First Poem Ever

This is the first poem I have ever heard, and learned to recite, but never realized it was a poem until i grew older.

Bed before bright moon shine Think be ground on frost Raise head view bright moon Lower head think home

Before my bed, the moon is shining bright, I think that it is frost upon the ground. I raise my head and look at the bright moon, I lower my head and think of home(town).

(Courtesy of Chinese-Poems.com) Originally by Li Bai/Bo

This poem is short, but has many meanings all depending on the reader. It's the type of art that is different upon perspective, like a painting that asks you what you see. In Chinese Classical Poetry, it really emphasizes the use of precise, and concise, wording. The poet Li Bai always traveled and wrote poems to show the Chinese people what all these different parts of China is like. He always compares his environment to a time he is reminiscing about. He sees the moon and thinks of the time he looked up and saw the moon in his hometown. His diction is very concise, and really hits home.

This is why I like this poem. I always think about all the times I had at a younger age, and my hometown. Li Bai also lets the reader know how he feels while allowing reader to contemplate their own thoughts by explaining that he is homesick while away in this poem. His wording is usually very direct and his tone is very hard to put my finger on, but it leaves the reader thinking about themselves.

PS. Special bonus for you guys:
My dad told me the believed meaning of the poem:
Li Bai was travelings all the time, and this time he was away from his home once again. He lies down to sleep but he can't seem to get comfortable. He opens his eyes to realize that the moonlight is very bright and the brightness makes it impossible for him to sleep. He wanders out and looks out his room window into the courtyard and realizes that the moonlight is like the snow on the ground of his hometown. He looks up at the moon, and thinks about his home and how it would feel to look at the moon from there.

Evaluation: My Writing Techniques

I feel I have done quite well in this quarter. I didn't start out great, but in the end it all worked out. I learned MLA a format, although using it has been a hassle, it gives my writing a gleaming new structure. I guess I should work on the ability to generate thesis on the spot. I love the classroom environment, where we can speak our minds with minimal criticism. (A little humor...) My only goal is like always, be all I can be, and improve my ability to snap out thesis.

I'm looking forward to Q2.

Be sure to vote and leave suggestions.

CITR: Phoebe

Phoebe is basically the embodiment of all that Holden wants to hold on to. Holden sees nothing but negativity from the adult word like Richard does. He says, "It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around , in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could've been there" (275 Salinger). He wishes that he can stay in his childhood forever. He doesn't see the need for growing up. He states how all the adults are "phonies" acting on what they think people will like them for, and this is what saddens him. Phoebe speaks her mind and acts according to what she knows. He wishes that there is this kind of purity forever. He even speaks to Phoebe about being" the catcher in the rye" (225 Salinger). What he means is if a child running in the rye should fall from the ledge of childhood, he would catch him and put the child back. Phoebe thinks this is crazy, but this what Holden loves about Phoebe.

CITR: Medium of Speech

The author creates Holden's voice really well through the idea that Holden is the one writing the story itself. In this way, we can see Holden's view as a real person's view more than someone's interpretation. For example, he says, "I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how i got sick and all, but i don't feel like it. I really don't" (276 Salinger). Because this is how he speaks, we can directly deduce that he may have problems with people trusting him, so he uses I really _____ to make it sincere. It can get confusing at times trying to decipher his words, and find a theme behind it, but it also makes for an easier read since you can really feel sympathy for the narrator. The way the character's voice is built up, you really feel for him at the end when he says, "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody" (277 Salinger).

Comparisons: CITR vs. Black Boy

Both books are about boys growing into maturity, but in CITR, the character seems as if he refuses to grow up. Holden is wondering through the whole book in a haze, and never really getting anywhere. On the other hand, Richard keeps striving for more and more until he can rise up from the darkness of his childhood. Holden, near the end reaches the height of his anxiety, and collapses, and says, "Don't tell anyone anything. If you do, you'll start missing everybody" (75 Salinger). This is almost like him saying that if you do more that means more you'll be hurt.

CITR: Problems of Confrontation

IifIn Catcher in the Rye, it has a overwhelming message of lost opportunities due to the fear of confrontation. Holden always thinks about doing something, but then strays from it. For example, he "oughta go down and say hello to her, at least" (42 Salinger), but he strays from this idea due to his fear of confrontation and having a negative outcome. This happens quite often, and he later wonders more about Jane. He basically goes through this whole first part of the story in a fashion that allows him to not confront himself even. The writing style shows how he doesn't talk much about his feelings, but more his criticism of things. Instead of talking about his past, most of his words concentrate on his current environment showing his unwillingness to look into his past. This is well emphasized by the author's possible intention to not fully develop the side characters, so that we can feel the pain Holden is in when he regrets not doing something.

Catcher In the Rye: At first glance....

The book is made up of quite a few colorful characters so far. It seems very interesting, and everything is openly expressed unlike other books. Holden is the main character, and constantly yells out his inner thoughts. For example, the author clearly states, "He said he talked to Jesus all the time. That killed me" (23), instead of letting us deduce from dialogue. Although it does make sense that Holden's thoughts are expressed since he writes about himself. Holden is a very straightforward person who seems very objective, but then he thinks of others feelings too. He compares and contrasts Stradlater and Ackley. He thinks lowly of Ackley saying "I never once saw him brush his teeth. They were always mossy and awful. I wasn't too crazy about him to tell you the truth" (26). Ackley seems like one of those guys who just keeps on annoying someone, and you don't want to hurt him by openly telling him to leave. On the other hand, there is Stradlater, Holden's roommate, who seems to be the handsome and popular one. In Holden's point of view, Stradlater seems cocky.

My Feelings on: Memoirs

Why do people write memoirs?
What power is there in telling our own stories?

There are probably many reasons why people write memoirs. Maybe they do so to reminisce about a simpler time in life, or to analyze a problem in the past to help them move forward. In a memoir, we can think about how we felt and acted at the time of the event we write about, not just saying, "Oh yeah...I remember that." I feel that I write memoirs, so people to get to know me more through my eyes, maybe even sprinkle a little pizazz onto it. Also, I don't really like structure, but feel I am more the kind to go with the flow. Cross the bridge when it comes if you will. Basically any type of writing besides structured writing is cool for me.

Every one's story is unique even when talking about the same topic. Sometimes people are naive and think that the whole world is one safe little bubble where everyone is nice. Obviously, Black Boy, opened us to a world that shows horrible violence, and a world that some of us didn't know existed. Memoirs can open our eyes into new worlds. It is different when we read first hand accounts as opposed to some professor's documents. A memoirs is personal and has a voice.

2nd Post on BB - What types of things does Richard "hunger" for

Q:What types of things does Richard "hunger" for
and what are the effects (positive and negative) of hunger?

Richard seems to have a life that really employs the cold, hard truth of how one must care for oneself or no one else. He hungers many things, but his family is either unable to purge his hunger or unwilling to. His mom tries, but she "suffers yet another stroke of paralysis and again I had to watch her suffer, listen to her groans, powerless to help" (Wright 156). He hungers for belonging that he has never been able to achieve, even among the closest of his family. He also hungers for food, which to him seems to be a luxury, not just survival. He even hid food so he'd have "a bulwark against any possible attack of hunger" (Wright 50). His hungers make him strive for more than others would. His hunger for food and belonging leads him to getting jobs bringing more of the horizon into view. His hunger also for a peaceful family never does come to him, but he is able to stop their physical abuse towards by fighting back.

1st - Post: Is Richard a "bad" boy? When should behavior be blamed on the person and when should it be blamed on the environment?

Is Richard a "bad" boy? When should behavior be blamed on the person and when should it be blamed on the environment?

According to my experiences, a bad boy does bad things, so yes, in that context, Richard is a bad boy. As for the second question, we have to look at whether he knew he was doing wrong. After all, you couldn't punish a child for mimicing a phrase from TV, when he/she doesnt' even know the meaning. Richard clearly states "anyway, it was all an accident; I had not really intended to set the house afire" (5). Although he does kill the cat, he didn't know how bad it was until his mother told him to bury it. He then pauses, stopped by fear and realization, when the mom says "and while I sleep tonight, do not snatch the breath of life from me..." (14). This shows that he doesn't acknowledge the things he do as "bad" until someone tells him.

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Works Cited

Wright, Richard. Black Boy. Harper & Brothers: New York, 1945.

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