The Garden

The Garden, a poem by Ezra Pound, opens up by saying, “Like a skein of loose silk blown against a wall, she walks by the railing of a path in Kensington Gardens, she is dying piecemeal of a sort of emotional anemia.”  I think the statement emotional anemia is so intriguing. This woman is obviously suffering a great deal emotionally and it makes you want to continue reading to find out what has her so torn up on the inside.

As Pound continues he writes, “And round about there is a rabble, of the filthy, sturdy, unkillable infants of the very poor. They shall inherit the earth” I do not understand this sentence whatsoever and it is just over my head. I think that goes along with what we said about poetry a couple of days ago, just because you do not understand something does not mean you cannot appreciate it.

The last stanza says, “In her is the end of breeding. Her boredom is exquisite and excessive. She would like some one to speak to her, and is almost afraid that I will commit that indiscretion.” I think this is such good wording, almost afraid that I will commit that indiscretion. This woman is obviously deeply tormented and she is lonely but afraid to reach out and talk or be talked to.

This poem makes me pray that I will never be too timid to approach someone that looks like they are lonely or desiring someone to talk to or listen to them. I think it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the day that we brush aside the emotions of people around us, but God has called us to help those in need and that should be our number one concern.

"Enemy of the People"

While watching, “Enemy of the People” one main idea that stuck out to me was something I learned in my Ethics class with Dr. Joe Davis. It is the statement that truth is not afraid of questions. Through out the play the mayor, Peter Stockmann, continually denies his brother of asking any questions or even speaking his own opinions to the town people. If the mayor truly had nothing to hide, he should not be afraid of his brother, Dr. Stockmann, asking questions about the cities spring. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” This being the case, Jesus was never afraid of having people question Him because he always had an answer. Pharisees tried to trick Him with their twisted questions, but He never backed down because He knew He held the truth. In this same way the Mayor of the town should have no problem answering some questions and letting the water get tested if he held the truth in his own actions. The townspeople should have realized something was wrong as soon as the Dr’s freedom of speech was taken away. I attempted to paint Act 2, Scene 2 in the Captain Horster’s house where the townspeople and mayor deny Dr. Stockmann of telling his discoveries of the towns spring. 

Character Analysis

He walked up, dressed professionally in a black suit, shiny polished dress shoes and red tie, unaware that anyone was paying him any attention.  He reached for the phone and flipped it open to silence the ring, “Yeah, yes. She’s with me now… just got off work a bit early.” He snapped the phone shut and clung to a little girl’s hand whisking her into his arms. It was as if it was just the two of them at the crowded park on this day. The girl giggled in delight as her pink ribbon flittered in the wind while she was spun. Her polka dot dress twirled in circles as he twisted this way and that way and then threw her into the air. The little girl was squealing in delight as she looked down at this man who locked eyes with her in fatherly adoration. He gently set her on the ground and strode slowly into the wind as the girl pushed her legs as fast as they would go toward the slide hand in hand. Sunshine beaming down on the fresh cut green grass and large oak trees surrounding the park made for a picture perfect scene. As they reached the slide he grabbed her by the waste and gently set her on the top. “Now wait here Lyla, I’m going to the bottom of the slide to catch you!” He dashed around and was just in time to see the adorable blonde with bright green eyes and a huge smile coming speeding down towards him. He spread his arms wide and scooped her into his arms squeezing her before he set her back onto the soft grass. “Lyla, mama is ready for dinner now.” The Father grabbed the delightful girl’s delicate finger and smiled down at her in love and they headed towards the parking lot. It was obvious that this little girl had her Daddy exactly where he should be, wrapped around her little finger. 

The two headed toward the parking lot. He was walking slowly as if each step forward were dreaded. He picked Lyla up and placed her on his hip, ignoring the dirt that was transferred from her polka dot dress to his black suit, he squeezed her as he continued forward. Instead of heading towards the direction they arrived in he headed to a Cadillac Escalade that had just pulled up. The blonde girl hugged his neck and he whispered something to her. Next he let her down and she got into the Escalade and greeted her mother. The man and woman’s eyes connected but no words were exchanged. He shut the door and the SUV drove off. The man turned and sauntered over to a bench and placed his head in his hands. Defeat was written all over his body language. At a first glance he appeared to be a successful man and while it was obvious that he indeed was, his demeanor was struggling. The blissful man that was just running in the grass had vanished and was replaced by a miserable and unsatisfied human being. With slouched shoulders and sad eyes he reached into his pocket.

From out of his suit pocket he pulled a leather wallet. Opening the wallet he withdrew what appeared to be a discolored and tattered note. Unfolding the paper, it was obvious he had studied whatever it was frequently. He began to repeat aloud, “Proverbs 15:17, Greed for money can lead to family problems. Proverbs 15:17, Greed for money can lead to family problems.” A single tear slid down the grown man’s cheek. This person that once seemed so simple, a stereotypical businessman father spending time with a daughter he adored on a beautiful day at the park, suddenly became very complex. He had suffered a great deal. This man had a past with inner demons that were tearing at his soul. Lifting his head he glanced around the park at the commotion around him as if finally realizing other people were in his presence. A child was laughing and reaching for a teen girl at the other end of the playground and the girl grabbed him in her arms. The word “Mama” came out of the boy’s mouth. The businessman straightened up and headed toward the sandbox where the two were sitting. He reached them and began a conversation, “What’s his name?” Hesitantly she replied, “Well I named him Steven after my grandfather.” Somehow the well-to-do businessman got this young girl to open up about her past and the things that led up to her pregnancy. She confessed that she was only sixteen when she gave birth to the little boy and that the Father was not present in her life or the life of her son. How it happened, it is not clear, but the man opened his wallet and instead of reaching for his piece of paper like last time, he confidently grabbed a handful of bills and stretched his hand out to the teen girl. A look of shock came upon her face and it was replaced by gratitude but rejection. “I cannot take that.” After a struggle and victory for the businessman he grabbed a business card out of his pocket and insisted she give her email address to him in return, requesting that she would please allow him to bless her with the opportunity to help her and her son whenever possible. The girl had tears streaming down her face as she whispered that he was an answer to her prayers and it was too much. He reached down to Steven and grabbed the toddler in his arms, gave him a tight hug and set him back down. He said, “You may not understand, but you are a blessing to me. You have given me a bigger gift than I can explain and while I may not have done things right in the past, you are giving me the opportunity to redeem myself. I will be in touch.”

The man turned then and headed for the parking lot. Dusk was arriving, the sky transforming from a vibrant blue to shades of orange and red, and the park was becoming less crowded. As the man in a black suit, with shiny, polished dress shoes, and a red tie headed towards the parking lot his shoulders were just a bit straighter, his head just a bit higher. The door squeaked as he opened and sat in the vehicle. The rusted grey car managed to crank to life and sputtered and struggled as the businessman drove away with a smile on his face as the words, “greed for money can lead to family problems” repeated on his lips.  

Reading

Reading has so many positive impacts on my life. Reading can and has often been an escape from a bad day. Reading has improved my vocabulary, grammar, and spelling abilities. Imaginations can expand and grow as I pour myself into the book you read. Reading and studying books helps me to gain knowledge. There are so many benefits brought to life through reading.

So often people can get stressed on situations in life and a much-needed break is brought through losing myself in someone else’s life. As the stories unfold suddenly my problem disappears and I can give myself a time out.

Reading is proven to improve vocabulary, grammar, and spelling. According to ImprovingVocabulary.org, “reading is one of the most effective ways of improving vocabulary.” To improve your grammar there are many exercises you can do while reading any book. Spelling correctly is so obviously boosted when people read. The visual of seeing the way a word is spelled is so important. Reading has such a positive impact on vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.

A fictional book can expand your imagination to places you never could have thought of on your own and a non-fictional book can teach you things that you didn’t even plan to learn. Right now I am reading, At the Back of the North Wind and it is about a young boy who is taken in by the North Wind. She takes him on trips across London and shows him how she helps other people. This book has expanded my imagination because I would never have thought of this sort of personification on my own. There are also many non-fiction books that teach you very much. Autobiographies and journals, "How to's," and more fill your mind with knowledge on different subjects the author desires to educate you upon.

All of this being said I am very grateful to have the opportunity to read a classical book in class. It gives me time to unwind and relax under the comfort of sunshine and a big oak tree. It gives me the opportunity to improve my speech, and it gives me the opportunity to let my imagination go. I am so thankful to have the freedom to read a book.

Trip to the Museum

The trip to the museum was very beneficial for me. I think it was really neat to see all the paintings and different artwork. Reading the poems and walking through the museum was a really great experience. My favorite part of the museum was upstairs where there were over 20 different pictures from around the world. The picture showed a family with all their possessions outside the house and then on the side it showed statistics of the families income, dreams, hours per week, number of family members, favorite item in the house, and more. Each picture varied from three family members to twelve. Some people’s most valued possessions were Bibles, the children in the house, ancient paintings, among other things. Income was anywhere from 200 dollars a year to 50,000 dollars and more a year. Some head of the families worked 20 hours a week and some worked 140 hours a week. To me this is so hard to imagine. I think of my father who works over 40 hours a week and it seems as if he is never home. A person that works 140 hours a week and only makes on average 2,000 dollars a year is a hard-working individual and I just can’t imagine or know how someone is capable of doing so. There were pictures from France, America, India, Haiti, Germany, Russia, and many more. It was so eye opening to see all the different countries and to see all the valued possessions from these countries. The landscaping was so different and some of the countries I had never even heard of before. Going to the museum was very exciting for me and my favorite thing was definitely seeing all the pictures from the different countries. 

Wrapped Around Her Finger

He walked up, dressed professionally in a black suit, shiny polished dress shoes and red tie, unaware that anyone was paying him any attention.  He reached for the phone and flipped it open to silence the ring, “Yeah babe, yes. I will be home for dinner. She’s with me now… Yup, just got off work a bit early.” He snapped the phone shut and clung to a little girl’s hand whisking her into his arms. It was as if it was just the two of them at the crowded park on this day. The girl giggled in delight as her pink ribbon flittered in the wind while she was spun. Her polka dot dress twirled in circles as he twisted this way and that way and then threw her into the air. The little girl was squealing in delight as she looked down at this man who locked eyes with her in Fatherly adoration. He gently set her on the ground and strode slowly into the wind as the girl pushed her legs as fast as they would go toward the slide hand in hand. Sunshine beaming down on the fresh cut green grass and large oak trees surrounding the park made for a picture perfect scene. As they reached the slide he grabbed her by the waste and gently set her on the top of the slide. “Now wait here Lyla, I’m going to the bottom of the slide to catch you!” He dashed around and was just in time to see the adorable blonde with bright green eyes and a huge smile coming speeding down towards him. He spread his arms wide and scooped her into his arms squeezing her before he set her back onto the soft grass. “Lyla mama is waiting for us to go to dinner now.” The Father grabbed the delightful girl’s delicate finger and smiled down at her in love and they headed towards the parking lot. It was obvious that this little girl had her Daddy exactly where he should be, wrapped around her little finger. 

The Traveling Onion

The first time reading through, The Traveling Onion, I was not very impressed. Why would someone take the time to write a poem about an onion? It just did not make any sense to me. But after reading it a second time I began to realize that there was a much deeper meaning behind the poem. The onion has been through so much, traveling from Egypt to Greece, on to Italy, all of Europe, and to my cutting board. Upon reaching the cutting board it will simply be cut up as an after thought and thrown into the pot. This tiny onion carries so many flavors and yet no one thinks of it. The author Naomi Shihab Nye says, “… for the sake of others, disappear.” She is talking about how the onion just disappears into the pot and no one comments on the “translucence of onion.” It is forgotten.

How easy is it to overlook the small things that people do? So often in life people go behind the scenes and work so hard for the sake of others without ever being complimented or appreciated.

There were a few lines in the poem that I really liked. The author writes, “and I would never scold the onion for causing tears. It is right that tears fall for something small and forgotten.” I think that is just such a beautiful line and it really moved me. There is so much forgotten beauty in the small things of life and if we take the time to appreciate those things we will have a more fulfilling existence.