Foulcher is a poet, but also a teacher. His poem ‘Martin and the Hand Grenade’ was based upon a history lesson he taught. ‘The class pauses for history’ uses ‘history’ as a pun to show the setting was a history lesson and the class was waiting for their next instruction, and also because the class is pausing to experience war before they are born. Foulcher was inspired to write this poem not only by the lesson itself, but also by the naïve response that children have to war which contrasts with the response of adults. An adult’s understanding of the seriousness of war can be seen through the imagery used where Martin ‘edges out the firing pin’ of the grenade, ‘fingers the serrations’ with ‘his father’s bleak skill’.
Ricky choses the hardest books imaginable. He believes in reading up on what others have to say about a difficult book, and then making up his own mind about it. He says that part of the reason he feels this way is because of his teacher, Mr. Buxton, who taught him Shakespeare in 10th grade. Ricky shares how Mr. Buxton met him one night to go over the text line by line, but he didn’t share the conclusion with Moody, he left that for him to figure out on his own. Reading Umberto Eco’s “Role of the Reader” in college, Ricky states that, “The reader completes the text, that the text is never finished until it meets this voracious and engaged reader.” Although there are critics who believe there is a right and a wrong way to ready books, Moody says, “I believe there is not now and never will be an authority who can tell me how to interpret, how to read, how to find the pearl of literary meaning in all cases.” Part 2.
In this essay I will be discussing two poems; ‘Half-past Two’ by U A Fanthorpe and ‘First Day at School’ by Roger McGough. I will be concentrating this essay on the differences and similarities between these two poems regarding language, tone, theme and layout. The poem ‘Half-past Two’ by U A Fanthorpe is all about time. Its motif is how time controls our lives. In this poem, the example is a little boy in trouble; he ought to stay in the room until half-past two.
English 105 Billy Collins “The Trouble with Poetry” I am ashamed to admit, that before taking my first Poetry class that I had never heard of the former U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins. I am even more ashamed to say that it still took me quite awhile to read his work; however once I did I fell head over heels in love with his words. As soon as I began reading one of his more recent collections, The Trouble with Poetry, I was enthralled. He begins his collection with a poem directed at the reader, opening with lines that may also challenge them.
| 2014 | | Strayer | [Summary On Becoming a Writer] | Summary “on becoming a writer”, an excerpt from Russell Bakers “Growing Up.” | In the essay “Becoming a Writer”, excerpt from Growing Up, Russell Baker weaves an amazing story on how he came to believe he had a talent for writing. Mr. Baker had yearned to become a writer, since he was sixteen, but he had a history of horribly tortuous writing assignment, which made him contemplate that he couldn’t make a living at writing. I can agree with this whole heartily because I have also bore the weight of these assignments in high school and dreaded them. The main story told by Baker was about a writing assignment he was given in the 11th grade. He was given a list of topics and like most students in high school he procrastinated until the night before the assignment was due.
Being 8th graders, we moaned and complained under our breath about having to stay an extra couple minutes. Coach Thomas pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket and unfolded it. The gym immediately turned quiet, we knew he had something to say. He began to read us this poem, an unusual thing for a coach to do at a basketball practice. I was listening very closely to
Though they both wrote articles/ books and tried to get them published, only one author was successful in doing so, which was William Forrester. He became a famous writer all from one great novel he wrote in the 20th century. They novel just so happens to be one of the novels that Professor Crawford references in his class, just as Jamal begin attending the school. From day one Professor Crawford saw Jamal, a black male from the Bronx, as an unfit student for the programs offered at the school. Professor Crawford automatically had a prejudice towards Jamal based on his background and the fact that he came from his old school with just a C average, which is just enough to get by and pass.
Because He’s only 23 months, He scribbles all over the paper but I still feel that it’s my obligation as a parent to take his hand and guide him. As I previously mentioned…writing is something that has to be skilled and not everyone will master it. Therefore I am currently enrolled in an English college course;
The Labyrinth of Suffering Miles Halter a social outcast at his high school; and tired of his safe life at home. He has a chief distinction is his extensive knowledge of famous last words. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.”(pg.5). Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, facetious, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.
I was really sad that day. However, I always tried to learn English and speak better. I never gave up. For the next two years, passing the ESL (English Second Language) exam and proving my English skills to myself had been my dream. In my class and staying in the ESL class only became harder and harder for me to bear.