Rules/ Etiquette

Students are encouraged and sometimes required to post their own blogs or comment on the blogs of others.  Comments on other blogs should express your opinion, yet should be done politely with no vulgar language.  Give credit to sources used if you include an outside source in your blog or post.  Tact is sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending.  

What's So Great About Poetry?

As we end our unit on poetry, I want us to reflect on why poetry is so special and such a major part of writing.  Poetry can be anything from a haiku, to songwriting, to free verse lines.  Poetry helps us express our inner feelings on happiness, fears, how we perceive the world around us.  I'd like to end on this short poem by Langston Hughes.

Life Is Fine

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.


I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.


But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!


I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.


I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.


But it was High up there! It was high!


So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born


Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.


Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!






Read this poem several times.  What is the tone or voice of this piece?  What message is the author (Langston Hughes) trying to get across to his audience?  






Here are two websites about Langston Hughes to help you get a understanding on the life he lived:


http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/langston-hughes

What We're Reading

For the month of March we are reading Gary Paulsen's "The Hatchet".  The story is about Brian, a thirteen year old surviving for fifty-four days in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash.  This novel takes place through Brian's days and the experiences he gains from failures and small successes.  This novel is not only a tale of adventure, but more importantly it is a tale of personal growth and accomplishment.  Before we begin "The Hatchet", think about a time that you struggled to overcome hardships or adversity.   What were these challenges and how did they affect your every day life?  What lessons or success did you experience?