Types of Poetry

A terza rima poem is written using three line stanzas otherwise known as tercets. The tercets follow an end rhyme pattern of aba, bcb, cdc, ded, efe, etc. Terza rima usually end with a single rhyme or a couplet rhyming with the middle line of the last tercet.
Villanelles are a highly structured form of poetry. They are nineteen line poems with two repeating rhymes and two refrains. They are made up of five tercets followed by a quatrain. The first and third lines of the opening tercet are repeated alternately in the last lines of the succeeding stanzas; then in the final stanza, the refrain serves as the poem's two concluding lines. A famouse example of a villanele is Dylan Thomas's "DO not go gentle into that good night"
Sestina's follow an intricate pattern of repetition of the initial six end words of the first stanza through the remaining five six line stanzas.

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain — and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

This Robert Frost Poem, Aquainted with the Night, is the perfect example of a terza rima poem. This specif poem of Frost's seems to be about a time of darkness in his life. It appears that his thoughts have gone to a dark place to the point where he can no longer see the good or enjoyment in things represented by the "city light".  In addition, he does not seem to understand the reason for his depressed state, or at least seems unwilling to face the reason. As he puts it he is "unwilling to explain". He seems distressed by his loneliness but also consumed by it. He listens to an interrupted cry but realizes that it's not for him. The author is also puzzled by time and seems to feel that time is irrelevant to him in his current state.

third quarter wrap up

I only have a quarter left of high school?!?! We read Othello this year??? That was this year??? Wow…that’s hard to believe. I have really enjoyed this class though. I think transcendentalism was probably my favorite thing that we did all year. I think it’s perfect for a senior class to because of the large ideas that transcendentalist tackled. It seems like the perfect thing to study when you’re being faced with the stresses and decisions of senior year. Another one of my favorite things about this class is the amount of time we spend discussing the things we are going over. The discussions have really helped to gain insight into the topics and to really be able to grasp them. I think the only thing I would say was that we didn’t spend enough time on Godot. It’s such a complex work and is very different from everything else we have read. I feel that maybe we should have spent more time on it. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I don’t really know what else to say. This has definitely been my favorite class, except maybe for creative writing. I think I’ll probably end up majoring in English in college not sure what ill do with it though, I may double major in philosophy,  whats the point though  I don’t know who cares, what are you doing frank, how am I supposed to know?

3-27-14

Nihilism is the belief that nothing means anything and that nothing we do has any significance or meaning. These beliefs are exhibited in Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot”.  The first words spoken in the play are “nothing to be done”. This statement is clearly indicative of the nihilistic beliefs that the play attempts to convey. Ultimately in the play nothing really is accomplished by the two main characters as they end virtually where they started.  At one point Estragon even says “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful!” The entire play is the two main characters simply waiting for this man Godot. The only thing they are certain of is that they are waiting for Godot. However they know little about him. Towards the end of the play Vladimir asks the boy what Godot does to which he responds “He does nothing sir”.

                The book also portrays themes of existentialism. Existentialism can be seen as man questioning his own existence. In the book the characters do not even know whether or not they are real. The characters pose question such as are we real, why do we not kill ourselves, is this all a dream, how did we get here, and maybe most importantly what are we doing here. To that question Vladimir would simply answer “we are waiting for Godot”. However as the boy later points out to Vladimir Godot “does not do anything”. The characters of Becketts play are waiting for nothing. They seem to be paralyzed in their existential questions and instinctive fear of an unreal reality.

                The theater of the absurd centers on the idea that man is lost in a world that he cannot understand. And that this leads communication and all logical reasoning to break down. There for man is left in an illogical and flawed society. The world in Waiting for Godot can be seen as absurd. The characters do not know where they are or what time it is and this leads them lose all means of logical reasoning.  This leads to them doing virtually nothing despite aspirations to be saved and similar aspirations to die.

3-17-14

The human condition. What does that mean, “the human condition”. I guess it’s just living. Being alive in the world. The fact that we are given life without asking and then we take that life for granted. The fact that we treat life as something we have to do everyday. I think that the human condition is built off of struggle. The general human struggle that we are a part of nature and yet we live in a society that is so unnatural. The “human condition” is having to live our lives in a reality that we are told is real. The human condition is based on the instinctual belief that we are all a significant individual versus the factual truth that we are just one of an uncountable numbers of planets just floating in space. It’s the desire to be something versus the insecurity that we are nothing. The human condition is man’s struggle with himself. The human condition is that when a person is left to his or her own devices they can still find an opponent within themselves. The human condition is simply the constant struggle that humans live in. The struggle that we constantly create obstacles when there are none.

3-10-14

A short reaction to Clybourne Park

I liked the play. The dialogue was smooth an interesting. I don’t know exactly what to say about it, racism is such a strange issue. For example, racist jokes come up in the play, but the question is how racist are racist jokes? One character was told a racist joke by a member of the race that it was offending, does that mean it’s ok? Do these jokes simply allow people to poke fun at racism and make it feel less serious? Are these kinds of jokes simply funny but at a cost?. Is the point of the play that discrimination will always be around but it will just take different forms? Racism is seen to be very different than it once was. It is now seen to be more subtle but does that also mean it is less hostile? Does that mean that racism is not as common or has racism just turned into the viewing of stereotypes? Has racism become a lens of race through which we see people? and most importantly how do we fix the problem? Can we fix the problem? I have a lot of questions on this topic and quite frankly no answers, if there are any answers. I liked the play though; I thought it was well written. The end was strange though, very haunting. Seemed to be conveying an idea of hope but it did so through a character who kills himself so… I’m not sure how much that meant.

3-3-14

“Well I knew I would not be killed. Not in this War. It did not have anything to do with me. It seemed no more dangerous to me myself than war in the movies.”

This quote really stands out to me. The book centers around WWI and the generation that lived through it; a generation that later became known as “the lost generation”. The world had never seen a war like WWI. WWI was unique for a number of reasons. One reason was the new technology that had been developed; technology that dramatically increased the magnitude of killing. Also WWI was interesting because it was not fought for a particular reason. One of the main reasons for WWI was the secret military alliances that countries had made with one another. The secret alliances made it so that when one country declared war several other countries would begin t declare war. And despite the fact that WWI featured the highest death tolls of any war until that point, very little ground was gained. The war was fought in trenches and very little ground was ever actually gained. I also love this quote because of how it reveals the attitude of many of the soldiers. The soldiers were not fighting the war because they wanted to; it was more of a requirement. It goes along with the phrase “young men fight old men’s wars”. It is very upsetting to see how many people died for a war that they were not altogether concerned with, and it is easier to undrstand why the lost generation was so bitter.

blog 2-3-14

We all have pre conceptions ingrained in our minds, but why? It’s so strange how people from different areas or towns or backgrounds automatically feel uncomfortable around each other. Maybe it’s just because of familiarization. Maybe we simply feel uncomfortable because it’s not what we are used to or what we are raised in. And because most of us only know and understand one culture or one background we become uncomfortable when we are placed into another one. We begin to ask ourselves questions like “why are they like that” “why would they say that” “why are they so weird”. We get the idea in our heads that our norm and our background is what in “right” and therefore anything that differs is “wrong” in accordance with our nature.

Maybe it has to do with the Marxist theory that society is made up of the haves and the have nots. There are feelings of resentment between classes. People of less money see people with more money as being snobbish. We can see that every day in Rochester. People will deem you snobbish or privileged because you live in Pittsford or go to a private school like Mcquaid. But then the people with more money seem to feel uncomfortable around those with less. They seem to feel that they don’t fit in, or maybe they can sense the resentment. It is wildly interesting how people have general ideas of people from different towns such as Pittsford or irondiquiet.

Personally I just try to see people as people. If there is something that I can talk to them about than I will. I like the idea of getting new thoughts or perspectives on an idea. Preconceptions are limiting.

blog 2-5-14

Hansberry’s idea that in history of man there has always been oppression is a difficult statement to argue with. Wherever there has been man there has been oppression. Think about it, every culture or background has at some time been oppressed. The oppression of African Americans is obvious in U.S history. Their plight has been of such magnitude that it often overshadows the other examples of oppression in the U.S. Italian Americans, Irish Americans, Jewish Americans, Native Americans, Chinese Americans, Hispanic Americans, Japanese Americans and others have all faced oppression at some point throughout their history. Even the Original colonists were oppressed by Britain. Throughout all of human history there has been oppression, and unfortunately I believe there always will be.

Oppression is still clear in the U.S today and is almost more obviously seen now than in recent years. The Coca-cola super bowl commercial that featured a variety of languages singing “America the Beautiful” was highly criticized. A large amount of the criticism was rampant throughout social media such as Twitter. Personally I think social media such as twitter have made oppression more evident because the sites establish a platform that gives everybody a voice. We cannot change the minds of the people. However I think we can say that those who would be against such things as the “America the Beautiful” commercial are in the minority and are often considered to be ignorant. I am glad Coca-cola aired the commercial, maybe if more large corporations would take similar stances it would help to further eradicate oppressive and racial thoughts in America.

Final blog post for semester

I’m actually pleased with my year thus far. As I wrote about the last time we did this I had been having a great year, reading a lot more, I was keeping my own journal at home, and really just exploring a lot of things that I never had and was enjoying it. Now I feel like things have changed somewhat. I don’t know if it’s lack of sleep or whatever but I’ve just felt very disjointed. I don’t know exactly how to explain it; it’s just feeling time pass away. I don’t know what it is but if I had to guess I would blame it on winter. I never seem to deal too well with winter, I just feel as though I’ve gotten lost in my thoughts and not in a productive way. I don’t really know though, maybe I’m just making problems where there are none, it’s not really worrying me that much it’s just annoying.  I just wish I could go back to the way I was in the beginning of the year, I felt so self- aware then. I didn’t have that feeling of time just flying by. I was really alive. I don’t know though, it’s probably just winter. I’m fairly confident that I can get back on track following midterms.

Anyway I would like to say that A.P Lit is by far my favorite class and I’m not just saying that. I’ve really enjoyed everything we’ve done in there. The short stories, objectivism, and transcendentalism (I love transcendentalism).  I’m still not a huge fan of writing essays but seriously, who his? And I don’t hate them nearly as much as I used to. My feeling towards this class can be simply summed up in the fact that it has become the only class I really try in anymore.

I’m excited to see what my final semester has to bring. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever been excited for second semester. Most years I’m thinking “my god that was only the first half!” I’m looking forward to taking astronomy and creative writing. I have a many, many more books I want to read. I got a ukulele for Christmas so I’m looking forward to teaching myself that. Baseball should be…interesting… And I am REALLY looking forward to warmer weather. All I can hope for is that I can savor and enjoy this final semester of high school. I’m wishing for minimal regrets and sunny days…literally, I need the sun back.

Transcendental Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHVBzLGAIbU

Link to song ^

Like the pine trees lining the winding road
I got a name, I got a name
Like the singing bird and the croaking toad
I got a name, I got a name
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I'm living the dream that he kept hid

Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by

Like the north wind whistling down the sky
I've got a song, I've got a song
Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry
I've got a song, I've got a song
And I carry it with me and I sing it loud
If it gets me nowhere, I go there proud

Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by

And I'm gonna go there free

Like the fool I am and I'll always be
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
They can change their minds but they can't change me
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
Well, I know I can share it if you want me to
If you're going my way, I'll go with you

Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by
Moving me down the highway
Rolling me down the highway
Moving ahead so life won't pass me by

For my song I chose Jim Croce’s “I Got A Name” because I feel that it strongly represents Emerson’s ideas regarding transcendentalism. At the core of Emerson’s belief were his ideas on self-reliance. Emerson believed that we needed to trust ourselves and our own intuition. He said that the knowledge we were looking for was already inside of us. Emerson opposed conformity because he felt it was a denial of self and would hinder creativity and original thought. Similar ideas can be conveyed through Croce’s song. The title and refrain of the song imply that Croce is relying on himself and treats himself as an individual. Croce makes implications to conformity saying “they can change their minds but they can’t change me”. He also indicates that he trusts his own intuitions when he says “If it gets me nowhere, I go there proud”.

            Emerson also strongly believed that we were connected with all other parts of the universe and that through this self-awareness we could find truth within ourselves. Throughout the entire song Croce conveys this idea that we are connected with all parts of nature. Croce reveals this type of thinking in lyrics such as “like the pine trees lining the winding road” or “like the north wind whistling down the sky” and many other lines as well. Croce also exhibits his self-awareness through the songs chorus. Croce is not afraid to chase his dreams because he trusts himself and he understands the significance of time. Croce always continues to chase his dream in order that life will not pass him by.

Emerson an Thoreau quotes

Emerson

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is for you”

This aphorism written by Emerson is one that I understand clearly and agree with. It says that we can only play with the hand we've been dealt. We need to make the most of ourselves of our lives of our time. Our lives are our entirety, they are everything we have, and there is no evidence or person that can convince me otherwise. Our lives are made of time. Time in hours, days, and years. Time is the most important thing we have. It is what we do with the short time that we've been given that defines us. We are what we do and what we think. We have to make the most of our time because when it runs out…that’s it.

Thoreau

“Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul”

I love this quote, probably because I hate money. I hate how unnatural it feels, how it controls and influences our lives and our happiness. I hate how people just accept that it has value when in reality it is just paper that someone told us was valuable. I hate how if I tore a dollar bill in half people might be puzzled surprised or even upset. But if I tore a regular piece of paper in half no one would think twice. I hate how many people have died for money, and how many people’s lives have fallen apart because of it. Our lives are so short and our planet is so insignificant that it just seems to be the utmost stupidity to allow something so false controls our entire being.

The "self"

The idea of the “self” is complex and mysterious and can provoke long periods of rumination that ultimately render no significant distinctions or answers.

                Having said that, I’m going to discuss it anyway.

Does the “self” exist? Do we have independent and original thoughts? Or is everything we desire and want just a product of where we were raised and how we were taught? If I was born in another country with different parents would I be the same? This is simply and unanswerable question. There is no way for me to know the answer to this question because I cannot test it. I would like to believe that I would still value the same things if I was raised in a different environment, but that may not be true. I could be a completely different person. Maybe all people are the same at first, only to have their personal experiences mold them into who they become. Maybe everything we believe and value is just a result of what we hear and see, maybe we can’t develop our own beliefs or even our own morals. Who tells us what is right and what is wrong? If someone does something that we perceive to be wrong but they perceive to be right, then how can my word be taken as more than another? The development of the idea of the self  has been around since the beginning of humanity so some ideas must be original, right? Or are we all just rehashes of things already said? We try to convince ourselves that were special but in reality all of our ideas come from somewhere else. Everything we believe has been said before; but that doesn't mean that they were taught to us. We can come to similar conclusions through very dissimilar paths. I like to believe that each of us is unique in our own way; the problem is that many people have lost their ideas of the “self”. Too many people have fallen into conformity without giving it any personal thought. Too many people believe things simply because that’s what they've been told, not because they have evidence through their own experiences.

Ayn Rand and Environmentalism

I don’t think I agree with what Rand says. She tries to sell environmentalism as putting the needs or “rights” of things like land, over the rights of people. I don’t really think that this is true. Berliner argues that environmentalism is a way of thinking that would rather lose the lives of people than trees, he makes it out that environmentalism is anti-man. I think this is an oversimplified perspective on the issue. It claims that everything we do to the earth is necessary for the betterment of man and it insinuates that environmentalism is a form of self- sacrifice.

                I do not believe this to be true. I think that environmentalism is for the betterment of man and the general preservation of man as well. Earth is the only known planet that we have the capability to settle and found our society on. Without it there is no man. Therefore I think calling environmentalism “anti-man” is a very childish and reactionary statement. One that reminds me of a child who only wants to eat candy. It may be what he wants but he doesn’t know any better. If he only eats candy he will get diabetes. And die. Is not letting your child only eat candy “anti-child”? No, no it is not. 

The Spirit of man

“…the spirit of man will remain alive on this earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but it will break through.”

The spirit of man is a complicated entity. This inner feeling of independence from others. This inner feeling that we must live for ourselves and ourselves alone. That we have to do something, find something. The spirit of man is a calling to ourselves by ourselves. The spirit of man is the belief that we should live to please ourselves not others. It is a belief that we should listen and create our own distinguished ideas and theories. Unfortunately this spirit is often corrupted by society. Society tries to teach us what it is that we want. Society trains us to accept things as they are told to us. Society tries to keep us in line by telling us that there is a wrong answer, that there is a wrong way to do something. Society tries to teach us what to think and how to define our self worth. Society tells us that certain desires are wrong, or selfish, or stupid. Society tries to make us judge ourselves by a universal set of standards, and then they say that if we don’t hold up to these standards then we are wrong.

But progress is inevitable. The only things that we are promised in this world are death and change. And if the changing of a society means something more than so be it. If change is synonymous with a new society or a rebirth of society than so be it. If this means that a society is too powerful, too restraining, or has too much influence on our thoughts and perspectives, than this society must die and make room for a new one. Because the spirit of man will not be removed from this earth. There may be periods or environments in history where man’s spirit is lulled to sleep by the brainwashing of a society but no spirit can sleep forever. Man’s spirit to live is an instinct and an intuition that we are all born with and it will not be removed from this earth. 

The first of several Ayn Rand/Anthem/Objectivism posts

I believe that the Ayn Rand quote is very true. That all of our, “our” meaning people in society, ambitions, desires, dreams, and wishes are “motivated by other men”. Most people are in complete denial that they don’t do what they want. The majority of people only do things that will make it easier to get through the day. No one knows what they truly want. The things that people say they want are merely what society tells them. People say that they want things like a good job that pays a large amount of money. But the question they never seem to ask is “why”? Why do they want these things, why do they believe that these things will make them happy?

                People work every day towards the idea of contentment. The idea of fewer worries, and idea that they perceive to be happiness. I hate the idea of being “content”. It sounds to me like settling. As if people just decided that this was the best they could do and then gave up on doing anything else.  They say that ignorance is bliss, but it is a very ignorant form of bliss. It is not true happiness. It is an ignorance that not only involves the denial of things you should be worried about but also a denial of your true self, of your own individual beliefs.

This ones about how past events affect a character in text

In Orwell’s 1984, Winston was affected by the past from a number of different perspectives. He was strongly influenced by his own personal past. Winston’s personal past was very unclear to him, his past was more of a culmination of blurred flashbacks and dreams. Despite not having a clear vision of his past, Winston had an innate feeling that things in society were not right. He felt as though he was living in a corrupted form of civilization, although he could not remember another time.

                Consequently, in the society in 1984 the past practically ceases to exist. Winston’s job is to rewrite the past. He goes back and changes news stories and predictions so that the government is eternally correct and all knowing. This leads Winston to question whether or not the past exists and whether or not it can be or has ever been rewritten. Winston begins to realize that Oceania and the Party is completely based on lies an enforced self-brainwashing known as “doublethink”. 

I think this post is from November 8, I believe it was a free response

Recently I finished reading Ivan Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons”. “Fathers and Son’s” was an amazing book that tackled an array of ideas and conflicts. The philosophy of nihilism is observed through Bazarov, the books main character. Bazarov epitomizes the new generation’s way of thinking, he believes in only the physical sciences and what he can see and touch. He rejects all the old generations’ ideas of romanticism and writes them off as foolish and laughable. His bravado is intimidating to many while at the same time aspires others to admire him. The books main conflict comes when Bazarov falls in love. His love makes him feel like a fool and it causes him internal strife that clearly shows throughout the book.

                I find nihilism to be a very interesting philosophy. Nihilism is essentially the rejection of all principles; moral ethical religious etc. Nihilism believes that life has no greater meaning and no purpose. The belief that there is no point to life can be a liberating one. Once you accept that you have no real purpose for being here you are free to do as you please. Accepting that there is no point or significance to your life means that you have no greater purpose to aspire to, you can do nothing wrong because the lines between right and wrong begin to fade.

                I loved this book partially because I feel that I can understand the philosophy of nihilism. I don’t necessarily believe life has any point to it and enjoy that belief. However, I worry that much like Bazarov I could get that belief twisted and begin to think that it means things like love and art are useless. I think that was Bazarov’s biggest issue. I understand the logic and thought process that goes with physical sciences but I don’t believe that means all romantic ideas should be thrown aside.

Hi Mrs Hoffman! (11-1-13)

I don’t ever remember getting less sleep. My average amount of sleep has gone from 8 hours to less than 6. I also don’t remember ever being as excited to wake up as I am now. Ok, maybe excited isn’t the right word, I look as bad as anyone else does at 6 in the morning. However my days do seem to be fuller than they ever were. I’ve gone under my own kind of personal renaissance this year.

                It all started with the realization that I wanted something more than what I had, then the willingness to try things I never had.

                For the first time in my life I am reading to my own accord and thoroughly enjoying it. I have opened up my eyes to a world of literature and creativity. I feel like I have things I want to say and I am ready to say them.

                For the first time in my life I am excited by the future, not terrified by it. I can now see the future’s uncertainties through a lens of enthrallment as opposed to one of anxiety. I have completely accepted the fact that I don’t know what I want to get my major in, in college. Now that I’ve accepted this I am more excited about college than ever.  I want to do so many things that I’ve never realized. I want to go places, and have experiences, try new things, and meet new people. I want to do things that others see as simply being dangerous but that I can see as purely living. I’ve become interested in creative things and art in all forms. I have a completely different and novel mindset than I ever had before.

                To put it simply; this has been my best year of high school, and I am excited for the rest of it.

It just dawned on me that my teacher will probably be the only person to ever read this....

Orwell’s 1984 takes place in a society that allows no expression, no thought, no belief, no movement, to be out of line in the face of the government. Whatever the government says is fact, it has always been fact, and always will be fact. Winston works in a Department where he is literally rewriting history so that the government is always and always has been right. This gives Winston an insight to the past and how it is being manipulated. Unfortunately for Winston, his memory has not been completely whipped out by the massive social brainwashing conducted by the government. He has confusing and enigmatic flashbacks of times before the Revolution. Although now the government contends that there was nothing before the revolution. Winston gains this burning feeling that the way they are all living is unnatural. He feels some urge to go against the government, even if he knows that it will ultimately lead to his demise. In a society that says the past can be changed but it never has been, in a society where the government can say 2 plus 2 equals five, in a society that can torture you for having a nervous tick; this society pushes Winton’s instincts to their limits. Giving him an intuition that those who define what is “right”, are truly and obscenely wrong.

hhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm....something interesting....hmmm....(thinking noises)

Often in works of Literature objects can take on very complex means of symbolism. They can come to symbolize different things in relationships to different characters and their meaning can change and develop throughout the course of a book. In Shakespeare’s “Othello” the handkerchief takes on a number of symbolic meanings. It originally was meant to symbolize Othello’s love for Desdemona in her hands. Thus when she misplaced it gave a sign that perhaps there love would be lost as well. When Iago obtains the handkerchief it means that Othello’s love for Desdemona is in Iago’s hands, which we can see to be true as Iago manipulates and deceives Othello. After passing through the hands of Iago, the handkerchief becomes a symbol of betrayal or unfaithfulness. Othello begins to see it as proof of Desdemona’s cheating. The handkerchief also becomes a symbol of betrayal in the eyes of Bianca, who believes that it belongs to another mistress of Cassio’s.

                 In Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”, the gun has different symbolism in different situations. Throughout the story the gun symbolizes death. To the man it symbolizes a sense of security; he believes that whoever has the gun is the safest. As a result of this thinking, he always gives the gun to the boy when he leaves him alone. However, when death seems to be in the near future the gun takes on a different meaning of death. In certain situations the gun represents suicide and a taking of one’s own life as a method of escape. It is a way to avoid torture or the torment of wasting away.