This was honestly the most fun I've ever had in an English class, and this blog assignment actually made me enjoy writing for the first time in high school. I would much rather have the freedom to write about something that interests me like I got to do in my blogs, than be forced to write about a certain book or event in history. I also think that writing on a topic of my choice actually improved my quality of writing.
I've learned a lot about how poetry has changed over time, from poems that make no sense to me at all, to music I listen to everyday. Both types are different, but at the core, it is all poetry. From Tennyson to Ice T, poetry has evolved so much, which the blog assignment has really emphasized for me. It gave me a chance to delve into learning about the time periods that affected the poets, and how the poets affected their time periods. This cycle is what allowed poetry to evolve over time.
I also thought it was so interesting how so many of the poets we learned about were so active in a cause and stood for something they believed in, from African American pride to intense social criticism.
Before this class, I always thought of poets as old people who used a lot of symbolism to express life lessons which young people like me probably wouldn't care about. Now I know that these old poetry legends are much more that I thought. I learned that the subject matter is less important than the way the poets are able to formulate their thoughts and get it down on paper in a way that readers can relate to. It does really take a true genius to get a thought, a sentence, a word, or a letter to come out the right way. How well poets convey what they want to say it what makes them so amazing.
I can also now look at rap with a lot more appreciation. It takes rappers just as much skill as it does poets, if not more, as they have to mesh their words with music.
Without you guiding us through this whole process, I would never have learned to write blogs and I probably would not have ever considered writing a blog. I really liked how you gave us ideas to write about at first, and then gave us the freedom to choose our own topics.
A blog is like a blank piece of paper. It is really hard to know what to do with it, but once you get the first few words down, I learned that the rest will flow a lot easier.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Local Treasure: Frances Slocum
It was 1777 when Jonathan and Ruth Slocum's family travelled from Rhode Island to the Wyoming Valley. Apparently, this was not the right choice to make. This Quaker family was one of the few who remained in their home during the Battle of Wyoming in 1778 because they believed their friendly relations with the Native Americans would save them, and it did for a while.
Only a few months later though, in November 1778, the Delaware Indians struck again. This time, while the men of the family were away from home, the Indians took Frances Slocum and her retarded younger brother Ebenezer from their home.
Frances Slocum was only five years old at that time. Mrs. Slocum pleaded for the Indians to give her children back. To get Ebenezer back, the Indian's made her proclaim "See, the child is lame; he can do thee no good!" The Indians released Ebenezer, but refused to let go of Frances, carrying her away, never to be seen by her mother again.
For years, Mrs. Slocum and her brothers searched endlessly and hopelessly for Frances. Meanwhile, Frances was raised among the Delaware tribe and married a Delaware in her late teens. That marriage didn't last for long, and she eventually married a Miami chief named Dead Man. They moved to the Mississinewa River Valley in Indiana and had four children. Frances became known as Young Bear.
Frances remained hidden as an Indian for 59 years. In 1835, a white man named Colonel Ewing, who had good relations with the Miami tribe spent the night in Dead Man's village. The women who owned the cabin that Ewing stayed at revealed to Ewing that she was actually a white woman, and that she remembered her birth name was Slocum. At the time, Frances was widowed and living with her extended family. It is believed that Frances revealed her identity because she was old and sick and wanted to let go of a deep secret.
Upon returning home, Ewing sent a letter to Lancaster, Pennsylvania asking if anybody in the Slocum family had a relative taken by Indians. The letter was lost for two years, until one of Frances' brothers finally answered. In 1837, two of Frances' brothers went to see if their sister really was found.
Frances' brothers knew it was really her when they saw her, especially because they recognized the scar she had on her hand from when she was a child. However, they did not find the Frances they remembered. Frances communicated with them only through a translator and spoke only when spoken to. Despite her brothers' pleading for her to come home, she refused, saying she would feel like a fish out of water. She remained in her Indian settlement and eventually died there in 1847.
Frances Slocum
Frances became known as the "Lost Sister of Wyoming" as her story travelled the country. People from all around wrote stories about her and painted portraits of her. The following is a poem written by one of Frances' nieces named E. L. Schermerhorn:
"Let me stay at my home, in the beautiful West,
Where I played when a child—in my age let me rest;
Where the bright prairies bloom and the wild waters play,
In the home of my heart, dearest friends, let me stay.
'' 0, here let me stay, where my Chief, in the pride
Of a brave warrior youth, wandered forth by my side;
Where he laid at my feet the young hunter's best prey,
Where I roamed a wild huntress—O, friends, let me stay!
"Let me stay where the prairies I've oft wandered through,
While my moccasins brushed from the flowers the dew—
Where my warrior would pluck the wild blossoms and say
His White Rose was the fairest—0, here let me stay!
'' 0, here let me stay! where the bright plumes from the wing
Of the bird that his arrow had pierced, he would bring;
Where, in parting for battle, softly would say,
' 'Tis to shield thee I fight'—O, with him let me stay!
'' Let me stay, though the strength of my Chieftain is o 'er,
Though his warriors he leads to the battle no more;
He loves through the woods, a wild hunter to stray,
His heart clings to home—0, then, here let me stay!
"Let me stay where my children in childhood have played,
Where through the green forest, they often have strayed;
They never could bend to the white man's cold sway,
For their hearts are of fire—0, here let them stay!
'' You tell me of leaves of the Spirit that speak;
But the Spirit I own, in the bright stars I seek;
In the prairie, in the forest, the water's wild play,
I see Him, I hear Him—0, then, let me stay!"
Where I played when a child—in my age let me rest;
Where the bright prairies bloom and the wild waters play,
In the home of my heart, dearest friends, let me stay.
'' 0, here let me stay, where my Chief, in the pride
Of a brave warrior youth, wandered forth by my side;
Where he laid at my feet the young hunter's best prey,
Where I roamed a wild huntress—O, friends, let me stay!
"Let me stay where the prairies I've oft wandered through,
While my moccasins brushed from the flowers the dew—
Where my warrior would pluck the wild blossoms and say
His White Rose was the fairest—0, here let me stay!
'' 0, here let me stay! where the bright plumes from the wing
Of the bird that his arrow had pierced, he would bring;
Where, in parting for battle, softly would say,
' 'Tis to shield thee I fight'—O, with him let me stay!
'' Let me stay, though the strength of my Chieftain is o 'er,
Though his warriors he leads to the battle no more;
He loves through the woods, a wild hunter to stray,
His heart clings to home—0, then, here let me stay!
"Let me stay where my children in childhood have played,
Where through the green forest, they often have strayed;
They never could bend to the white man's cold sway,
For their hearts are of fire—0, here let them stay!
'' You tell me of leaves of the Spirit that speak;
But the Spirit I own, in the bright stars I seek;
In the prairie, in the forest, the water's wild play,
I see Him, I hear Him—0, then, let me stay!"
Sources:
Sunday, November 11, 2012
"Music hittin' your heart"
"Music hittin' your heart" is just one well-known line from the song "Fight the Power" but Public Enemy. Public Enemy is a hip-hop group recognized mainly for its songs expressing political criticism and issues within the African American community. This group originated in 1982 in Long Island, New York and is still together today, although the members in the group have varied over the years. Current members are Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, and DJ Lord.
This group is praised for having stayed together for so long AND for the subject matter they write about. "Fight the Power" really emphasizes the need for African Americans to really speak out and fight the whites because more than a century after being freed, blacks are still looked down upon by racist whites. They even refer to Elvis Presley in the song- "Elvis was a hero to most, But he never meant shit to me you see, Straight up racist that sucker was;" they are saying he is racist and that basically the white community as a whole is racist also. A few other really famous songs about social and political issues by Public Enemy are "Don't Believe the Hype," "Bring the Noise," and "Harder than You Think."
Public Enemy broke into the scene with their first album entitled "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" and instantly had a decent number of fans. However, the next few albums that followed did even better on the charts and they slowly became a very famous and highly successful group.
In addition to being at the top of the charts for many of their albums, Public Enemy received numerous awards, some of the greatest being the group's induction into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and its ranking as 44th in Rolling Stone Magazine's "100 Greatest Artists." This group has been together for 30 years, and is still going strong. Let's see what Public Enemy has in store for the next 30 years!
The video below is the music video of Public Enemy's hit song, "Don't Believe the Hype."
SOURCES:
http://www.publicenemy.com/
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/public-enemy/biography
http://www.lyricsdepot.com/public-enemy/fight-the-power.html
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0195982/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281318/
http://www.pgriff.info/
http://www.djlord.co/
http://www.allmusic.com/album/yo!-bum-rush-the-show-mw0000194784
http://www.limusichalloffame.org/
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQaVIoEjOM (Video)
http://www.alancross.ca/a-journal-of-musical-things/2012/11/7/time-magazine-profiles-public-enemy-at-25.html (Picture)
This group is praised for having stayed together for so long AND for the subject matter they write about. "Fight the Power" really emphasizes the need for African Americans to really speak out and fight the whites because more than a century after being freed, blacks are still looked down upon by racist whites. They even refer to Elvis Presley in the song- "Elvis was a hero to most, But he never meant shit to me you see, Straight up racist that sucker was;" they are saying he is racist and that basically the white community as a whole is racist also. A few other really famous songs about social and political issues by Public Enemy are "Don't Believe the Hype," "Bring the Noise," and "Harder than You Think."Public Enemy broke into the scene with their first album entitled "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" and instantly had a decent number of fans. However, the next few albums that followed did even better on the charts and they slowly became a very famous and highly successful group.
In addition to being at the top of the charts for many of their albums, Public Enemy received numerous awards, some of the greatest being the group's induction into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and its ranking as 44th in Rolling Stone Magazine's "100 Greatest Artists." This group has been together for 30 years, and is still going strong. Let's see what Public Enemy has in store for the next 30 years!
The video below is the music video of Public Enemy's hit song, "Don't Believe the Hype."
SOURCES:
http://www.publicenemy.com/
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/public-enemy/biography
http://www.lyricsdepot.com/public-enemy/fight-the-power.html
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0195982/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281318/
http://www.pgriff.info/
http://www.djlord.co/
http://www.allmusic.com/album/yo!-bum-rush-the-show-mw0000194784
http://www.limusichalloffame.org/
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQaVIoEjOM (Video)
http://www.alancross.ca/a-journal-of-musical-things/2012/11/7/time-magazine-profiles-public-enemy-at-25.html (Picture)
My Journey
Every person has an unique voice that comes through in their poetry. Whether it be Knight's depictions of the Black Arts Movement, or Whitman's celebration of the common man, each poet has an unique view on the world.
I have learned that there is much more to poetry than meets the eye. I now see poetry through a different lens, one with much more positive light. Don't get me wrong, I always respected renowned poets, but I never fully appreciated them. This class has changed that.
I now can see beyond the saggy pants and gold chains of today's rappers, and acknowledge how talented they actually are. Each rap tells a story, and not everyone can tell a story like they can.
Blogging is also something I have never really been a fan of, until this class showed me how empowering it can be. Your blog is your time to shine, to write about whoever or whatever is on your mind. It's also a great place to learn more about things you aren't very familiar with.
Each time I write a blog post, I have to do some research on what I'm talking about, that is if I want to have at least some credibility. In order to write about a poet, I need to research him or her and in doing that, I learn more about that poet. I learn about their writing process, their background, and even about other works they have done over the years.
Similar to poetry, blogging has no rules or restrictions. It can be as biased or as unbiased as you please, which is why it is so empowering. I can express my opinion freely without having someone tell me that it's wrong.
A blog is like a diary, a space in which you can express yourself or even just put your thoughts onto paper. The difference is, a blog is shared with the world and so someone out there is reading your words and feels the same way you do. For once, you're the author and someone out there is praising you.
Your blog is your unedited version of yourself.
Sources:
http://www.clemagazine.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Poet-Smurf.jpg
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/glossaryItem.do?id=8102
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/E._E._Cummings#Poetry
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/Figurative-Language.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couplet
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/158
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Arts_Movement
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/126
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Skyscrapers, Cell Phones, & Indians?
 |
| A Native American boy dressed in traditional clothing today. |
Where would we be without our smart phones, laptops, and advanced transportation? It's unimaginable. So some may find it weird to think that Indians are still around to this day.
While many people mistakenly called them savage years ago, the Native Americans haven't strayed from their tribes or ethnic groups. Today there are more than half a million Indians in the United States and millions more elsewhere in the Americas.
Still trying to cope to the adjustment of white civilization, the Native Americans are in all different stages of development, from the most primitive to the most sophisticated. Native Americans speak more than 100 different languages and range economically from pauperism to opulence. A few have made money from oil and other natural resources found on their lands, but many live at near starvation levels.
There are some Native Americans that are educated and completely assimilated into white society; many live in nearly complete isolation from non-Native Americans. Generally, the Indians are still proud of their traditions and heritage, and many of them resist giving up or allowing themselves to be corrupted by white civilization.
Although the Native Americans don't want to become submerged by the white civilization, they realize that they standards of living must be raised tremendously. Without giving up their unique cultural heritage, the Native Americans have organized themselves into tribal councils to try to help the federal government settle on long-range programs of education, health services, vocational training, etc. The purpose of these programs is to assist them in solving many of their long-standing problems.
Nowadays, there exist about 300 federal reservations in the United States and 21 state reservations. Some reservations are restricted to one tribe, others are shared between many. The largest reservation is held by the Navajo tribe. Although these reservations are sovereign nations, the People are also considered U.S. citizens.
It's amazing to see how much the country has changed, but how some things remain the same. How certain groups can still manage to keep their traditions and heritage alive without being 'corrupted' by a more dominant civilization is an admirable trait. Our nation is so fascinating because we somehow manage to put together people of all different races and cultural backgrounds, and make it work beautifully.
Sources:
http://www.erenlai.com/media/articles/ma_indians01_en.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States
http://www.indians.org/articles/navajo-indians.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_reservation
http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-life.html
The Birth of Jack
 |
| One of the many types of jack-o'-lanterns |
The tradition of decorating "jack-o'-lanterns" was originally brought to America by the Irish immigrants. The name comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack.
According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay, and so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that he could use to pay for the tab. After the Devil had done so, Jack decided to keep the money in his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack freed the Devil eventually, under the condition that Devil would not bother Jack for a year nor claim his soul if he were to die.
The following year, Jack once again tricked the Devil into climbing up a tree. Once the Devil had reached the top, Jack carved a cross into the bark of the tree, so that the Devil could not get down until he had promised he would leave Jack alone for another ten years.
Jack died shortly after that and as the legend goes, God would not allow such a mischievous individual into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick that Jack had played on him, but still keeping his word, would not allow Jack into hell. Instead, he sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since.
In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them in windows or near doors. This was supposed to frighten away wandering evil spirits like Stingy Jack.
In England, large beets are used for carving. Immigrants from all these different countries brought the jack-o'-lantern tradition with them to the United States. They soon discovered that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack-o'-lanterns.
Sources:
http://www.whitegadget.com/attachments/pc-wallpapers/75096d1315372894-halloween-halloween-photos.jpg
http://www.motherearthliving.com/natural-health/history-of-carving-pumpkins.aspx
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-jack-o-lantern.htm
http://www.novareinna.com/festive/jack.html
http://www.rapidimmigration.com/1_eng_immigration_history.html
Alexie's Poetry
Alexie writes a lot about the distress of those growing up on Indian reservations. Regardless of the serious matters and struggles he talked about in his first few collections though, he had a humorous undertone to most of those poems. The first two books were titled I Would Steal Horses and The Business of Fancydancing.
The fact that Alexie's subject matter is based on his own personal experiences really makes the reader feel for him in all of his works. His poetry deals a lot with the topics of poverty, racism, and alcoholism, especially in those first two books. There is so much suffering in these poems, but at the same time, there is still a feeling of love. His sense of humor lightens the mood of it though, making a serious and depressing matter more bearable to read about.
To learn more about this great poet, filmmaker, and writer, watch the video of his interview below.
sources:
http://www.hangingloosepress.com/fancydancing.html
http://www.wellpinit.org/timeline
http://www.slipstreampress.org/horses.html
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/sherman-alexie
http://www.bpj.org/poems/alexie_whitman.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJmRaLUcVU8 (video)
http://www.seattletimescompany.com/luminaries/prof_alexie.html (picture)
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