The Promised Land 

The dunes of sand (a)

The waves of blue (b) 

The promised land (a)

A new debut  (b)

Hand and hand(c)

The treasure we seek d)

We walked the land (c)

And was so sweet (d)

     Creating this ballad was a beneficial experience which I enjoyed. I was able to generate ideas with a group of focused peers. We generated ideas and gave feedback to each other. During the process of creating my poem I used my resources and rhymed the words with rhyme zone. In conclusion, this was a beneficial process and I’m excited to create more ballads and learn new ones. 

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The King

The first great king  (a)

Oh dunes of sand   (b)

His strong sword swing (a)

Oh grand grass land (b)

We wish him luck  (c)

He will find it  (d)

No not awestruck (c)

The holy writ (d)

Creating this ballad was a very difficult process. I had trouble deciding what the theme of my ballad should be, unlike my most recently written ballad above. So I decided after some thought that it would be about a king finding the holy grit (sacred writings). My writing process was long and there were frequent trips to the website rhyme zone. Many times during the process of writing this ballad I would delete and rewrite sentences to figure out which I liked and sounded the best. I focused on the emotions of a crowd cheering on their king through writing my ballad and attempted to weave them throughout it. In conclusion, my writing process was long and difficult but in the end, I’m happy with the ballad.

    The Wonderful Tool Of Music

“How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our fears, our highest aspirations?” ― Jane Swan

     Music has guided me to find peace within, and find a way to change my attitude. I have turned to it whenever I have needed to free my mind of the roadblocks. Music is tool that allows you to change your mindset, transform your current emotions, and even trick your mind and body to focus.  It can even help to get your blood pumping fast throughout your body. Music has allowed for me to change my mindset when nothing else worked. All with the click of a button or strum of a cord, music can shift my emotions to focus on what is important. The importance of music during my life has been evident on many levels. Music has freed my mind of the stress and helps to set a better tone. If I have work due I will mostly listen to lo fi beats to focus on my work; however, I will listen to rap when I’m warming up for a game. Music is also a tool to transform your mood and end the roadblocks. Whether it is stress or inability to focus, a change of sound can help to prevent the roadblocks; In my life it has helped me countless times and and I know I can rely on it in the future. It doesn’t matter where or when music surrounds everyone. Whenever we speak we produce music, music is a tool to express emotions. Music is emotions, just expressed in a lovely melody. Throughout my life, it has been important in dealing with stress because music allows you to rethink and reflect. Doing so has helped me many times overcome my stress and finish a assignment because I release the emotions that are embedded in all music. Music is a melody of emotions strung together by its listeners, and those emotions will offer the possibility of changing yours. I have used the wonderful offer of music to confront my fears and problems. Music allows me to reflect and alter my attitude, and ultimately to listen, learn, and discover its importance in my life.

Final If Recitment

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and  start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.

WW Fenn literary reflection

“There are three constants in life ... change, choice and principles.”

- Stephen Covey

     The key to furthering your understanding of a piece of literature is picking the right piece. I have decided to pick If by Rudyard Kipling, for my W.W. Fenn piece. When my teacher tasked me with finding a piece I would recite at my death bed, I knew it would be a difficult challenge that would lead to a wonderful piece of literature that I will be able to deliver with passion, clarity, and emotion. Once I read Kipling’s piece, I knew this was the right selection to enable me to deliver to the best of my abilities. I wanted a piece that I would be enjoyable to read and allow me to explore the lessons in the text. Once I found If, I was mesmerized and felt connected to Kipling’s words. I knew that for me to be able to deliver the piece with the best potential permitted, I would need to find a piece I enjoyed reading and discovering the meaning behind the text. With this idea in mind, I came to the conclusion that this classic piece of literature felt right for me. I especially like the motivational aspect of the piece, as well as the idea of believing in oneself. Being a person who used to struggle with confidence, I knew I would be able to deliver the messages in Kipling’s writing with strong, positive emotions. The writing itself is splendid and uniquely able to weave important lessons into the rhythmic writing. The writing conveys important messages and is a true classic that deserves to be heard by all. It is one of the best motivational classic pieces of literature I have ever read. The poet sheds light on his beliefs throughout the writing and he directly empowers people in an attempt to open their eyes into believing in themselves. When I was young, I had little confidence, and this poem’s subject hit me deeply. It made me feel empowered knowing its ideals and lessons will be carried with me throughout my heart until my death. The lessons of a classic live through generations, and this writing thoroughly embodies these expectations. To me, these are just some of the many reasons why   If is a wonderful motivational classic and why I have chosen to read it. In conclusion, I’m excited for the work ahead and for having the opportunity to immerse myself in this piece of classic literature.  I look forward to being able to present my understanding of the values and lessons it taught me and to incorporate them into the speech though my voice.

 If

By - Rudyard Kipling 

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Jack And John 

Classic video project 

Wednesday February 6th 

Patience In Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea

”The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.” - Vladimir Nabokov

     Patience leads to worthwhile experiences. Patience in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea lead me to understand the themes and purpose of the plot, discover and dig more deeply, and expand upon my thoughts about the literature. Reading Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea helped me to overcome the obstacles of patience. It forced me to rethink and revisits the recurring themes. Patience allowed me to read in a more active and engaged way than I have ever before. With patience, I was able to understand the complex text and learn that reading the classics can be worthwhile experiences. 

     In the beginning of my experience with Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, I would have strongly recommended not reading what I saw as a dull piece of classic literature. The literature proved to be a difficult challenge, and the expectation to find recurring themes made me angry at the writing and caused me to despise the reading log we had been tasked with doing. But soon, I began to have patience in my reading which led to a slow reading process, yet intuitive process. I learned how to manage my reading blocks effectively. Patience also guided me throughout the challenges and I was able to persevere with the reading and enjoy the worthwhile experience of reading a classic peace of literature. 

     In the end, I saw that all of the difficulties had been worth it. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea taught me the valuable lesson that reading a classic can be a wonderful experience. Patience with your classic book can expand your vocabulary and enrich your experience of reading the book. I learned to be patient and search for recurring themes woven throughout the book, and ultimately was able to experience this adventurous novel filled with immense detail, ambitious decisions, and a discovery called Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. I’m thankful for my resilience and the patience this book has taught me. It allowed me to persevere and use these entities because with them I was able to understand, uncover, and enjoy the worthwhile experiences woven throughout the novel.