)

My poem discusses the hardship of keeping up with all the things a high school student must keep up with in order to maintain a successful path paved for them. The tone is very interrogative as well as unsure, but it ultimately ends with a hint of optimism. My diction choice of "lurking" when referring to "success" and "shadows" when referring to "possibility" add on to my unsure tone, claiming that you can succeed but it is all up to you. In the 4th stanza, with the syntactical choice of going back to back lines with just one word, I demonstrate the quick and multiple obstacles that can obstruct your success in high school, in a sense overwhelming the already questioning reader at this point. By providing an allusion for each year of high school, it emphasizes my experience to know how each year went and the audience would have to be in a similar situation to understand and relate to that. The end of that allusion stanza speaks to the reader in a slightly condescending way, and adds to the unsure tone I was trying to create. The last two stanzas sum up all the negativeness into a ball of hopefulness. The imagery helps the reader envision what they will have to do and ensures them that although it will not be easy, that they will be ready.

Sam Flomenhoft Assignment 2

new
scary
alone

but then you meet
a few people
and get to know
the school

you finally transform into
a beautiful upperclassmen butterfly
you do things with your friends
and genuinely enjoy high school

but it's coming to an end
your years of fun,
you have to leave
what's been your home
the past four years
and be a freshman again


The first stanza has only one word lines. This was to portray the lack of knowledge, self-awareness, and outgoingness I had my freshman year. In the second stanza the lines become a little longer, just as in sophomore year I matured and grew out of my shell a little bit. By junior year I had found my niche at Henry Clay so the third stanza has long lines. And by senior year, the lines have shortened a bit because I'm back to a little bit of unsureness, because the future is uncertain.

I used diction in the beginning like people and school, that eventually become friends and home, because it shows the transition from a place I wasn't so comfortable, to a place I now love and enjoy. The imagery of the butterfly helps the audience understand the transformation I went through, just as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

Harrison Inocencio Assignment 2

High School Halls

Sometimes if you stand

in the center of it all

in order to examine

these overcrowded halls,

You'll find something

that you knew was there

but had never observed before

with any care

Boys and girls

all shapes and sizes

all personalities and characters

all with lives to live and places to go

like a light display on Christmas Eve

so many colors 

in such a big display

Jostling, rushing yes

hustling and bustling

to the ding of a bell

scattering to all corners of building

yet funneling into one path

high school may be tough

but we all survive together

we all learn together

we all change together

Yes that's right

As the last pair of sneakers 

find their seat

Knowing is really kinda neat

That we will all soon stand on that stage 

bounds as deep as any marriage

This place will harbor all our dreams and sorrows

Were all the same here,

Between us their is no hate

Oh, there goes the bell

Looks like your late!

      I tried to create a very optimistic and cheerful tone in my poem through the use of relaxed and positive diction, as well as positive similes to try and illustrate a connection between all of us in high school, and that the fact were all here learning together is what makes high school so unique. My usage of diction choices such as "together" and "dreams" to try and show my optimistic attitude, while similes such as the "light display on Christmas Eve", are an attempt to create positive images in the readers mind, so they associate the feelings they have between the two events. 

   

T. Stewart Assignment 2

The Middle

Alarms blaring,
teachers droning,
pages turning,
Logdog barking,
laughter and
music filling the space in between.

My eyes have seen an
array of spectacles, my
heart has felt
the tremors, though few.
I pass the days with sighs.

It is the epitome of impatience,
an adolescent purgatory. And
after this long it all blurs
together, events indistinguishable.

Four years striving for
somewhere I will strive to
be somewhere else.

     The main chunk of imagery lies in the first stanza, where I describe the sounds of high school. Here we also find my allusion to the legendary Logdog - both of these strategies serve to connect with my audience, other academy students who know exactly what I'm talking about. The whole takeaway from the poem is that high school is basically a filler, a middleman, a place of transcendence (minus the divine connotation), a purgatory, where participants wait it out. This parallels to the last line of the first stanza, about music filling the spaces - to me, high school is just consuming time til I reach my next goal. The tone is reflective, anxious, and dissatisfied. The repetition in the last stanza serves to emphasize the anxiousness. Diction like "sighs" and blurs" and the choppiness of line cutoffs "(syntax) illustrate the dissatisfaction, as well.

Keionna Bailey Assignment 2

Hell and Heaven at the Same Time

 

High School is stressful, fun, depressing, busy, rewarding,
Everyday is the same: learn, work, and test
Everyday we work until our hands bleed and our brains are sore
But for what? This isn't my idea of an eventful life.

We do it for a grade
We do it for college
We do it for a future

I can't say that it's been all work
I have learned to drive, transferred schools
I have joined clubs, met new people,
I have even lost people

Application deadlines, parties, tests, sleepovers
AP Exams but I still manage to travel.

High School drains the energy out of me but it also drives me to do more.

I have shown how I have gone through high school with a community of people with the use of "we" but I have also shown how I have personally struggled and personally had fun. I alluded to the loss of a classmate and friend and the loss of my father. This creates the somber part of my tone. I also mention the stressful and exciting parts of high school through parallel structure. The intended tone of this poem was to show frustration and happiness in one place. Its the place that I dread the most everyday but its the place where I am creating a lifetime of friendships and forwarding future.

Tapan Darji Assignment 2

Biology, calculus, history.
High school classes.
Seminar, academy classes.
Waking up at 6.
Meeting fiends in the morning
Doing homework.
Best way to spend time.

High school is like nature.
Everyday is different.
Yet the same,
Each semester are like seasons with slights changes,
But the same feeling overall.

High school is a place of learning.
Junior physics the best of all.
No help, no homework, no teaching.

Working day and night.
Homework for one and for all.

Fun and easy going Latin.
Hard and repetitious calculus.

High school is like a color wheel.
Each day a different color.


My poem talks about my overall experience as being a mixed. My diction in the first stanza shows that high school is a lot of work. Diction choices of fun and easy going to describe Latin shows that Latin is a good class and that I had a good time in it.  It helps to establish the tone of satisfaction and dismay. The allusion to nature and seasons shows that my experience is good and bad. Nature has its ups and downs. Some days are sunny and some are rainy and cold. The color wheel shows that everyday is different and gives a new experience which will always be different each day. The syntax establishes the tone through the structure of stanzas. Each stanza talks about different aspects of high school. Some show the satisfaction while some show the dismay and unhappiness about high school.

Assignment 2

1. Write a free verse poem about your high school experience that demonstrates a specific tone. This tone should be developed through your diction, syntax, imagery, and allusions. Remember to keep your poem school appropriate. Your poem should have a title.

2. Write a well-developed paragraph that analyzes how your diction, syntax, imagery, and allusions create your tone. Be sure to actually specify what tone you intended, as well as how you achieved it.

Remember to format your title as follows: First name Last name Assignment 2

Due by 11:59 pm 9/6