Reading Between The Line, That is Between The Other Line

The more poems I read, the more I start to think about smaller details. One of the poems I interpreted this week was Mother to Son by Langston Hughes. The reason I chose to read this poem this week, was because it is one I have read many times in school, and have discussed that it seemed like I knew it well enough. While analyzing it, I noticed certain lines that showed how it was more than just a mother telling her son about how hard life has been for her, which usually seems to be the general idea. It went deeper than that, which is what I loved about it.

The line "And sometimes goin' in the dark, where there ain't been no light" is one that grabbed my attention. While reading the poem, it had always looked like a hard life was just given to her, and she just went towards the light the whole time, meaning going to positive places. In this line, she is going to the badness, to the dark. While I read this, I noticed a message she was trying to say. She was showing that sometimes to get where you need to be in life, you have to stop and acknowledge everything, including dark places that you might not want to go to. And whatever that 'dark place' is for someone, they have to deal with it, in order to move forward.

One line that I hadn't noticed till this week, was the "Don't you set down on the steps. 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard." It had never occurred to me, that the author didn't need to climb at all, that they had the choice to just stay in one place. This line show, though, that they do have that option, but here the mother is telling the boy that he shouldn't do that because it is harder than climbing. The way I interpreted that line, was that sometimes its hard to live with the decisions you have made, but that you can always do something about it. You can, and should always aim higher to end up on top.

This poem is one that I find super inspirational. I think that although the idea has become somewhat cliche and cheesy, the poem speaks it in such a honest and true way that it makes it much more easy to relate.

Mother to Son

By Langston Hughes

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Cause Love is Bad and Hate is Good.

As I decide where to continue from my reading plan, I have chosen to read several poems this week. One that I chose was Fire and Ice by Robert Frost. The main idea in this poem, is the idea of love verses hate. The author says that he agrees with those who prefer fire first, but then continues to say that if the world had to end a second time ice would be just as great as fire. When translated, he is saying how hate and love are similar and how they can both destroy us.

When I read this poem for the very first time, I didn't know what the author was trying to say when he said ice was just as great as fire. I kept asking myself how love could in any way be bad. Then rereading it this week, I stopped on the line "from what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire". When you desire something, you really want it, because it is something you don't already have. Sometimes when we want something, we don't stop to consider the affects of our actions and we just go for what we want. That is just as bad as being mean when it hurts others, and is sometimes worse because we usually do it for ourselves, making us selfish.

The second half of the poem has always been my favorite part. The author puts the idea of hatred into a positive perspective. It made me think if hate could be good, just as love could be bad. When hate exists in an environment, it is natural to think to bring it down. Having hate exist, however, can help drive people to stand up to it. In the sentence "to say that for destruction ice, is also great" shows how the poem focuses on the destruction from ice, but I this poem helped me see that although, yes, it can be destructive it can also help in such a good way.

Something I have always loved from this poem, and that I had never thought of until this moment, is the deeper meaning that it gives. It almost says how you can choose how you want to end your life, emotionally. In fire or in ice, in love or in hate. Normally you would think love would be the best way, but this poem shows how it might not always be.

Fire and Ice

By Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Why She Does the Things She Does

Lush by Natasha Friend, I would normally criticize the choices she made, and how she would deal with things the way she did, but soon I found myself with a question. Why does Sam do the things she does, even if they aren’t the best ones? Then I noticed that, that was one of the best aspects of the book, how relatable Sam is because she doesn’t do things perfectly.

When Sam’s parents start driving her insane she looks for help by leaving a note in the library for a girl named Juliet, describing her situation and asking for advice. I wondered why she chose to do this instead of talking to her friends or an adult and then I could understand her and relate. She describes in the book how when she is with her friends she “mostly forgets”, and how it’s better for her not to think about it. I know what it is like to need distractions from what you have to deal with. I always love to be around my friends because when I am with them it is like I am in a different world.

It is really interesting to me because the way she deals with her problems frustrate me, but at the same time I can’t exactly blame her. I wish she would just be honest with her dad, mom, and friends. I think that was what was really important about the notes. She was totally honest with A.J.K. but had no idea who he was. Then in the end she was able to be herself with everyone. It took her a while to get to that point because of the other choices she made, but she still got there.

I think what makes Sam a memorable character is how realistically she deals with her problems. Maybe the way she does it isn’t exactly the best way, but at the time it is what she thinks is best for her. I can also relate to her on this level because I deal with my problems in the same way. I don’t talk to people about it, and Sam inspires me to talk more and express my thoughts.

Here, There, Everywhere.

A big social issue in our world today is poverty. When the general audience thinks of poverty, they think of starving people half way across the world. Like in advertisements for groups that help poverty on television. But the truth is that poverty is all over the place, from my own neighborhood here in New York, to my neighborhood in Mexico.

In Kensington, my neighborhood in Brooklyn, it is some what common to find people living on the street, with blankets and a cup for spare change, but there are some. Entering the train, there have been people that have asked me for change. Also, it is common in all of New York to find yourself in a train cart or platform where people perform, with some sort of tool standing out, waiting for the audience to put in any amount of money.

In Mexico, I have never truly seen people living on the streets, but where I am from it has never been common since I live in a more country looking area. It is, however, really common for people to not have much money. Activities that children do, are free ones such as going to parks and playgrounds next door. I don't see kids with their phones or ipods out since those are not common there. Instead I see dolls, and stuffed animals, as their entertainment.

In both these two different places, there are people that are in some kind of poverty. They sometimes can't support their family, and sometimes not themselves. I think that we have to acknowledge these people, and we have to not only set up programs to help other people, but ourselves too. We should put up more homeless shelters, or ways of supporting people, because although we can change many lives around the world, we can change them here too.

A Not Social Issue, Issue

Gay rights is a topic I personally would not consider an issue, but because there are some people that do not believe it is right, that word will just have to do. Gay rights is an "issue" I find important because we are limiting people just because of a way they are. It is similar to when we discriminated towards african americans just because of their color. Here we are discriminating gay people just because of who they love. We limit them by not letting them get married in some states, which leads to other limitations as well.

Marriage is defined as "the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex... " People that are against gay marriage say that it is "unconstitutional". People that aren't against it agree that gay people should have the same rights and the same "legal benefits" as anyone else. I think that although the definition of marriage only states that it is between male and female, change is something that is always a part of the world. What we think is weird or not right now, might be in a few decades. Just like gay people were not accepted before, they are starting to now.

The limitation of marriage, limits family rights too. Without a sturdy foundation of marriage, adopting a child must be harder, to both support the child and in cases of divorce for custody. Adoption alone is not even an option, in most places. People that believe gays should not adopt believe that they can not provide "the upbringing of a traditional family". But what is a traditional family mean? And whatever it is, two people no matter what genders, can most definitely be qualified to raise a child.

Articles On Gay Rights:

Marriage:

http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S44-4241-0-709&artno=0000307415&type=ART

Adoption: http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=S44-4241-0-709&artno=0000307414&type=ART

Myself as Two

I am

happy, not accepted, but happy

scared, accepted for now, but scared

Life is

hard, but right, I am myself

easy, but not right, I am not myself

The world is

harsh, but life is comfortable, I am myself

a breeze, but life is not comfortable, I am not myself

My family

rejects me, cause the world is cruel, but life is good, I am myself

would never forgive me, the world only accepts the familiar, life is unfair, when I am not myself

Gay rights is something I feel strongly about, because I think as people with feelings we have the right to marry and love whoever we choose, therefore I chose to write a poem over that topic, but I tried to do so in a subtle way. Therefore, for this two voice poem I started with my two characters, where I decided one would be out of the closet and one would be in the closet. I wanted the characters to have the same "issue" while their lives contrasted each other greatly. I also wanted to start with how they felt about themselves, and then each stanza having them branch out to others and ending with family because that is something most people feel most strongly about.

While doing this I also wanted each line holding on to the previous stanza, showing how no matter what others thought they would be the ones either content with the way they are or not. In the life of the first person, her only positive stanza was the first one about herself where she is happy. In the rest life is hard the world is harsh and her family rejects her, but she is happy. In the life of the second person, and life is easy the world is a breeze, but she is scared, and in the last line everything is wrong, because she is not herself. Although it is not implied in the poem I did try to imply it in the title, I wrote the poem thinking it as one person, and what her life would be like if she came out to the world vs. if she didn't.

Multiple- Face

I have recently read the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part- Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. In this book there are many lessons about life that the author tries to teach us. I think that one of the most important ones he tries to teach us is that you should be yourself, but there isn't always one you. People are going to act differently depending on who they are with and maybe not even be exactly themselves, and the author shows how that's okay. The main character of this book is Arnold Spirit Jr. In this book he learns this lesson.

Arnold was different with the people on the rez than the people that went to his school in a different town. On the rez, people called him Junior and he got beat up. To them he was "a poor no one". However, he was always himself, especially with his best friend Rowdy. He was able to tell Rowdy all of his dreams and just about everything. Him and Rowdy always talked and joked around together, and were always honest with each other. I think it's really great that Arnold had that group of people he was himself with, including his family, but how I said, specifically Rowdy.

Arnold acted completely different with all of his classmates. His classmates didn't think he was poor and didn't think of him as a no one. In school he was one of the most popular kids. He was also one of the best basketball players on the team unlike when he went to school on the rez. Also in his new school, he has a girlfriend that is also popular named Penelope. With these classmates he is less loose and more serious about life and what he wants. With his family and tribe members he is much more loose and less serious about life.

One of the most important lessons that are in the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part- Time Indian is that it is okay to be different and not yourself at times. I think that people always say cliché things such as you should always be yourself, which I definitely agree on but sometimes people bring out different sides of you and different reactions or emotions. I love how realistic the author is in this book and in life. He shows different sides and emotions of Arnold and how the people around him affect him.