Well This is Way Harder than I Thought...lol

Hey Guys!

I am trying desperately to update this thing, but with web outages, late returns and early starts, and other limitations, I am having a difficult time doing a day-to-day update. I will try to summarize the last couple of days...

After Wicked, we spent the next day going to Stonehenge and Bath, followed by dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in London. It was amazing! The kids loved Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site...it is so austere and beautiful, it is hard to describe. Bath was great, too - after touring the Roman Baths, we toured and ate fish and chips at a traditional English Pub. The Hard Rock was wonderful - we even got to tour the vault of their instrument collection and see some of the most valuable instruments in their collection (Jimi's Flying V, anyone??).

Yesterday we managed to get to Oxford to see Oxford University, and we got to see the dining hall where the Harry Potter movies were filmed! We also got to tour the town and see sites like The Bridge of Sighs, The Bodleian Library, The Radcliffe Camera, and my favorite, Ben's Cookies (a local treat). After that, we drove to Stratford and saw the birthplace of William Shakespeare, in addition to the home of Anne Hathaway, his wife. It was fantastic, and so was the opportunity to shop a little bit afterwards.

Today we traveled to York, a beautiful town in northern England. After some coach problems in the morning (we had to swap after a breakdown - no worries), we got to one of the most beautiful and historic villages in the whole of England, York. With a bustling market, a historic minster, a number of shopping precincts, and great weather, it was the ideal situation to take in the English lifestyle.

Tomorrow we are off to see Hadrian's Wall, then moving on to Edinburgh, Scotland...very excited!

Hope all is well back home.

Mr. Parsons

We have now made our way to York, a beautiful town in t

A Very Full Second Day!

Hey Guys!

Well, I was hoping to have more elaborate posts than this, but the pace of this tour is so frenetic, I will have to make do with just a little post today, with more writing and pictures to come tomorrow. Today we did a full sightseeing tour in London, which was fantastic, taking in such sights as the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey. It was amazing! We were, unfortunately, unable to get out to Windsor Castle, as the tube strike held up our tour. However, we finished off the evening with some excitement: Covent Garden, followed by dinner in Piccadilly Circus and finally Wicked the Musical in the West End.

Tomorrow, we are off to Stonehenge and Bath, followed by a little shopping at Harrods and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Yeah, it's a hard life, but someone has to do it. :)

Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

England, Here We Come!

Hey Guys!

I am currently sitting with five GCHS students and a couple of chaperones in Charlotte International Airport (Douglas) waiting on a plane to Gatwick in London. We are on the first annual travel study for English II Honors students at Greenup County High School, and are looking forward to a fantastic time studying the sights and sounds of another culture and learning more about the history of the English language.I will be updating this blog every day throughout our trip. Stay tuned to see what fun we are having! You can also check out our Youtube channel - just search for Outbakz.

Hope you guys are having as much fun as we are.

Mr. P

English II Honors - Novel Study Finals

Hey guys!

Following are the essay topics for the essays you will be writing over the next two days. Instead of the review session we had planned for Monday, you will be working on your notes and quotes page (one double-sided, 8.5" by 11" sheet, handwritten only) and doing your pre-writing for the essay finals tomorrow and Wednesday. USE YOUR TIME WISELY - THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSIONS IF YOU DO NOT FINISH YOUR ESSAYS IN CLASS IN THE ALLOTTED TIME.

Also, we have been working on essay writing and construction all year, in addition to grammar and mechanics. I expect that you have developed your skills over the course of the year, and I will be holding you to a higher standard this time around as a result.

A few things to consider:

- Be VERY careful with spelling and grammar - I will allow each of you to have a Dictionary in class. You will not be allowed to use the computer dictionary, as you will not be allowed to log in on Tuesday or Wednesday.

- Just because the essays will be handwritten does not preclude them from formatting. Remember to format exactly as you would a typed essay, with one change: Instead of indenting your paragraphs, I would like you to leave a line blank in between each paragraph.

- Quote, quote, quote. I am leaving you an ENTIRE period to prepare for your essays - I expect exceptional support for your ideas from the text. The rules for quotations, revised:

* Citations: Quotations are vital when citing specific documentation. If you are quoting an author, book, article, or person, then you must always use a quotation. You can introduce the quote by saying that John Doe says in The Times Daily News that, "People like to use quotations marks." Or, you can simply write the quotation (using the quotation marks) and end the sentence with the internal documentation. See the next bullet for internal documentation.
* Internal Documentation: In essays, you will inevitably use quotations from original and primary sources. Consequently, you will need to cite them internally (or via footnotes, an antiquated style). When documenting a specific quotation, you will omit the end punctuation (period, exclamation mark, question mark), put the close quote mark, and then add a parenthesis with the citation. After the citation, you will close the sentence with a period. See this example: "I will not eat green eggs and ham" (Seuss, 5). The sentence concludes after the internal documentation.
* Indented Quotes: Sometimes in an essay, you will use a long quotation. This means, absolutely no quotation longer than five lines should be within the body of the text of your essay. If you choose to use a long quotation (longer than five lines of text), then you should indent the quotation one inch on either side and sometimes italicize it. The quotation should end with a punctuation mark and quotation mark. The internal documentation comes afterwards without any end punctuation.


Finally, the essay topics:

THE CHOCOLATE WAR

1. Write an essay in which you compare and/or contrast the novel The Chocolate War with the novel 1984.

2. What does the The Chocolate War suggest about the benefits and dangers of 'disturbing the universe'?

FAHRENHEIT 451

1. Write an essay in which you compare and/or contrast the novel FAHRENHEIT 451 with the novel 1984.

2. Fire imagery appears throughout the novel FAHRENHEIT 451. Write a paper discussing Bradbury's use of fire imagery in the work.

Good luck!
Brenton Parsons
English II Honors

English II Honors - Extra Credit

Hey Guys!

Some of you will inevitably get finished with your workbook questions a little early, so I have a little extra credit available to you. There will be 15 points of extra credit for those brave enough to create one minute audio reviews of the novel they studied during the unit using GarageBand. The review, which I will convert to Mp3 on my return, will be uploaded to the LIbrary card catalog.

Two eadsets are in the top drawer next to my computer on the left. Good luck!

Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

English II Honors - The Chocolate War Questions #2

Hey guys!

Here are your questions for the second third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

PRE/POST READING QUESTIONS

1. Jerry has a poster in his locker that reads, "Do I dare disturb the universe?". Describe the universe that Jerry lives in and compare it to your own in a 100-word response.

2. Using the following vocabulary guide drawn directly from the novel, create a magnetic/found poem. Describe which words you chose, and why.

http://www.vocabulary.com/VUctchocolatewars.html

3. Jerry decides not to sell the chocolates, starting the war that is mentioned in the book's title. Describe Jerry's decision and why he chose not to sell them in a 100-word response.

READING QUESTIONS PART 2:

1. Adults bully as well as children, often producing even more dramatic effects. Describe adult bullying or adults being bullied in the novel.

2. Describe the protagonist of the novel.

3. How much school spirit should we have? Where should we draw the line? Do we have school spirit at Greenup County High School?

4. Describe the Goober.

5. Paul and “Tubs” have humiliating experiences selling chocolates. Describe them.

6. Do you think the world is made up of either victims or victimizers? Explain.

7. Why does Archie tell Brother Jacques about the trigger word?

8. Why does Jerry continue to refuse to sell the chocolates after the assignment is over?

9. Jerry feels sick every morning because he has to face Leon. How are physical and mental stress connected, and have you ever experienced them relating to each other?

10. Should the teachers do something about the Vigils? If they were in your school, would you want them to?

11. How do the other students in the school feel about the Vigils? Describe their reactions.

12. Describe the antagonist of the novel.

English II Honors - FAHRENHEIT 451 Questions #2

Hey guys!

Here are your questions for the second third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

PRE-READING QUESTIONS

1. The novel Fahrenheit 451 is part of a literary movement called "Dystopian fiction", of which Orwell's 1984 is the most prominent example. Read the following excerpt and summarize it into a response less than 100 words.

http://wsu.edu/~brians/science_fiction/451.htm

2. Consider the issue of censorship. How and when are you censored? What is appropriate to censor and what is not appropriate? Write a 100-word response in which you discuss the answer to this question.

3. Using the following vocabulary guide drawn directly from the novel, create a magnetic/found poem. Describe which words you chose, and why.

https://secure.layingthefoundation.org/english/vocab/novels/Fahrenheit%20451.pdf

READING QUESTIONS PART 2: The Sieve and the Sand

1. How were movies, pictures and TV the beginning of "it all"?

2. "Out of the nursery, into the college, and then back into the nursery" Explain this in your own words.

3. Why do people read less and play more?

4. "Magazines became a nice blend of vanilla tapioca" Explain this in your own words.

5. What do schools turn out instead of intellectuals?

6. How do firemen "keep everyone happy."

7. "She didn't want to know how a thing was done, but why?" Explain this in your own words.

8. How can Guy get back in the good graces?

9. Why are there no front porches?

10. Why is Mildred acting strangely?

11. What is the rest of the world like?

12. What mistake could Montag be making?

English II Honors - The Chocolate War Questions #3

Hey guys!

Here are your questions for the final third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Assuming that you do not have an excused absence before then, the final set of notebook questions will be due the Wednesday directly before Spring Break.

Good Luck!

Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

READING QUESTIONS

1. Who or what gives the Vigils such power?

2. Do you think Jerry should begin selling the chocolates? Why?

3. Carter punches Rollo when he talks back to Archie. What can we do when faced with the threat of physical violence?

4. Is the quote “All schools [have] animals” true? Explain your response.

5. What would you do if someone sabotaged your work?

6. Should Jerry tell his dad what’s going on?

7. What’s the difference between a spirit of brotherhood and what the boys of Trinity have?

8. Have you ever been in a fight? Did it solve the problem?

9. Did Jerry have to go to the field for the fight? What would you have done in Jerry’s situation?

10. Has Jerry really given up?

11. To what lengths would you go to stand up for something? Relate your experiences to the novel.

12. How do you feel after the ending?

13. What does the novel suggest about disturbing the universe? Does this story leave us with any hope at all?

POST-READING QUESTIONS

1. Write a 150-word response in which you consider your final thoughts on the novel. Include your analysis of the ending - those reading the posts should have read the ending themselves and come to their own conclusions.

2. Robert Cormier wrote a follow up to the novel, called Beyond the Chocolate War. Why might he have written another book? What might it be about? Write a 150-word response hypothesizing about the next novel and what it might be about.

English II Honors - FAHRENHEIT 451 Questions #3

Here are your questions for the final third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Assuming that you do not have an excused absence before then, the final set of notebook questions will be due the Wednesday directly before Spring Break.

Good Luck!

Mr. Parsons

READING QUESTIONS
Part III: BURNING BRIGHT

1. How has Beatty given Montag hints that he is under suspicion?

2. Who must have brought the books back from the garden?

3. Who turned in an alarm against Montag? Why?

4. What happened to Montag’s green bullet?

5. Why did Montag burn Beatty's body?

6. What is Montag’s plan to escape?

7. How much money did Montag give Faber?

8. How many scents can the mechanical hound remember?

9. Why did Montag want Faber to turn on the air conditioning and sprinklers?

10. Interpret “Twenty million Montag's running, soon, if the cameras caught him.”

11. Why did the search for Montag veer inland?

12. Who died in Montag’s place?

13. What did Granger mean by “Welcome back from the dead.”

14. When Granger and other like minded people are stopped by authorities, why isn’t any incriminating evidence found?

15. What does Granger mean by his quote “You’re not important. You’re not anything.”?

16. Explain the last implications of the events in the last 4-5 pages.

POST-READING QUESTIONS

1. Write a 150-word response in which you consider your final thoughts on the novel. Include your analysis of the ending - those reading the posts should have read the ending themselves and come to their own conclusions.

2. Write a 100-word response comparing the novel to 1984, discussing their similarities and differences.

English II Honors - Happy St. Patrick's Day

At last...my boy.

Dashiell James Parsons
8.3 pounds
6.45 a.m. Tuesday, March 17, 2009

English II Honors - Open Mike Sessions

Hey guys!

Following is a podcast of the Open Mike Session we did in class on Tuesday. There were a few technical difficulties (thanks to me!! grr.), but I was pretty happy with the outcome. Expect more recordings with better audio quality in the coming weeks, as a few students have volunteered to record some audio tracks for us.

Thanks, and enjoy!

http://www.switchpod.com/
users/musketeerenglish/feed.xml

English II Honors - Choose a Novel to Study

Hey guys!

In an effort to give you as much choice as possible regarding the final novel that you will be studying, I have decided to select two books, as opposed to just one, and you may choose the book that best suits your needs or interests. It is important to note that the format of this study will be very similar to the way in which we studied 1984, with three sets of response questions relating to the novel, a multimedia project, and an essay-based final.

The two novels that I have chosen are Fahrenheit 451 and The Chocolate War. The following is a summary of each book:

FARHRENHEIT 451

Guy Montag is a firefighter who lives in a lonely, isolated society where books have been outlawed by a government fearing an independent-thinking public. It is the duty of firefighters to burn any books on sight or said collections that have been reported by informants. People in this society including Montag's wife are drugged into compliancy and get their information from wall-length television screens. After Montag falls in love with book-hoarding Clarisse, he begins to read confiscated books. It is through this relationship that he begins to question the government's motives behind book-burning. Montag is soon found out, and he must decide whether to return to his job or run away knowing full well the consequences that he could face if captured.

THE CHOCOLATE WAR

Set at the fictional Trinity High School, the story follows protagonist Jerry Renault as he challenges the school's cruel, brutal, and ugly mob rule. Because of the novel's language, the concept of a high school's secret society using intimidation to enforce the cultural norms of the school, and the protagonist's sexual ponderings, it has been the frequent target of censors and appears at number three on the American Library Association's list of the "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books in 2000-2007".

On Wednesday, after we have presented and submitted our poetry notebooks, you will have to check out one of these books and will be required to complete the assignments associated with that novel. YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO DO BOTH! Please do not make that mistake - I do not need anyone going into cardiac arrest.

The first set of workbook questions is posted below. Assuming there are no other epidemics, blizzards, interruptions, or distractions, they will be due Wednesday, March 18.

Good luck and enjoy the book of your choosing.
Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

English II Honors - The Chocolate War Questions #1

Here are your questions for the first third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

PRE-READING QUESTIONS

1. Read a biography of Robert Cormier. Write a summary of no less than 100 words describing him and the things you learned about him from his biography.

(http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Library/Archives/WAuthors/cormier/bio.html is a good place to start.)

2. Read the short story "The Bully" here: http://www.thecockatoo.com/bully.html

3. Write a 100-word response to the story in which you consider the story and bullying in general.

4. Write a 100-word response describing a situation in which you have felt bullied and how you dealt with it.

READING QUESTIONS PART I:
Chapters 1-13

1. What affect did the first sentence have on you? Why did the author use it? (ask this question again after reading the whole book)

2. Do you feel you have to stay on the good side of anyone in your life? Why?

3. What would you do/how would you feel if you found out someone was keeping private information about you? (like Obie’s notebook)

4. Why is the man at the bus stop contemptuous of Jerry? What does he mean when he tells him he’s “missing a lot in the world?”

5. Who is Brother Leon? Describe him.

6. Who are the Vigils? Why does everyone in the school ignore the Vigils?

7. Why does Goober have to comply with the assignment? What would you do?

8. What kind of a teacher is Brother Leon? Have you ever seen a teacher pick on a student? Have you ever been picked on by a teacher? What did the rest of the class do?

9. Do you know anyone with any of Emile’s characteristics? What are they?

10. Why do they choose to pick on Brother Eugene?

11. Jerry feels like he can’t talk to his father. How could he remedy the situation? Do you ever feel that way? How could you remedy the situation?

12. What have you had to sell for school fundraisers? Have you felt any pressure to sell? What drives the pressure to sell in this novel?

13. Describe the coach in chapter 12. What does his behavior suggest about his views toward the students at Trinity?

14. Write a 100-word response in which you discuss your feelings about the first 12 chapters of the book.

English II Honors - FAHRENHEIT 451 Questions #1

Here are your questions for the first third of the book that you have chosen. Your responses to each question should be three to four sentences, minimum, and should include a quote from the book wherever possible to justify your response. Your responses should be posted as comments on this post prior to the class of the due date on which they are assigned; you may also submit responses in handwritten or typed form.

Good Luck!

PRE-READING QUESTIONS

1. Read a biography of Ray Bradbury. Write a summary of no less than 100 words describing him and the things you learned about him from his biography.

(http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html is a good place to start.)

2. Read the short story "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury (download it here: www.dodea.edu/instruction/curriculum/lars/ela_lab/PreK-Grade6/ Guided%20Reading/AllSummerinaDay.doc)

3. Write a 100 word response to the story and what you think that the story might suggest about the type of book that Ray Bradbury might be capable of writing.

READING QUESTIONS PART I:
The Hearth and the Salamander (pages 3-68)

1. What do the "fireman" do for a living?

2. In the opening scene, why are the books compared to birds?

3. According to pages 3-4, what does Montag think of his job?

4. Who does Montag meet on the way home?

5. During his conversation, Montag says that "You never wash it off completely" referring to the kerosene. What could this mean symbolically?

6. Why do you think that Bradbury would introduce Clarisse before Montag's wife, Mildred?

7. Why does Mildred need help when Montag gets home?

8. Describe the help that she receives. Is there anything unusual about the way the two men go about helping Mildred? How is it unusual?

9. How is life in Montag's house very different from that of Clarisse's house?

10. How does Mildred react after she wakes up from her previous night's experience?

11. What is Clarisse doing when Montag sees her on page 21? How is Clarisse different than Mildred?

12. What is the mechanical hound and what is its purpose?

13. What is the hound's reaction to Montag?

14. Why does society consider Clarisse “anti-social” (page 29)?

15. At the next fire, what does Montag take?

16. On page 40, Beatty reveals something very important about himself and his knowledge. What is it?

17. What has happened to Clarisse? How did it happen?

18. Read pages 55-62 very carefully. They contain great truths about our world. List three things Beatty talks about in his speech to Montag that are true about our world.

19. Write a 100 word response in which you ponder your thoughts on the first third of the book.

English II Honors - Poetry Notebook Exact Requirements

Hey guys!

Questions over what should go in your notebook can be answered by reading the following:

1. Cover page
2. Contents Page
3. Author biography (optional, about yourself)
4. Definition of Poetry
5. 5 Poems by another author (including art and analysis)
6. 8 Poems by yourself (including art and analysis)
7. Glossary/Terms and Definitions


Thanks,
B. Parsons
English II Honors

English II Honors - Notebook Extension

Hey guys,

In consideration of the three days lost this week due to school being closed, I have decided to make the poetry notebooks due Tuesday. This will allow you to conference with me one final time before notebooks are submitted.

Relax, guys - your prayers have been answered.

Good luck,
Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

More of My Poetry

Boots Under the Bed

I tried you on,
like new shoes; sharp,
clean and proud.
It's a straight line,
but I never walked this
pale road before.

It ain't always been,
blue skies and bright faces.
It's been some
wearied worn looks,
half-hearted smiles
and eyes that crinkle at the edges.

(Didn't plan for much -
life told me what to do
in small, angry whispers
- and pauses for -
uncomfortable silences.)

My old shoes had holes
worn from bad habits
and scarred from brushes
with the stones and people
that littered my path.

I thought I would wear them forever.
They were mine, all mine,
they grew on me like weeds,
and I didn't care much
about the way they looked
to others.

The open road seems a damn fine place
'til the weather turns bad,
and home calls like a mother,
at the door, waiting for
a young boy to come in from the rain.

I came in from my troubles,
took off my old, lonely boots,
threw 'em under a bed,
and left them hidden in the dark.

For you.

English II Honors - Assignment #4 Plath

Hey guys!

Already we have completed exercises on poetry analysis, Langston Hughes/Harlem Renaissance, ee cummings, and now we will complete a final exercise on Sylvia Plath. While it may seem I have chosen each of the poets at random, I have chosen each for a specific reason, as follows:

Smith/Lindsay - Two personal favorites, plus an introduction to poem analysis
Langston Hughes - Poetry that relates to a literary movement (Harlem Renaissance)
ee cummings - Poetry that experiments in style and form (syntax and punctuation)
Sylvia Plath - Poetry that that belongs in a subgenre (confessional poetry)

It is important to understand that poetry does not exist in a vacuum; it comes from somewhere, relates to something, was written by someone, and has something important to say even if the only thing of importance is that the poem does not consider itself important.

SYLVIA PLATH

1. Sylvia Plath helped begin a style of poetry referred to as 'confessional poetry'. Read more about the movement here:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5650

2. Read Sylvia Plath's biography here:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/11

3. Read her stunning, emotional poem 'Daddy' here:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15291

...and watch and listen to it here:
http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/vvspot/video/plath.html

4. Find another confessional poet you like and post a 250-word response in which you do the following:

-Spend 100 words discussing 'Daddy' and your impression of Plath and her poetry.
- Spend the additional 150 introducing your confessional poet, including a poem you have chosen and your analysis of it.


Please do not get stressed out that this exercise is already posted - it will not be due until Wednesday next week. This will be the final exercise in this unit - the remainder of the time will be spent working on poetry notebooks. NOTEBOOKS WILL BE DUE MONDAY, MARCH 9...that will also be the day we do the coffee shop performance/reading.

Good luck!
Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

English II Honors - My Poetry...for You

Hey guys!

I thought it would only be fair, considering that I have asked you to share so much of your writing with me, that I shared some of my writing with you. These poems do not require you to do anything other than read and enjoy -there will be no assessment. However, feel free to leave comments - they would be greatly appreciated, either positive or negative.

Thanks,
B. Parsons
English II Honors


Sunset Memorial
(For Cindy)

At length, the sun's glance on the hills,
had broken into mysterious hues.
The stark, amber trees echo'd of birds' trills,
and the Ohio waters moped in browns and blues,
for the earth had come to pay its dues.
The sombre mood was set by the dying rays,
and the sun had crested; bearing a dying haze.


On My Neck

I pulled out Dad's dogtags today
uncoiling them, marveling at the shapes
the real deal, olive drab to hide the glint
from an opportunistic Viet sniper.

Battle-scarred, they dangle in my hands.

AUST
45301
PARSONS RW
ANG
A POS

Words embossed into the metal
two tags, one chain, one man
they make the dead easier to catalog.

I think about them, dangling around his neck
knee deep in danger, back against a tree
breathing hard as Viet bullets hailed in.

The tags don't say he was 17.

17, but young enough to don a slouch hat
take a position, fight for his country.

When I was young, I used to play G.I. Joe
I was mad when he wouldn't let me wear them.

He told me, "One day you will have them when I am gone."


Merely Players
(For the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company)

I adore the humble stage,
provided so intimate and honest;
the mind is rarely enough engaged,
that when free from its cage,
the world, I hope, has promise.



Who wouldn't to dream of such things,
and lovingly craft their making?

Instead of sitting idly by,
allowing unborn dreams to die-

You perform. And the world lies, waiting.


Breaking Down
(For Misty Hydrick)

There ain't much money, left in this town
Barely enough for the rich to pass around.
The streets are in tatters, the trees are all dead
Won't be too long, 'til this comes to a head.

A cruiser rolls up, in the old neighborhood,
"Damn them kids, they up to no good!"
A drug deal goes down, a wife gets beat,
And the lil.. boys and girls hears it all from the street.

The street are all dyin', their faces are weary,
Black iron dust, streak..d all acid-rain teary.
The young children watch, as the little town decays,
Wonder'n if all this, gonna be there's some day.


Taste of Trees

Donc a hom dreg en Amor? No,
mas cujarion-s'o li fol.

The heart moves in shapes,
chasing endless parallels
with you
the discontented spirits
bound at the hands, watch
and envy.

English II Honors - Assignment #3 The Wonderful e.e.

One of the most inventive poets I have ever been exposed to is the great e.e. cummings. Read a biography on e.e. cummings at the link below, followed by a reading of the three poems that follow. Then write a 100-word response in which you comment about the characteristics of his style and your feelings about the poetry.

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/156

i carry your heart with me
by E. E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

anyone lived in a pretty how town
by E. E. Cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain


if you like my poems let them
by E. E. Cummings
if you like my poems let them
walk in the evening,a little behind you

then people will say
"Along this road i saw a princess pass
on her way to meet her lover(it was
toward nightfall)with tall and ignorant servants."