Truth: the quality or state of being true. Truth is something we all have an understanding of, whether or not we choose to be truthful. However, truth is like a piece of paper. Over time, the truth becomes hidden behind stains, burns, and wrinkles, making it hard for us to decipher what is, and what is not, sincerity. During this week, we analyzed a poem titled, Elegy in X Parts, by Matt Rasmussen. Within this poem, the speaker discusses the war that is the defining of truth. "My imagination erodes my mind..." the speaker states. This is the first and one of the best lines within the poem, because of it's accurate representation of how one's mind can take hold of the truth, hiding it from reality. Throughout the poem, lines such as these bring together the main idea that truth is a malleable thing. One element that gives truth the ability to flex is the process of overthinking. Overthinking can make it hard for a person to focus on a particular reality. In Rasmussen's poem, a line goes over the overthinking that is controlling the speakers mind. "Periphery of stars, darkened by focus..." The stars mentioned in this stanza could likely represent the millions of thoughts twinkling within the speakers head, which are darkened by the the focus on one false memory. Truth is like a piece of paper, and if one is not careful with it, it's likely to be soiled. We all have an understanding of truth, but we must be cautious of it's whereabouts.
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When thinking of the word "Literature," people often associate the phrase with any form of readable text. However, not all writing should be considered literature. Pieces of literature are to be defined as written works, especially those considered to have superior or lasting artistic merit. This definition is widely accepted... for the most part. However, calling one piece of writing or artwork superior to another isn't quite the right way to put it. This week in class, we really stressed the different forms of value a piece of writing may have. Literature, unlike commercial work, does not focus on monetary value. Part of the definition of literature reads: ...superior or lasting artistic merit. This part of the definition truly expresses what literature is. Literature is art, and is a type of writing that lasts an extended period of time. Take Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet for example. Romeo and Juliet was written between 1594 and 1596, but even after centuries, the story of Romeo and Juliet still lives on throughout high school curriculum's and throughout Hollywood scripts. To me, a story that has the ability to be carried on year after year is what most would consider to be literature. It is the lasting artistic merit, and not all written work has this characteristic. Take The Fault in Our Stars, written by John Green, for example. Although this piece presents a brilliant and moving story, it's popularity shriveled only months after its film release. "The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls..." Diction. The art of...word-ing? Yes! Diction, by definition, is the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. Over this week, I have learned a lot about the importance of a writers word choice, and how it can alter the image a piece of text can create in your mind. During this week, we spent a great deal of time analyzing a poetic piece titled "The Eagle." In the poem, Tennyson takes caution when choosing his words. By using words such as wrinkled instead of a common word like wavy, it specifies the beauty within the scene. Waves can be seen as violent, crashing beings, whereas wrinkles can remind the reader of wisdom and serenity. Another thing to take note of were the words used to describe the motion taking place within each sentence. In the quote above, Tennyson uses the word "crawled" to describe the movement of the sea. When I first read this line, it reminded me of a sluggish type of movement, a movement that struck me as infantile. The word crawled can also be seen as humanistic, and by personifying an inanimate object, the reader is able to better connect with the text. Overall, after reading Tennyson's poem a number of time, I have taken in the importance of diction and have realized the impact it can have on the readers perception of the work. This week marks the last first week of my high school career. With this comes fear, excitement, and an urge to get things over with. Though apprehensive, I plan on using this year to learn and explore my intellectual capabilities. Over this first week, there were a handful of things that were given as advice to improve my reading. One major point that I picked up was the idea of pushing for progress. Though not worded as such, the point is clear. In order for a person to improve their reading and achieve their reading goals, they must push or encourage themselves to gain the motivation to read daily. As with many things in life, practice makes better, not perfect, but better. When sharing "how I got here" with my class outside, I stated that I have never really been a reader. But by the end of this week it was clear as to why I have never been. I've never pushed myself to read consistently. Over the next trimester, I hope to take more from this and apply it to my daily routine. Reading is a good thing and needs to be done whether or not I like it. I feel as though once I get started, though, I won't want to stop. |
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November 2017
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