Monday, January 3, 2011
Blogging Community
As I was blogging today, I began to look around at other blogs. I came across a great student blog called “The Life and Works of John Keats.” This blog caught my attention because of the beautiful colors and with a closer look you can also see snow flakes falling, but while watching the video I would be distracted because the snow flakes would go in front of the video. “The Life and Works of John Keats” is an easy to navigate blog. On this blog, you will see that they do not just go over one poem (like ours does), but it goes over multiple poems of John Keats. A few of the poems are: “Isabella or The Pot of Basil,” “Ode to Autumn,” “Bright Star,” “When I have fears that I may cease to be,” and I am sure there will be more to come. “The Life and Works of John Keats” did not just go over poems, but they also go over John Keats life, his love life, how Keats’ works has influents in today’s pop culture and music, and once again I am sure there will be more. They have also made their own poems. One of their own poems is called “Winter Break Prose Poem.” In this poem, I believe it shows what most of the kids are thinking before, during, and after winter break. I like the way the poem uses visual imagery, sensual representation, detail, metaphor, simile, alliteration, and symbolism. The authors of “The Life and Works of John Keats” are three students from Mr. Turner, fifth period class. The author’s names are Zack Richmond, Tina Ho, and Heidi McGill. I think that this group of brilliant student has cover “The Life and Works of John Keats” fully. Go and look at their blog yourself. Here is the link to the blog “The Life and Works of John Keats.”
Broken Arm (Prose Poem)
Waking up to the sound of my alarm clock beeping, I knew it was going to be a great day of snowboarding. Looked outside to see the sun shining down on me, and it felt like a rush of energy just hit me. As I walked outside to my friend’s car, I looked over and saw the beautiful mountain. It was reflecting the sun, and giving it a nice shining, white look. As we pull in to Timberline parking lot, I noticed there was a lot of people. I felt as if there was a grain of sand for every person there. When I got out of the car I slipped of a pat of ice and almost landed face first. When I was putting my snowboard boots on, I could here two Timberline parking crew talk about how overnight they had received over six inches of new snow. As I was walking up the hill of the parking lot, my friend was said, “This is going to be a sick, blue bird day!” When we finish walking up the hill, we looked over the resort. As we began to strap in I noticed that one of my bindings was lose; so I asked my friend for his binding tool. When I was finish tightening my binding, and began to strap in again, my friend started to go down the run. I finish strapping in, and race down the mountain to catch up. The wind was beating against my face, and my face became num. When I got to the lift they were waiting for me. While on the lift I looked over, pointed at the park and said, “We should go there.” So when we got off the lift we headed over to the park. After doing three of the jumps I stop and waited. The next part of the park was rails. My friends did not want to do the rail so I said, “Go big or go home!” and went for the first rail. As I was doing a fontside board side, I cough my edge and it throws me off and landed in my right arm. I yelled, “I broke my arm! Where in the medical area?” One of my friends said it was just at the end of the run. So I stood up while hold my broken arm, and went were I could see the end of the run. I the medical area was not there. So one of my friend when and got ski portal and they took me down to it and they gave me a sling to put my arm in. And that is how I broke my arm.
Isabella; or the Pot of Basil story read aloud
WATCH THE VIDEO!
This video i happened to find on YouTube basically tells a shorter version of the poem, in less and more detail in different parts of the poem, but is an excellent resource to get the overall main idea of the poem without actually reading it. Poetry in general is difficult to comprehend no matter how intelligent you may be. There are just some things you may never understand, so transforming poems like this into short stories that are suitable for just about anyone is an incredible thing to do. Searching for any type of video on this specific poem on YouTube was surprisingly very difficult, there are only about three different videos, and they are all pretty similar. The other videos that came up in the search were pointless and not even remotely close to having anything to do with Keats's original poem. I was surprised of this because there were a variety of videos about the other poems people chose to blog about. Also, Isabella; or the Pot of Basil is one of the top romantic poems of all time, you would assume there would be all kinds of articles, interesting facts, videos... Etc. Even though the romantic era may not be the most popular time, it is still looked upon as
Back to the video, the narrator’s voice actually draws you in, it is a soft woman’s voice, and in my mind it is almost as if Isabella is telling the story herself. The video begins exactly like the poem does, but instead of using vocabulary from the 1700's, it is told in more modern language so it makes it easier to understand. This story in particular has been told in many different ways, and told from a few different people, so I feel like this video sort of mixes a few of the forms in which the poem is told. The video may not have footage or real pictures, but the paintings are so beautiful, and they actually help put that "real picture" in your head.
This video is a great way for all ages to distinguish the meaning behind John Keats's Isabella or the pot of basil. And the creator of it did an outstanding job of creating such an helpful resource. Like I said before, poetry is not the easiest read, and a lot of the time we don't understand what were reading. Although the video is not exact, would still recommend watching the video to everyone interested in Romanticism and that era of writing.
Growing up: Prose Poem
There are many things in life to overcome, and so little time to overcome those things.
For a short period of time in our lives our childish instincts wish it all away, our innocence and youth, our irresponsibleness, our reliance on others. Yet for an even bigger portion of our lives our adult wisdom wishes it all could go back to those younger years, but there is nothing that can be done to reverse it all.
Growing up and moving on may be the most fearful change in our lives, the time where we begin to take charge on our own is a scary thought.
Until the time comes to take the first step in growing up, you don’t really truly appreciate how pure and sweet innocence really can be. How easy and carefree our lives used to be.
It brings tears to my eyes when I realize how very fast sixteen years flies, my youth gone forever and no time for re-tries.
Very first job, throw that on top of school, family friends and a love life will be the first step in growing up and learning just how hard it is to prioritize. Will I be able to handle it all? Only time will tell.
I use to complain about cleaning my room and picking up my toys in the living room because that was too much to handle, how do I go from this to that in such a short amount of time.
It’s crazy to know that from now on I will always have to be responsible for myself; I will now be in charge of my own future, my own life, my own everything. And it all began so soon. There is beauty in growing up, don’t get me wrong. But it is just so sad how often people believe their best years are the older years, when really our youngest, although most naive years, are the greatest years. And we shall never forget them through all the chaos we may will face in our lives.
Growing up, we will all be faced with this reality, and we all got to do it somehow, someday.
For a short period of time in our lives our childish instincts wish it all away, our innocence and youth, our irresponsibleness, our reliance on others. Yet for an even bigger portion of our lives our adult wisdom wishes it all could go back to those younger years, but there is nothing that can be done to reverse it all.
Growing up and moving on may be the most fearful change in our lives, the time where we begin to take charge on our own is a scary thought.
Until the time comes to take the first step in growing up, you don’t really truly appreciate how pure and sweet innocence really can be. How easy and carefree our lives used to be.
It brings tears to my eyes when I realize how very fast sixteen years flies, my youth gone forever and no time for re-tries.
Very first job, throw that on top of school, family friends and a love life will be the first step in growing up and learning just how hard it is to prioritize. Will I be able to handle it all? Only time will tell.
I use to complain about cleaning my room and picking up my toys in the living room because that was too much to handle, how do I go from this to that in such a short amount of time.
It’s crazy to know that from now on I will always have to be responsible for myself; I will now be in charge of my own future, my own life, my own everything. And it all began so soon. There is beauty in growing up, don’t get me wrong. But it is just so sad how often people believe their best years are the older years, when really our youngest, although most naive years, are the greatest years. And we shall never forget them through all the chaos we may will face in our lives.
Growing up, we will all be faced with this reality, and we all got to do it somehow, someday.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Community Blog Aassignment
Review of, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
In our English class here at The Center for Advanced Learning we have been assigned to create a blog revolving around either a specific Romantic Poet or Romantic Poetry in general. One of the groups throughout the several classes chose to research and blog about Samuel Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." The blog was extremely well put together. The poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is slightly confusing, and quite a hard read, so it was nice to have the group break certain parts of the poem down and clarify. When our teacher read bits and pieces of the poem aloud to the class, it was very interesting but then when I read the poem alone I had a tough time understanding what exactly I was reading. I chose to do the community blog assignment on this specific blog because I want to know and understand what exactly I read, because I know it is an all time classic.
Here is a link to the blog: The Rime of The Ancient Mariner
I mainly looked focused on one of the posts on this blog which was the Symbolism post, because that's where I had the hardest time understanding the poem. Throughout the post about the symbolism and impact, it goes into great detail about how the sun and the moon are symbolized and why. Although it may seem obvious to some people when they read the poem of why the moon and sun are portrayed the way they are, I think that you could get so many different perspectives; it was nice to read a clear statement that made had information to back it up. When i read the poem I did not get the image in my head that the poem reflects on Christ and it was very interesting to read from that point of view. Ending this post was very interesting to me as well because I had no idea how often and how recent this poem is being referenced. This poem had quite an impact on our culture it is awesome to see how even hundreds of years later the same literature is being used.
This blog is important for those who are interested in a fabulous Romantic poet. Samuel Coleridge has such an amazing writing style, and really knows how to draw people in and keep them interested. If you can understand the writing he does it is neat to see the connections or the symbolization's created throughout his poetry to things or people around even today. Even if you are just looking for blogs to simply check out, this is one worth reading, guarantee you wouldn't be disappointed.
In our English class here at The Center for Advanced Learning we have been assigned to create a blog revolving around either a specific Romantic Poet or Romantic Poetry in general. One of the groups throughout the several classes chose to research and blog about Samuel Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." The blog was extremely well put together. The poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is slightly confusing, and quite a hard read, so it was nice to have the group break certain parts of the poem down and clarify. When our teacher read bits and pieces of the poem aloud to the class, it was very interesting but then when I read the poem alone I had a tough time understanding what exactly I was reading. I chose to do the community blog assignment on this specific blog because I want to know and understand what exactly I read, because I know it is an all time classic.
Here is a link to the blog: The Rime of The Ancient Mariner
I mainly looked focused on one of the posts on this blog which was the Symbolism post, because that's where I had the hardest time understanding the poem. Throughout the post about the symbolism and impact, it goes into great detail about how the sun and the moon are symbolized and why. Although it may seem obvious to some people when they read the poem of why the moon and sun are portrayed the way they are, I think that you could get so many different perspectives; it was nice to read a clear statement that made had information to back it up. When i read the poem I did not get the image in my head that the poem reflects on Christ and it was very interesting to read from that point of view. Ending this post was very interesting to me as well because I had no idea how often and how recent this poem is being referenced. This poem had quite an impact on our culture it is awesome to see how even hundreds of years later the same literature is being used.
This blog is important for those who are interested in a fabulous Romantic poet. Samuel Coleridge has such an amazing writing style, and really knows how to draw people in and keep them interested. If you can understand the writing he does it is neat to see the connections or the symbolization's created throughout his poetry to things or people around even today. Even if you are just looking for blogs to simply check out, this is one worth reading, guarantee you wouldn't be disappointed.
John Keats Life Story
John Keats was born on October 31st in 1795. His parents were Frances Jennings and Thomas Keats. He was born and raised in a town near London. When Keats was around 8 years old, his father was kick by a horse and fracture his skull. Just a few hours later his father died. About two months later John Keats was sent to his grandparents. His grandpa died not to long after he moved in. Keats had to live off of only his grandma’s income. When John Keats went to school, everybody knew him. He even got some teachers’ attention with his literature. Around 1810 Keats’ mother died and a little over 4 years later his grandma died. The lack of money made John Keats to leave school to help be an assistant for a surgeon. He wrote his first poetry while he was in training. The poem is called The Examiner. Keats then left the medical area and gave himself to become famous. Shelley was a huge influence in John Keats’ works. Around 1817, John Keats worked on poems and also came out with a book filled with the poems. Keats met a woman named Fanny Brawne in 1819. Keats could not afford to support his wife; so they kept the engagement a secret from all but from their closest friends. He did end up marrying her before he died. In that same year Keats was diagnosed with tuberculosis and he felt that he was dying. A year later, 1820, Keats came out with another book of poems and they are now known to be some of John Keats best work. This book includes some of his famous poems like: Isabella; and the pot of basil, Eve of St. Agnes, and Lamia. Over the Year, John Keats became very weak, and started to cough up blood. While this was happing, Keats moved from his home town London, all the way down to Rome. In Rome, one of Keats’ friends took care of him. John Keats died on February 23 in 1821. John Keats is known as one of the best poets of his time.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Why Basil?
In John Keat’s Isabella, or The Pot of Basil, Isabella, famously beautiful girl of wealthy family falls madly in love with a common laborer named Lorenzo. The two lovers hate being away from the other, and so passionate is their love that Isabella falls ill without Lorenzo’s love. Lorenzo and Isabella experience blissful days of love until Isabella’s older brothers, being cruel and angered at their sister for loving a common peasant, secretly kill Lorenzo and bury him in the forest. The brothers tell Isabella that Lorenzo has left for regions unknown, but Isabella meets her lover in a dream and there discovers the cause of his absence. Isabella finds Lorenzo’s corpse in the forest, but cannot take her (very dead) lover with her. She resolves instead to cut off Lorenzo’s head and take it with her. Once home, Isabella’s still-passionate love for Lorenzo dictates that he be with her always, and so:
“she wrapp’d it up; and for its tomb did choose
A garden-pot, wherin she laid it by
And cover’d it with mould, and o’er it set
Sweet Basil, which her tears kept ever wet.”
…the rest of the story is well known. I wondered, though, why Isabella chooses to bury her lover’s head in a flower pot, and then, of all the plants that a wealthy family in Spain
Basil, as it turns out, possesses not only a spicy clove-like aroma, great taste, powerful seasoning, and the delicacy of Italian cuisine, but also a symbolic footing in lore and legend. Originally from Asia , Ocimum Basilicum was revered by many religions for having magical properties. A sacred herb in the hindu religion, a hindu must be buried with a basil leaf on his head in order to get to heaven. In addition, basil in India Italy Sicily : Basil is associated with love and death in Sicilian folklore when it sprouts from the head of (who else but) Isabetta of Messina
Basil continues to branch out into numerous different meanings, symbolisms, and uses across Hindu, Christian, and pagan religions, representing anything from love and life, wealth and death, stimulant and intoxicant, to polar opposite associations like hatred and scorpions, Basil has a great importance in Isabella, or the Pot of Basil. It’s not so much of a random plant covering Lorenzo after all.
Check out Article Alley’s “Basil for Everything” for more on Basil’s history and importance.
Also check out the below links, I used them for reference.
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