1a. What are the persona's feelings described in the first three stanzas of this poem?
Explain how the poet described these feelings through the use of alliteration, metaphors and pun.
The feelings displayed by the poet in the first 3 stanzas are that he was feeling frustrated, restless and impatient for the lesson to end. In the first stanza, the poet uses metaphors like quarry of knowledge to describe how wide knowledge can be, and thus, how tiring it can be when you try to hunt for it. The metaphor unruly hounds tells us that the students were very restless as unruly hounds describes the students actions were very disordered.
In the second stanza, lines 2-4 are alliterations as the all start with 'o'. This tells us how much the poet has to go through and endure (i.e. books and work). The word 'sick' is a pun, as it can mean that the poet is suffering from an illness and therefore, is ill (sick). The meaning displayed in this stanza is that he is feeling very tired and bored (sick).
In the third stanza, the word kindle is a pun, as kindle means to light up, literally. However, in this stanza, it's meaning refers to the fact that his last fuel of life would motivate and push him towards the end of the lesson. 'Fuel of life' refers to his willpower and strength to live on.
1b. How is the tone of anger in this poem illustrated?
Anger in this poem is illustrated through the poet's choice of words, the metaphors he uses and alliterations that is applied.
For example, in the last stanza, the poet repeats words like 'not', 'won't' and 'don't' to express the negative feelings that he is going through.
In stanza 4, the poet uses words like he would not waste his 'soul' and 'strength'. This expresses how much he detests his student's attitude of learning towards his teaching. This sentence ,'What do I care for all that they do amiss' he uses, the word 'care' in it refers to the poet being very angry, because of the fact that he doesn't care and show concern for the student's mistakes. In stanza 5, in sentences 2-3, his choice of words like 'dog' and 'aunt' describes the author as furious as he expresses his anger through masking a word with a person.
And lastly, the metaphor 'unruly hounds' that is used in stanza 1, expresses how angry the poet is, describing his students as hounds that are unruly.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
News Article Review
The article I am reviewing is from The Straits Times, Wednesday 19 August 2009, World, South Korea's Rocket Launch Raises Eyebrows.
This article is about South Korea launching a satellite to space today. The satellite can deliver nuclear warheads or other weapons of mass destruction. It is called "Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1", also known as, "Naro-1". South Korea claims that it would not attract the same kind of international criticism heaped on North Korea when they attempted a similar launch. Proliferation experts say that the launch is problematic, even though Seoul says it is for scientific purposes. Under US pressure, South Korea restricted its missile range. Naro-1 is 33m long, and it is a two-stage rocket which was built at 502.5 billion won (S$583 million). Its launch is planned for 3.40p.m. Singapore times ( +8 GMT ) today. (Other details about the articles on the newspaper itself, or the epaper on Straitstimes.com)
What I feel about this article?
I feel that even though Seoul is a close ally of Washington, other countries should not let their guard down and continue to keep a close watch on South Korea's launch, although their launch may not be as problematic as the North Korea's launch. Rocket launches are very serious matters that ought to be carefully carried out, as they cost alot and if somethings goes wrong, alot of money would be wasted.
Why I chose this article?
I chose this article, firstly, because it is one of the important world events, which is on the front page of the World section. Secondly, this is interesting, as if the launch is successful, and South Korea is influenced by North Korea, or they decide to "befriend" each other and share the same goals, they might threaten to harm and destroy parts of the world as they can cause huge destruction.
In conclusion, this article is very important to the world and it ought to be taken seriously (i.e. rocket launches and high-technological stuff).
This article is about South Korea launching a satellite to space today. The satellite can deliver nuclear warheads or other weapons of mass destruction. It is called "Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1", also known as, "Naro-1". South Korea claims that it would not attract the same kind of international criticism heaped on North Korea when they attempted a similar launch. Proliferation experts say that the launch is problematic, even though Seoul says it is for scientific purposes. Under US pressure, South Korea restricted its missile range. Naro-1 is 33m long, and it is a two-stage rocket which was built at 502.5 billion won (S$583 million). Its launch is planned for 3.40p.m. Singapore times ( +8 GMT ) today. (Other details about the articles on the newspaper itself, or the epaper on Straitstimes.com)
What I feel about this article?
I feel that even though Seoul is a close ally of Washington, other countries should not let their guard down and continue to keep a close watch on South Korea's launch, although their launch may not be as problematic as the North Korea's launch. Rocket launches are very serious matters that ought to be carefully carried out, as they cost alot and if somethings goes wrong, alot of money would be wasted.
Why I chose this article?
I chose this article, firstly, because it is one of the important world events, which is on the front page of the World section. Secondly, this is interesting, as if the launch is successful, and South Korea is influenced by North Korea, or they decide to "befriend" each other and share the same goals, they might threaten to harm and destroy parts of the world as they can cause huge destruction.
In conclusion, this article is very important to the world and it ought to be taken seriously (i.e. rocket launches and high-technological stuff).
Favourite Food/Eatery
Introduction to my favourite food...
My favourite food is the unique and cheesy cheese fries that is available in KFC. It is made up of deep-fried potatoes which makes up the fries in the meal. The cheese and mayonneise are served hot with the fries and they go very well together.
More about KFC's past...
KFC is an abbreviation for Kentucky Fried Chicken. It is a chain of fast-food restaurants that is based on Louisville, Kentucky. KFC is famous for its delicious fried chicken. It is their speciality.
(reference from wikipedia)
More about the cheese fries...
Cheese fries are made up of :
-Potatoes which make up the fries
-Cheese and Mayonneise which go with the fries
-Spring onions to include some flavour
-Salt to make the fries more delicious
-Mayonneise to go with the cheese and fries
Why do I like the dish?
I like this dish as I enjoy the cheese and mayonneise which go very well with the fries. Although McDonald's sell fries that are the most delicious (in my opinion), I enjoy the KFC's fries as the companion of the cheese make it very tasty. I always eat up the remaining cheese as I feel that the cheese is special and nice, and not finishing it would be a waste.
In conclusion, I feel that the cheese fries sold in Kentucky Fried Chicken is my favourite food as it is delicious and I enjoy eating it very much.
My favourite food is the unique and cheesy cheese fries that is available in KFC. It is made up of deep-fried potatoes which makes up the fries in the meal. The cheese and mayonneise are served hot with the fries and they go very well together.
More about KFC's past...
KFC is an abbreviation for Kentucky Fried Chicken. It is a chain of fast-food restaurants that is based on Louisville, Kentucky. KFC is famous for its delicious fried chicken. It is their speciality.
(reference from wikipedia)
More about the cheese fries...
Cheese fries are made up of :
-Potatoes which make up the fries
-Cheese and Mayonneise which go with the fries
-Spring onions to include some flavour
-Salt to make the fries more delicious
-Mayonneise to go with the cheese and fries
Why do I like the dish?
I like this dish as I enjoy the cheese and mayonneise which go very well with the fries. Although McDonald's sell fries that are the most delicious (in my opinion), I enjoy the KFC's fries as the companion of the cheese make it very tasty. I always eat up the remaining cheese as I feel that the cheese is special and nice, and not finishing it would be a waste.
In conclusion, I feel that the cheese fries sold in Kentucky Fried Chicken is my favourite food as it is delicious and I enjoy eating it very much.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Home Learning 31-7
3. Why is it important for students to keep up to date with the news? Share some tips on how students can keep up with what is happening around them and around the world.
Firstly, keeping students up to date with the news is important so that they would not be back-dated and would be prepared for things like the H1N1 virus, etc. To keep updated with news is also important as to be a leader, we need to blend in with the news so that we are above other people, simply because we are leaders and have to work harder than other people so as to earn their respect.
You can keep your self up with what is happening around yourselves and around the world, simply by reading newspapers, watching news and even reading news articles online! Keep up with the news, it is really important to.
Firstly, keeping students up to date with the news is important so that they would not be back-dated and would be prepared for things like the H1N1 virus, etc. To keep updated with news is also important as to be a leader, we need to blend in with the news so that we are above other people, simply because we are leaders and have to work harder than other people so as to earn their respect.
You can keep your self up with what is happening around yourselves and around the world, simply by reading newspapers, watching news and even reading news articles online! Keep up with the news, it is really important to.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Online Learning 30-7
2. What are some tips you would offer fellow students to stay healthy?
Some tips to stay healthy:
1. When you want a can of soft drink, change your mind and go for healthy and organic fruit juices to boost your vitamin levels.
2. When you feel hot, drink lot of water to keep your self hydrated and to flush germs out of your body.
3. When you feel sick, go and see a doctor immediately and rest at home, do not go out to crowded places and wear a mask if you need to leave the house. Be responsible.
4. Eat lots of vitamins so you would not catch a virus easily.
5. Exercise regularly to keep your body fit and healthy.
6. Get sufficient rest when it is time to.
7. Do not eat oily foods, eat them once in a while if you must.
8. Avoid fried food stuff like french fries, eat them once in a while if you must.
9. Do spend time going for regular check-ups at clinics so that you will know if you have terminal illnesses early, so treatment would be easier and less life-threatening.
That's all I can think of. Get well soon, those who are sick.
Some tips to stay healthy:
1. When you want a can of soft drink, change your mind and go for healthy and organic fruit juices to boost your vitamin levels.
2. When you feel hot, drink lot of water to keep your self hydrated and to flush germs out of your body.
3. When you feel sick, go and see a doctor immediately and rest at home, do not go out to crowded places and wear a mask if you need to leave the house. Be responsible.
4. Eat lots of vitamins so you would not catch a virus easily.
5. Exercise regularly to keep your body fit and healthy.
6. Get sufficient rest when it is time to.
7. Do not eat oily foods, eat them once in a while if you must.
8. Avoid fried food stuff like french fries, eat them once in a while if you must.
9. Do spend time going for regular check-ups at clinics so that you will know if you have terminal illnesses early, so treatment would be easier and less life-threatening.
That's all I can think of. Get well soon, those who are sick.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
E-Learning for 29-7
1. What are your thoughts about home learning? Is it more effective than learning in school?
I think that home learning is just learning from home, via the internet. I feel that home learning is quite fun, as we can continue learning at home, without spreading the H1N1 virus and other flu bugs, not like when you are in school. In school there are mini gatherings and thus, the H1N1 virus and other flu virus can be spread easily. This is the plus point about home learning. I feel that learning at home is just as effective as learning in school, as the work load is the same. However, in school, we have our teachers to explain to us things that we do not know immediately, but in home learning, we have to communicate via the e-mail, and it might take awhile before our teachers get back to us. Thus, that is the plus point about going to school to learn. Another point is that the facilities in school are adequate to facilitate our learning, however, we might not have those facilities at home. However, learning at home is good as it promotes self-discipline as we have to decide for ourselves whether to do the work given now, log on to the SMB now, go on the websites now, etc. Another plus point about home learning is that we get many discussions which are very fun as it bonds the class and combines our thinking. Therefore, I conclude that no way of learning is superior to another, as each way has its own plus points.
I think that home learning is just learning from home, via the internet. I feel that home learning is quite fun, as we can continue learning at home, without spreading the H1N1 virus and other flu bugs, not like when you are in school. In school there are mini gatherings and thus, the H1N1 virus and other flu virus can be spread easily. This is the plus point about home learning. I feel that learning at home is just as effective as learning in school, as the work load is the same. However, in school, we have our teachers to explain to us things that we do not know immediately, but in home learning, we have to communicate via the e-mail, and it might take awhile before our teachers get back to us. Thus, that is the plus point about going to school to learn. Another point is that the facilities in school are adequate to facilitate our learning, however, we might not have those facilities at home. However, learning at home is good as it promotes self-discipline as we have to decide for ourselves whether to do the work given now, log on to the SMB now, go on the websites now, etc. Another plus point about home learning is that we get many discussions which are very fun as it bonds the class and combines our thinking. Therefore, I conclude that no way of learning is superior to another, as each way has its own plus points.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Online Lesson 2
The poem I chose today is
-
Dreams
by Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
-
The reason why i chose this poem is because, every night, when people sleep, they dream. And in some cases "Dreams come true", so, I chose this poem as it tells us to treasure our dreams.
I chose this poet as he was one of the earliest innovators of the new literary art form jazz poetry. He was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer and columnist.
He is intriguing as he worked various odd jobs in his adulthood, before serving a brief tenure as a crewman aboard the S.S. Malone in 1923, spending six months traveling to West Africa and Europe. In Europe, Hughes left the S.S. Malone for a temporary stay in Paris. In Paris, became part of the black expatriate community.
It was while working as a busboy, after being a personal assistant to the historian Carter G. Woodson at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and leaving that post as he was not satisfied with its tight schedule, giving him time constrains that limited his writing, that Hughes would encounter the poet Vachel Lindsay. Impressed with the poems Hughes showed him, Lindsay publicised his discovery of a new black poet. By this time, Hughes' earlier work had already been published in magazines and was about to be collected into his first book of poetry.
The following year, Hughes enrolled in Lincoln University, an historically back university in Chester County, Pennsylvania. And then, he became a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the first black fraternal organization founded at a historically black college and university.
Academics and biographers today believe that Hughes was a homosexual and included homosexual codes in many of his poems. A primary biographer of Hughes, Arnold Rampersad, determined that Hughes exhibited a preference for other African-American men in his work and life. This love of black men is evidenced in a number of reported unpublished poems to a black male lover.
Despite all this, he still earned a B.A. degree from Lincoln University in 1929. He was also inducted into the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Howard University.
After a brief research on his life, I can conclude that although he was not a perfect guy (as no one is perfect) he could still write famous and impressive poems, and thus can conclude that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.
A few of Hughes' poems other than Dreams, would be :
The crisis, 1926
My people
Justice
If you'd like to see more of his works, you can visit this site: http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/poems/page-1/
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes
http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/poems/page-1/
http://poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16075
-
Dreams
by Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
-
The reason why i chose this poem is because, every night, when people sleep, they dream. And in some cases "Dreams come true", so, I chose this poem as it tells us to treasure our dreams.
I chose this poet as he was one of the earliest innovators of the new literary art form jazz poetry. He was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer and columnist.
He is intriguing as he worked various odd jobs in his adulthood, before serving a brief tenure as a crewman aboard the S.S. Malone in 1923, spending six months traveling to West Africa and Europe. In Europe, Hughes left the S.S. Malone for a temporary stay in Paris. In Paris, became part of the black expatriate community.
It was while working as a busboy, after being a personal assistant to the historian Carter G. Woodson at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and leaving that post as he was not satisfied with its tight schedule, giving him time constrains that limited his writing, that Hughes would encounter the poet Vachel Lindsay. Impressed with the poems Hughes showed him, Lindsay publicised his discovery of a new black poet. By this time, Hughes' earlier work had already been published in magazines and was about to be collected into his first book of poetry.
The following year, Hughes enrolled in Lincoln University, an historically back university in Chester County, Pennsylvania. And then, he became a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the first black fraternal organization founded at a historically black college and university.
Academics and biographers today believe that Hughes was a homosexual and included homosexual codes in many of his poems. A primary biographer of Hughes, Arnold Rampersad, determined that Hughes exhibited a preference for other African-American men in his work and life. This love of black men is evidenced in a number of reported unpublished poems to a black male lover.
Despite all this, he still earned a B.A. degree from Lincoln University in 1929. He was also inducted into the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Howard University.
After a brief research on his life, I can conclude that although he was not a perfect guy (as no one is perfect) he could still write famous and impressive poems, and thus can conclude that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.
A few of Hughes' poems other than Dreams, would be :
The crisis, 1926
My people
Justice
If you'd like to see more of his works, you can visit this site: http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/poems/page-1/
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes
http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/poems/page-1/
http://poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16075
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