So my Research paper was turned in on Monday!


My paper was about PTSD in Vietnam Veterans and how understanding PTSD in Vietnam Veterans allows us to interpret the literature written by Vietnam veterans, including the poem, "Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa.


I have chosen to use this poem again in my research because I am really intrigued by it.


Now the next assignment is a classic film analysis essay.


I have chosen to do analysis and research on the film "12 Angry Men" from the fifties.


I really suggest the movie to ANYONE! Literally ANYONE!

On to the Research paper!

Well, march has been exciting.

Spring Break, Midterms, papers due... i'm glad its over...

but on to the next one;

We have a research paper assignment for Comp 2. It can be about anything it just must tie into one of the works that have been read so far this semester.

I have chosen to do research on the Effects of the Vietnam War on Vietnam Veterans.

This relates to the poem "Facing It" check out my previous post on it... "Facing It"

I am really excited and have begun my research. Today the Intro, Thesis, Outline and Bib are due....

Lets see how this turns out.. will keep you updated!

Robert Frost

I really LOVE Robert Frost!  I have included my favorite poem of his at the end of this post. His poetry is descriptive and has many meaning. I really enjoyed the four poems we were required to read for class. Also In the past I have read many of  his other works. I enjoy most all  of his poetry.


He is a more modern writer. He lived from 1874-1963. I am sure she saw so much change in his life and I wonder is that was influence on his poetry. He was well recognized for his works receiving 4 Pulitzer prizes over his lifetime. Many authors/artists of the past are not recognized for their greatness until after they have passed. His work was appreciated when it was written and is still appreciated today!

Robert Frost (1874–1963).  Mountain Interval.  1920.

1. The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;         5 Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,         10 And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.         15 I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.         20

Bartleby, the Scrivener : Melville, Herman. 1853.

I read an interesting short story this weekend called Bartleby, the Scrivener.


It was a story about that "mystery" surrounding this man Bartleby.


It is a story which has been interpreted in many different ways through the years.


The basic story is that this Lawyer, ends up getting "stuck" with Bartleby. Bartleby works for the lawyer at first, but then begins refusing to do his work or anything at all for that matter. Bartleby does not eat, or even leave his spot in the office. The lawyer can not get rid of Bartleby as he refuses to leave the lawyer's office as well. Something intrigues the lawyer about Bartleby and he feels he cannot just throw him out on the street. The lawyer tries to give Bartleby money to help him out but Bartleby does not take it. The lawyer moves his office to rid himself of Bartleby, and it works. But the lawyer soon finds out Bartleby has been still hanging around the old office. Bartleby ends up being arrested. The lawyer visits him in jail, and days later Bartleby is dead because he refused to eat. The lawyer then finds a few things out about Bartleby after he dies that changes his perspective on him.


This is just a very short summary of what happens in the story.
This story shows that things may not always be as they appear.


I suggest this story to anyone!


It will remind you that when you think you "don't know anything" about someone; that you actually probably know a lot about them. Just just have to take the time to see.

Poetry

So I began working in the poetry unit today.


I really enjoyed reading the following 3 poems:


My Papa's Waltz by  Theodore Roethke


Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden


Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa


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My Favorite was "Facing It". It made a large impact on me because my Grandfather was in Vietnam. He always tries not to "face" his memories of Vietnam. He does not like to talk much about his experiences and 2 years of life in Vietnam. I respect all the brave men and women who served in Vietnam. I hope to one day visit the memorial and pay my respects to all the soldiers who fought in Vietnam.
When you read the poem, what do you get out of it?


Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa


My black face fades,   

hiding inside the black granite.   

I said I wouldn't  

dammit: No tears.   

I'm stone. I'm flesh.   

My clouded reflection eyes me   

like a bird of prey, the profile of night   

slanted against morning. I turn   

this way—the stone lets me go.   

I turn that way—I'm inside   

the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

again, depending on the light   

to make a difference.   

I go down the 58,022 names,   

half-expecting to find   

my own in letters like smoke.   

I touch the name Andrew Johnson;   

I see the booby trap's white flash.   

Names shimmer on a woman's blouse   

but when she walks away   

the names stay on the wall.   

Brushstrokes flash, a red bird's   

wings cutting across my stare.   

The sky. A plane in the sky.   

A white vet's image floats   

closer to me, then his pale eyes   

look through mine. I'm a window.   

He's lost his right arm   

inside the stone. In the black mirror   

a woman’s trying to erase names:   

No, she's brushing a boy's hair.  

"Babylon Revisited" - Fitzgerald

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. At first it was hard for me to understand half-awake at 12 am. But after reading a summary of the story it all fell into place and made sense! 


To me, I take it as the story of an addict. Someone who had hit a hard place in life, a struggle with drugs and alcohol, the death of his wife and the loss of his daughter. 
Throughout the story, I believe Lorraine and Duncan represent Charlies past. They are what Charlie used to be. And they pop up quite a bit throughout the story; even ruining Charlies chances of bringing his daughter home with him. I also believe that they pop up so often as to represent what a recovering addict goes through for the rest of their life. That constant urge to use, and the constant fight against the urge.


I recommend this story to anyone who has had an addiction, or is a recovering addict, or even a successful person who was an addict in the past. 


It is kind of a sad story, but if shows the harsh reality of what living that type of lifestyle will do to you, and how it can go about haunting you for many years to come.  

Amy Tan "A Pair of Tickets"

I recommend "A Pair of Tickets", to anyone who has is having trouble figuring out "who they are" in regards to culture and heritage.


The story is about Jing-Mei Chinese woman whose mother had recently passed. She has just found out about the twin half-sisters which she has in China. She and her father decide to go visit the twins and other family in China. During her journey in China, Jing-Mei ends up feeling like she has "become Chinese", something she had struggled to accept her entire life.


I myself have an issue with my heritage; I don't know what it is! My mother is adopted and my father abandoned the family when I was born. So I have no idea what my heritage is.


I almost feel like Jing-Mei was taking her heritage for granted for a very long time!