Catarina Sousa
“Sandman”
I found a photograph the other day
A few friends and I
During the anniversary of the day I started dying.
We had cake smeared on our faces
And hands held up high as if
We won nothing but the itchiness
And awkwardness of looking like
A fool to one another.
What else could we have won
That isn’t food worthy
Or even tastes that good?
Maybe the bond of having the same
Ugliness and unpopular pink and purple goo
In the middle of our eyes and ears.
But, that was all we had,
We had each other’s unworthy looks and
Eyelashes that closed together when we laughed too hard;
Or maybe the steps that appeared on our foreheads
As if they were carrying our brains to somewhere
Uncommon since it did appear uncommon anyway.
After all,
We were ugly kids
And something about gazing at the mirror in disgust
Made us like each other more and more and more.
We called ourselves friends and claimed everyone else
Everything else
Whoever else claimed themselves real
Was fake.
Or the fact that we were the fakest ones and lost
Our vein attitudes within each other’s lonesome eyes.
I cared about those eyes for a while.
Until I looked at mine and saw tiny specs of green and brown.
Change began to take its course unwillingly
So unwillingly, that as I cried to stay the same ,
More and more and more specs appeared.
I was growing up, and I was alone.
I needed to pretend that I was clueless about life,
About religion,
About sex,
About the rape and murder that happens only a few towns away.
I was too young to know that
There wasn’t much to believe in,
But I believed in too much.
I claimed the news made me insane
Or claimed myself tired to avoid talking on and on and on
About the man who killed his wife in front of his kids
Like an ignorant bastard.
I became scared of the world because I knew
Being in the wrong place, wrong time was too common,
And that my skin is as thin as paper
And a knife could gently glide by my hip
And cut it open too easily.
But, I kept growing up.
I wasn’t scared of clowns, bugs
Or the sandman, whom I thought could put me
Into a trance if he sprinkled too much dust on me.
Dust made up of his beliefs and favors,
That I thought would influence me to change mine.
Because I’m gullible enough to believe a grape was the forbidden fruit
Or that Adam and Eve really looked into each other’s eyes
During sex to whisper “I love you.”
But, I somehow realized that eating glass would be better
Than hanging out with friends who claimed to be friends
When other friends were at the right place, right time
I didn’t need anyone
I needed
Really sweet plums that would inspire growth
Rather than cake that screamed innocence.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
For Jane Meyers & Spring And All
Catarina Sousa
Mr. Perez
AP English
18 December 2011
For Jane Meyers & Spring And All
By: Louise Gluck By: William Carlos Williams
In both poem, “For Jane Meyers,” by Louise Gluck and “Spring And All,” by William Carlos Williams, both poets share different attitudes towards the same topic, Spring. Although Gluck seems to have a gloomy approach to the change in seasons, Williams shares his enjoyment of the rebirth and the awakening of plants, trees, etc. For Jane Meyers, overall is a romantic poem stating the natural beauty of spring and all the different colors and moods it brings. The imagery of the flowers brings the feeling of rejoicing that they finally have bloomed. But, the poem takes a different turn when it states “It is spring |We are going to die|.” This could be looked upon as a contradiction since springtime is when everything comes to life after the harsh winter. The mood suddenly becomes melancholy.
Spring And All sets the opposite mood from the other poem. This poem bring the anticipation of almost being spring the main point. Although both poems involve colors, This poem by William has more “harsh” colors than For Jane Meyers. After, the poems mood shifts from almost being spring to stating that now it approached, he refers to it as “sluggish” and “lifeless”. The mood becomes once again gloomy, almost referring to a real life feeling of anticipation ending in dissatisfaction. Which, I would presume is the main point in this poem.
Mr. Perez
AP English
18 December 2011
For Jane Meyers & Spring And All
By: Louise Gluck By: William Carlos Williams
In both poem, “For Jane Meyers,” by Louise Gluck and “Spring And All,” by William Carlos Williams, both poets share different attitudes towards the same topic, Spring. Although Gluck seems to have a gloomy approach to the change in seasons, Williams shares his enjoyment of the rebirth and the awakening of plants, trees, etc. For Jane Meyers, overall is a romantic poem stating the natural beauty of spring and all the different colors and moods it brings. The imagery of the flowers brings the feeling of rejoicing that they finally have bloomed. But, the poem takes a different turn when it states “It is spring |We are going to die|.” This could be looked upon as a contradiction since springtime is when everything comes to life after the harsh winter. The mood suddenly becomes melancholy.
Spring And All sets the opposite mood from the other poem. This poem bring the anticipation of almost being spring the main point. Although both poems involve colors, This poem by William has more “harsh” colors than For Jane Meyers. After, the poems mood shifts from almost being spring to stating that now it approached, he refers to it as “sluggish” and “lifeless”. The mood becomes once again gloomy, almost referring to a real life feeling of anticipation ending in dissatisfaction. Which, I would presume is the main point in this poem.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Bright Star by John Keats & Choose Something Like a Star by Robert Frost
Bright Star by John Keats
Choose Something Like a Star by Robert Frost
In both of this poems by two similar poets, they seems to have a fascination for the stars and the unfamiliar world of space. Although, some people might see this as an allusion to God, I see it more of a guidance like an angel. When people are lost they are looking for the north star to get them home safe. Both themes in these poems suggest that there is power out in the world, that everyone looks up to, whether it be the stars, or your friends. Both of these poets have different styles of writing, but their observant points get across that they are looking for a way out of the real world.
In Keats poem, the speaker is trying to be the epitome of a star. It wants to be consistent and never change like the people and things around him. While in Frost’s poem, the speaker is questions everything around him, and i believe he is looking for a change in his life for the better. These poems both deal with impatient people waiting for questions and wishes to be fulfilled just by glancing at the night sky. But, one big difference in the poems is that in Keats poem, the star provides no answer. While in Frost’s poem, the star says little to guide the speaker, and the speaker comes out yearning for more, while the other gives up.
Choose Something Like a Star by Robert Frost
In both of this poems by two similar poets, they seems to have a fascination for the stars and the unfamiliar world of space. Although, some people might see this as an allusion to God, I see it more of a guidance like an angel. When people are lost they are looking for the north star to get them home safe. Both themes in these poems suggest that there is power out in the world, that everyone looks up to, whether it be the stars, or your friends. Both of these poets have different styles of writing, but their observant points get across that they are looking for a way out of the real world.
In Keats poem, the speaker is trying to be the epitome of a star. It wants to be consistent and never change like the people and things around him. While in Frost’s poem, the speaker is questions everything around him, and i believe he is looking for a change in his life for the better. These poems both deal with impatient people waiting for questions and wishes to be fulfilled just by glancing at the night sky. But, one big difference in the poems is that in Keats poem, the star provides no answer. While in Frost’s poem, the star says little to guide the speaker, and the speaker comes out yearning for more, while the other gives up.
Clocks and Lovers by W.H. Auden
Clocks and Lovers by W.H. Auden
In this poem by W.H. Auden, he uses imagery as his main component. As the poem’s stanzas continue, time is flying by. The imagery used in this poem consists of complaining how crowds of people where like harvest wheat, indistinguishable. After he tells us how people lack uniqueness and originality, he continues by saying that his lover is different and how his life for her is forever. As the poem goes along time is passing by quickly. From the beginning it starts off possibly at teenage years or early adulthood, when most people find the one. But towards the 10th stanza, the imagery of “plunging your hands in water” and just staring upon them could be him looking at how different his hands look. They are aging and growing weak and tired, that could show how worn out he is becoming as a whole.
The meaning of this poem is simply the fact of a man who lost his beloved and is now wishing or hoping death upon himself. The clocks have a great significance in this poem, as they do in many other stories or poems. In the novel, “Great Expectations”, Miss. Havisham keeps all the clocks in the room to the exact time her beloved left her. Also, the poem states, “The clocks had ceased their chiming.” Clocks have a power to remind you of wonderful memories, or make you reminisce on your old life that you wish you had back. Which I believe is what the narrorator wanted all along, the past.
In this poem by W.H. Auden, he uses imagery as his main component. As the poem’s stanzas continue, time is flying by. The imagery used in this poem consists of complaining how crowds of people where like harvest wheat, indistinguishable. After he tells us how people lack uniqueness and originality, he continues by saying that his lover is different and how his life for her is forever. As the poem goes along time is passing by quickly. From the beginning it starts off possibly at teenage years or early adulthood, when most people find the one. But towards the 10th stanza, the imagery of “plunging your hands in water” and just staring upon them could be him looking at how different his hands look. They are aging and growing weak and tired, that could show how worn out he is becoming as a whole.
The meaning of this poem is simply the fact of a man who lost his beloved and is now wishing or hoping death upon himself. The clocks have a great significance in this poem, as they do in many other stories or poems. In the novel, “Great Expectations”, Miss. Havisham keeps all the clocks in the room to the exact time her beloved left her. Also, the poem states, “The clocks had ceased their chiming.” Clocks have a power to remind you of wonderful memories, or make you reminisce on your old life that you wish you had back. Which I believe is what the narrorator wanted all along, the past.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Is this the "The Stranger" and "The Metamorphosis" essay?
Catarina Sousa
Mr. Perez
AP English
5 December 2011
Are “The Stranger” and “The Metamorphosis” alike?
From a quick over view of each book, does it seem like these two books are like? I would think so, wouldn’t you? Can you believe that both of the main characters Gregor Samsa and Meursault are both protagonists? Do the women in both their lives help create who they are? Do women even have a significant part in any book? Or are they used for the characters sexual pleasure? Are both characters outcasts of society? Since Meursault is frowned upon for not crying at his mother’s funeral, does that make him less of a human? Is the fact that Gregor turn into a giant bug (mentally or physically) a right to kick him out of the house and of their lives?
What does it mean to be human anyway? Is having the power to kill or kill oneself the only thing we can control in life? Is that what us human? Meusault killing an Arab can show how easily life is taken away, can’t it? But does this mean Gregor takes advantage of having such knowledge on life? How does Gregor kill himself for being a burden to his family, while Meusault lives careless to the death of someone who was once a burden? Could Grete be the cause of Gregor’s death, while Marie could be this reason for living? Why does loneliness affect everyone so differently? Why can death of someone be frowned upon by some and smiled on by others?
Mr. Perez
AP English
5 December 2011
Are “The Stranger” and “The Metamorphosis” alike?
From a quick over view of each book, does it seem like these two books are like? I would think so, wouldn’t you? Can you believe that both of the main characters Gregor Samsa and Meursault are both protagonists? Do the women in both their lives help create who they are? Do women even have a significant part in any book? Or are they used for the characters sexual pleasure? Are both characters outcasts of society? Since Meursault is frowned upon for not crying at his mother’s funeral, does that make him less of a human? Is the fact that Gregor turn into a giant bug (mentally or physically) a right to kick him out of the house and of their lives?
What does it mean to be human anyway? Is having the power to kill or kill oneself the only thing we can control in life? Is that what us human? Meusault killing an Arab can show how easily life is taken away, can’t it? But does this mean Gregor takes advantage of having such knowledge on life? How does Gregor kill himself for being a burden to his family, while Meusault lives careless to the death of someone who was once a burden? Could Grete be the cause of Gregor’s death, while Marie could be this reason for living? Why does loneliness affect everyone so differently? Why can death of someone be frowned upon by some and smiled on by others?
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