Best-Worst

My favorite poem was "Daddy" by Silvia Plath.  I really liked this poem because of the authors attitude and emotions in the poem.  She did a good job at drawing you in and making you feel the pain that she felt. She really put you in her shoes, even if you hadn't experienced what she went through in the poem, she made you feel like you could relate to it somehow.

My least favorite poem was "The Colonel."  I didn't care for this poem because it was very dark and depressing.  I also feel like it was more of a story than a poem.  It reads like a very choppy short story, not a poem.

My favorite short story was either "Popular Mechanics" or "The Lottery."  I enjoyed both of these stories because they kept you excited and grasped your attention.  They both make you want to read till the end to find out what happens.  At the end they both leave you the same way.  They don't tell you exactly what happened, but you have a very good assumption.  I like when stories make you think like that.

My least favorite story was "Bartleby."  I did not find this story to be entertaining when I was reading it.  It seemed to drag on and on without any real story line.  The best part was the ending, but it took forever to get there. I think the story would be more powerful if it was shorter and more to the point.

"Death of a Salesman" was a pretty good play.  It was hard to follow at some points because I couldn't tell whether he was having a flashback or if he was in the present, but overall I thought it was entertaining.  I think it was a good play to watch, especially when we could compare it to the movie.

I thought watching the Hollywood versions of  "Death of a Salesman." and "Bartleby" was very helpful.  Any parts of the stories I didn't understand when I was reading them was cleared up when we watched the movies.  It brought the stories to life and made them make sense.

My favorite in class activity was working in small groups.  It's more helpful when you are working with only two or three people rather than the whole class.  I felt like we could get a lot more done and go at our own pace.

I really liked the blog entries.  It was probably my favorite part of the class. It gave everyone an opportunity to "speak"  and share their thoughts.  It also made us come out of our comfort zones and really think about the things we were reading.

Linda's Diary

Thursday, 1983:
      It's so nice to see the boys having fun with their father.  I know all Willy really wants is for them to be successful.  They will make their father proud someday.  I just wish Willy could focus on work.  He is a very hard worker, when he tries to be.  We have so many bills to pay, but I try not to worry Willy too much.  $16 on the refrigerator, $96 for the washing machine, $3.50 for the vacuum, and $71 on the roof.  I know we will be okay, things are going to be okay.. Look at the boys hanging the laundry on the line. Such good boys they are(:  They really look up to Willy.

Wednesday, 2013:
    I'm starting to worry about Willy...  It worries me when he travels for work.  He smashed up the car twice  already, and it was no accident.  I just wish Willy would get better. He is such a good father.  He really loves when Biff and Happy come home. He is hard on Biff because he wants him to be successful. I know the boys are worried about their father too.. If only there was something we could do.  Willy would never allow me to get a job.  He is supposed to take care of the family himself he says.  But if I could just work some, we would be better off.. Or maybe if Biff and Happy stayed...
     

The Lottery

"The Lottery"  By: Shirley Jackson
Theme:  Stoning


In the short story "The Lottery," 1 towns-person a year is chosen at random and stoned to death.  They call this process the lottery.  Every person in the town attends, and 1 person from each family draws a piece of paper from a black box.  If their piece of paper had a black circle on it, they "won," and they were to get stoned.  The stoning was done by the remaining family members and friends.

In the story, the stoning was done so casually that it seemed as though it was an everyday event for the townspeople.  "All right, folks, Mr. Summers said. Let's finish quickly."  Mr. Summers was directing the townspeople to collect the stones and hurry up.  Even friends of the women getting stoned were eager to participate.  "Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mr. Dunbar. Come on, she said. Hurry up."

Stoning has been around for many years as a method of killing people.  We don't use this method anymore, but we do use something along the same lines.  When someone has been ordered to be put to death, we use lethal injection.  Although this doesn't include pain like stoning did, it does include an audience.  When someone gets put to death due to a murder or rape, the family members of the victim can come and watch.  This is similar to the stoning because when the towns-person got stoned, everyone was around to watch and even participate.

Mrs. Mallard

Mrs. Mallard

I miss my beloved husband <3

Life is too short to be held back, live free

There is plenty of beauty in the world

I love morning walks through the neighborhood!

 I am so thankful to have my sister.

My condition is getting worse, but I am staying positive

I am going to the doctor today! I'll keep you posted.

I still miss my husband..

Family is the best medicine.

Time is coming to an end.


BEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM MY WINDOW(:



http://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-us/landing/preplanning/index.page?gclid=CKKKi_3v_LUCFahDMgodyH8AeQ

Girl Imitation

From Girl to Boy:
Family always comes first.  Be sure that you work your job as hard as you can, but don't work too often.  Always look out for your little sister.  Go out and have fun on the weekends, but never cross the line.  Don't get into fights that are unnecessary. Get into fights when you need to.  When you find a good women, you better treat her right.  Don't be a quitter.  Always follow through.  Never let your pants sag.  Family always comes first. Never let another man support your family, that is your job.  Always remember how to drive a manual.  Teach your son how to drive a manual.  Teach your daughter how to drive a manual. Never ever hit a girl. Respect your mother each and every day.  Be able to admit when you are wrong, but don't ever give up.  Keep trying until you succeed.  If you have to cry, don't let anyone see it.  Always hunt for your own meat.  Family always comes first.  Be a role model for your little brother.  When you make a mistake, fix it.  Don't be lazy.  Always do more than the minimum.  If you are asked to do something, do it.  Back-talking is not an option.  When your vehicle breaks down, take care of it yourself.  Be the man you would want your son to be.  Never be ashamed of where you came from.  Do not ever cheat on a woman.  When you have no where else to turn, come  home.
And always remember that family comes first.

Dialogue

Watching and listening from the hallway. Witnessing on of the many fights my dad and step mom would have. 

"How could you be talking to her?! You know how I feel about that!!"

"I have to talk to her... she is my kids' mother.  I don't have a choice."

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT THAT!"

"Stop."  My dad tries to calm her down as he starts walking toward her.

My step mom shoves him away.  "We were doing fine until now!!!"  

"We are still fine."

"I know you have been calling her!!  I see it on the phone records!"

"You have been checking the phone records?"

"I wouldn't if I didn't think I had to!"  My step mom throws her glass cup of water against the wall, still very angry.

"I am done talking to you about this."  "This is getting ridiculous."

My step mom runs down the stairs and slams the bedroom door for the 100th time.
My dad follows, the fighting continues downstairs.

Test Preparation #2

Caesura: A break or pause in a line of poetry that contributes to the rhythm of     the line. 

                 Example:                 An Essay on Man

                                                             by

Alexander Pope

Know then thyself II, presume not God to scan;
The proper study of Mankind II is Man.
Plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state,
A being darkly wise, and rudely great:

Test Preperation

Iamb:  A metrical foot consisting of an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable.  

              EX:  Unite,  Provide 

Iambic Pentameter:  Iambic Pentameter is the name given to a line of verse that consists of five IAMBS.

                            EX:  if YOU | would PUT | the KEY | inSIDE | the LOCK

                                      da DUM | da DUM | da DUM | da DUM | da DUM

                          

1.  Is "daily" an example of an Iamb?

2.  What is the meter of your last name?

Howl Imitation

I saw the minds of my generation become robots that were obsessed with the newest and best technology

Who didn't care who they were hurting or who's lives they were destroying in the process of trying to make their lives better

I saw the minds of my generation fall so far into credit card debt that they eventually stopped caring about the money they will never be able to pay back, or the children they can't afford to feed, the parents they are taking advantage of, the government that is struggling to support them, and the job that they will never have

Who only care about where the next party is at and who is bringing the alcohol

Who live on unemployment so that everyone else can work hard to support them

Who hears about the endless teenagers that end up rolling their cars, running into other vehicles, going over the edge of the road, or running into guardrails because they are driving under the influence, yet they still choose to drink and drive.

I saw the minds of my generation care more about having fun than their higher education

Who eats fast food everyday and gains weight rapidly because family meals at the table no longer exist

Who can justify spending $90 on a pair of pants, but thinks that paying bills is overrated

Who go to the doctor for something as simple as a headache and leave with a prescription for 10 different pills that help you go to sleep, ease the pain, get rid of depression, make you happier, give you energy, boost your sex drive, and take away the headache

I saw the minds of my generation no longer care about face to face interaction, as long as they have their social networking sites

Who now meet their husband's and wive's online because it is simply too time consuming to find someone on your own, and being single for the rest of your life is just not an option

Who get pregnant at 16 and choose to keep it without knowing whether or not they will have the money to support the baby, or a stable home to live in

Who no longer thinks that working hard for what you want is the way to get things

Who listens to rap music while smoking weed

I saw the minds of my generation worry more about the new reality show on TV than their research paper due tomorrow

Who thinks that we should give more money to the unemployed, the woman with 5 kids, and the crackhead across the street, than the men and women out there fighting for our country

Who believes that abortion is a form a birth control

Who think material things are more important than family

Who look in the magazines and see the TV shows with all the beautiful women and decide that in order to look as good as they do they need to get a boob job and plastic surgery

Who can't do anything without downloading the app from the iTunes store first

I saw the minds of my generation not knowing what it's like to read a book for pleasure

Who would rather play video games and watch TV than go outside and play with their friends

Who spend $10 on a movie ticket and $6 on popcorn

Who think it is normal to see condom and male enhancement commercials on TV in the middle of the day

I saw the minds of my generation fall apart at the seams...

Imagist Poem

Applebee's

Lots of people coming in to get food

Red with hunger 

Sestina

SUMMER TIME

# Stanza 1
There is so much to do in the summer
Sitting by the pool tanning
Soaking up the sunshine
Taking friends and going camping
Spending a day at the Lake
Wearing your favorite jean shorts

# Stanza 2
Tan legs in short shorts
Ejnoying the summer
Picnics at the lake
Always going tanning
Buying tents for camping
Planting flowers in the sunshine

# Stanza 3
Lovin' all the sunshine
Buying a new pair of shorts
Spending your birthday camping
In the middle of the summer
There is nothing better than tanning
Going boating on the lake

# Stanza 4
Swimming at the lake
Staring at the sunshine
Ready to go tanning
Never taking off your shorts
School is out in the summer
Families are going camping

# Stanza 5
Every weekend is spent camping
If you get hot jump in the lake
Spend every minute outside in the summer
Kids are playing in the sunshine
Everyone is wearing shorts
Laying out in the sun tanning

# Stanza 6
Reading a book while you are tanning
Catching a fish while you are camping
Standing in your shorts
Being taken over by the lake
Missing the sunshine
when it's not summer

# Envoi
I only want to be tanning out by the lake
I wish I could be camping somewhere in the sunshine
I want to wear shorts I wish it was summer

Unexpected Ode

Ode to my Boots:

You have been
to the campfires
Walked with me through school
You have ridden
the four wheelers
and carried
the deer.

You are always there
ready for
the next adventure.

I see you in
my closet
loyal and waiting

You have
scuffed up toes
and beaten
up soles,
but you're always there
ready for the
next adventure.

The brown on
the bottom
 is starting to
wear
The camo
on the top
still bright with color

No matter
where I travel
no matter
where I go.
You will always be there
ready for
our next adventure.

What would
I do without my
beaten up
boots.

Literary Imitation

My mother: 

You are the needle and the thread,

the plastic cup and the  hot tea.
You are the sunrise in the morning
and the shining stars at night.
You are the low rise pants,
and the kitten playing with string.

However, you are not the brisk wind in winter,

the junk food in the pantry,
or the basket of laundry.
And you are certainly not a 9-5 worker.
There is just no way that you are a 9-5 worker.

It is possible that you are a deer in the meadow,
maybe even a cow eating apples,
but you are not even close
to being the tumbleweeds crossing the roads.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the recliner in the living room
nor a sticker on a bumper.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the mud that sticks to boots in the rain.

I also happen to be the North star,
the leaves growing on a tree
and the jean jacket over a summer dress.

I am also the waves in the ocean 

and the dresser that holds the clothes.
But don't worry, I'm not the needle and the thread.
You are still the needle and the thread.
You will always be the needle and the thread,
not to mention the plastic cup and--somehow--the hot tea.

About me

My name is Alexis Heminger and this is my second semester at LCSC.  I am majoring in Elementary Education and so for I am really enjoying it. 
I moved here from Boise, Idaho last August and I love the change. I now have a job hosting at Applebee's which is very fun. 
I love to do anything outdoors and hanging out with my friends. I can't wait until summer because I love going swimming and tanning outside!  I also love kids.  I used to be a nanny for 2 years for 2 little boys and I miss them very much! I can't wait to get my degree so I can someday become a teacher.