The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell pg. 639

I'm a military mom so I found this poem interesting. My son is not a gunner man but he has Marine friends who are. This poem is very short and hard to understand. Again. I had to read the brief explanation underneath. :0 I am not a fan of war and fighting ofcourse but I did like the poem. This poem is for the manly man. Men would like this one and understand this one better than women I think.

Where Children Live by Naomi Shihab Nye pg. 642

This was a happy poem. I love children and everything they represent. They bring such joy and freshness to our world. This poem is one everyone should read. It will make you smile just by imagining the toys in the yard and the laughter in the air. Children are so innocent and pure and have so much to offer. I feel that children naturally brighten up any place. I prefer color, noise, and comotion. I can't stand dead air and boring dullenss around me. That's why I have chose to work with children all these years. I wouldn't change it for anything in this world. A really sweet poem.

On My First Daughter by Ben Jonson pg. 640

I am not a fan of this poem. I found it hard to read and confusing. I am very glad there was a brief description below it which did help a little.  There is not much to say about it. I have a daughter so thats what made me want to read it. I was disappointed when I read it. It is another sad poem. It was sad about the daughter dying at age 6 months. Ofcourse I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks pg. 634

I thought this poem was sad. I believe abortion is a person's right. I feel individuals need choices. This poem is so detail about what this child who was "killed" aborted will never see or do. Again, it is sad to me. I mean I have never stopped to look at this way. This poem was right on. I am a mother of three so maybe that's why it sadden me so. I don't think a man would read this poem and feel the same way as I do. This poem is a must read for every young or old female. I feel us women are born naturally with maternal extincts.

Schoolsville by Billy Collins pg. 624

I actually liked this poem. I could sense that this man had been a teacher for many years and he loved teaching. He really enjoyed teaching. Everything around him reminded him of teaching his students. I have worked in childcare for 19 years and I know how he feels. You are constantly reminded of the children you come in contact with through out the years by certain things you hear or see. I think this poem is great to read especially if you are a teacher in any kind of way.

What Comes to Mind When I Hear the Word Poetry?

When I hear the word poetry, my first thought is confusion. I am not a big fan of poetry myself. I think poetry is hard to understand at times. I may think the author is talking about one thing and he/she is talking about a whole different thing. Like our instructor, I too am a fan of Dr. Seuss. I have worked with children for about 19 years and I have read tons of Dr. Seuss a thousand times over. He was a genius indeed. I hope while working with this poetry section I will learn to enjoy poetry a little more. I read over many of the poems in our book and some just don't make sense to me:). Oh well. that's what this class is for.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Well today is St. Patrick's Day!!:) The kiddos at work today had fun wearing their green and looking for those who didin't!! They were sure hoping to pinch someone! LOL!! The weather was beautiful so we got to get outside to run and play a little. It actually got pretty warm! I am sure looking forward to tomorrow since it is Friday! YAY!!! We don't have too much planned for a change. The yard is looking kinda shabby, so we need to work on that a little. I hope everyone has a great weekend doing whatever is they love and with whoever they love. Let's make every minute count!!

Rainy Day Blah

Well today is Tuesday and it has rained pretty much the whole day. I am not a hugh fan of the rain, but I know you can't have rainbows without the rain.:) I can't wait for the beautiful weather that is in store for us this weekend. I am going to try to plan something for Karis to do. It will be too beautiful to stay indoors. We all could use some Vitamin D from the sun. I hope the rest of the week goes by pretty fast.

The Story of an Hour By: Kate Chopin

Mrs. Mallard was a fairly young woman with a heart disease. Her sister is put in a situation where she has to tell her that her husband has died in a railroad disaster. Mrs. Mallard wept in her sisters arms and then goes into another room to be alone. While sitting there, Mrs. Mallard then realizes that she is indeed finally free from her husband. She was free from him ever controlling her again and this made Mrs. Mallard a very happy woman. Then, as Mrs. Mallard walks through the front door she sees her husband. This was such a shock to her both physically and emotionally. Mrs. Mallard dies of a heart attack in the result of this.

Simliarties-

*Both Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Mallared were married to controlling men.
*Both women felt joy and relief with the their husbands being dead.
*Neither women ever had children.

Differences-

*Mrs. Wright's husband was murdered.
*Mrs. Mallard's husband was never dead.
*Mrs. Wright is in jail.
*Mrs. Mallard died of a heart attack.
*Mr. Wright was murdered by his wife.

Jury of Her Peers By: Susan Glaspell

Mrs. Wright supposedly killed her husband while he slept. She tied a rope around his neck. Mrs. Wright, in my opinion was abused by her husband, maybe not physically but mentally and emotionally. She was forced quit singing, and to keep to herself. Mrs. Wright and her husband never had any children which makes me question if he contolled that to. I believe Mrs. wright killed her husband because she couldn't take it anymore. I think the final straw happened when he killed her bird. That bird was the one thing that brought joy to her. It was interesting to see how unworried Mrs. Wright was about going to jail. She was just so happy to finally free from him. However; she was very worried about her fruit preserves. :)

Similarities-

*Both Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Mallard were married to controlling men.
*Both women felt free and relieved with result of their husbands deaths.
*Neither woman had any children.

Differences-

*Mrs. Wrights husband was murdered.
*Mrs. Mallards husband was reported dead and fould out later he was very much alive.
*Mrs. Wright is in jail.
*Mrs. Mallard had a heart attack.

*

What A Beautiful Sunday Afternoon!

Today was an awesome day! I got to sleep til' 11:30 am. The clocks have been set up 1 hour and that's ok. The time change doesn't really bother me. It's funny to hear other people fussing about it. I have spent the day cooking, doing laundry, napping, and yes doing some homework! I am ready for this week to come. I love when my house is clean and the laundry is done for the week. It awesome going into the next week all caught up.

"Cathedral" By Raymond Carver

As a very young child I grew believing that my mother was perfect and could do no wrong. Then as I got older I grew to believe everything she said was wrong and that she never did anything right in my eyes. When I finally reached my mid twenties and after having my second child it was then I realized my mother knew exactly what she was doing and talking about. And everything she said was right and the truth. :) Isn't it funny the stages we go through growing up? I love my mother with everything I have and to me she is the best mother anyone could ask for. I just hate it took me as long as it did to realize that.

"The Black Cat" By Edgar Allen Poe

I felt the "Spirit of Perverseness" when I was 16 years old when I chose to shoplift from a local retail store. I knew it was wrong, knew my consequence of getting caught and yet I chose to do it anyway. I had to pay fines, do community service, and was placed on 1 year probation.  Yes I was a typical teenager. As an adult of course I'm very concious and weary of the choices I make. I always strive to do what's best and what's right.

The Curse

About sixteen years ago, I had a "curse" fall upon me.

My curse came with a lifetime of ups and downs. It came in with long brownish blonde hair, big brown eyes, and a whine that could stop traffic...for hours.

I had no idea that this young lady was going to be such a huge part of my life or my heart. I had married her father and knew that he shared custody of her with her mother. However I had no idea that that custody was going to be transferred to me for the rest of my life.

One day, I was sitting around waiting for my husband to come home when I got the call. Her mother had a baby boy who had been seriously injured and I had to go pick up my new daughter. After the long battle with social services, and court hearing after court hearing, she became my daughter. That she has been ever since.

I didn't know I was going to be a mother for a child I never gave birth to. She has grown in my heart even though she didn't grow under it. :)

"Luck" By Mark Twain

Anyone who knows me should know that lady luck is no friend of mine. LOL!

I am 40 years old and can honestly say I have only been lucky three times in my life. That would be the three time I gave birth to my children. Honestly, I didnt feel like I deserved them but obviously God did. He knows what's best so I ran with it! My three children have been a true blessing form God in which I felt so lucky. And he blessed me with three healthy children, now talk about lucky!!

"Blue Winds Dancing" By Tom Whitecloud

In this post I will talk my three children since they are the most important thing to me.

My 1st born son Kelsey is 20 years old. I was only 19 years old when he was born. I feel that he and I actually grew up together as silly as that may sound. Kelsey was not an easy child but at 19, I dont know that any child would have been easy for me. Kelsey is very handsome. Kelsey is also bi-racial which you know he is beautiful with a naturally tanned skin tone and light green eyes and sandy blond hair. He is very loving and wears his heart on his sleeve.

My 2nd son Kole is 16 years old. He was most def. a mommas boy and I think he still is. He is also bi-racial. However, he has red hair, big brown eyes and fair skin. Kole is very sweet and loving. He is so shy and has a hard time socializing with others. He probably has the biggest heart of the three. Kole is very neat and takes great pride in his appearance. He has been ironing his clothes since age 8. Kole is my heart.

My 3rd was a daughter, Karis. She is 8 years old. Since she is the only girl, can you say PINK and SPOILED!!!??? She was a dream come true after two boys. Karis was the easiest of all my children. I think maybe cause I was much older. She is also bi-racial. She has big brown eyes, black hair, and light brown skin. She is my girl:) She is so well mannered and is alwasy thanking me for everything. She is always so appreciative. She is a dancer and a softball player. She loves to try everything. She loves school and art. All of my three children are so creative and artisitc.

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter" By D. H. Lawrence

1. Mabel- 27, short, not attractive, only sister and her brothers call her "bulldog".

2. Joe- 33, handsome, oldest brother, and controlling.

3. Fred Henry- second brother.

4. Malcolm- 22, youngest ( baby of the family) and also conrolling.

"Neighbors" by Raymond Carver

Definition of Minimalism in my own words- Keeping things simple, doing things minimially.

Minimalism: a style or technique ( as in music, literature, or design) That is characterized by extremes spareness ans simplicity.

Examples of minimilism:
* Their life is boring, never do anything but work all the time.
* Bill Miller felt like the lives of his friends/neighbors were better than his own.
* Bill begins to dress in Jim Stones clothes.
* It seems dressing in Stones clothes makes his life more exciting.

~Bill begins acting odd once the Stones leave town.
~They both hope the Stones never return.
~He examines Ms. Stone's medicine but doesn't give detail as to what's inside.
~Describes them filling the pitcher and watering, but never says what they are watering.
~The cat has no name.

" A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner

Cuckolded- When an individual has cheated or been unfaithful to one's partner in a marriage. (pg.94)

"The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but how the long sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him."

Miss Emily was having an affair with a man named Homer Baron who she killed with arsenic. She would lay in bed with the body. The two cousins found the pillow indented with a strand of her hair and a rotting body.

Knowing the definition of the word helped me to understand the reason she might have killed him.
*Maybe he was having an affair and she found out and decided she would rather kill him as to lose him through his affair. So in a sick way she killed him and kept his body with her.

New to Blogging:)

Man is this confusing!! I hope this becomes user friendly for me very soon!!!!!!