Essay 3

After reading both of the short stories, I decided I will do my third essay on "The Yellow Wallpaper." While reading I was more intrigued with this story. I did not fall asleep while reading this compared to "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," which I thought was the deciding factor.

What have you now learned about analyzing literature?

After taking extensive notes on the email handout we received i have learned new, useful information. When researching, you are essentially making an argument. When people read your research paper you want a valid point to come across to them. Also, one must always have a detailed thesis statement, which I personally struggle with. The best research topics are ones that come out of your own reading of a work of literature. Some good places to start research are the Internet and the library, but I already knew that. All literature research papers use the MLA format, which I thought was interesting. Pre-writing steps are free-write, review, research and evaluate. I usually skip over these initial steps, which could ruin my wriritng process. Overall I have gained knowledge after reading the handout and I will read it again so I can get more information I may have skipped over.

Two Poems

The two poems I chose are Poetry and Ars Poetica. Both are describing how to read poetry, but Ars Poetica has rhyming and a pattern. Poetry has many stanzas that are confusing to understand. I enjoyed reading Ars poetica because it is guiding me to understand poetry more and how poetry should be. Some people like having poetry written in a confusing way, but I would just like it straight forward sometimes.

The Road Not Taken-Robert Frost

I chose to read the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, because I have heard people talk about it for one, and secondly it sounded interesting. I believe this poem is a metaphor of life. People seem to take the path that others have before them, because it is safe. I believe that Robert Frost chose the less traveled path because it was more dangerous, and in the end that is more appealing than the same route others have taken, also known as the safe route.

Reflections on poetry

After seeing some poetry slam, my opinion of poetry in general have changed. It does not always have to be boring or confusing. I was really amazed by the passion that Jose and Josh had while reading their poetry. They seemed so into every movement and sound, which I think is important when reading your work. I now understand poetry more and look forward to hearing, reading and learning more about it.

How to read a poem

When I was younger I personally hated writing or reading poems, thinking it was all about rhyming. After reading How to Read a Poem I know no that it is much more than that. I have a hard time reading anything I write aloud, which is something the writing says to do. So I started by reading me narrative essay out loud and it actually helps you find errors in your writing. Which is very helpful. I go both ways with poems I guess, I do not hate them, but I certainly do not love them. When picking a poem apart, it seems like there is no right answer, not one certain answer, which bothers me because how am I supposed to know what the author means? I really did not think that "The Red Wheelbarrow" had a point to it, but in a few short sentences it actually does. The way I interpreted it was not to take the small things in life for granted.

Where I lived, and What I lived for

Even though the descriptions are amazing, I still had a hard time getting into the reading. When he says "Wherever I sat, there might live, and the landscape radiated from me accordingly" was confusing to me in a way. There were times I felt like I was actually there with him, like when he is describing the apples, or the sky. It made me feel like I was in nature, taking in all it has to offer. I really enjoyed reading the second to last paragraph. He says to spend a day in nature and not be afraid of what it throws at you. I feel like people should take his advice and spend some time in the nature, and not be ashamed or feel awkward for what the world has to offer.

USFS 1919

I really enjoyed the text of the entire short story. His descriptions of the mountains and the way they live paint such a vivid picture in my head. I defiantly compared the story in my head to Wyoming because it sounded so much alike. I really enjoyed reading from another persons point of view. I have nothing in common with the writer, but it seemed like I could put myself in his shoes. A line that really caught my attention was at the beginning when he was describing the scenery as oceans of mountains. The ending was both good and bad, he just left and never went back and it seemed like it just ended. Overall I enjoyed reading USFS.