Aaron has a frog for the profile picture

Where Is My Country? (Lights on the bridge and center stage ) Where is my country? Where does it lie? The 4th of July approaches and I am asked for firecrackers. Is it because of my skin color? Surely not because of my husband's name. In these skyways I dart in and out. One store sells rich ice cream and I pick bittersweet nuggets. In the office someone asks me to interpret Korean, my own Cantonese netted in steel, my own saliva. Where is my country? Where does it lie? Salted in Mexico where a policeman speaks to me in Spanish? In a voice of a chinese grocer who asks if I am Filipino? Channeled in the white businessmen who discovers that I do not sound chinese? Garbled in a white woman who tells me I speak perfect English? Webbed in another who tells me I speak with an accent? Where is my country? Where does it lie? Now the dress designers flood us with a chinese look, quilting our bodies in satin stitching our eyes with silk. Where is m...

Every sentence that at the beginning of each stanza stood out to me. Some of them have deep meanings that I agree upon, and some of them are well constructed to have pleasing sounds. Of course, some contain both. Moreover, these lines combine to form a central idea that repels the title: “seize the day.” The line “Love your work, and enjoy your play” has a pleasing sound. The vowel in each word helps you stretch your mouth. The constantly moving lips bring current air in and out of the oral cavity. And since each alternation is relatively short, the rhythm is fastened and make the sentence uplifting. On the other hand, the “y” sound rhymes in this line. When you try to pronounce the sound, the “y” sound always forces air out from your mouth. The outbursting air accents the word, while the desire of taking next breath fastens the rhythm. This “y” sound thus create a fast pace and uplifting feeling and a speedy excitement. The feeling and the excitement are just like the hardworking...

For Lesley's group: Strength:     The group used props wisely. Although there is no custom, but the characteristic of each performer are well established by movement. The level was also well established. There are three layers, and performers are scattered on the bridge, the bed, and the bench. The plotting is good, too. Weakness:      The sound in the video is inaudible. It is hard to tell the choice of the sections of the poem. However, from the length of the video, the group might recite the whole poem. It is hard to see other weakness in term of the recitation because it is hard to hear things. For Stella's group: Strength:     The division of the poem, into three parts, and the transition of each part is thoughtful. The way the group's performers forming a triangle and alternate the speaker is simple but catching. Although I do not understand the last Spanish part, I can tell that it fits into the context of the poem well. Weakness: ...

This Is Just To Say William Carlos Williams , 1883 - 1963 I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold The rhyme scheme is vague in this poem. However, there are lots of aspirates in the poem. There are some engagements, too. Thus the whole poem sounds fluent. The aspirates and the short lines create enrich, fluid, and juicy sounds, which relates to the fruit plums. It almost helps the readers to taste the plums and feeling the deliciousness of the fruit. However, the last word "cold" is end at a mute "d." The mute creates an abrupt ending of the poem. It is so different from the previous ending in each line. It no doubt creates a variation that attracts readers' attention. One effective choice the poet made here is the alternation of vowels and consonants. Oftenly, vowels are pronounced by an open mouth, forming a cavity inside the mouth. For exampl...

"Are you okay?" This is the often question people ask me today. "Yes of course." I mean I don't understand the core of their intention for this situation. I mean do you really care about the person been stripped off bare waiting for others picking him up form the chair or do you just want him to shut up and shed no tear? "What's wrong?" It's the attacker's second round. "Nothing." I heard it from my sound.

1) The sounds: The rhyme scheme is vague in this poem. However, there are lots of aspirates in the poem. There are lots of enjaments, too. Thus the whole poem sounds very fluent. The aspirates and the short lines create enrich, fluid, and juice sounds, which just relates to the fruit plums. It almost helps the readers to taste the plums and feeling the deliciousness of the fruit. However, the last word "cold" is end at a mute "d". The mute creates a abrupt ending of the poem. It is so different from the previous ending in each line. It no doubt creates a variation that attracts readers' attentions. 2) The picture As I discussed, the poem creates a picture of the speaker eating plums. Especially the characterics of the plums. For example, we can see that the plums is chilly and juciey. Although it is a confession. 3) Story It is like a person's confession. However, there is no need for a person to make confession for eating plums. I think there is o...

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening A (ow) A B A 32 syllables B (er) B C B C (ke) C D C D (eep) D D D

Poetry by Nikki Giovanni poetry is motion graceful (enjambment ) as a fawn, gentle as a teardrop, strong like the eye finding peace in a crowded room. we poets tend to think our words are golden though emotion speaks too loudly to be defined by silence. sometimes, after midnight or just before the dawn, we sit, typewriter in hand, pulling loneliness around us, forgetting our lovers or children who are sleeping, ignoring the weary wariness of our own logic, to compose a poem. no one understands it. it never says "love me" for poets are beyond love. it never says "accept me" for poems seek not acceptance but controversy. it only says "i am" and therefore i concede that you are too. a poem is pure energy, horizontally contained between the mind of the poet and the ear of the reader. if it does not sing, discard the ear for poetry is song. if it does not delight, discard the heart for poetry is joy. if it does not inform, then close off the brain fo...

Verbal skills can be practiced Alphabet: Vowels : a, e, i, o, u w, y Consonants : 1. Semivowels : can protract the sound, at the end of the syllable a. liquids (fluent) l, m, n, r b. Aspirates (strong breath) c, f, g, h, j, s, x c. others v, w, y, z 2. Mutes  (abrupt ends) b, d, k, p, q, t, c, g hard Alliteration: 1. The repetition of the initial sound of words in a line or lines of verse 2. Sometimes it includes the repetition of both the initial sounds and the interior sounds of words, which is called consonance. Assonance: 1. The repetition of vowel sounds within words in line or lines of verse. 2. It creates slant rhyme 3. Sometimes it is less obvious tha alliteration, but it is as important Onomatopoeia: 1. Words are natural sounds No Name: 1. Arrangement of vowel sounds in the final line The Line: Length and Rhythm: 1. In the metrical verse, line can be devided into feet. 2. Foot can be devided into stresses Metrical Lines...