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Poetry / Re: Echoes: Experience ~ Dorothy Livesay
« Last post by Jane Shin on November 28, 2009, 09:44:09 pm »
What is the poem talking about?
The poem is talking about experience.

What does "Experience" mean in stanza one?
In stanza one, "Experience" means that experience other people tell to you is not your own. The speaker’s parents or teachers teach their experience to him but the speaker cannot understand and feel the bitter of life.

What does "Experience" mean in stanza two? Why would the narrator choose to experience the bitter and the sweet?
In stanza two, the speaker learned “Experience” that sometimes there were “bitter” (hardships) and “sweet” (happy events) in the life.

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Poetry / Re: Analysis and Synthesis: I Grew Up & The Urban Indian
« Last post by mariahshin on November 28, 2009, 09:39:44 pm »
Hmmmm...um..... this is hard... 5minutes later.. haha
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Poetry / Re: Echoes: Experience ~ Dorothy Livesay
« Last post by mariahshin on November 28, 2009, 09:31:01 pm »
  The poem "Experience" by Dorothy Livesay talks about how we get experience and life lessons in our lives.
  "Experience" in the first stanza would mean the experience of others that is told to the speaker. When other older people (maybe parents or teachers) tell the speaker their experience, it is "hard to swallow"(line 3), and the speaker cant easily understand it. What the others tell the speaker is too "bitter", so the speaker doesnt really want to listen to or accept the ideas.
  However, "Experience" in stanza two is the experience that the speaker learn through his life and that he truely understands. During his life, he tastes all the "bitter" and "sweet" experience. He sometimes goes through challenges, and he sometimes achieves his goals and becomes successful. Then he finally understands the lessons and his heart is "fed".
  Hence, this poem tells the readers that we can finally understands the things around us only when we experience them on our own.

Parody,,,probably will be posted later,, haha. Thanks =)
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Poetry / Re: Echoes: Reach Out and Touch ~ Maxine Tynes
« Last post by mariahshin on November 28, 2009, 09:21:58 pm »
The poem "Reach out and Touch" by Maxine Tynes talks about the prejudice towards the black people. It has the theme that while we attempt to get over our prejudice we rather develop stereotype(Right?I'm not sure...). In this poem, a young white(?) child sees a black person(i guess she is a woman) on the bus for the first time, and the child becomes very curious. The child "reach[es] out and [touches] the black woman's "curly electric of hair" and her skin, but the mom scolds at her child because she doesnt want to make the black woman angry. However, here is the irony. The mom may think she taught the child that they should not care about the color, but actually, the child is "lost in the silence and the fear that motherlove wraps [her] in"(line12-13). The child now would think that black and white people are different. However, the black woman is very kind, and she wants the child
 to "know it's o.k." to wonder about the difference between her and the child. Hence I think the poet wants to tell the readers that acting naturally is the best way to get rid of the prejudice and the stereotype with races.

The tone in this poem is quite serene but a lttle down. Perhaps the woman has already experienced similar situations before. When the mom scolds at the child, she just wants the child to know its "o.k." but she doesnt really feel very displeased with the mom's reaction. She just feels down a little.

The mood in "Reach out and Touch" is unhappy, quite distressing, and reflective. It makes me think about the stereotype we have and how we learn them. We always learn that we should not have prejudice but we actually have them always, and they do affect our thought and decision in many times. This poem helped me think about these questions; Hence, it has reflective mood.
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Poetry / Re: Echoes: Reach Out and Touch ~ Maxine Tynes
« Last post by Jane Shin on November 28, 2009, 09:18:35 pm »
Write a themes statement for this poem.
This poem talks about racism and criticize it.
In the poem, a woman discriminates a black woman.

What is the tone or the mood of this poem?
The tone of "Reach Out and Touch" is sad.
For example, "I turn and smile for you, but you're already lost in the silence and the fear that motherlove wraps you in." The black woman wants to show her kindness but the woman avoids and guards against her.

The mood is sarcastic.
The mother does not allow her daughter to touch the black woman even if she does not do any bad deed.

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Poetry / Analysis and Synthesis: I Grew Up & The Urban Indian
« Last post by missyu on November 26, 2009, 08:43:27 pm »
Compare and contrast the two writings:
1) The Urban Indian ~ Drew Hayden Taylor (p. 419-420)
2) I Grew Up ~ Lenore Keeshig-Tobias (p. 26-27) [here's the poem online]

Some ideas to compare:
a) the speakers' tone (what words do they choose to describe the reserves? Do they want to go back? What words do they use to describe their feelings?  Are they sentimental, sarcastic, funny (humorous), proud, nostalgic, impartial, etc.?)

b) the speakers' attitude towards the reserve (do they miss the reserves? do they like it? what words are being used to describe the reserve?)


For further investigation on the authors, here's a website on Drew Hayden Taylor: http://www.drewhaydentaylor.com/index.html
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Poetry / Echoes: Experience ~ Dorothy Livesay
« Last post by missyu on November 26, 2009, 08:32:30 pm »
Experience ~ Dorothy Livesay

"For your own good" they said,
And they gave me bread
Bitter and hard to swallow.
My head felt tired after it,
My heart felt hollow.

So I went away on my own road
Tasting all fruits, all breads:
And if some were bitter, others were sweet --
So I learned
How the heart is fed.



What is the poem talking about?

What does "Experience" mean in stanza one?

What does "Experience" mean in stanza two?  Why would the narrator choose to experience the bitter and the sweet?

Try to write a parody (#6 on page 18) if you want...
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Poetry / Echoes: Reach Out and Touch ~ Maxine Tynes
« Last post by missyu on November 26, 2009, 08:23:39 pm »
Reach Out and Touch ~ Maxine Tynes

baby girl, baby boy behind me on the bus
reach out
and touch the curly electric of my hair
your fingers dipped in the
brown skin magic of my neck
to see if it comes off
your mama
slapping hands away
hush-up of your questions
and wondering out loud
why it doesn't come off.
I turn and smile for you
but you're already lost
in the silence and fear that motherlove wraps you in.
I should have sat beside you
snuggled my big warm self up close
held you while your mama juggled parcels.
then you would know it's o.k.

Write a theme statement for this poem.
Start with: I think this poem talks about .......
and then... cross out the "I think" part,
like so: I think this poem talks about....
- explain why you think this way...(use quotes, paraphrase, or explanations)...

What is the tone or the mood of this poem?
Tone: the poet's voice (happy, sad, excited, regretful, cheerful, etc.)
- explain why you think this...

Mood: what the readers are expected to feel (how do you feel when you read this poem?)
- explain why you feel this...
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▓▒▒░░Class work░░▒▒▓ / Re: Poetry - Packing for the Future: Instructions
« Last post by isabel1205 on November 23, 2009, 02:42:20 pm »
In "Packing for the Future:Instructions" by Lorna Crizuer, the poem discusses the different ways to prepare for the future. "Take the thicjest socks,wherever you are going, you wll have to walk(line 1~3)Life is not easy, you need to ready for hardship. For example, you can "pack" experience, knowledgem and dreams, or your long"walk"."Take a keather satchel, a velvet bag and an old tin box(line15~16).In life, the "key" could be something you learned that can be used later to open doors. The "photograph" could be memories to keep you happy. Bring these things with you in life. Overall, the speaker to prepare for the future by "packing" exoeriencesand past memories alone the way.
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▓▒▒░░Class work░░▒▒▓ / Re: Poetry - Packing for the Future: Instructions
« Last post by Vladimir Makarov on November 23, 2009, 02:42:02 pm »
The theme of the poem "Packing for the Future:Instructions" written by Lorna Crozier talks about preparing for your future that was used as "packing".In my opinion this poem gives the instructions to a young person who is going to the university and leaves his/her motherland.For example,first stanza talk about backing yourself up in a sense of education."Take the thickest socks",can mean take what you have learned with you. In the second stanza,"There may be water","There may be stones" and "There may be high places" means that you can meet everything on your way,any kind of trouble and "the hope socks will bring you" is pretty obvious,it means that your hope and hope of your parents for you will bring you towards your goal.All in all,whole poem talks about a young person's way into his/her own and self-responsible life and about the things that will carry him/her to a bright future.
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