Tristan's Essay!

Tristan Yerkes

Mr. Salsich

English 02

29 April 2009
Random Acts of Kindness:
An Essay Comparing Different Views on Kindness

Nowadays, you don’t see too many young men helping old ladies across the street, but kindness still exists, and I will explain its relevance in Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye, and my own life. Kindness has different meanings in each of these, and these differences themselves, are different, themselves. I will explain in this essay how the differences between these stories and my life are different.
T.S. The portraiture and thoughts of kindness in each of these pieces of literature and my life are very different, but the difference may be most profound between Winter Dreams and “Kindness”. S.D. Between these two stories, Kindness has a completely different image. C.M. The portraiture of kindness in “Kindness” is one of a gentle human characteristic hidden in the folds of emotion, whereas kindness is portrayed in Winter Dreams as a silly notion that gets Dexter into trouble in the end. In Winter Dreams, Dexter tries to be kind to Judy but gets nothing in return, whereas Judy is not at all kind, but gets all of the benefits, later, when they are older, the tables turn but the two characters take on each others roles. S.D. The thoughts about kindness helping both the giver and the recipient shown in “Kindness” are not reciprocated at all in Winter Dreams. C.M In “Kindness”, it is said that “Kindness […] ties your shoes [\..] and sends you out into the day” portraying that kindness can keep the giver running, and help out. C.M. In Winter Dreams, Dexter is the original kind person, but ends up never being with Judy, but then later when Judy tries to be kind to Dexter, the same thing happens. S.D. In “Kindness”, Nye says that kindness is something that must be learned through experience, but Winter Dreams shows kindness as something that is only motivated by want. C.M. In “Kindness”, Nye says that you must, “Travel where the Indian […] lies dead by the side of the road. [\..] You must see how this could be you.” C.M. In Winter Dreams Dexter only is kind to Judy because of his love, or want for her, and Judy is only ever kind to Dexter because of her want for his money, and forgiveness. C.S. In both of these, you can look at kindness in a different way, but these two stories take that to the maximum, and express both extremes.
T.S. The extremes between “Kindness” and Winter Dreams is great, but similar differences are seen between “Kindness” and my own life experiences. S.D. “Kindness” once again portrays ideals of kindness as sort of a mysterious human emotion that has to be coaxed out, but my life experiences have taught me differently. C.M. So far in my life, I have seen many instances of kindness, but most of them, the ones that aren‘t really kindness, have been clearly purely for the giver’s self-satisfaction. C.M. in “Kindness”, true kindness is portrayed as being only for the benefit of others, similar to my life experience. S.D. Nye shows kindness as something that must be learned through experience, but my life has taught otherwise. C.M. I have learned that those who are only kind to better their own reputation are not really kind, and so premeditated kindness such as that in “Kindness” is not actually real. C.M. Those who are spontaneous about their kindness do it, not from the heart, not because they thought about it, but because that is just what they do. S.D. The kindness in “Kindness” at one point keeps the giver running, but experience from my life has taught me that this is not true kindness. C.M. In my life, I have learned that those who use kindness as a sort of throne to sit upon, and feel smug are not actually being kind, but rather just trying to make themselves better. C.M. This sort of kindness is shown in “Kindness”, keeping the giver running, and happy about themselves. Kindness takes different forms, and my views show one, opposing view over those of Ms. Nye’s poem.
T.S. My views on “Kindness” may oppose Ms. Nye’s views strongly, but I think that there is no real kindness portrayed in Winter Dreams. S.D. The “kindness” shown in Winter Dreams is just Dexter trying to make himself happy. C.M. It may seem condescending (FAST WORD)to say that Dexter was just trying to help himself by being kind, but the only reasons behind Dexter being kind to Judy were selfish. C.M. Dexter loved Judy in such a way that it was almost an obsession; when Judy was happy, Dexter was happy, so Dexter sought to make Judy happy, not for her gain, but for his own. (LOOSE SENTENCE) S.D. Judy was also “kind” to Dexter near the end of the story, saying she wanted to be with him after all. C.M. Judy was just being a HEDONIST (FAST WORD) when she offered to take Dexter back, she only wanted personal gain. C.M. Judy was in a low state at that point in the book, older, less attractive, and wasting away with people she didn’t love, so when she saw that Dexter could give her a new life, she pretended to be kind to him just so that he would take her in and give her things. (LOOSE SENTENCE) S.D. The “kindness” between the two characters, Judy and Dexter is really just an intertwined battle for each to make themselves happier. C.M. Dexter just battered Judy with pleasures so that he could gain his own ephemeral (FAST WORD) winter dreams, his own pleasure. C.M. Judy, becoming less of the celebrity she was, (APPOSITIVE) needed to restart her own life, so she resorted to being kind to Dexter so he would save her from her life. C.S. The actions of Judy and Dexter may have seemed kind, but they were selfish, they were desperate, they were fake, and they were not kindness. (TETRACOLON CLIMAX)
The versions of kindness were very complex in each of these views, and so the comparisons were rich. Whether it is helping an old lady across the street, or acting kind to someone so that you can feel good yourself, kindness takes many forms. These random acts of kindness have strange, and different reasoning behind them.

Ty's essay

Ty LeVarge
Mr. Salsich
English 02
April 28, 2009

Kindness:
An essay on how two tales compare to my life and to each other

Kindness has many forms to resemble many different types of feelings. Love, joy, and happiness are all common forms of kindness. These are different emotions that are centered on someone enjoying being kind.

Kindness is a general topic that has many sources that are similar to it.
In the short story “Winter Dreams”, Dexter Green experiences love which is a heavy and sensitive type of happiness. Love is a very powerful type of happiness and has much power that is not to be tainted with. If you were to keep your love strong, then your life will become a huge miracle for you. If you do not take love seriously, it will betray you and make your life miserable. Dexter Loved Judy and Judy loved Dexter and one decision changed Dexter’s life forever. Judy ruined Dexter’s life by leaving him for another man. This shows that Judy can devastate Dexter’s life by making one decision for her own needs. Love is powerful and can be an advantage or an apocalypse of your life.

In the poem Kindness, by Naomi Shihab Nye, different types of happiness occur within the focus of the poem. For Ms. Nye, she thinks of kindness as another form of happiness. To give someone a gift is kindness is giving the person you are being kind to a great deal of happiness. You also have a great deal of happiness whenever you give kindness. She also suggests that a fantasy is another form of being happy. Being in a fantasy is an endless source of happiness and solitude. Being in a fantasy is like being in a dream and is the best place for someone that loves to be alone and in their own safe place. A fantasy is a safe haven for someone and kindness is a generosity that is a gift.

In my life, I have many forms of happiness and I have some that are similar to these stories. I have a small fantasy that helps me to live happy and peaceful. Video games allow me to stray away from reality and allow me to unleash stress and escape the outside world. I can just fade from reality and be happy for the entire day to achieve great happiness. I also am happy through kindness. I have given much of my time and devotion to the community and people that I know. Kindness made me happy to be giving back and that kindness is a huge part of my happiness. I have similar opinions of happiness as poems and it is very interesting.

Happiness is easy to obtain but is very valuable. If happiness was to be lost then everyone’s life turns to become miserable. If one individual is miserable then the day of many are affected. Happiness is an essential part of an individual’s everyday life.

Kyle's Essay

Kyle Sebastian

Professor H. Salsich

English 9

28 April 2009

Whats Is This Feeling:

An Essay on Kindness.

TS: Kindness is a common human trait that many people use. SD: Sometimes to understand what kindness is people have to understand other things. CM: Sometimes you have to feel sorrow before you can feel happiness. CM: Sometimes you have to lose something to gain something as well.

TS: Naomi Shihab Nye tries to explain that before one can understand kindness they have to understand other things. SD: What Nye knows and many people need to understand is that loss is essential for gain. CM: To gain something you nearly always have to sacrifice something in return. CM: Sometimes losing things can hurt, but the end result of you losing them can be a kindness that life has dealt you. SD: Another thing Nye understands is that life is different for everyone. CM: Sometimes you have to step into someone else’s shoes and look at life from a different point of view. CM: Maybe you should try and think about how “the Indian in a white poncho” sees things. CM: You do other people a kindness by taking the time to see through their eyes and get their perspective. SD: The last thing that Nye says is essential to obtaining kindness is to know sorrow first. CM: Sometimes to truly appreciate the good things in life we must experience the bad. CM: At times you have to do things you don’t like, but in the end things may end up being in favor for you. CS: Once you understand these other things you can find kindness.

TS: “Winter Dreams” may seem to have no connection with “Kindness”, but Dexter, an ostentatious young man, is actually the perfect example of how to obtain kindness (Appositive). SD: Dexter had to lose something to gain something. CM: He had lost Judy, the woman seeming to consume his heart, body, mind and spirit (Tetracolon climax). CM: Dexter says "Now that thing is gone, that thing is gone. I cannot cry. I cannot care. That thing will come back no more." He has lost Judy, but has gained a sound mind and is able to think clearly again. SD: Dexter also had the chance to see through someone else’s eyes. CM: He was treated like the many other suitors Judy had and wasn’t taken seriously by Judy. CM: He got a glimpse at what the other men under Judy’s charm felt like, he wore his heart out on his sleeve and in turn Judy had crushed it when it was vulnerable (Loose Sentence?). SD: Dexter also had to feel sorrow before he could find kindness. CM: When the man described what Judy had become Dexter was stricken with an overwhelming amount of sorrow; his “sun [had] gone down.” CM: Dexter may not notice it, but the man did him a kindness because he could then move on with his life and forget about Judy. CS: After close examination “Winter Dreams” really had more connections to “Kindness” than I thought.

TS: I have experienced many of the things Ms. Nye mentions in her poem “Kindness.” SD: I’ve had to lose something to get something in return many times in my life. CM: There are many insignificant situations that I’ve had to let something go, but ended up getting something better in return. CM: An example is when I had to spend my allowance to get my brother something for his birthday at first I was angry and upset with him, but after I realized that his happiness was worth more than some printed paper. CM: Important things, like a loved one or a prized possession, haven’t slipped from my grasp very much and I am thankful that I am that fortunate. SD: I also have to frequently step into somebody else’s shoes and look at a situation from their point of view. CM: Often friends come to me complaining about another person and I usually try and imagine myself as the other person and explain to my friends what that other person may be feeling like. CM: This is a great kindness to the people whose feelings you are trying to understand, but it also is a good thing for people to learn because it teaches consideration. SD: Lastly I have felt adversity many times before I was given kindness. CM: Usually what tempts people to be kind to someone is because the other person is in a sorrowful state and they want to cheer them up. CM: When I feel depressed I am often supported by my family and friends who try to be as benevolent as they can. CS: My life and many other people’s lives have been expressed in a simple poem by a simple woman.

TS: Kindness is a universal technique that helps you communicate to others in a positive way. SD: There are many different ways you can express kindness to another person; it can be something small, like saying hello with a smile or something big, like supporting someone in a time of crisis (Loose Sentence ?). CM: Whether it’s giving something away, cheering someone up, or looking through another person’s perspective kindness can be expressed easily. CM: However the best part about kindness, is that it always comes back to you.

Key
Bold-FAST Words

Kyle's Essay

The Women of Sentimentalism:
An Essay on Three Pieces of Literature and how they connect to the Word Sentimental

TS: “The world is neither wise nor just, but it takes up for its folly and injustice by being damnably sentimental.” (Thomas Henry Huxley) SD: Sentimentalism is used by everyone in the world at one point. CM: Ms. Dickinson, Ms. Nye, and Laura all show signs of being sentimental. CM: They each show sentimentalism towards something; Dickinson towards her poems, Nye towards the small things in life, and Laura towards people in general.

TS: The whole tone of the poem “The Traveling Onion” is sentimental towards onions, which Nye uses as a metaphor to the small things in life. SD: Naomi Shihab Nye uses an excess of sentiment towards the onion. CM: She says that she could “kneel and praise” such an insignificant thing. CM: She says that when an onion is cut into “a history [is] revealed”, which is ridiculous of course, but shows her adulation of the onion. SD: She also perhaps thinks too deeply about the onion. CM: In the second stanza she explains how we never appreciate the onion for what it truly is; something "small and forgotten". CM: An example of this is when she says “at meal, we sit to eat / . . . , commenting on texture of meat [. . .] but never on the translucence of onion.” CM: Its very surprising that even a poet could have so much to say about something so little.

TS: Ms. Nye and Laura, a character from “The Garden Party”, think alike because they both tend to exaggerate about things. SD: Laura had the best of intentions at heart, but she went overboard when she concerned herself with the family of a dead man. CM: She praised him as if he was much more than a carcass that was waiting to rot. CM: She even refers to him as “wonderful” and “beautiful” and even calls him a “marvel.” SD: Laura, being the kind soul she is, got so worked up after seeing his body she had come out crying, yet happier than ever. CM: One would think that seeing a dead man’s body would be a traumatic experience. CM: Even when her brother, Laurie, asks “Was it awful?” she answers “No [. . .] it was marvelous.” CS: Being kind and caring is always nice, but there is an ad nauseum for everything and Laura’s prying into somebody else’s affairs got to be very querulous.

TS: Laura was too susceptible and Emily Dickinson seems to show no sensibility at all in her poem “I’m Nobody”. SD: Ms. Dickinson, being known for her often confusing and obscure writings, used little visible sensibility in many of her poems. CM: The readers of her poems often don’t have the faintest clue what she is writing about. CM: However, in lines such as “how public like a frog to tell your name [. . .] to an admiring bog” one has to really pay close attention to make a connection. CM: Maybe the connection is between a “frog” and yourself and an “admiring bog” and meddlesome people. SD: One of the dictionary definitions of “sensibility” is the “awareness of and responsiveness toward something” so maybe she had ulterior motives for making her poems so abnormal. CM: Maybe Ms. Dickinson did have a hidden point behind her poems, but she wanted her readers to use their sensibility to uncover it. CM: However, maybe she simply wrote what came to her mind and didn’t intend for it to have any meaning at all. CS: Sometimes the most beautiful things in life are the simple things and maybe this is what Ms. Dickinson was trying to tell people through her poetry.

TS: Most people are naturally born with a sense of sentimentalism and are led by their emotions. SD: People base what they do on their sentimentalism. CM: Laura’s sensibility led her to care about the feelings of other. CM: Even Ms. Nye’s sentimentalism has led her to care about the small things in life.

Key
Purple-S-V Split
Blue-Appositive
Bold-FAST Words

Tristan's Essay!

Tristan Yerkes

Mr. Salsich

English 9

20 April, 2009

Sentimental Stories:
An Essay on Sentiment

Jedi knights, a fictional type of people who keep order in the universe, are encouraged to think without sentiment in order to make unclouded decisions. Sentiment is a word used to describe thinking with passion or emotion. In the poems and passage, acting sentimental changes other’s lives, can be quite a beneficial way of thinking, and can harm people.

T.S. This Paragraph will explain how sentiment can cause decisions to made that benefit some, while making others unhappy in all three pieces of literature. S.D. In The Garden Party Ms. Mansfield shows sentiment in the character Laura. C.M. When Laura decides to go and help the dead man’s family, she does it purely on what her emotions tell her. C.M This decision eventually helps the family of the dead man, but makes Laura’s family unhappy that she must go to the peasant’s hamlet. S.D. In the untitled poem, Dickinson writes about how she is no one. C.M. The mood of the poem suggests that this is a secret thing that’s frowned upon by society, saying, “Are you nobody, too? Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!” C.M. This shows that Dickinson’s decision to be no one, inspired by her emotion makes society unhappy, but she benefits in the end. S.D. In “The Traveling Onion” Nye shows how the personified figurative onion makes emotional decisions. C.M. In the last stanza, Nye writes, “[The Onions] for the sake of others, disappear” showing that the onion, despite its long-lived, full life, decides to give up the stage to others. C.M. This shows an emotional decision by the onion, in which it loses the stage, but other elements benefit from this sentimental decision. C.S. In these three pieces of writing, characters make sentimental decisions, decisions influenced by emotion, and somebody benefits while someone else loses.

T.S. The same three aforementioned pieces of literature display the benefits of sentiment in general, which will be explained in the following paragraph. S.D. In The Garden Party, Laura, as well as the family she helps, also feels good about her sentimental choices. C.M. When Laura decides to help the family of the dead man, she feels good about her decision saying, “Yes, quite” when asked by her brother if her encounter was alright. C.M. Although Laura’s feelings may seem pretentious (FAST WORD), Laura’s character displays that her feelings are completely innocent. S.D. In the untitled poem by Emily Dickinson, sentimental decision-making is done by the narrator (Dickinson) to benefit themselves. C.M. Dickinson makes the decision to be nobody based on her emotions, logically she would fit in and be nobody. C.M. Ms. Dickinson benefits in the end, and is quite glad to be nobody, saying, “How dreary to be somebody!” S.D. “The Traveling Onion” displays benefit from the Onion’s Spontaneous (FAST WORD) decision to give the spotlight to others. C.M. The onion in the poem decides to give the spotlight to others, and in a way benefits itself. C.M. The onion may lose the spotlight in the end, but after it’s long, content life, the onion seems to feel better watching others take it’s place when Nye says, “For the sake of others [the onion gives up the spotlight.]” C.S. In the end, the one who gives sentiment benefits in one way or other.

T.S. Although sentiment benefits in ways, it can also cause distress and bad consequences. S.D. The Garden Party, being a somewhat enlightening and hopeful story, has surprisingly subtle unhappy elements.(S-V SPLIT) C.M. It is clear that Laura is happy in the end, and benefits from her sentimental experience with the dead man, but when she first sees the dead man, she is aghast and scared. C.M. Being a relatively sheltered child, Laura was surprised to see a dead man, when Mansfield writes, “Laura gave a loud, childish sob.” (OPENER) S.D. Dickinson’s poem, mysterious and unyielding(APPOSITIVE), displays little, but still shows that Dickinson has bad consequences from her sentimental decision. C.M. Dickinson may be quite happy about being nobody, but this does not change the fact that she must still hide herself and be somebody in secret. C.M. This is shown when Ms. Dickinson writes, “Don’t tell [that we’re somebody]!” S.D. In Ms. Nye’s poem, the onion suffers the consequences of letting others take the spotlight after it. C.M. The figurative onion in “The Traveling Onion” gives up its “spotlight” of respect and power to other, less prominent elements. C.M. This removal from a prominent position in people’s minds puts the onion at a lower position than originally held as a consequence. C.S. Although sad, sentimental decision making can lead to bad consequences, and the one making these decisions can only hope that the benefits outweigh the consequences.

The benefits and consequences mentioned are very strong powers, and can get out off control if sentiment is misused. Many people rule their sentiment, but sometimes their sentiment can rule them. Jedi Knights, strong and dedicated(APPOSITIVE), are not allowed to make sentimental choices, whereas the characters in these three stories make their own sentimental decisions, and they end up working out.

Ty's essay

Ty LeVarge
Mr. Salsich
English 02
April 20, 2009

Feelings of Stories:
An Essay on How “The Garden Party”, “The Traveling Onion” and
“I’m nobody” Relate to the Word: Sentimental

How do two stories have feelings within their tales? The Garden Party has many points in the story where one of the characters expresses an exemplary amount of feeling. The Traveling Onion is a poem of how the onion is forgotten and how it feels about being left out. The word sentimental is a word describing the feelings expressed, and it fits well into these two stories.

TS In “The Garden Party”, Laura has expressed many emotional feelings for the events that she has witnessed. SD One instance of this was when she was about to stop the band because a man died from an accident. CM Her sister Jose was conflicting with her because she doesn’t want the whole party to be stopped just because a man died. CM This was where Laura started to have saddened feelings that not only the man had died, but that her sister did not care for him. SD She was also sentimental when she visited the house where the man’s family lived. CM She saw of how peaceful the man was as she stared at his peacefulness. CM After she was done, she came out to Laurie crying not because it was awful in the home, but that it was beautiful. CS This is a story of how emotions can turn into works of magic.

TS In the poem, “I’m Nobody” by Emily Dickinson, she is feeling sentimental about how being someone can be a bad characteristic on an individual. SD She says telling that you are nobody would make others advertize that fact. CM Most people always want to be remembered in life as someone to remember and Emily Dickinson is the opposite. CM She wants to stay invisible and not have to fear about being somebody. SD She also does not want to express any sensibility or feelings so that she would not be noticed as someone. CM at the beginning of the poem, she sounds as if she is telling something quietly as if it were a secret. CM She kept to herself to avoid being someone and she detested becoming someone known to people. CS Emily Dickinson avoided popularity from while she was alive, but now, she has become a well known poet of our age.

TS Feelings of being left out and forgotten is a focus in Zora Neale Hurston’s poem “The Traveling Onion”. SD She describes the onion as it were a traveling artifact that has traveled around the world only to be forgotten. CM The onion disappears when it arrives onto the plate of a meal or in a sweet stew. CM She praises it and every meal that has an onion within it. SD The onion would feel as if it were being forgotten after it gets picked and forgotten by the time it was prepared. CM The onion has been treasured and cared for since the farmer planted its seeds into the ground. CM now that it is at the end of its journey, it feels forgotten about and is only there to be a slight flavoring factor for the meal. CS The onion may not matter to the consumer in a meal but it should be respected for its journey and its existence.

Feelings are powerful and they can control an individual’s life to make them feel better or worse about themselves. The word sentimental has a powerful meaning when it is compared with touching stories like “The Garden Party”. People in real life can be sentimental and could have very sensitive emotion towards someone or something. Having feeling is normal for all living organisms and that people are sentimental all the time.

Teddy's essay

4/17/09

Teddy Purnell

Mr. Salsich

Room 2

Brother Blues:

An Essay About "Sonny's Blues" and "The Little Brother Poem"

"Sonny's Blues" has pain and sorrow between two brothers. "The Little Brother Poem" is an apology from a sister to her younger brother. This story and poem have many similarities, although one is written by a woman, and the other by a man. Two perspectives, one main idea(sentence fragment).

Naomi Shihab Nye uses many metaphors in her poem. In the middle of "The Little Brother Poem", she writes, "you're Wall Street and I'm the local fruit market." She says that she is the local fruit market; Her brother is Wall Street. The fact that she relates herself to the local fruit market and her brother to Wall Street without using "like" or "as" shows that this is a metaphor, not a simile. Nye writes, "you're Pierre Cardin and I'm a used bandana." She always makes herself feel inferior to her brother in this poem. This might explain why she is saying sorry for everything; she has finally realized that she was just jealous of her brother's accomplishments. Towards the end of the poem there is yet another metaphor. She writes, "dumping out a whole drawer at once." The metaphor is the drawer being all the things she's apologizing for. Nye uses many metaphors to emphasize her point in this poem. James Baldwin, on the other hand, uses more similes.

"Sonny's Blues" and "The Little Brother Poem" are similar in many ways. In "Sonny's Blues", James Baldwin writes, "I think I may have written Sonny the very day that little Grace was buried." This shows how much he is comforted by being with Sonny. In "The Little Brother Poem", Nye is comforted by having her younger brother; telling him that "when [he] was born [she] was glad". Another quote in "Sonny's Blues" is when he says that "Sonny's fingers filled the air with life, his life." This is saying that the room wouldn't be the same if Sonny wasn't there; it would be lifeless, bland, colorless, eerily quiet. Nye feels the same way about her brother, writing about missing the times when "[he] ran miniature trucks up [her] arms telling [her] it was a highway". Baldwin writes, "And I was yet aware that this was only a moment, that the world waited outside, as hungry as a tiger(simile), and that trouble stretched above us, longer than the sky." He is in awe of Sonny and his accomplishments. Nye is also in awe of her brother, and feels inferior to him. Both the stories are about awe, yet written from different perspectives.

The poem and the story are each in different settings, by different gendered authors, but with the same themes. The siblings are sorry about something involving the brother when they were younger, although they are now grown up. They are in awe and amazed (maybe a little jealous) by something that their brothers did. Their love for their siblings makes them try to be with them, no matter what their past together was like.

Tristan's Essay!

Tristan Yerkes

Mr. Salsich

English 9

15 April, 2009

Little Brother Blues:
An Essay on “Little Brother Poem” and “Sonny’s Blues”

Johnny Cash was a legendary musician, who started his career as a little brother. He had an older brother who got into a horrible accident, and was only truly kind to Johnny on his death bed. The poem “Little Brother Poem” by Naomi Shihab Nye is about apologizing to Nye’s little brother, like in Johnny Cash’s childhood. Nye uses figurative language to express the themes of cruelty and consequences, sorrow, and regret shown alternatively in James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”.

The “Little Brother Poem” expresses these themes through figurative writing. In the third stanza, Nye gives the theme of cruelty. Ms. Nye says in the third stanza, “You followed me and I pushed you in front of a bicycle. […] Your eyes hard on me under the bandages” this was an example of the cruel things that Nye did and later regretted doing. This quote also shows early consequences for the cruel things that Nye did. In the fourth stanza, sorrow is shown in the mood of the writing. In the fourth stanza, Nye compares herself to her brother, “You’re Wall Street, and I’m the local fruit market” this quote shows a sort of sorrow in Nye being inferior to her little brother. Another quote in the fourth stanza, “That’s fine, I’ll take differences over things that match” gives more of a sorrowful air, as Nye shows that both differences and matching things are bad paths to take. The last stanza of the poem shows regret. When Ms. Nye says, “It’s a large order, I know, dumping out a whole drawer at once” Nye uses the drawer as a symbol for all of the bad things she’s done, and “dumping it out” is symbolic for her brother forgiving her. This shows that she regrets the things she had done, and wants to be forgiven. In conclusion, a sentence in the last stanza, “I’m sorry for everything I did that hurt” contains all three of the major themes, cruelty, sorrow, and regret.

The themes expressed in “Little Brother Poem” are alternatively expressed in the passage of “Sonny’s Blues.” Cruelty is expressed in a rather different way in “Sonny’s Blues”. Alternatively (FAST WORD) to “Little Brother Poem”, “Sonny’s Blues” shows cruelty in nature, when Grace gets Polio. This cruelty has more of a “supreme power” theme than the human cruelty in “Little Brother Poem”. Sorrow is expressed in very similar ways in the two stories. In “Sonny’s Blues, sorrow is expressed when Grace‘s mother says, “And when [Grace] did scream, it was the worst sound.” This quote shows the sad mood of Grace’s mother at Grace’s cruel illness. In “Sonny’s Blues” the narrator grows to understand Sonny more, causing regret. When the narrator says, “I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen” he shows his understanding of Sonny’s situation. Later on in the story, he regrets not helping Sonny before, and wouldn’t feel this if he didn’t understand Sonny. These themes are expressed in different ways, but carry the same essential meaning.

The themes of cruelty, sorrow, and regret are somewhat pessimistic (FAST WORD), but they contribute strongly to both of these pieces of writing. These stories, being very different (PARTICIPAL), may seem to not relate, but when looked upon closer, share these three basic themes. The two stories carry the same meanings, relate to each-other, and have very complex themes. (PERIODIC SENTENCE) Whether just listening to Johnny Cash, or reading these pieces of writing, these themes are very powerful.

Ty's essay

Ty LeVarge
English 02
Mr. Salsich
April 15, 2009

A Figure From the Past:
An Essay on "The Little Brother Poem" and "Sonny’s Blues"

In "The Little Brother Poem" by Naomi Shihab Nye, she describes how her bother has become older and she doesn’t see him anymore. To her, the brother she once knew had grown up to be less dependent and playful with her. The same happened in "Sonny’s Blues" when Sonny became dependant on drugs and lost the older brother he knew. Both tales are very similar because they both have to do with a brother that has changed dramatically and lost touch with their sibling.

In her poem, Ms. Nye uses a lot of figurative language to express the feelings she had while writing the poem. One way that she utilizes figurative language is describing how her brother grew up and eventually went on with his life. She describes her brother as if he were a young child who would play with their older sibling and collect treasures on their adventures. “I take your old camping jug, poke my finger through the rusted hole in the bottom” which says that she and her brother had fond memories with the jug. Aside from the jug she finds, she finds other mementos of when they were younger. She also has memories, such as the time she injured her brother by pushing her brother in front of a passing bicycle. Even though they have gone through the good and the bad, they are still brother and sister and still love each other as family. She also tells of how her brother was playful and cheerful every time she saw him. Ever since her brother moved out of the house, she misses the toy cars running up her arms and the smile she had loved to see every day. Ms. Nye describes the memories of her brother in a creative and interesting way.

In "Sonny’s Blues", Sonny is the older brother of the main character and Sonny finds himself lost in drugs. In Sonny’s Blues, while the character is listening to Gracie play reminds him of how he and Sonny used to when they were younger. “Sitting in the living room, in the dark, by myself, and I suddenly thought of Sonny” this reminds him of how he and Sonny were when they were young. Sonny and his brother shared good times together until Sonny became lost in drugs. At the end of the story, Sonny and some of his friends started playing at a club and Sonny was able to release his blues. “Sonny's fingers filled the air with life, his life” explains that he releases his lifelong sorrows. This is when the main character remembers the brother he once knew. Both pieces of writing have to do with the knowledge of the brother that was in the past and the acceptance of the brother he is now. In "Sonny’s Blues", Sonny is able to release his sorrow with music and his brother sees him not as someone under the influence of drugs, but as the true person he is. In Ms. Nye’s poem, she accepts the fact that her brother has grown up and moved on from his younger life. Both pieces are very similar even though they have different settings.

Both "Sonny’s Blues" and "The Little Brother Poem" are great examples of a point where someone remembers a brother from the past. They both are about the realization of their past brothers and how they meant to the main narrators. I like how these two pieces tell a story about the brother of the author. These two stories are interesting stories and they tell a very interesting lesson, to not let your siblings disappear as they grow up.

Kyle's Essay

Kyle Sebastian
Professor H. Salsich
English 9
14 April 2009

A Recipe Called Life:
An Essay on Connections Between “Sonny’s Blues” and “Little Brother.”

TS: Naomi Shihab Nye is a wonderful poet who has written countless meaningful poems. SD: All of her poems hold great literary elements and connections to other pieces of literature. CM: DaVinci was a renowned artist for the sheer talent he poured into each of his brush strokes and Ms. Nye is a renowned poet for the sheer passion she puts into her lines. CM: One of the many famous pieces of writing we can compare her “Little Brother” poem to is “Sonny’s Blues.”

TS: I discerned several beautifully executed examples of figurative language in Naomi Shihab Nye’s Poem. SD: She had a very nice example of a hyperbole in the beginning of the poem. CM: “Some strange bruise you still carried under the skin” is what she says to symbolize the hurt that her brother had still carried with him. CM: Moreover she explains that he was still feeling hurt by the things that she had done to him and that the pain he felt didn’t heal as quickly as a cut or scrape; instead it resided like a “bruise [he] still carried under the skin.” SD: She also uses a simile to describe herself and her brother. CM: She expresses how she believes that her brother is destined for greater things than her by comparing him to “Wall Street” and herself to “the local food market.” CM: Additionally she widens the gap that she believes is between them by saying “We’re different, always have been.” SD: The third and final example is imagery especially when she describes what it would be like if her brother was with her right then. CM: “You’d be outside cranking up the lawnmower. I’d be in here answering mail” is what she says. CM: The whole scenario seems like a scene from a movie playing in my head that I can see perfectly clear. CS: In summary Ms. Nye really has used beautiful figurative language throughout her poem.

TS: Indeed both Ms. Nye’s poem and the “Sonny’s Blues” passages hold deep meaning and are connected to one another. SD: In the first passage from “Sonny’s blues” Sonny’s brother explains the death of his young daughter Grace and how his wife felt the day Grace died. CM: She often had nightmares, waking up crying, clinging to her husband for comfort. CM: A reoccurring theme in both the poem and this passage is loss. CM: Sonny’s brother has lost his precious little baby girl and Ms. Nye has lost the “little brother [. . .] who ran miniature trucks up [her] arms” when he was little. SD: The second passage is at the end of the story when Sonny is playing with Creole and the rest of the band. CM: Another theme that connects both the poem and this passage together is giving. CM: At the end of the poem I think Ms. Nye is trying to give her brother her apology for all the things she has ever done by saying “It’s a large order I know, dumping out a whole drawer at once” meaning she knows that it’s a lot to be apologizing for at one time. CM: However, in the “Sonny’s Blues” passage music seems to be giving Sonny a chance to get his life back, but only if people would listen to him “he would never be free until [they] did.” CS: In conclusion both Sonny’s blues and Ms. Nye’s poem hold significant themes that many people can learn from and use in real life.

TS: Heard them spoken in a play, find them lying in the consequential lines of a poem, sometimes our greatest life lessons can’t be learned in real life. SD: Both “Little Brother” and “Sonny’s Blues” are examples of pieces of writing made for more than reading, but also teaching. CM: Both Ms. Nye’s poem and “Sonny’s Blues” teach us the sorrow of loss and the joy of giving. CM: These are both simply two ingredients that are essential for mixing, stirring, baking, then eating in the recipe called life.

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Teddy's essay (beginning)

Once upon a time there was a little something called courage. This courage was something that Anne Sexton had throughout her life, all the way up to the time of her tragic death. In her poem, "Courage", she really breaks down the true meaning of courage and what it can help you accomplish and why you need to have courage to survive in this world, and also the difference between courage and love. This is a very powerful poem and has links to life, and links to death.

In Anne Sexton's poem, "Courage", the main theme is, as the title suggests, courage. Ms.Sexton writes in the beginning of her poem, "you drank their acid and concealed it", supporting the theme of courage. It takes great courage to endure the tuanting of other people, as Ms.Sexton writes in her poem. Anne Sexton was a very couragous person. As Ms.Sexton writes at the end of her poem, "When death opens the back door, you'll put on your carpet slippers, and stride out", it takes courage to die. This is another example of the theme courage in the poem. She says "you'll put on your carpet slippers and stride out", meaning you'll be calm. Another quote from Ms.Sexton's poem supporting the theme of courage is "if you endured great despair, then you did it alone". This quote talks about how it takes more courage to do something alone than to do something with a friend. This tells you to try doing things alone to test your true courage. This theme of courage can be found everywhere, even in your own life.

This poem relates to my life in three main ways. Ms.Sexton writes, "each spring will be a sword you'll sharpen". this is like people learning from their mistakes (although some people still have trouble with that) to prevent them from happening in the future. The more mistakes you make, the less often you'll make them. In the second stanza, Ms.Sexton writes, "you did not fondle the weakness inside you". You learn to let go of the bad "things". You focus on the good "things". Later in the poem she writes, "you powdered your sorrow, you gave it a back rub". You need to embrace your sorrow. You must learn from it. Your life is a poem, but only you know what it means.

Kyle's ISP Writings

Sitting on this plane I reflect back earlier on this year. Our class always does everything together. We go on trips together, we laugh together, we even cry together. However, when I sit here in this highly uncomfortable chair I think of all the times we won’t be together like my high school graduation, my 16th birthday, maybe even my wedding. These thoughts, filled with dread and sorrow for the future, sadden me. The whole reason for this trip is to have fun so I’m going to focus on the times we can have together. We’re going to skip in the streets of London, we’re going to taste fine cuisine in France. We’ll be seeing the Mona Lisa herself, and we’ll be witnesses to the ceremony of the keys. We’re going to create life long memories with each other once again. This time there’s no holding back on the fun. We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, we’ll experience, we’ll learn. However, the most important part about it is we’ll be doing all these things together.

I woke up to the sound of a bird beautifully bearing it’s soul outside the window of my room. The sun had not yet awakened so the sky was a light grey hue. I quietly gathered my jeans and white T-shirt and slipped out of the room quickly so I didn’t disturb anyone. I started the shower. I listened to the soft pelting of water hitting the floor as I gazed at my smiling face in the mirror. I was thinking about the upcoming adventures that are sure to include Sarah laughing, Tristan poning someone, and Ty LOL-ing. But I had to get ready so I got in the shower and washed away the remnants of yesterday leaving myself bare for what today had to offer.

A bloack fence, a tall and strong tree, even a lamppost standing proudly out of the ground. These are all things, seemingly ordinary, where something special occurs. What occurs is modeling and Sarah and I do it very well. We can see a blank wall and we immediately plaster ourselves to it fusing our ideas with the striking plain contour of the wall. We are not models we are artists. We create angels with our limbs, we smile with our eyes, we captivate with our presence and we do it all for the sake of fun.

Huge buildings. That is what I see everywhere I turn. Made out of glass, of stone, of brick, even of cement. These are the buildings of London the shelters of England. They stand there as proud symbols to the power of the British people. These colossul edifices shall be here for centuries.

Windsor Castle! Such a beautiful, wonderful, magical place! Velvet and metal, and glass, and wood all encrusted with gold. There was centuries old china died in purples, and greens, and blues. There were suits of armor standing tall and proud at every corner. There were gifts from far away, captured artifacts presented to royalty, and many other various trinkets worth unmentionable amounts of money. The rooms holding furniture layered with silk, and satin, and velvet. The dining rooms lined in fine old wood layered in gold carvings, cut with the softest cloth on the walls. The halls painted with mottos in Latin, German, and French, hung with crests of all different colors, shapes and sizes. There are no words to describe such a beautiful like that. There are so many stories describing a prince or princess who aren’t allowed to leave a palace and feel trapped. However, if my palace was anything like the Windsor one than like Ferdinand “Space enough have I in such a prison.”

I’ve had a love for history all of my life, but I found the cabinet war rooms to be utterly tedious. I didn’t take much interest in the procedures or drills that the people who live in the war rooms had to do . However, I do admire and respect the people for living underground for such a long period of time. However, Westminster Abbey was amazing! There were crypts for kings and burial places of famous writers and poets. Like the Windsor Castle the abbey was encrusted with gold paint and marble statues were placed randomly throughout the halls. I, being the Latin scholar that I am, tried to decipher the Latin writing on some of the plaques. The ceiling was so high. The stained glass windows showered colored light down upon us as we walked throughout the halls. The only thing I didn’t like about it was all the people that were there. They seemed to ruin the holy atmosphere that was there.

Light.

Cascading down like angels hair, bathing us ‘till we glow.
Shining through our darkest night, more pure and bright than snow.
No word, nor weapon, nor action could ever defy, the might and power.
Evil, demons, and all creatures of darkness in it’s presence do cower.

Sonnet.

The sun in the sky passes by so very slow.
I sit here on a bench, the morning air crisp and still.
I’m out her in the cold, writing of my own free will.
Expanding my senses, letting my imagination grow.

The sun playing hide and seek with the world is starting to show.
The sound of the birds singing is anything but shrill.
The fierce intent is out of death’s eyes today, he not ready to kill.
Today is going to be good this I know.

I feel like a king wearing a crown.
The jewels and the gold do brightly shine.
So brightly in fact that most look down.

I will love this place ‘till the end of time.
The country so stunning in it I could drown.
The beautiful picture of it forever in my mind.

Ty's essay

Ty LeVarge
Mr. Salsich
English 02
April 8, 2009

Medal of courage
An essay on the theme in the poem courage and how the poem relates to my life

There is a medal of honor in the military, but why isn’t there a medal of courage for daring sacrifice? Sacrifice is something that makes courage. You need to be ready to lose something to be courageous if that were to be the cost. Courage is a lesson that someone has to learn and with courage comes sacrifice.

The poem Courage contains a theme of sacrifice. The quote, “if you faced the death of bombs and bullets” says that you died for someone or something. Whether you die for your country, or if you die to protect someone you love, you made a sacrifice and that took courage. You need courage to protect someone or something you love and would vow to protect. Also, the quote, “if your buddy saved you and died so doing” is another example of sacrifice. It takes love to provoke someone to do so. That is sacrifice to save and protect someone. Sacrifice plays a large role in the focus of this play and is mentioned several times in this poem. It is mostly focused on the sacrifice of one’s life to protect another. You also sacrifice help from your friends to prove that you can accomplish something on your own. Sacrifice is a theme in this poem that is not very easy to describe by words but by their actions and the feats that is required to be courageous.

I have not accomplished something as great as saving someone else’s life, but I have sacrificed some elements of my former self to make my current self even more outgoing. I had to sacrifice a part of my old self or risk losing that part to succeed. I once sacrificed my dignity by randomly saying something at lunch that was followed by an awkward silence. Sacrificing a piece of you can be risky but well worth it. For me, I had to become friends with people and that took courage on its own. I had to take that large extra step that may make me look crazy, or someone cool. It mostly worked except for a few people but I was able to be friendly because I took that risk. Random ideas are what gave me the courage to take that step forward and to be a cool and funny person. I was able to tell of random ideas and be able to make everyone laugh and have a fun time. This took much risk of losing my friendliness with everyone, but my friends have even become better friends. Courage has earned y friendship with everyone and now I am glad that I took that first awkward step towards having a better life.

Courage can be rewarding, but it can also lead to disaster. It is a weapon at your fingertips that only you can control. It can be a disaster of your life, or it can be a boost to your life. Courage is something that you do not want to try unless you know the people that you are talking to.

Tristan's Essay!

Tristan Yerkes
Mr. Salsich
English 02
7 April, 2009

The Bumps Along the Road to the Dark Side of the Moon:
An Essay Analyzing "Courage" by Anne Sexton

“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” This is a commonly known quote from The Wizard of Oz, A film about a young girl that runs away from home, and upon returning finds herself in a magical land called Oz. This film relates to the poem “Courage” by Anne Sexton, in that both are centered around courage, decision making, and growing up.
Both The Wizard of Oz and “Courage” relate to these three themes, and in this paragraph I will explain how they are expressed in “Courage” by Anne Sexton. Obviously, courage is a main theme in “Courage” displayed in all of the stages of life. In the first stanza, Sexton explains courage from early life, to old age, from “The time you first rode a bike” to when “You face old age and it’s natural conclusion”. This reiteration (FAST WORD) of examples of courage shows that courage is a reoccurring theme. Another theme shown in “Courage” is decision making, almost each act of courage is made voluntarily, with an accompanying decision. In the second stanza, Sexton talks about a “buddy” deciding to sacrifice his own life to save “your‘s”; this decision is not made by the person the poem is addressed to, but important nonetheless (FAST WORD). In the last stanza, Sexton shows one of the biggest decisions of all, the decision to “stride out” into deaths arms. These two main themes in the poem build to the theme of growing up, and maturing. The courage used in early and later life, added to the decisions made, all are variables in the equation for what the addressee will grow to become. This theme of growing up is a main guide throughout the poem, and gives a better sense of direction. With these three major themes in mind, “Courage” has messages on three different levels, with relationships between each.
Each of the three main themes in “Courage” are also displayed in a similar fashion in The Wizard of Oz in this paragraph I will examine and explain these relationships. In the first stanza of “Courage” Ms. Sexton talks about courage in an early stage, this same type of courage is expressed in The Wizard of Oz before Dorothy leaves Kansas. Dorothy has a normal life on a farm in Kansas, this small quiet life represents the earlier stages of her courage. Before she leaves for Oz, she makes small courageous acts, like running away from home, balancing on pig pens, and confronting her nosy neighbor, these are her “first steps” in the storyline. In “Courage” Ms. Sexton says the addressee of the poem “fights off bombs and bullets” this symbolism of courage used to fight is replicated in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy begin to follow a mysterious yellow brick road to get home, and finds herself fighting off an evil witch. As in The Wizard of Oz, the second stanza of “Courage” leaves the reader feeling as if the addressee is still young, and still has the innocents of childhood, similarly, Dorothy still seems young as she fights off the Wicked Witch. In “Courage” Sexton talks of how the addressee’s buddy “saved your life, and in so doing, died himself” this idea of sacrifice is carried on in The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy finds new friends that work together to save each other from the perils of the dangerous, witch-ridden road. The final stanza of “Courage” describes how the addressee of the poem “strides out” to meet death, without hiding; the same thing happens at the end of The Wizard of Oz, as Dorothy walks directly into the dangerous lair of the wizard of Oz, unfaltering, possibly sacrificing everything she had done. In both of these situations, there is definite acceptance of fate, both the addressee’s acceptance of death, and Dorothy’s acceptance of the wizard’s anger of being disturbed. In both situations, the subjects of their story went on to some place where they could enjoy the fruits of their cumulative courage. These two stories don’t match up perfectly chronologically, but they both hold the same essence of courage, and growing into an adult.
However much Dorothy was an adult at the end of her adventures, she was not the same person at all. Through courage, both the addressee of “Courage” and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz grew and were shaped and had memorable experiences. (POLYSYNDETON) The quote “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” expresses a feeling of having been changed dramatically in one way or another. I think that both the addressee and Dorothy, at the end of both of their adventures could say “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”

Kyle's Paragraph

Kyle Sebastian
Professor H. Salsich
English 9
7 April 2009

Courage;
An Essay on the courage in My Life and Ms. Sexton’s Poem.

TS: Courage, the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. SD: Life takes unbelievable amounts of courage. CM: All throughout life one needs courage to get through tough situations, overcome objects, and even completing simple things. CM: I cannot live without life, but I cannot not live without courage either.


TS: What Ms. Sexton is saying is that life takes courage. SD: Her whole poem seems like it is divided up into stages of somebody’s life. CM: Her first stanza starts off with an infancy stage because she says “the child’s first step.” CM: You can tell the last stanza has to do with the end of somebody’s life when she says “when you face old age.” SD: The second stanza mentions war which is something that many people have to deal with and require courage to deal with it. CM: Not only do people in the war need to have courage, but the families of those in the war have to have courage as well. CM: They have to have courage to face the fact that their sons and daughters and sisters and brothers and mothers and fathers and uncles and aunts might not make it home. SD: In the third stanza Ms. Sexton mentions “great despair” which is another thing that some people have had to deal with in their lives. CM: Some people have had a loved one die, have no place to live, or sometimes have lost their money. CM: It takes great courage to deal with those kind of things and move forward in life. CS: It takes courage from the minute your foot hits the floor when you get out of bed to the moment your eyes close before you go to sleep.

TS: I totally agree with Ms. Sexton that life in general takes courage. SD: I know that my life certainly takes courage. CM: I have to deal with daily struggles like getting school work in on time, drama with friends and family and many other small predicaments that life habitually throws at us. CM: Each and every day always presents a challenge and it always requires courage to get through. SD: I also have “great despairs” in my life that sometimes require great amounts of courage. CM: My grandfather’s death, for instance, was a huge despair in my life because I loved him very dearly. CM: When he died it took great courage for me to move on and keep an optimistic look on life. SD: War, like in Ms. Sexton’s poem, is also an occurring event in my life that takes courage to deal with. CM: I have an uncle, whom I love very much, who is in the army. CM: It takes courage to realize and deal with the fact that he might not come home someday, it takes courage for his kids to know that they may never see their dad again, it takes courage for his wife to know that she may never see the man she loves again. CS: The reality is that everyone needs to necessitate courage into their lives.

TS: “Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win.” (Bernadette Devlin) SD: Courage is an everyday necessity just like food, like water, like the blood that courses through our veins. CM: I have lived my life with courage ever since I was born and I will continue to face what’s ahead of me. CM: At some point in everyone’s life they are faced with a choice; either living life doing what you think is right or by living life and never your true self to the world.

KEY
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