Hating Poetry

A)I hate writing poems with a passion
B)complicated writing is how it sounds

A) it’s bad combination of words, rhymes clashing

B) it's a dreaded unit every year round

C) so I sit writing a sonnet, pondering
D)what’s the point? what’s the use? waste of good time
C)when will this be over I’m wondering
D)rather go outside, enjoy the sunshine

E) here’s the stanza where I add a cool twist
F) I don’t know how cause sonnets aren’t cool
E)maybe I’m beginning to get the jist
F) hope that was cool, it’s a good writing tool

G)one more line after this really bad one

G) I made it, and finally I am done

Money and Work

This was overall a pretty confusing reading. I think that the only reason why I was so high on Thoreau’s writing style at first was because it was much easier to decipher than Moby Dick. Now after doing more reading I’m starting to dislike it because it’s pretty confusing also. I just wish I could read a book written by a newer author so I could appreciate the story more. On the note of Thoreau’s views on money, I thought they were very interesting. He decided to only make money for himself and make all his own food and live off his own needs rather than making profit to attain his wants. He would grow his own food and only take it for himself. He didn’t need an income because he was only focusing on his own needs. I find this approach interesting because it’s just a cool idea that someone could just live off what they make for themselves not working unless it’s to provide themselves a need. On the other hand however, this couldn’t work if everyone did this because economies are built off of people’s drive to gain money. Everyone’s job helps someone else directly or indirectly. If everyone worked for themselves they would need all the skills that they usually would just pay someone else to be good at. If someone is good at something they can provide a unique service that people will pay them to provide, if everyone did their own thing and worked for themselves then everyone would need to have all those skills that we in our world today pay others to provide. This was an interesting take on money and work, although it was a little tedious, it’s a unique thought. 

The Charles River

The boathouse is a place I go everyday of the week but Sunday. I get to spend time next to or on the Charles River every day. Everybody knows everyone on the team of 45. Every practice starts with dynamic stretches while we all talk about our days and the dread of what the days practice might bring. Rowing is an irrelevant sport but it's a growing one and it brings people together. The best part maybe however, may be the scenery. Each day we get to propel ourselves down a river directly down the center of a beautiful city. In every direction is a new interesting sight. I love the Charles and I’m so happy I get to spend so much time there. The trees and buildings all around and tourists sitting by the river taking pictures, even if rowing is irrelevant this makes it so I can at least pretend that I have spectators. The boathouse itself is also quite an interesting building. It’s a very modern, new building with a floor on top full of about 100 ergs, and below endless amounts of different types of boats. The dock is the longest dock in the city and it can hold maybe ten full sized boats end to end. I am very grateful that I get to spend so much time at such a high quality and special place. I will be sad to say good by to it as I am leaving next year

Reading Thoreau

The materialistic value of things is wildly overrated. People spend so much time buying piles of clothes and gadgets they believe will make them happier and more well-liked. In Henry David Thoreau's book Walden he talks about clothing and shelter, he speaks on how living on the absolute bare minimum can be an incredible and eye-opening experience. He talks about how it has become normal for people to work their whole life for a bigger house when really, a bigger house makes you no happier than before. He also writes on how we are slaves to fashion and having more stuff with fancy brand names makes us no more appealing to others and no happier. 

Thoreau talks about, in his clothing section of the essay, what one wears is not an art. The way I interpreted him saying this is that being artistic is a talent, because it requires skill, being fashionable is only for those who can afford to be. If wearing clothes that are stylish was an art then one could simply just buy their way to the top. He goes on to explain how people are constantly buy new clothing and wearing it only while it’s still in style, "Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” When he starts speaking on shelter as a necessity. He talks about people who spend their whole life working get a big house, but for thousands and thousands of years people lived in caves or wooden structures or tents, the truth is we would be perfectly fine without our big fancy houses, we are just so used to them that we would be helpless without them. If society reverted back to its old ways of living in caves etc. gradually things would be fine and people would still be happy.

I believe the ideas that Thoreau has got his readers to ponder are very interesting and thought provoking. Also, Thoreau explains these thoughts so well that they can make anyone stop and think. The world back then was a 100 times more simple than it is now and that makes him even more correct in his views on clothing and shelter evolution. There is surely a reason why he has become one of the most famous and well liked writers ever. His thoughts are just so interesting and he explores them so perfectly with clear effort not into each word of each sentence. Thoreau is a great writer, I really appreciate his delicate sentences and deep thought. Everything about his writing style fits me as a reader and I can’t wait to read more of his incredible essays

Thoreau's essays get people thinking about new things. I feel like Thoreau is the type of person to have quotes on one of those "Thought For The Day" calendars and he would be perfect for it. In these essay he has people now, in the 21st century thinking about living primitive lives. If we gave up or homes, clothing money, video games, gadgets etc. Would it really be that bad?

A Sense Of Belonging

It is hard for one to name all the necessities of life for there are so many of them; however, those that come to mind immediately when this question is asked, are family and a sense of belonging. These go hand and hand because when one has no where to go, and no sense of belonging, family is always there. The overarching necessity of life is belonging. Everyone has to belong in some place or activity or community. Certain individuals believe that they can survive alone but the truth is every needs to have a place that involves other people, where they feel safe and comfortable. Without any security, any person would go insane. Loneliness is a true danger and nobody deserves the pain that it brings. There is truly nothing worse than feeling unconfident or uncomfortable everywhere, that is why everyone needs a place to go. Family is a good safety valve for anyone feeling lonely but unfortunately not everyone is lucky enough to have that option for whatever reason. Those who don’t must not wait for something good to come to them, it is imperative that they go out and search for it themselves. 

The Contrast of Seasons

Fall

Small brown seeded leaves

Slowly float down from the tree tops

Spinning like helicopters

A small child of three

Drowns in a pile of leaves

A rainbow of autumn tints in the air

Sun peeks through the trees

Like a game of peek a boo 

As the car cruises down the street

Autumn weather

Sunny with a breeze and a nip

We all wear shorts anyway

Metacognition:

I enjoyed writing these haikus. Fall is a very easy season to write about for me because I am lucky enough to live in the best place in America for fall. There are so many colors and the sun shines perfectly on the road. Haikus are actually more fun than I remember. It’s a really cool formatted way to get thoughts condensed and profoundly described and expressed. 

Winter

Bare trees everywhere 

A sheet of white specks fall

From the deep grey sky

I wake up to silence

Roll on my left to check my clock

10:00 a snow day at last

Court vision predicting the future

So smooth as he sprints down the court

Lob and the finish brings all to their feet 

Slicing down the hill

Out of control grinning ear to ear

Dreading the day's end

Metacognition:

Once again the weather in New England comes in handy for this poem. In some places it’s essentially the same weather all year round but here even though I hate the cold we can say that we experience a "real winter" which has lots of aspects to do with weather, sports and so

Now days. It was quite easy to wright these shorts styled poems on such an easy topic that takes up a big part of many people lives who live here. 

Spring

Spring is confused

A recovery from winter

An anticipation for summer

Splashing in the water

Sweat dripping down my face

You can always work harder 

Days counting down

Slowly, patiently waiting 

For the freedom of summer

Best time of year for sports

High stakes all around

Predictions, money, and pride 

Metacognition:

I think this for me is the most difficult season to create haikus for by far. Besides sports spring is nothing special for me. It’s a transition season and there’s no unique thing to write about the weather. I think these are my worst haikus and all the seasons are much easier. Winter there’s cold, fall there’s New England leaves and summer is summer but spring is pretty boring. 

Summer

Outside all day

Living of ice cold lemonade

Stress free and happy

The calm vibe of the lake

Soft laughter and joy all around

No place we’d rather be

Schools out finally

No more worrying, no more problems

Pure excitement and fun

The sun shines bright

Sweat drips and smiles widen

Joy of the outdoors

Metacognition:

I always enjoy writing about summer. What’s not to like. I can write about camp, baseball, friends, the weather or jus how everyone’s mood is better in the summer. It’s such a contrast to the middle of February where every is angry and grumpy to mid June when there is so much fun to be had ahead and nobody can stress about anything. This will most likely be my last summer where I get to do almost purely what u want because after this summer I think it’s important that I be productive whether it’s getting a job, training for a sport or two, or both working and training. 

An "Essay"

This is my first essay where I have the complete freedom to do whatever I want and I’m looking forward to it. Not really but for the purpose of sounding good I’ll say I’m excited and I’ll be enthusiastic for the rest of this essay. I don’t have to follow any rubrics or worry about a thesis statement and the freedom feels great. In other words, I don’t have to be a machine haha get it. Anyway I just think the best way for me to do this assignment is to just get a few quotes, analyze and make some connections to my own life and hopefully reach 600 words. How’s that for a thesis statement. 

"I have lived some thirty years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors. They have told me nothing, and probably cannot tell me anything to the purpose. Here is life, an experiment to a great extent untried by me; but it does not avail me that they have tried it."

First of all I think that this is an incredible quote because it’s 64 words so take that. My favorite line is when he compares life to an experiment. It really puts everything into a very interesting perspective. I love how Thoreau writes and what he writes about because it is very relatable. There have been countless times in my life where I have had adhere to the "because I said so" B.S. that my parents always pull on me. We aren’t on equal platforms is what they say, if I yell at you and you yell at me then you have to apologize first always. It’s ridiculous. I guess maybe with parents its different because I’m supposed to be respectful because they buy everything for me and love me and work really hard every day for me, but I don’t see why I always have to listen to their advice. The "because I said so" thing doesn’t bother me nearly as much as when they give my advice (keyword advice) and then if I don’t listen they say I’m being disrespectful. If they are always gonna get mad at me for not listening to their advice then it shouldn’t be formulated as advice. The worst part of all of it that makes me the most mad is that their advice is always right and my parents do not hold back on rubbing it in. So I guess this whole paragraph was a whole pointless complaint where I made statements and then proceeded to prove myself wrong. I’m glad I got it out of my system on paper though because my parents have really been bothering me lately with their stupid authority. 

"Actually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men; his labor would be depreciated in the market. He has no time to be anything but a machine."

To be honest I don’t really get this quote. However I am really enjoying this assignment even though I tried to make a joke in the first paragraph about not actually liking it, I’m having fun. I’ve gotten to contradict my self multiple times on multiple topics and I have used like one comma and that feels pretty good, even though I will go back and add some in. The way I am interpreting this quote is that its saying people are becoming more and more inhuman and relying on routine. Get up, go to work/school, get home, eat, sleep repeat. Lots of people live their lives this way because they have no choice, a lot of times it’s only people who can afford to have every day be different who aren’t like machines, but in order to be successful and make money, you have to form habits and rituals for everyday, otherwise you will be spending too much time on things that aren’t work and in our society that’s not really accepted if you want make money to feed your family. Since so many people live their lives this way I think it connects to the previous quote which talks about how Thoreau believes that age doesn’t bring knowledge unless you have been living your life a certain way. If an old person has been living their whole life robotically and they don’t take they team to look around, learn and change then they haven’t really gained any knowledge from experience. In other words those people are so focused on their usual habits that they don’t learn new things every day or gain knowledge because everyday is the same. 

I just successfully wrote about 200 words in five minutes. That’s why most of that last paragraph is just me rambling and rambling and it may be pretty boring to read because I just said what I wanted with no guidelines. I can see how being a writer would be a pretty meditative and interesting job because it’s so free. Even if a writer never gets very successful, I truly believe it makes you a happier person. It’s the perfect way to vent and get a point across. This was my favorite assignment of the year and I hope we do a few more of these, even though I know we can’t to an unlimited amount. On to my math homework. 

Hints Of Poetry

The Tech Booth

A quiet place 

Away from the rest

Quiet whispers all around

Desperate attempts at grasping to air

In efforts to not make a sound

The background noise of a performance put together with care

Music in our ears and mischievous chatter

Quiet enough so we don’t cause a clatter

Metacognition

Poetry is my least favorite part of English and I drew having to suffer through it each year. I try my best and I have usually been relatively successful but I still really dislike the style of literature. I really respect people who are creative enough to make what is considered "good" poetry because I find it very difficult. With this poem I was just trying to rhyme a few words and talk about what I was doing at the team and I hoped it would turn alright. I appreciate writing stories or analytical papers much more because that is what I am good at. I like to illustrate rather than confuse which is how I see poetry. 

Crows and Swallows

You Are Probably Asleep Right Now...

I really like the image that this poem creates. The late night image with the TV glowing. It’s a very calming poem. The description of natural sounds and darkness is soothing. The poem starts off as though the writer is just muttering to himself but the last stanza is very meaningful and profound. 

The Fire Still Smolders...

This is an emotional poem. It uses very good vocabulary and it’s is almost like a work of art, each word seems to be so carefully chosen. It’s a personal topic which makes all those words so much more meaningful and touching. Leaving the reader almost without words and just to sit with there thoughts after an incredibly moving last stanza. 

Me And God Have A Deal...

This is a humorous poem which is kind of nice to read coming immediately after a much more nostalgic and emotional poem. It’s funny because it’s very relatable. I can remember times when I’ve prayed for things to appear out of nowhere or for things to go my way but I don’t go to church and I don’t pray daily. Love God when you want him and right after forget about him. 

My Poem

The Music Plays In My Ear....

Upbeat and and Pleasant

A background noise for focusing

However, sometimes I just sit

And stare into space as I listen carefully

To all the work put into each track

The beat

The lyrics

The flow

The emotion

and tone

What was the motive for writing each song?

What is going on in this person life that inspires them to make this song?