Friday, December 16, 2011
Holiday Celebration
As for me, I am American-born Chinese who celebrates Christmas as a fun holiday. In my family, we would listen to Christmas songs, enjoy cookies, open presents, and spend time with family. The Christmas songs that I listen to are O’ Holy Night, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The First Noel, Gloria In Excelsis Deo. Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Silver Bells, Silent Night, and several other songs. My mom would bake Pillsbury cookies, the ones where cookies are already made, but needs to be placed into the oven. My family would spend time together by going out to dinner at an elegant restaurant, watch a concert, or visit our family members in California. Some of the concerts that I would go to include Christmas or Classical Music. In California, I stay in the Southern California region, in cities of Arcadia and Temple City. My cousins live in Arcadia and Downtown Los Angeles. My grandma lives in a Senior living center in Alhambra. When we go to see my grandma, we would take her out to dinner, talk about pastimes with her, and play mahjong.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Stanzas in Meditation: Stanza LXXXIII By Gertrude Stein
Stanzas in Meditation: Stanza LXXXIII By Gertrude Stein
Why am I if I am uncertain reasons may inclose.
Remain remain propose repose chose.
I call carelessly that the door is open
Which if they may refuse to open
No one can rush to close.
Let them be mine therefor.
Everybody knows that I chose.
Therefor if therefore before I close.
I will therefore offer therefore I offer this.
Which if I refuse to miss may be miss is mine.
I will be well welcome when I come.
Because I am coming.
Certainly I come having come.
These stanzas are done.
Gertrude Stein, Stanza LXXXIII from Stanzas in Meditation and Other Poems (Los
Angeles: Sun and Moon Press, 1994). Copyright © 1956 by Alice B. Toklas. Copyright
© 1980 by Calman A. Levin, Executor of the Estate of Gertrude Stein. Reprinted with the
permission of the Estate of Gertrude Stein.
Source: Stanzas in Meditation and Other Poems (Sun & Moon Press, 1994)
I like the poem because of the poet Gertrude Stein. In the following poem, she uses certain words repetitively. The words close, chose, come, and open are used twice. Some of the things she says do not seem to make sense. There are several questions that I have regarding the poem. For example, what does the poet mean with the title, “Stanzas in Meditation: Stanza LXXXIII. The poet continues to say open, close, open, close. I get a negative feeling when I read this. The words of I must do something to get this.
Why am I if I am uncertain reasons may inclose.
Remain remain propose repose chose.
I call carelessly that the door is open
Which if they may refuse to open
No one can rush to close.
Let them be mine therefor.
Everybody knows that I chose.
Therefor if therefore before I close.
I will therefore offer therefore I offer this.
Which if I refuse to miss may be miss is mine.
I will be well welcome when I come.
Because I am coming.
Certainly I come having come.
These stanzas are done.
Gertrude Stein, Stanza LXXXIII from Stanzas in Meditation and Other Poems (Los
Angeles: Sun and Moon Press, 1994). Copyright © 1956 by Alice B. Toklas. Copyright
© 1980 by Calman A. Levin, Executor of the Estate of Gertrude Stein. Reprinted with the
permission of the Estate of Gertrude Stein.
Source: Stanzas in Meditation and Other Poems (Sun & Moon Press, 1994)
I like the poem because of the poet Gertrude Stein. In the following poem, she uses certain words repetitively. The words close, chose, come, and open are used twice. Some of the things she says do not seem to make sense. There are several questions that I have regarding the poem. For example, what does the poet mean with the title, “Stanzas in Meditation: Stanza LXXXIII. The poet continues to say open, close, open, close. I get a negative feeling when I read this. The words of I must do something to get this.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Heroism: Beowulf
Originally an oral epic and composed in Old English, Beowulf – depicting societal values and, of course, a hero – is considered the first great work of English national literature and “one of the most important and exciting epics of Western literature.”
What kind of “exciting” stories of heroism are shared today? How are they shared? Which qualities does (0r would) TODAY’S HEROES have? Compare these with the qualities that you have read so far in Beowulf. If possible, support your comments with one or two specific examples. (250 words).
Stories of heroism that are shared today are the ones that involve saving people from famine or from a criminal. For example, people in the world raise money to support schools in Africa to help the people living there have clean water to use. The people living in a metropolitan city share them or the news reports them. Qualities that today’s heroes have are courage, generosity, and strength. In Beowulf, the hero is named Beowulf. Beowulf is a Geat that traveled to the Danes to save them from Grendel and his mother. Beowulf is described as someone with courage, generosity, kindness, and strength. The hero saves the Danes, which are people from Denmark from an evil force. The evil force relates to a monster and the monster’s mother. Grendel and Grendel’s mother are the monsters. Both of them are described as being cruel, grotesque, homicidal, and scary. They enter the mead-hall killing many of the innocent Danes living under Hrothgar’s rule. The mead-hall is located in Herot, which was a place in the book where the Danes lived. Beowulf, the hero comes to the rescue and battles the monsters. When Beowulf comes to the rescue, he is showing both courage and generosity to the Danes. After a long fight, Beowulf ends up pulling Grendel’s arm off, letting him bleed to death. When Beowulf stabs Grendel’s mother and cuts off Grendel’s cranium, he is displaying strength, because swords were unable to do any harm to the beasts. Those are the kinds of exciting stories referring to heroism that is shared today.
What kind of “exciting” stories of heroism are shared today? How are they shared? Which qualities does (0r would) TODAY’S HEROES have? Compare these with the qualities that you have read so far in Beowulf. If possible, support your comments with one or two specific examples. (250 words).
Stories of heroism that are shared today are the ones that involve saving people from famine or from a criminal. For example, people in the world raise money to support schools in Africa to help the people living there have clean water to use. The people living in a metropolitan city share them or the news reports them. Qualities that today’s heroes have are courage, generosity, and strength. In Beowulf, the hero is named Beowulf. Beowulf is a Geat that traveled to the Danes to save them from Grendel and his mother. Beowulf is described as someone with courage, generosity, kindness, and strength. The hero saves the Danes, which are people from Denmark from an evil force. The evil force relates to a monster and the monster’s mother. Grendel and Grendel’s mother are the monsters. Both of them are described as being cruel, grotesque, homicidal, and scary. They enter the mead-hall killing many of the innocent Danes living under Hrothgar’s rule. The mead-hall is located in Herot, which was a place in the book where the Danes lived. Beowulf, the hero comes to the rescue and battles the monsters. When Beowulf comes to the rescue, he is showing both courage and generosity to the Danes. After a long fight, Beowulf ends up pulling Grendel’s arm off, letting him bleed to death. When Beowulf stabs Grendel’s mother and cuts off Grendel’s cranium, he is displaying strength, because swords were unable to do any harm to the beasts. Those are the kinds of exciting stories referring to heroism that is shared today.
Friday, December 2, 2011
[i carry your heart with me (i carry it in]: by e.e cummings
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
“[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]”
Copyright 1952, © 1980, 1991 by the Trustees
for the E. E. Cummings Trust, from Complete Poems: 1904-1962 by E. E. Cummings,
edited by George J. Firmage. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation.
Source: Complete Poems: 1904-1962 (Liveright Publishing Corporation, 1991)
I like the poem in general because of e.e cummings style of writing poetry. e.e cummings is a poet who is famous for his usage of lowercase letters when writing poetry. In general, the poem is well-structured and he uses the same title to begin to the poem as well as to conclude it. The poem made me think about the nature and its surroundings. The root of the root, the bud of the bud, and the sky of the sky are all repetitions in the poem.
Three of my favorite lines are the root of the root, the bud of the bud, and the sky of the sky. The root of the root relates to a tree and the roots beneath the tree must lead to something deep. It sounds like deep refers to something that has a deeper meaning. The buds refer to a flower with something new to come up with. The sky of the sky sounds impossible to think about, but as I know e.e cummings is a poet who creates vivid and creative images for his balance in poetry.
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
“[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]”
Copyright 1952, © 1980, 1991 by the Trustees
for the E. E. Cummings Trust, from Complete Poems: 1904-1962 by E. E. Cummings,
edited by George J. Firmage. Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation.
Source: Complete Poems: 1904-1962 (Liveright Publishing Corporation, 1991)
I like the poem in general because of e.e cummings style of writing poetry. e.e cummings is a poet who is famous for his usage of lowercase letters when writing poetry. In general, the poem is well-structured and he uses the same title to begin to the poem as well as to conclude it. The poem made me think about the nature and its surroundings. The root of the root, the bud of the bud, and the sky of the sky are all repetitions in the poem.
Three of my favorite lines are the root of the root, the bud of the bud, and the sky of the sky. The root of the root relates to a tree and the roots beneath the tree must lead to something deep. It sounds like deep refers to something that has a deeper meaning. The buds refer to a flower with something new to come up with. The sky of the sky sounds impossible to think about, but as I know e.e cummings is a poet who creates vivid and creative images for his balance in poetry.
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