Throughout the poem 1943 by Donald Hall it switches back and forth between being "in" the war and being away from the war.
It begins by talking about two males - one who "knocked out" the other in a high school boxing tournament and ten months later Dominick Esposito is killed in the third wave at Tarawa. War changed the boys' lives so quickly; one minute they were carefree high school students, the next they were fighting for their country.
The poem goes on to talk about how every morning the milkman brings each house bottles of milk. The daily task of getting fresh milk every morning symbolizes the idea that life goes on. Even in times of war, life goes on.
The poem then switches back to describing events about the war - soldiers marching "with frost bitten feet as white as milk." Popping up into the readers' mind (because of the blatant pause in the poem to ask "what could we do?" is the question what are we (the citizens who are not "in" the war) supposed to do? How are they supposed to help their country? are they supposed to enlist in the military also? Maybe their whole job is to keep the country "alive" so the soldiers have something to fight for.
War is a tragic worldwide occurrence that can alter many thousands of people's lives in an instant. Perhaps throughout the poem Hall is trying to portray the idea that as life goes on when people are away from the war, and time stops when faced with the difficult situations and obstacles soldiers had to overcome in the war. For the boys in the beginning life was drastically changed (and ended) so differently than had the war not even happened.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
To Myself
First reading the poem To Myself by W.S. Merwin I didn't have the slightest idea of what it "meant." To be honest, I don't think it has one specific meaning, or way to interpret. It's for the reader to feel as he pleases.
For me, the first two lines "Even when I forget you I go on looking for you" are impactful. The idea we are always searching for something even though we don't realize it is really eye opening.
Reading the title of the poem I began to have a "take" on the poem. He is talking about who he is as a person. Even when he isn't consciously asking "who am I?" he's always thinking about it. As the poem reads on it's clear that the no punctuation has a purpose other than make it more difficult to comprehend. It symbolizes the passing of time, and no matter how badly we want time to stand still or time to hurry and pass by, it keeps going without fail.
Towards the middle of the poem, the tone changes to more accusatory: "you who are not what they say."
He is analyzing himself, realizing he may not be the person who he claims to be. He is different, constantly changing but never acknowledging the changes.
We begin to see he was searching for himself for the entire poem, and at the end "you who are not lost when I do not find you" ties the poem together. Even if we want to be someone else, we can never truly not be ourselves, or even the slightest little piece of ourselves. We may sacrifice parts of our self because of the situation we're in, but we are who we are; we're not lost, we're just hidden until we can allow ourselves to be free.
For me, the first two lines "Even when I forget you I go on looking for you" are impactful. The idea we are always searching for something even though we don't realize it is really eye opening.
Reading the title of the poem I began to have a "take" on the poem. He is talking about who he is as a person. Even when he isn't consciously asking "who am I?" he's always thinking about it. As the poem reads on it's clear that the no punctuation has a purpose other than make it more difficult to comprehend. It symbolizes the passing of time, and no matter how badly we want time to stand still or time to hurry and pass by, it keeps going without fail.
Towards the middle of the poem, the tone changes to more accusatory: "you who are not what they say."
He is analyzing himself, realizing he may not be the person who he claims to be. He is different, constantly changing but never acknowledging the changes.
We begin to see he was searching for himself for the entire poem, and at the end "you who are not lost when I do not find you" ties the poem together. Even if we want to be someone else, we can never truly not be ourselves, or even the slightest little piece of ourselves. We may sacrifice parts of our self because of the situation we're in, but we are who we are; we're not lost, we're just hidden until we can allow ourselves to be free.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Kite Runner
I finished reading Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini last week but have been procrastinating the "blogging" of the book because I don't know what to write. I have never blogged before and this is a completely new experience for me. Please forgive me for my inexperience.
In my AP Lit class we (as in the students) are supposed to blog about Kite Runner. I don't exactly know what we are supposed to blog "on" and my inexperience doesn't work in my favor.
I completely jumped face first into the story. I understood the characters and loved reading the book almost as much as I love watching movies - which is saying something! The author Khaled Hosseini was able to incorporate such disgusting parts of life into a story of understanding, growing up, forgiveness, and redemption. It was truly spectacular in every way.
I absolutely loved the book. It was very heart wrenching. I remember reading when Hassan and Assef had their encounter in the alley. I wanted Hassan to give the kite back to Assef so he would leave! I was soooo upset with Amir for not helping out the best friend he ever had. I shed tears while reading the horrible events that happened; I felt sick to my stomach for the rest of the day and had a hard time eating. I felt so bad for Hassan and hated Amir for what he hadn't done, yet I understood the difficult situation he had been in. I still think he should had "grown a pair" and gone to stand up for his friend like Hassan had done for him so many times before.
After Hassan's assault and Amir was the one ignoring Hassan while Hassan was trying to be friends again I was furious with him! Especially when he yelled at Hassan telling him to leave him alone, to stop talking to him, to "leave." When Amir hid his watch and some money in Hassan's house blaming Hassan for stealing and Hassan "confessed" to the crime he didn't commit I wanted to slap Amir in the face. I wanted to shake the cowardice out of him. How could Amir not see the loyalty and love Hassan had for him?!?! I was extremely upset. My heart ached for Hassan. My stomach knots up just thinking about it.
Rahim Khan finally gets Amir to go back to Pakistan. The trip ends up changing Amir's life forever. While Rahim Khan was explaining what happened to Hassan and his wife I hoped that Hassan was still alive. I wanted Amir to be able to apologize for wronging his friend so many years before. But unfortunately that was never an option. Instead, Amir was sent on a mission to find Hassan's son. This was the last possible way to redeem himself for his mistakes in the past.
When Amir and Farid sit in the seats surrounding the field and two people, an obedient man and the screaming woman, were carried out and buried in the field I felt sick to my stomach. And how the doctors checked to see if the people were still alive disgusted me. I wanted to puke of the wretchedness written in the book. How could the school make us read about the stoning and bloody scene in which Amir and Farid watched?! It was one of, if not the most disturbing part of the entire story.
I think the most shocking part in the story was realizing Assef was the man in white. My mouth literally dropped open when I read who he was. I was appalled, but I understood how the horrid scene in the field was "possible." It was Assef, the cruel twelve year old who raped other boys his age. When Sohrab, Hassan's son, was introduced into the story by "performing" for Assef and the other security guards I wanted to rip Assef's eyes out. He was abusing Sohrab and I wanted him to stop.
I don't know what else to explain about the story except I learned a lot about the harsh realities of war, the terrible lives people lived, and the extent to no extremes people will go to to get the answers they want. This book opened my eyes into the world which can be so good yet so horrid to others at the exact same time on opposite sides of the world.
This book was astounding. I would definitely recommend it to others.
In my AP Lit class we (as in the students) are supposed to blog about Kite Runner. I don't exactly know what we are supposed to blog "on" and my inexperience doesn't work in my favor.
I completely jumped face first into the story. I understood the characters and loved reading the book almost as much as I love watching movies - which is saying something! The author Khaled Hosseini was able to incorporate such disgusting parts of life into a story of understanding, growing up, forgiveness, and redemption. It was truly spectacular in every way.
I absolutely loved the book. It was very heart wrenching. I remember reading when Hassan and Assef had their encounter in the alley. I wanted Hassan to give the kite back to Assef so he would leave! I was soooo upset with Amir for not helping out the best friend he ever had. I shed tears while reading the horrible events that happened; I felt sick to my stomach for the rest of the day and had a hard time eating. I felt so bad for Hassan and hated Amir for what he hadn't done, yet I understood the difficult situation he had been in. I still think he should had "grown a pair" and gone to stand up for his friend like Hassan had done for him so many times before.
After Hassan's assault and Amir was the one ignoring Hassan while Hassan was trying to be friends again I was furious with him! Especially when he yelled at Hassan telling him to leave him alone, to stop talking to him, to "leave." When Amir hid his watch and some money in Hassan's house blaming Hassan for stealing and Hassan "confessed" to the crime he didn't commit I wanted to slap Amir in the face. I wanted to shake the cowardice out of him. How could Amir not see the loyalty and love Hassan had for him?!?! I was extremely upset. My heart ached for Hassan. My stomach knots up just thinking about it.
Rahim Khan finally gets Amir to go back to Pakistan. The trip ends up changing Amir's life forever. While Rahim Khan was explaining what happened to Hassan and his wife I hoped that Hassan was still alive. I wanted Amir to be able to apologize for wronging his friend so many years before. But unfortunately that was never an option. Instead, Amir was sent on a mission to find Hassan's son. This was the last possible way to redeem himself for his mistakes in the past.
When Amir and Farid sit in the seats surrounding the field and two people, an obedient man and the screaming woman, were carried out and buried in the field I felt sick to my stomach. And how the doctors checked to see if the people were still alive disgusted me. I wanted to puke of the wretchedness written in the book. How could the school make us read about the stoning and bloody scene in which Amir and Farid watched?! It was one of, if not the most disturbing part of the entire story.
I think the most shocking part in the story was realizing Assef was the man in white. My mouth literally dropped open when I read who he was. I was appalled, but I understood how the horrid scene in the field was "possible." It was Assef, the cruel twelve year old who raped other boys his age. When Sohrab, Hassan's son, was introduced into the story by "performing" for Assef and the other security guards I wanted to rip Assef's eyes out. He was abusing Sohrab and I wanted him to stop.
I don't know what else to explain about the story except I learned a lot about the harsh realities of war, the terrible lives people lived, and the extent to no extremes people will go to to get the answers they want. This book opened my eyes into the world which can be so good yet so horrid to others at the exact same time on opposite sides of the world.
This book was astounding. I would definitely recommend it to others.
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