Poetry Chapbook

Poetry Chapbook

Poem 1-

Flying Bear

Dropout bear

Ye’s bear

Everyones bear

He shoots up into the sky and people watch him pass by

Graduation

Like a bolt of lightning nothings gonna stop him now

Teddy bear

Kanye bear

Everyones bear

Like a shooting star he flies way up

Up to the moon and beyond

Nothing gonna stop him now

Stop him now

Stop him now

I wrote this poem inspired by Kanye West, one of the greatest rap artists and poets out there.  This was based off of the album cover of Graduation, his 3^rd album and is widely considered to be one of his best.  In this poem I used short lines to emphasize the meaning of the couple of words on each line. I also used a heavy amount of repitition to let one line sink into the readers head, therefore giving the poem greater meaning.

Poem 2 (Haikus)-

Pointed mountain tops

Fill the sky

White snow everywhere

Jutted mountain peaks

Tower so tall

Blue sky

Steep slopes in the distance

Orange cloudy sky

Moody

I wrote these poems inspired by the mountain range of the Himalayas, more specifically a picture taken of Mount Everest. These poems are short but convey lots of meaning about the setting of what I based them off of.  I used simple words and even lines with singular words to show simplicity but at the same time a very complex meaning.

Heart Poem Essay-

            My heart poem that I chose was Starry Night by Anne Sexton. This was a great poem to analyze and to think critically about. It also contains a great variety of literary devices and sophisticated, unusual words.  The poem also has great meaning to it and can be interpreted in a wide view of angles. The poem also has personal meaning to me and most people that end up reading this poem can connect to it one way or another.

            This poem utilizes lots of personification, metaphors and similies which gives the poem great depth and meaning. For example an excellent simile that was used in the poem would be “One black haired tree slips up like a drowned woman into the hot night sky.”  This compares the large, hulking tree in the foreground of the poem to a a big figure, namely a drowned woman in the night sky.  This is a powerful simile and gives this big mysterious figure life or something that had a different life. An example of personification in the poem would be “Even the moon bulges in its orange irons to push children, like a god.”  This gives life to something that otherwise wouldn’t have life and is an in animate object. In this case the moon is given human characteristics and is doing something that a human would usually do. This shows how the literary devices in the poem give it much greater depth and meaning.

            The poem also has some personal meaning to it aswell and does a great job of giving somebody elses perspective of The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh.  It describes the main and essential parts of the painting and compares them to many different things. For example it talks abut the sky, the stars, the trees ant the small town in the background of the painting and gives them a personality and something deeper to them. The poem has personal meaning to me too.  It gives one of my favorite paintings by one of the most famous artists a personality and explores multiple meanings behind the poem.

Book Essay

You would think that growing up in a room with no connection to the outside world would be horrible and degrading to your mind. However this is surprisingly the opposite for Jack a kid who was supposedly born into captivity. In the book Room by Emma Donoghue a kid learns to grow up, with his mother in a world of darkness but is somehow intelligent about the world surrounding him.

Since the characters of this book are living in a tiny world of darkness, the reader may make expectations about how much the characters know about the outside world and regular American ways. Jack, a 5 year old boy that has never seen the outside world and whose only  other human connection to him is his is 27 year old mom has a decent level of knowledge that the average 5 year old would have, even without any schooling or people teaching him. For example Jack can speak relitively good English even though the only other person he’s heard speak is his mother and himself. He also picks up various things from watching TV shows such as Sponge Bob, or Dora the Explorer and learns a bit more about how the world ouside of his room works and functions. This shows that even though Jack has been trapped inside a tiny room for his entire life he still has some intelligence of the outside world.

On the other hand because he has had no worldy exposuere some things that his mom shows him or things he watches on TV he can sometimes mistake for being either something real or something else that is fake. He is often met with certain questions that if he was a normal 5 year old he could answer with ease but instead he wont know what to say because he knows nothing of the world. For example someone on TV that speaks in a different language that he doesn’t know about he will call a fake or made up language that people only use in TV shows or movies.  He also cannot read that well so he is forced to only read picture books or simple books or else he wont understand their meaning.

Even though he obviously has flaws, the fact that he was raised with nobody but his mother and knows what he knows is incredible. He obviously knows less then the average 5 year old he has much more knowledge then anybody else that was his age and in his situation.  He can learn how to mesure himself and make musical beats on different items without any background in these areas. These two things are something that even a normal 5 year old wouldn’t know how to do and some of his knowledge is even greater then a normal kid.

            Even as unfortunate as jack is and his situations are there is always a bright side to to everything that they do. This text shows that you can make something out of nothing and that you can learn a certain amount of knowledge from literally living in the dark.

Authors Note

            Many people think that they can do anything without work and effort, they also think that they can achieve something without doing that once. This is a false conception that many people share with each other and is a problem in this society.  For example most highly successful athletes and businessmen never started off naturally being able to do a certain craft right away. A prime example is Michael Jordan, who didn’t make his high school basketball team and was told by many people that he would never be successful. After pushing and persevering he was eventually able to make himself one, if not the best basketball players of all time. Michael Jordan is a prime example of someone who practically everyone knows, not giving up and not listening to negativity but making himself into something.

            I learned this the hard way when I thought that I could play basketball and immediately be amazing at it.  I learned that this is completely wrong and that my prediction was very wrong.  I started off horrible and mediocre at it and thought of giving up multiple times but friends and family pushed my up and convinced me to keep going.  Eventually I found myself doing really good and using skills I have acquired over the last few years of playing on the court to improve my game.  I am still by no means a great player, but a better one then I would have been if I had given up before. Writing this book is very important to me so I can share an important story of perseverance and not ever giving up.

            My hope for this story is that my readers will take this book and reflect on their lives and tell themselves not to give up even after harsh times. Whether that’s giving up on homework or something bigger like a sport or an education.

Synthesis page

Synthesis Page For: I Am Hostage Three.

                  How does the relationship between Amy and Farouz effect the storyline of the book.   

A hostage, Amy developed a relationship with one of the pirates, Farouz and they are secretly meeting with and have feelings for each other.  This was extremely problematic for them two and the rescue mission that came after the hostages. This relationship also came out of no where and I found myself in shock after finding this out. (This began on page 110) At the end of the book Farouz, the pirate unfortunately gets killed which was saddening but also predictable. The author chose to make Farouz someone that the reader could feel bad about and like because he often tells stories of his homeland, Somalia and the hardships that he has faced and why he was forced into the life of piracy. He often explains that he never wanted to do this and that he was forced into his position. In the end when he dies the reader will feel heart broken and will feel for the characters of the book. Lots of books feature this kind of relationship, where two unsuspecting people fall in love with each other then one of them will be found in an unfortunate situation. I think it was good to have a plot twist like this or else the book would have been boring and no where as interesting to read. 

A relationship as obscure as this can symbolize that you can find love anywhere, even if its in the middle of a hostage situation, but that nothing lasts forever and anything can happen at any time.  This book was unique because all along I had a prediction that he was going to end up dead. On page 327 The pirates are onshore with their randsom money and the navy kills every last one of the pirates, including Farouz which left Amy heartbroken and in shock.  This also leaves the readers in shock because we develop such a close relationship and start to feel for the character in the end of the book.  We also know that he is a good person and know that he doesn’t deserve to be put to this fate at the end of the book.

I think that the author of the book wrote this book for a couple reasons one of which to show that the weirdest things can come out of a weirder situation.  This element of the book shows readers that anything can happen even if you don’t expect it.  One more reason that the author wrote this book is to spread awareness on the situation in Somalia.  For example on page 230, Farouz is telling Amy a story about his country and it really makes you feel bad for his people and the conditions of what they are living through.  There is lots of poverty and violence in Somalia that many western people do not know about, including myself. This book spreads awareness about this topic even though this information is often shown indirectly to the reader.

Banned books essay

             Have you ever wanted to read a book or watch a movie that was being banned by your school or community? This type of banning goes on quite often, more often than you might think. The book The Perks Of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a challenged and commonly banned book. Some people believe that is should be banned and others feel the opposite.  This novel features actions and topics that some people may consider inappropriate, but overall there are big overlapping lessons in this novel that are valuable to all of its readers and may be used for the remainder of their lives.

            There are many positive outcomes to reading banned or challenged books independently or in school.  Banned books often feature questionable or explicit content.  For example, in the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower there are many examples of drug use, sex, and gay bashing. This content can be seen by some as provoking younger audiences to experiment with inappropriate activities, but many people are taking a different perspective on the substance in the novel and think that this exposure can teach readers valuable life lessons.  In her article “Darkness to Visible”, Amanda Harper states, “Books with questionable content provide teachable moments for readers and their families.” Not only can this book teach lessons to teenagers, it can provide cause and effect to the characters actions.  For example, the main character Charlie in the book takes LSD, a powerful hallucinogenic drug.  The book doesn’t glorify using drugs, but rather provides insight into the terrible effect these drugs can have on people who take them. So by reading this novel teenagers are provided with important lessons about growing up, a much better use of these so called questionable novels than keeping them on the do not read list.

            On the other hand, many people may not want their teenage children to be reading novels like The Perks of a Wallflower because they feel the content could convince developing and curious minds to practice certain inappropriate things.  For example, they see the main character doing drugs such as smoking, and will want to test it out for themselves.  The strong and mature themes that are presented in novels such as these can be seen as providing negative models and examples to teenagers who are easily influenced and possible willing participants.   This is reflected in the article “Can Book Censorship Save Children and Their Innocence” by Jake Rich who states, “Some people may not be comfortable with the idea of a book containing such subject matter being readily available to middle schoolers.” The content may bring up touchy subjects that the readers’ parents might not want their kids to yet explore.  They feel that their child will emulate the actions of the characters in the book.

            Even though some parents may not want kids to be reading banned books, there is a much greater benefit to letting teens read novels like Perks of Being a Wallflower.  These novels provide teens a great example of a person of similar age going through problems that many young people face in that period of their life.  These problems can be anything from bullying to friendship. Reading books with topics that are prevalent in their lives and those around them can be a great learning experience for kids growing up.  A novel such as this can also teach teens how to deal with social problems in their lives and help other kids manage these problems.  For example, a novel that describes bullying and the experiences of the victims will provide the reader insight on how it feels to have this happen to you.  This will discourage the reader to participate in such negative activities.

            The benefits to reading banned books far outweighs the negatives of reading them.  There are many lessons that kids can learn from a novel like The Perks of Being a Wallflower like how to deal with social issues in their lives.  If a teen is prevented from reading this type of content they may never learn how to better handle the social problems mentioned when it occurs to them or to their friends.

Works Cited

-Chbosky, Stephen.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York. Gallery Books, 1999

-Gurdon, Meghan Cox. "Darkness Too Visible." WSJ. Wall Street Journal, 4 June 2011. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.

-Rich, Jake. "Can Book Censorship save Our Children and Their Innocence?" Highlander RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.

Interview:

1: “Why did you decide to become a teacher of the deaf?”

            I decided to become a teacher of the deaf because I have always been fascinated with sign language and spent lots of time as a child with a deaf friend.  This later sparked an interest in teaching deaf kids as a career.

2: “What kind of education did you need to get to become a teacher of the deaf?”

           

            I have a Masters of Arts degree in education, specifically related to deafness from Teachers College, Columbia University.

3: “Do you enjoy your job as a teacher of the deaf?”

            Yes, even with some of the stress related, it is always a very fulfilling experience.

4: “If there were one thing to change about this job what would it be?”

            I enjoy my job very much, but one thing that I would change would be to have more time available during work hours to fulfill all my responsibilities.

5: “How do you change the world, even in a small way?”

            I work with deaf and hard of hearing children regularly, providing them assistance in mainstream hearing classrooms.  In doing so, the children that I work with are able to hopefully grow as learners and be successful in the classroom and in their future.  I am also fortunate enough to work with the same children for many years, so I can track their growth over a number of years.  It’s always very fulfilling to witness the development of the children I have worked with.

Independent reading book response:

           

            In my independent reading book, Hostage 3, the focus and issue is on Somali pirates, and tells a story of a luxury yacht being hijacked by a group of money hungry pirates.  These kinds of attacks happen very often and are a pretty big issue

that is constantly happening everywhere off the Somali coast.

            The pirates often pillage a large boat in search for any valuables and money that they may be able to bring back to their town or villages where money is greatly needed.  They also take the passengers and crew of the boat hostage in hopes that they will receive a large chunk of ransom money from anyone willing to pay it.  The pirates could get anywhere from $1,000,000 to $10,000,000 dollars depending on how many hostages they are keeping.  If the money is not received in a certain period of time the pirates will often kill or threaten to kill the hostages in front of anyone trying to capture them, such as the U.S Navy, which patrols the water east of Somalia.

            This book however sheds some light on the pirates and what they are facing back at home.  The pirates and their family are usually poor and famine struck people that cannot use or accomplish the things anyone in a western country could.  They usually have almost no food to feed their family and have no means o getting medicine to treat and care for their loved ones.  Piracy is the only way lots of these Somali people can be able to get what they need.  They often target ships or yachts that are big and luxury to be able to maximize on their stolen items.  This book defiantly tells the reader a different side of Somali piracy that other more closed minded people wouldn’t have thought before

           

Something flawed about our society:           

            I think that there are many huge flaws in high school application process in New York City and that the whole process puts unnecessary stress on parent and kids that are applying to high schools.

                    I think one of the huge flaws in the process is that there are certain high

schools that only kids in a certain district in Manhattan can apply to and have a good chance of acceptance. For example Eleanor Roosevelt high school is zoned specifically to district 2, which almost guarantees that if you live anywhere else you will not get accepted.  This pretty much means all of the rich kids who live in the upper east side of the city have better and more schools to apply to then kids in any other part of the city, even if those kids are smarter then the kids in district 2. This is one of the biggest flaws in the high school application process.

            Another flaw in the system is that you can’t get accepted into all of the schools that you apply to and that you are eligible to be accepted to.  For example why cant I get into Beacon and Bard and then choose between the two of them instead of just being able to get into one school on your list.  This would relieve the stress off many kids and parents because you could apply to as many schools as you want and get into as many of them accept you, similarly to how a college application works.  This would be the greatest fix to a generally flawed application process in New York City.

           

Non-Fiction Reading Response

            There is a big problem going on in Hong Kong, China right now. The Chinese government wants to reclaim the once British ruled territory of Hong Kong as its own as opposed to having it be independently ruled by themselves. The upfront article “Democracy Fighters” gives us insight and more information about the protests and issues that the people of Hong Kong are facing at the moment.

            There are currently huge protests in Hong Kong fighting to keep their democracy and freedom and not to allow the communist Chinese government to take over rule.  The Chinese government will not stand down to these protesters in fear of ridicule and they fear it will show a sign of weakness towards their powerful government.  It would be an only last resort for the strong Chinese government to give into the mostly peaceful protests but if they did it would show change in the mostly harsh governing ways of China.

            The protesters come in all different age groups, but the main people who are fighting china are younger kids, mostly college students who don’t want to be in a communism and want to be able to elect their own leaders and not have them forced upon them.  One of the most famous protesters is 18-year-old Joshua Wong who believes in democracy and freedom for the people of Honk Kong.  He and his fellow protesters will not stand down to the Chinese government no matter what lengths they go to make the territory theirs again, even if that means fighting the democracy.  This shows that the younger generation of people in Hong Kong don’t want to have their rights to democracy taken away from them and will possibly go to great lengths to keep their freedom from China.

            This article shows and gives the reader insight on the issues and protests going on in Hong Kong and how people are reacting to these issues that they are faced with. These type of issues have gone on throughout the world and have happened various times, this particular time is a great example of a non-violent protest going on in order for people to retain their freedom and rights that they once had.