Jabberwocky and The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll

Both poems were very interesting to me. I'm not quite sure why someone would write about these two things. Jabberwocky was a little confusing at first to me and still kinda is. I understand the weirdness of it and the strange language because it fits perfectly with the movie/book "Alice in Wonderland", which I also never understood as a kid. It always left me very confused. What I was able to comprehend was that Jabberwocky was about a father warning his son about a monster, who then waits and kills the monster when it comes near him. After he kills the monster, his father praises him. The author, Lewis Carroll ends the poem with the same verse he started it with for emphasis and symbolism. It points out the language and makes that certain verse important to the reader. Also, I actually enjoyed the rhyme scheme of the poem, because it was one thing I could follow. The next poem by Lewis Carroll was a little bit clearer to me. It was about a walrus and a carpenter who take a walk on the beach. They stop and ask oysters to join them. The oldest refuses, but four younger ones join them on their walk. After treating them so well, at their resting point/end of the walk, the oysters say they are hungry from such a long walk and the walrus and carpenter eat the oysters. This poem is pretty straightforward, unless I am missing some deep meaning, but other than that, I did not get anything else out of these two poems.

Reflection of Hopkins and Wilde's Poems

Hopkins "Spring and Fall" poem starts off being about a child grieving fall turning into winter as the leaves fall from the trees. It says that as the child becomes older she will care not grieve about this topic as much because there will be much worse in her life. She will not care as much for the changing of the seasons as she matures and becomes older. More important things will arise in a teenager's life. Soon, the child becomes an adult. Then she will grieve for spring to come and winter to leave, knowing this old feeling, yet she cannot yet tell it is no longer the seasons she weeps for, but for her own, Margaret's mortality. The poem expresses her aging throughout the poem and this idea is clearly stated. Wilde's poem "The Harlot's House" is about I'm assuming a couple "we" who go down a street to Harlot's House for a party where music is being played. Everyone at the party is dancing around, their silhouettes on the walls, and laughter echoing throughout the halls, some try to sing. It seems that there is some type of puppet show, with mentioning of "Sometimes a clockwork puppet pressed/ A phantom lover to her breast" and a marionette. The last four stanzas are clearly when the party shifts. The girl from the couple goes inside, attracted to the violin's sound. Everyone stops dancing and there is no more waltzing anymore. The room becomes silent and no more shadows appear. It is as if this girl as transformed the whole party. I am curious because I have no clue as to why. Is there something she did that everyone at the party knew about to suddenly stop everything as soon as she walked in? What happened for the sudden pause/transformation of the party and its change of tone?

Poem Inspired by Elizabeth Browning

I’ve never met a guy

Who smiles every time I walk by,

Who always knows just what to say,

To make me happier that day.

A good day or bad;

Whenever you’re around, I can’t be sad.

You make me laugh even if I don’t want to.

You always know what I’m thinking, and I never have a clue

How you do

Exactly what you do.

It just amazes me

How much you faze me.

It’s impossible for me to hide

What I’m feeling inside.

I love you

And I never wish to bid you adieu.  

Reflection of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's and Arnold's Poems

Both of Browning's poems are pretty straight forward. "If thou must love me, let it be for nought..." is written for her husband. She is telling her husband not to love her for the wrong reasons, which would be for her appearances, but to love her for her personality. She says that her appearances may change, especially as she gets older and she doesn't want her husband to change the way he sees her. She says do not love me for the comfort of yourself and for my beauty, but just love me for who I am. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." is about Browning telling her husband that her love for him is real and she can even count the ways to prove it. She lists nine ways. She says her love for him is forever, even after death. Then, her love will become stronger for him. Arnold's poem "Dover Beach" is about the author trying to figure himself out during the Industrial Revolution. He knows there is still a thing called Faith. It is shown in the line “Sea of Faith”. Now all he can see and hear is melancholy and he has no more happiness in his life. He knows Faith somehow exists but he cannot grasp it. Arnold says for everyone to speak the truth because all we have is one another now. Everyone feels that something great, new, and wonderful has come out of the Industrial Revolution, however, he seems to think nothing much has changed. His last line of the poem "Where ignorant armies clash by night" is about a group of people arguing with each other while trying to figure out their lives, and the beauty of nature versus the industrial revolution, what to do about it, and what is currently going on. It seems that no one takes life how it used to be and no one pays attention to the beauty of nature anymore. He had faith in what used to be, then Arnold losses his faith and sense of self from his ignorance and not knowing.  There is no more guidance in his life with all these changes. 

Re-Reflection of Meeting at Night and Parting at Morning

The poem is written in a sailor's perspective who is secretly meeting his lover. Browning describes the nature and the moon over the water as he sails to meet her. He is filled with joy to see her on the farm, yet filled with fears because he does not want to get caught. The second poem by Browning is written in the woman's perspective. She is watching him part to go back to sea, wishing she could go with him because she needs him and wants to be free. The need for a world of men symbolizes her want for independence, not to be working on a farm, but to be with her lover, the sailor.

Jeff Lieberman

I really enjoyed the assembly we had with Jeff Lieberman, and now that he had the chance to come back and talk with us not only in class, but also to talk with him out of class was pretty cool. For one, I think he is incredibly smart and can really think outside the box. You would ask him a question and he would answer with a full analytical response, but then still manage to leave you questioning what you thought you already knew about life. The main thing he made me think about was if there really is a future and why do we spend so much time worrying about the future because by the time our future gets here, we are living in the present. I would like to live more in the now, personally because I do worry about the future a little bit. It helps influence my decisions for my everyday life, but Jeff's question made me really think if what I do to plan for the future and worry about is worth it or not. Can we prove there is a future because when we get to tomorrow, it is called today? What do you think? I love how Jeff makes you start to think outside the box yourself. It teaches you stuff about yourself. I learned a lot about how to take 5 minutes to make myself relieved of some amounts of stress and to just channel my thoughts on one thing by meditating, even if it isn't for a long time. Just once a day may help, and if I find time to, I may try it, occasionally. Overall, I think Jeff is a really cool guy and I would love to have him come back for more questions and talk sessions in the future, if there is one we can prove.

Reflection of Browning and Rossetti

Reading the first two poems by Robert Browning were very touching. They seem to have a connection, and somewhat go together. They make me feel the romantics of the poem. His "Meeting at Night" is about his travels whilst on his way to meet his significant other. It is written in first person, his personal experience and feelings. The nature is described very well in this poem, letting the reader really feel for his surroundings. The first part of the poem really lets the reader know his travels and how he gets to wherever he will meet his lover and the last two lines describe when they finally meet."And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears, Than the two hearts beating each to each!" His next poem, "Parting at Morning" is about him leaving the woman, parting the next morning. The scenery is the beach he passed on the way to meet her. It seems to me that he truly loves this woman, but parting with her is a struggle. The line from his first poem "through its joys and fears" suggests that he cannot wait to meet with her because she is a wonderful person but fears meeting with her because he has to tell her something she will not want to hear. Then, he parts the very next morning. The sun is overlooking the mountains, producing a straight path of "gold" (sunlight illuminating the empty streets). The last line of that poem is very surprising. It says "And the need of a world of men for me." suggesting that he left the woman for a man. The last poem, "The Woodspurge" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti is about the authors depression. In this state, he undergoes an intense visual experience of of a woodspurge, a type of flower. The description in the poem is amazing at how the author describes him sitting down outside with his head drooped in his lap, in a clearly sad/depressed mood. "Between my knees my forehead was, --My lips, drawn in, said not Alas! My hair was over in the grass, My naked ears heard the day pass." There he picks his head up and looks at a group of ten weeds, specifically looking at one with three blossoms, three cups. From his grief, he realizes he needs no wisdom or memory to look at this flower, but just to accept the beauty of it in that moment for what it is. He doesn't need to know anything about it to see how many cups it has or even the memory to remember this experience, but it is just a beautiful visual experience to help rid him of his depression. Both authors write very well with descriptions of nature. It is beautiful and lovely poetry to read.

Poem Inspired by Invictus

Always drowning in my sorrows
No where to turn, clueless action
Between whom to believe; which truth?
Whispers tell me all about you

Your stories: I listen no more
Why lie about something so small?
Would anything have bothered me
When I thought of only you then?

Still you repetitively lie,
Nothings new. Same forever you.
Goodbye old me, Hello new me.
One you cannot deceive again.

You're gone, sorrows disappearing
New adventures to come to life
Friends are forever by my side
Smiles, laughs always ear to ear.

No more thoughts of you bring me down.
No more unfixed scars left behind.
Nothing left unanswered again.
The truth, forever stays with me.

No more cheating, secrets kept hush
I didn't want to tell no one
How you hurt me, but now no more.
Secret's out and you live with pain.

Everyday I remember, but I...
Can live another day, happy
Searching for another to love
For now, my friends are here with me.

Reflection of Invictus Poem

The poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley is a dark, depressing poem. It's about someone, whoever the speaker is, we don't know, who prays, thanking "whatever Gods may be" for his "unconquerable soul". The speaker is in some type of despair and is rather undaunted by his misery. He prays not for the strength to get him through this, but rather, thanks the Gods for what strength he already has. With no complaint or cry for help or of pain, he has overcome the circumstances he is in, he has taken his chances and beginning to accept reality. "In the fell clutch of circumstance/I have not winced nor cried aloud./Under the bludgeonings of chance". The third stanza is the last stanza of real deep, dark, depressing, and heavy description of feeling. It hits the reader hard because it describes death and what death is like to the speaker. Nothing seems to frighten the speaker, however. The speaker remains indifferent throughout the poem, even through all the detailed descriptions of death, "beyond this place of wrath and tears/looms but the Horror of the shade,/And yet the menace of the years/Finds, and shall find, me unafraid." Death does not faze the speaker. He/She is not worried. Death is merely an end to the speaker's suffering. He is not concerned with anything that lies beyond death, such as an afterlife. Death is personified in this stanza. It is shown when Horror is capitalized and the line from the first stanza "Black as the Pit from pole to pole" refers to Hell as the Pit. He/She is his own god, guide, and judge. He/She is the captain, running his own life, and in charge of his soul. "I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my own soul." Here the speakers realizes his/her fate and comes to terms with this truth. This poem is similar to Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" because the soldiers in this poem are performing a suicide brigade, knowing their plans will fall through, but they do it anyway. The speaker of this poem comes to terms with death, and goes through, preparing for its outcome.

Reflection of Poems by Lord Tennyson

I was surprised as to how Lord Tennyson could write two unique poems about the most opposite of topics, yet at the same time, I feel that they relate to each other. "The Charge of Light Brigade" is a poem all about the casualties of World War I and how gruesome it is. The soldiers continue to go on with orders from their commander without question because the role of a soldier is to obey. Soldiers become more gruesome as the days gone on whilst in war. They care less about the people they kill and do not have any feelings of remorse after a while. Killing becomes their job and their only means of survival. Tennyson's poem "Flower in the Crannied Wall" is about what most people would think to be obvious, a flower. From what I can see, since I read this poem second, it is a metaphor, a reference to the people of a community. The flower is a person. It is saying that a flower is so unique, so beautiful, and so confusing at the same time. It is hiding in the cracks of the wall and if only we could understand why. If we could figure out what it is, then we would know more about God and the rest of mankind. The flower is a reference to war as well as Tennyson's first poem. It is wondering what the individuality and uniqueness of a person in a community is. Sometimes during the times of war, we forget that our enemies are people too. We are all children of God and each man is unique in their own way. Some men in war have their own families back home, whether it be parents, siblings, a wife, or children of their own, but they are all fighting to survive to return to their homes. Once we realize this, we realize that without each other, the world could not function. In the end we are all the same. The loss of loved ones in war produce effects on other people of our community, just like the loss of light to a flower in the cracks of a wall can make it wilt. The metaphor of the flower in the wall also refers to the fact that the flower will eventually die hiding in the crannied wall because it is harder for sunlight and water to reach it. It is a metaphor saying that all the people of the community will eventually die, just like the flower, whether in be in war or from natural causes, but we will all die at some point in our lives.

Couldn't fall asleep over Easter Weekend

Baby, I can't fall asleep
This house makes not a peep
You're on my mind
And so I find
Myself dreaming
A smile gleaming
As your cologne wafts through my nose
I snuggle, so comfy, in your clothes
Sincerely wishing
We were kissing
And upon my neck, I felt your hands
Whilst another butterfly lands
I've known you so long
Yet this feeling always belongs
Never to go away again
For as we have been
Through so much
And such
The only change in our lives
Is how close we've become
As the time flies
You continue to bring me flutters to the heart
And smirks from the very start
What more is to come?
I shall wait to see from
You - the one whom is forever mine
And any lucky girl wishes they could cross that line
To feel the happiness I do
When I am with you

Poem Inspired by the Romantics

I've always been there
And forever I shall be.
When I've needed you,
You were there.
I want you to know
I'm always here for you too.

Forever I am waiting on you
To get a clue
On how strongly I feel about youI am going nowhere
And I am not anywhere easy to get rid of
So you better figure out
How much I really mean it.And as you'll surely see
I'll know your life's stories eventually.

As we become so comfortable in one another's arms,
Your heart will soon open
Into mine it shall flow.
And I'll never let go of
This feeling I feel inside

I don't ever want to lose it
Because it helps create part of who I am
The part where you have transformed me

And you're now a part of me
As I am you
Forever changing your life
Whilst you change mine
For the better
As well as the worst,
Yet you always bring out the best in me
And can always find a way to make me laugh
Even in the hardest of times

Your sparkling green eyes mesmorize me
Your perfect smile always makes me blush
Your lips irresistible
Softly speaking to me through the touch
Everything about you is just so perfect
It's like you were meant to complete me
Making it hard to be mad or upset around you.


And when the years pass,
I hope you'll never forget me
As I could never forget
Everything that makes me believe
You are my one and only.

The Tyger and The Lamb

I really enjoyed these two poems. I was part of the Tyger group and I was confused just a little bit, as we had to assume what the Lamb was. Once we met with the Lamb group, everything became clearer to me. They fit perfectly together. Each poem, I thought, was creative and made you think about its true meaning. The purpose of having two poems coincide each other was to pose the questions of "Where did you come from?" and "Who is your creator?" The answer to this was God, which brought up the question "Did the same creator, God, that made the pure, gentle, innocent lamb also create a fearful, sinful, and aggressive tiger?". The answer to this question was yes. God makes everything good and bad. In these poems, Blake represents Christianity. He asks in the Tyger poem if the Tyger is from Heaven or Hell in the lines "In what distant deeps or skies, Burnt the fire of thine eyes!" Is his creator God or Satan, and as we know it is God. The lines in the Lamb poem "He became a little child: I a child and thou a lamb" describe god's children, his creations. Also, the Lamb of God in Christianity is Jesus. He is associated with all the character traits of a Lamb -- gentle, kind, innocent, etc. The last question posed was "Why would God create something so nasty when he can create something so lovely? The answer? -- to keep things, such as the population balanced, with good and bad, and to make life more interesting, especially in animals, humans, and nature. God makes us ask questions such as these so we can figure things out for ourselves in this world. Blake writes these questions as us, the children of God, asking where we come from, who we are, and where does everything in our lives come from? They are all answered in the poem through both the Lamb and the Tyger.

Reflection of Shelley and Byron

The two poems by Byron that we read were both wonderful love poems. One is about his loss of a loved one and the other one intricately describes his lover, comparing her to a perfectly clear and starry night. She is mysterious, unique, angelic, and graceful. Part of her is hidden because you can only see half of her face, her profile. This mysterious and half hidden woman is unique because you can only see her complete self if you go looking for it. The poem is written as if her true colors are only expressed and shown at night, but still even in the middle paragraph it describes her only being partially seen, hidden by her luscious, long, shiny and wavy, black, hair. She is unique in the fact that you do not truly know her. Her mysteriousness makes you want to find out more about her. It's like someone getting in a trance, it being completely dark and all you see is one light and you follow it around, as you walk deeper and deeper into the woods to figure her out. (Examples: a cat chasing a red light; Finding Nemo -- Dory chases an angel fish.) At least, that's what the poem makes me feel. I wonder about her characteristics and how such  a beautiful sounding woman can be so mysterious at the same time and we have no idea what she is like. His poem about his loss of a loved one is sad and depressing. It makes you feel sorrow for him. The way he writes his poems and describes his feelings just make you feel as if you are in his shoes, feeling the same thing he is feeling. Great poets can have that impact. On the other hand, Shelly's poem, called "The Waning Moon" is short, but very descriptive. It is a simile between a dying woman and a waning moon, or a moon that is getting smaller. A dying woman would be diminishing, her bones becoming frail and weak, and a waning moon becomes smaller and smaller, just as a dying woman would. The first four lines are describing the dying woman and then the last two explain how he compares her to a waning moon. I found it interesting how these lines came at the end instead of being the beginning two lines of a simile, introducing the comparison first. This poem was very vivid in detail and is a great comparison of two things you would never think to compare until you read about it in a poem and think to yourself, wow, what great poetry. I really enjoyed reading these poems, especially the romantic poetry by Byron, although I am not a great producer of poems, I do very much enjoy reading the romantics.

Reflection of "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" and "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge" by William Wordsworth

Wordsworth's poems are similar and yet very different. One talks about the beauty of nature and how it flourishes and grows even when left untouched and the other is about the city. They are similar because they have certain rhyme schemes and are both written around the same time."I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is about Wordsworth's reaction to rationalization and industrialization of nature, cities, and societies in comparison to the poem "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge", which is a sonnet, of 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme. The tones are very different and the first one makes me feel more peaceful when reading it. The music also helped along with the pictures you showed us in class as you read it. The second poem seemed talks more about the beauty of the city, which isn't as peaceful, but busy and confusing.

Original Poem Inspired by Wordsworth

Sick and tired of this crappy weather
Doesn't April showers bring May flowers?
Wind blowing leaves, the sun out for hours
Short sun dresses, flip flops, boots of leather
No more Uggs, clothes as light as a feather
Surprisingly snow and not many showers
Spring thus far has not shown many powers
Softball season brings gloves made of leather
Metal bats make neon yellow balls fly
Finally some snow goes away; game day!
If you don't win the game, try not to cry
Hang outside in the nice weather to play
All the snow has now finally passed by
Spring is here; Doesn't that make you shout "Yay!"

Why do we strive for perfection?

I believe most people strive for perfection so they can be the perfect person that the world around them wants them to be. Although, I think you should just be yourself and who you want yourself to be, it is the people around you and the pressure to be "perfect" that takes over. I, myself, know that my parents are a big part of my struggle for perfection. I want to be everything they want me to be and more. In both academics and athletics, my parents push me to do my best and I understand that, but when I try my hardest and am still told that anything in the B range is unacceptable, it's a little disappointing. No one wants to be a disappointment to their parents. It's a struggle to be the person everyone wants you to be, so you just have to be who you want to be. It's your life. When I know I haven't put forth my best effort, that's when I get disappointed at myself. I will say that I put enough pressure on myself because I want to do my best all the time and I guess you could say when it comes to school work that I am quite a perfectionist. I like to be very organized too, that way it is easy to find what I need in my room. The people around me, such as friends and teachers, put just as much pressure on you for perfection as your parents do. You have a certain label on you in high school and you are expected to get a certain grade on your tests or perform a certain way in an important game. I think perfectionism is okay in some cases, if you put it on yourself to do your best, and as long as it doesn't completely control you. I understand there are wrong reasons to strive for perfection, but you can lift those pressures off of you by thinking about what is best for you personally. I set goals for myself and then try to abide by them throughout everything I do in my life, academically, athletically, and socially. Yes, you will not always be perfect, but it is the faults and mistakes we make in our lives that we learn from to fix our problems and become better people. And to the people that really matter, you will always be perfect, even with your faults. Lastly, people strive for perfection so they can bring up their ego and popularity status. Everyone wishes to be popular in their life. I have never once wished that. I just hope that my friends are my real friends and will accept me for who I am. I have been mediocre my whole life in the stereotypical high school scale of popularity and I am perfectly fine with it. As long as I have a supporting group of friends and family, I am perfectly happy with my life.

10 Things I Believe In.....

In no particular order....
1. Positivity; the glass is always half full.
2. Concentrate on what you can control, not what you don't have control over.
3. Carry out all your promises.
4. Live life to its fullest.
5. True love does exist.
6. Music is the best solution to any problem.
7. Communication is key in life, with all types of relationships. (bosses, teachers, family, friends, and lovers, etc)
8. Failure is a part of life, but you will never know unless you try.
9. You are who you choose to become. No one can control your actions, but you. So be your best every time.
10. The way people act around you is based upon your personality.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

If I could not fail at something, there are a few things I would want to do. First, I would want to be able to fly. I always thought that would be cool soaring through the sky, high up above the trees, looking down on everyone below me. It would be a fast and efficient way of travel because no cars or people would get in your way. I would not fail at this, like a friend of mine once told me a story (someone in our English class, you may be able to guess...) She jumped off of a bunk bed when she was home alone when with her younger sister whom told her that she could fly. She believed it and broke her hip, ending up in the hospital. I guess she learned not to listen to her younger sibling. Secondly, I would love to be able to read thoughts. Not like walking down the street, hearing the thoughts of everyone you pass by, but being able to control it. If I was curious about what someone is thinking whilst they're giving me a different response, I can just hear, myself, what they're really thinking about. It would give me a certain advantage in certain situations. Lastly, if I could not fail, I would like to not fail at an unwanted death. I would like to fully live out my life. I do not want to fail in my life. I want to have as a successful life as I can and die of natural causes, when my body is ready to. If possible, I would not want to fail at an unnatural death, such as a car accident. Unfortunately, none of these responses are likely whatsoever, but it's okay to have wishes sometimes!

Home Feels Like.....

Home to me has many different meanings. My home changes everywhere I go. During the school year, Cushing is my home. During the summer, I live at the house I grew up in. Occasionally, I'll stay at a friend's house or visit family for a few weeks. I make their house, my home. I am so comfortable around those people, that I really do feel at home. Although, I may not be sleeping in my own bed, it is the people whom I live with that make me feel at home. At Cushing, I have made so many friends and a few very good friends that I would trust with my life. I was able to adjust quickly to the environment at a boarding school, something that was new to me and I've enjoyed it so much. My parents like to tell me, like any parent would, that I am ungrateful, but honestly, I am so glad they've given me this opportunity to enrich my life. When I'm not living at home, with my wonderful sisters, or lying in my own bed, dreaming away my future, I am comfortable to be here, at Cushing, a second home to me. When visiting family or a friend, usually I have a blast because they know just what to do to make me feel at home, and they do not hesitate to ask me to be myself. Really, my family and friends make up the feeling of home. My real home, my childhood house, the one I go back to every summer and school break feels like a relief when I go back, but sometimes, I dread returning home, not because of the feeling, but because of arguing with the people I love. I never seem to end on a good note when going back to school. Home to me doesn't have a specific smell or feel, but I always love the feel of my bed after being at school for a long time, and I always miss the smell of my dad's cologne and mother's perfume, which don't just waft in the house, but whenever they visit me here at school. They make me think of home when I see them visiting me, here, at Cushing, or whenever I see a picture of one of my sisters, I usually become pretty emotional, because I miss the feeling of my real home, although I'm just as comfortable here, I do miss my family, sometimes.