5. Original Response

“Thanatopsis” Response

This poem was excellently written. It was intriguing to go through each line of the poem and decipher what is meant to be said. It’s like a creative puzzle. The overall message of this poem is that when we die we will become one with the Earth. “The all-beholding sun shall see no more in all his course…” .This idea goes along with the transcendentalist way of living. This idea of what happens after we die will clash with many religions. It’s commonly accepted in society that when people die they will either ascend or descend into lands unknown. Not stay on Earth. Since Transcendentalist isn’t popular these days its ideas aren’t popular either. Lots of parts of the transcendentalist sound good but there is no back up or “evidence” to show that you should follow them. It’s a thing where people just have to trust and do. It needs an incentive like an item of significance, a written text, or an idol. These set a bit of structure. That’s what people look for when they find a religion. It brings them order in their life when everything else is hectic. So the ideas in the Thanatopsis can be heavily followed but there needs to be some set structures.   


“First Curl of Smoke” Response

This article has an enlightening message to it. It’s almost like an indirect persuasive essay. It says that the man in the story is using nature as a get-away from his horrible working life in the city. “I guess you could say I fell in love at first sight.” This line is mentioning the first time he sat in the wilderness. The simplicity of nature overpowers the stressful city life. I want to try this out myself because I’m living a prime example of a stressful city life. I wake up early every morning to get to school. I have work to do there then work to do at home. I have two extracurricular activities as well take up time in the morning and in the afternoon. Once I finally get home I do my homework then sleep because I’m so tired. This type of lifestyle can have you going through life without breathing and knowing that you are alive. This is what the writer is saying. Sitting in the wilderness helps you relax and get rid of all your worldly issues and responsibilities. Looking at the world in its natural form helps you look back on yourself. This idea holds true today. People go camping for the exact reasons. Sometimes people with high blood pressure are encouraged to do it because the simplicity of the wild is relaxing. (215 words)

“Walden” Response  

I felt that this reading didn’t have a pushing message. It tells of one man’s experience about leaving society and living in nature. He does discover lessons through his experiences that you can learn from but they aren’t directed toward the reader as other pieces are. It’s highly similar to “First Curl of Smoke” because both people leave their normal lives and go into the wilderness.  The difference about this piece is that the writer plans on staying in nature while the person in “First Curl of Smoke” is visiting.  This one pushes to the “extremes” more because he desserts all life for the solitude. That aspect makes it hard to be relatable in this day and age. So many people are attached to the aspects of their society driven lives. So breaking away from it all would be difficult to do for some. In “First Curl of Smoke” the time in spent in nature is only temporary because he’s on vacation from work. It’s something similar to going camping. “…I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”  He finds that living in complete solid without any worries is the best way to experience life. This makes a good point because going on a vacation means you have to go back to your normal life, which leaves worry.  (216 words)

“Nature” Response”

This piece lists the specifics of the benefits of living in nature. Everything is in a positive light so it’s almost as if it’s biased. There are no negatives of living in nature. “Nature is a setting that fits equally well a comic or a mourning piece.”  It has a wide range of coverage because of its simplicity. To further explain that, nature is like a plain hamburger. Any condiments (situations) would go on it. “There I feel that nothing can befall me in life.” In this quote the writer is saying that no bad can happen to him while he is in nature because there are nothing but good feelings circulating through him. In a way he is right but there are all of the physical dangers that can befall him. He might consider those possibilities as good things as well because its nature’s will. These ideas hold true today because whoever takes a trip in barren nature has a reason. Since there are many people with just as many reasons the possibilities are endless. (198 words)

Self-Reliance Response

This piece dictates exactly what the title says: Self-Reliance. It’s saying to find yourself through the simplicity of nature. I find that this is to be something true. “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.” I agree with this statement because society has a permanent structure that can’t be deferred from. You must grow a certain way and go through life in a “pattern” in order to be successful. It’s set up to fail man because if you don’t meet the requirements, you fail. As a man you feel the need to be successful in life through the “system”. When that goal is unachievable, the failure does affect the pride of your manhood. The text says “Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus…” its saying that some of the great people in life had to step outside of the narrow minded style of society just so that they could prosper. These ideas hold true today. During a time when people take part in trends and “norms” just so that they can fit in, more often than not people step outside. Sometimes stepping away from society is a form of rebellion but in some cases it has a greater plan. Similar to many of the separations and growth in history like the Pilgrims leaving England and the Americans breaking away from Britain.

6. Reactions to Essays

As a whole, I feel these essays are challenging the "normal" way of thinking. They are taking different views on common topics and engaging them in new ways; challenging the status quot with attitude. Its quite interesting to see society norms being challenged at such early times. The first article I read was by Sarah Orne Jewett, written in 1881. Jewett writes about the death of animals in relation to the death of humans in a "chain". "But there is something distressing about being eaten, and having one’s substance minister to a superior existence! It hurts one’s pride." This idea seems to be one of an environmentalist who is a vegetarian in current times. Being a vegetarian and animal lover is almost like a trend in this day-in-age but in the 1880's the life of the meatless hadn't arrived. The second article I read was by John Burroughs, written in 1908. Burroughs writes about how people always want a supernatural occurrence to explain the plain and normal. "You are always nearer the divine and the true sources of your power than you think. The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive." Discoveries in all fields of life have solved our mysteries that have lingered but before in the early 1900's development and discoveries were slow to appear so the "supernatural" could still have been plausible. Burroughs seems to have foresight on all unexplainable events. The third article I read was written by Annie Dillard, written in 1973. Dillard seems to have comical elements in the essay. "In a town where resourcefulness and beating the system are highly prized, these primitive trees can fight city hall and win." The sight of humor doesn't necessarily mean its before its time but it does show that a topic isn't something that has to be taken so seriously. Dillard knows there are matters to be attended too that will need a serious view. All of these are essays are challenging society accepted ideas on nature.

3. Native American Creation Story

 

The Origin of Duct Tape

            In ancient native times when the sun was the only source of light and the stars were peaceful nightlights, lived two giants on the clouds; a husband and a wife. They were both five stories tall. They once lived on earth with normal sized humans but the Chief of the Sky forced them to live in a deserted area on the clouds. They were a couple who argued everyday over a wide span of topics. Their spats contained ear shattering shouting and physical violence. The normal humans were often disturbed and injured so they complained to the giants. The giant couple wouldn’t cease so the people complained to the Chief in the Sky. He listened to their complaints and saw the damage that the couple caused so he forced them to move to the clouds. The reaction of the giants wasn’t so peaceful considering they were very angry people.

            The husband giant had a strong love for berries. He was addicted to the taste and could never have too many. When he ate them he would always make a sticky mess. He would be covered in the berry juice. His habits made his wife furious because he would get their furniture dirty and leave stains on the wall. One day she got completely fed up with him. She yelled at him to get out of the house and sleep outside. He gladly followed her orders because he knew he could eat as many berries as he wanted while he was outside.  He left the clouds and climbed down a mountain. He went in the forest and found bushes with his beloved berries on them. He ate them till he was full and happy. As a result he was sticky all over but he didn’t care since he didn’t have to listen to his wife nag at him.

            The night was quickly approaching so he found a place to sleep. He came across a soft field of grass that would be the perfect fit. He forgot to bring a blanket from his house and knew his wife wouldn’t let him come in and get one while he was sticky, so he had to be resourceful and make one. He thought about using leaves but they were too brittle. He thought about using tree bark but it was too hard. He gazed across the forest and looked for some fitting material. A pack of grey wolves strut across the forest. An idea struck him. He would use the fur from the wolves as a blanket. He quickly overpowered them since he was a giant and ripped their fur off of them, made a blanket, put it on him and went to sleep. In the altercation lots of the fur was stripped and what looked like grey clothe remained. The giant slept peacefully.

 In the middle of the night a group of travelers walked through the forest. They were traders and sellers so they constantly moved around to find new merchandise to distribute. As they walked they began to smell a fruity flavor. They followed the smell in hopes of finding food to trade and sale. They walked into a large grey heap. They continued to smell the fruitful flavor yet saw no food. They poked and probed at giant grey heap until someone peeled off a piece. They noticed it contained the smell and it was sticky. They looked at it as of no use until one stopped them with an idea. He proposed it would be used to hold things together and that they could sale it in rolls. The travelers peeled away all of the sticky grey material off the heap. They had tons of it and wrapped it on rolls.

The giant woke up in astonishment due to the fact that his blanket was gone. He came to the conclusion that the wind blew it away. The sticky grey material sold well so the travelers were in search of more. The giant made another wolf fur blanket and the travelers found him and peeled it off. The travelers needed a name for their discovery so that they could tell more people about it. They named it Duct Tape. The giant was dumbfounded. He didn’t know where his blanket was disappearing to but as long as he had his berries he never got angry and continued to make a new one every day. He stayed in the forest and never went back to his wife and the travelers discovered something that would revolutionize the world.    

 

1. A Nature Poem

Black Blaze

 

Clouds filled with thunder cracked their sound;

Tree tips were snapped with sharp lightening.

Under the mayhem was a man made barn

Branded with red paint, now soaked with rain.

 

Inside was the transaction of a being to life.                                                                                           5

A blessing of innocence was gracing the stable;

Something no evil soul could deny its truth.

The power of a mother to produce life.

 

An elderly mother horse on her last birthing,

Lie on her side, throbbing.                                                                                                                    10

She squealed in the midst of pain she found familiar,

Waiting for its pass.

 

The farmers took on doctor gloves,

Aiding the mother horse.

They tugged at the legs of the new gift                                                                                                 15

To the world.

 

Slowly but surely pulling to completion.

The mother Stallion rocked her head,

Feeling every inch of her newborn leaving her grasp.

She sustained calmness,trusting the farmers hands.                                                                              20

 

Out slid a baby horse 

Covered in pink sticky remnants of his mother.

Taking no time at all it rose,

Looking to get rid of his helpless aura with a firm posture. 

 

Its legs snapped straight at the presence of lightening.                                                                         25

Its head ascended at the beat of a thunder clap.

Its tail whipped like the rain against the barn

A majestic Black Stallion stood.

 

In a pool of pride and arrogance,

As if it knew it would be born                                                                                                               30

And how it would make its grand entrance.

Covered in Black Blaze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







2. The Most Beautiful___

The beginning of the fall season was the first time I saw it. It was the morning of the day of my school’s Homecoming dance. The way the sun shined and warmed my insides let me know that the day was going to go well. I woke up at 7:00a.m. because I’m in Student Council and we had to be in the school’s gym to decorate by 8:30a.m. Slightly sleepy, I went through my normal preparations of getting ready for the day. I ate a small breakfast then headed out the door. I got on the Ashland bus, which would take me directly to Whitney Young. I often fall asleep on the bus because I’m exhausted from school but that morning my eyes weren't very tired.

 Since most of my friends weren’t awake that early on a Saturday morning my phone was of no use to me. There was nothing else to do except drop in on other people’s conversation or gaze out the window. I managed to incorporate both into one activity to pass the time. The people next to me were talking about a man’s blue jacket. They discussed how nice it looked and the cheap price. They also mentioned how warm it was, which made it good for the changing season. The bus came to a stop as it ran into slow traffic. My eyes gazed the outsides. I saw scattered leaves on the sidewalk moving in the wind. That’s when I saw…it. The most beautiful scene of nature you could come by in the middle of a city. The mother trees to all the loose leaves on the sidewalk were going through their seasonal changes. The leaves on them shed the traditional green color and had taken on an array of oranges, reds, and purples. It was bouquet perfectly set to inaugurate the season. The sun embraced the colors and highlighted their brightness even more. It was impossible not the see the beautiful color.

It was a scene that couldn’t be duplicated by any pair of crayons and coloring book. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them but my gaze soon had to be ripped away as the traffic cleared and the bus began to move. The colorful leaves were now behind me. I was left in awe. A little disappointment sunk in me because I didn’t take a picture but the sight of the bright colors brightened up my day a little more. Something so beautiful seemed to slow down time in such a fast paced city. The colors were even more beautiful than the young ladies’ dresses at the Homecoming dance.  ;-)
(437 words)
 

4. Weather Experience

Double Ties

Its so dark and ominous,

The trees run back and forth as the wind chases it,

The clouds propel liquid bullets at the ground

Deeming every living thing to take cover.

A sharp blinding blade murderously tor apart the sunken clouds                                                           5

And was accompanied by an earth shaking bass.

Striking the thickness of your core
And strummed your spine.

My window on the bus is shedding uncontrollable tears
Yet, I look through its false emotion.                                                                                                    10
I see that what's on the outside of this transportation is to be a dreadful challenge
Because Mother Nature didn't breast feed me the nutrition to withstand it.

The gusting wind piercing my eyes,
The rain drenching my unspeakables,
The damp leaves clinging to my shoes;                                                                                                15
Those thoughts made me want to look my stop in the eye and keep going.

Water pounded on the roof like migraines in an unsteady beat;
Every stop past was a continuation of the count down unto witch I would get off
At the build up and brace of it all...                                                                                                       20
An unexpected calmness pushed itself against the atmosphere.

Unheard sighs of relief emitted from all the passengers
Because of the ceasing rain.
Pig tails and school jumper fancifully reflected her
Mothers focused beam to the outside.                                                                                                   25

"Two rainbows!" exploded through her snag-a-tooth mouth
Her excitement lifted the heads of every passenger.
A shabby coat and sunken face leaned over and uttered
"It's a sign from God" out of his under grown beard.

They were shoelaces tying up nature's stumbling mess;                                                                       30
Their presence brought praise and approval from even the ground
As its scattered puddles glowed in colorful reflection.
...A happy ending to a scary movie.

I arrived at my stop, standing under the arch of the Double Ties in the sky.
They held up the sunken clouds and all the rain with their beautiful power.                                       35
Looking at their endless trail in the sky,
You wonder...will there be twice the gold at the end of them?