Angel in the House

"Angel in the House"

As I clean and cook
Portray a happy look
There is nothing I can do or say
This is the only way
This is the way it has to be
But in my heart I don't agree
I cannot let another day go by
Another day being selfless and shy
I know that it will not end well
If I do not stand up for myself and rebel
I want to experience and explore
Spread my wings and soar
Today my life will be made new
I will only believe in my own view

http://walrusandthecarpenter.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/op129.jpg

Muriel Rukeyser

"The Book of the Dead"

What three things can never be done? 

Forget. Keep silent. Stand alone.

The hill of glass, the fatal brilliant plain.

pushed forests down in an implacable walk 

west where new clouds lay at the desirable 

body of sunset;

But planted in our flesh, these valleys stand,

everywhere we begin to know the illness, 

are forced up, and our times confirm us all.

There touching radium and the luminous poison, 

carried their death on their lips and with their warning

glow in their graves. 
("The Book of the Dead" 13-15, 28-30, 67-69, 97-99)

In "The Book of the Dead," Rukeyser is able to use diction or word choice as a way to help readers visualize the tragedy as well as better understand how devastating it was.  There are a variety of examples that show this. One of them is when she writes, "The hills of glass, the fatal brilliant plain." In this example, her word choice for describing the plain as "fatal" contributes to the overall theme of death. Another example is when she writes, "Where new clouds lay at the desirable / body of sunset." (29-30).  With "clouds lay," Rukeyser creates imagery that is dark and gloomy.  Also, with "body of sunset," Rukeyser uses the idea of sunset as a way to portray death in the poem.  In addition, she states in the poem, "Everywhere we begin to know the illness" as a way to show how much of an impact the tragedy had on peoples' lives.  She continues to create the theme of death when she writes, “These touching radium and the luminous poison, / carried their death on their lips and with their warning / glow in their graves.” (97-99). By using words such as “poison”, “death” and “graves” she is able to get the idea of death across to the reader. 

When I read this poem, I thought it was very powerful and made me feel as if I were experiencing this myself.  I really like how she used “docupoetry” because she was able to provide an account of what happened in poetic form.  Also, I love how she is able to paint pictures with the words that she uses.  This poem is informative but at the same time written beautifully.  Overall, I really enjoyed reading this poem. 

http://www.lushquotes.com/quote/muriel-rukeyser_MTAyMTkz.html

"The Poetry Game"

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This is the poem that I wrote when we did The Poetry Game.  Hope you enjoy reading it!

In My Dreams

As I walk along the stone path, I come across a pond

I stop and stare, unable to respond

I hear little tapping noises

As the leaf dances upon the water

It seems happy and content

But in a place that is so quiet and isolated

The noise is slightly eerie

As I continue to walk, the voice in my head starts to talk

It guides me to a sight that can only be found in magical places

There is a frosty white castle

At every window, there is a breath-taking view

I never want to leave

But in the blink of an eye, my spirit crumbles

As I realize this is only a dream

And I must wake up to reality

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/fall-is-in-the-air/100167/

Source: http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/gardenplot/

"Fiction is like a spider's web, attached ever so lightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners."

- Virginia Woolf

I think this quote is a wonderful quote! I love how she uses the metaphor to compare fiction to a spider's web.  It is a great analogy of how fiction, although it is not all true, has a lot of truth when you read it in depth.  For my English teaching class, I just finished reading The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.  It is about a girl named Esperanza and her story of growing up and becoming a writer.  Although her name is not Esperanza, the author is able to make the story true by providing her own experiences and putting her own emotions into the story. As a reader, I was able to relate to Esperanza and find truth with my own experiences.  Also, with any other works of fiction, the themes and experiences that shape the story are part of our everyday lives.  I think that fiction is so popular among readers because of the fact that it can be compared in this way.  When readers immerse themselves in works of fiction, it allows them to explore a new world which is exciting.  At the same time, they are able to be engaged into how real and personal the story can be for them.