After a Rainstorm

After a Rainstorm
By Robert Wrigley
Because I have come to the fence at night,
the horses arrive also from their ancient stable.
They let me stroke their long faces, and I note
in the light of the now-merging moon

how they, a Morgan and a Quarter, have been
by shake-guttered raindrops
spotted around their rumps and thus made
Appaloosas, the ancestral horses of this place.

Maybe because it is night, they are nervous,
or maybe because they too sense
what they have become, they seem
to be waiting for me to say something

to whatever ancient spirits might still abide here,
that they might awaken from this strange dream,
in which there are fences and stables and a man
who doesn’t know a single word they understand.

What I like about this poem?
I like this poem because I really enjoy horses. It makes me think of the animals in a magical way. It almost seems like a fantasy world where I can picture the animals running across the field. The rain creates a peaceful mood of mystery where everything seems to happen in a fog, so although it is not very clear you can see what is truly happening.

1.to whatever ancient spirits might still abide here,
that they might awaken from this strange dream,
-I like this line because it makes me think this poem is magical by using the words spirits and dreams, it creates a picture in your head

2. Maybe because it is night, they are nervous,
or maybe because they too sense
what they have become
-This line gives personality and human like characteristics to the horses which adds to the magical feeling

3. They let me stroke their long faces, and I note
in the light of the now-merging moon
-This line allows us to picture the scene of petting the horses in the moonlight in the background and just feeling very at peace with the whole situation.

A Hero

All though when thinking of heros it is typical to think of superman, but there are real heros also. Today we here of stories such as rescuing people and putting themselves into situations of danger in order to help someone else. 

Also a lot of modern day heros consists of doctors, typically in todays age we hear most of or news and stories from the television, talk shows, newspappers, and often times over the radio. These heros show people that they care more about others than themself and that they would go out of their way for someone elses safety. Heros are nice genuine caring people that dont want the attention or praise but like ti di these deeds from the goodness of their heart. Beowulf shows traits of the perfect hero. Beowulf is first characterized as a hero in his youth as a great warrior then 50 years later grows to be a king hero. He shows great strength and courage throughout the his life. Beowulf also shows great qualities of an extraordinary king in the sense of loyalty courtesy and pride. Beowulf shows all these qualities when saving Grendels mother from the dragon. 

After Apple-Picking

After Apple-PickingBy Robert Frost

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree

Toward heaven still,

And there's a barrel that I didn't fill

Beside it, and there may be two or three

Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.

But I am done with apple-picking now.

Essence of winter sleep is on the night,

The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.

I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight

I got from looking through a pane of glass

I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough

And held against the world of hoary grass.

It melted, and I let it fall and break.

But I was well

Upon my way to sleep before it fell,

And I could tell

What form my dreaming was about to take.

Magnified apples appear and disappear,

Stem end and blossom end,

And every fleck of russet showing clear.

My instep arch not only keeps the ache,

It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.

I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

And I keep hearing from the cellar bin

The rumbling sound

Of load on load of apples coming in.

For I have had too much

Of apple-picking: I am overtired

Of the great harvest I myself desired.

There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch,

Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall.

For all

That struck the earth,

No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,

Went surely to the cider-apple heap

As of no worth.

One can see what will trouble

This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.

Were he not gone,

The woodchuck could say whether it's like his

Long sleep, as I describe its coming on,

Or just some human sleep.

What I like:

 To me this poem talks about at the end of a long day of apple picking, the narrator is tired and thinks about his day. He has felt sleepy and even trance-like since the early morning.He feels himself beginning to dream but cannot escape the thought of his apples. He wonders if it is the normal sleep of a tired man or the deep winter sleep of death. I feel this poem emphasizes the sense of moving between a waking and dream-like state. I like this poem because i generally like apple picking and find it to be a lot of fun. I can also relate to the idea of sleeping in and out of dreams between thoughts. Having the idea of unconscious thought while I am sleeping makes me think of previous things that have happen to me. 

1. I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough

And held against the world of hoary grass.
-This creates a vivid image of the beginning of the day and showing the excitin fresh start of the day.

2. Of the great harvest I myself desired.
-This shows what the person really want, it creates a sense of passion because now everything seems to have meaning.

3. Essence of winter sleep is on the night,

The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.
- It makes me think of the scent of apples and the peacefullness of falling asleep and dreamin of things that you desire. 

Lady Macbeth Then and Now

E. Lady Macbeth starts off saying "A little water clears us of this deed. How easy it is, then!" this is Lady Macbeth after they have killed Duncan and she is trying to convince Macbeth of the no wrong doing and that they were justiified in doing this action, also that once they get rid of the evidence it is that it never even had happened. Then in act 5 Lady Macbeth says "What, will these hands ne`er be clean?" this is when she changes from evil to frantic and is worried that she shall never be able to live this incident down.

F. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth "Get on your nightgown, let occasion call us And show us to be watchers." this is when the people have found out that Duncan had been killed and she is convincing Macbeth to act very ordinary and not allow anyone to suspect them. "Wash your hands. Put on your nightgown. Look not so pale." in act 5 is when Lady Macbeth is in a hysterical stage and they are trying to calm her down. She now feels mental in the head and sorrowful for what she has done, thinking that this will never go away.

G. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth "Why do you make such faces? When all`s done, you look but on a stool."  Lady MAcbeth is telling Macbeth after the killing of Duncan to wipe that nervous face off and act as if everything is okay. Macbeth is worried and terrified and Lady Macbeth is trying to assure him that he is innocent. In scene 5 she says "I tell you yet again, Banquos burried; he cannot come out on`s gave" This is after being worried of banquos ghost and think that he is coming after them and will haunt them, Lady MAcbeth went from confident pushing around Macbeth to being a bit nervous and unsure.

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Every day is a risk, there is not one morning that we wake up and don't risk the chance of death, but that`s life. All though no one cheats death, it can happens in ways that shake us all up. Ashley Stamp was on her way to becoming a professional skier, she had everything going for her along with one of the best personality and hearts that I've ever known. Living in Steamboat, Colorado she spent her days from school to training to taking care of her horses then spending the nights with her family. Ashley was invited to compete in one of the most honorable races held in Aspen. As Ashley was doing a course run a snow mobile came out of no where and accidentally hit the racer, she didn't receive the help she needed in enough time. Ashley was a beautiful person and touched many peoples lives, her memorial service was a candlelight service held in the mountains, her home away from home. I think to  myself constantly, why Ashley? she had so much to live for, so much more to accomplish. There are people in the world who did bad things every single day, but why did this have to happen to her? A question that will never have an answer but will always impact many lives. My prayers are forever with the family that has to live each day without her, I commend them for the amazing progress they have mad and on their spiritual outlook on life. Its always a mystery as to why things like this happen, but if there is one thing to take away from this tragedy, I would say she left everyone striving to do more, to realize that we get one chance at life and that we should cherish it while we can. 

A pictures worth a thousand words

*Lady Macbeth wished a bloody death upon Duncan!

*Macbeh thinks the murder is a scary sick death!

These words all connect to blood and describe a part of the play. Blood is connected to death and scary as well as the the murder of Duncan. These words show Lady Macbeths feeling towards Duncan and how he does not care about Duncan and just wants him dead. Macbeth connects blood to the nervousness of being in trouble over his killing of Duncan and how the guilt is bestowed upon him. Each of these characters both relate to blood because of the killing they do, once Macbeth experienced the killing he seemed to have become in a state of the craziers, liking the power it had made him feel. 

*Macbeth will not be able to sleep because of his scary dreams.

*Lady Macbeth killed in the dark of the night.

The word night connects the play to the crime that occured. In this play the killing happens at the night time and it is in the darkness of the night that the secrets of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth come out. In the night time all the secrets of the king and queen have been covered up and because of the darkness in the night no one will know these secrets. Night refers to the deepest darkest secrets that occured when no one was watching. The night is when things happen that may be unlike the character, it had brought out a dark almost devilish side in each of these characters. 

Cheating the System

There comes a time in every teenagers life when turning 16 means its time to drive! But getting a car isn't exactly that easy of a task, but half the battle is how you approach it. Parents can be tricky to deal with when doing so, the best way to go about it would be to indirectly convince them of all the benefits. All though it may seem a bit manipulative sometimes to get what you want you have to trick them into it. For example, when wanting a car a way to show your parents its necessary is applying for a job and joining sports. Soon your parents will realize how much of a hassle picking up and dropping off becomes. Also if you're lucky enough you can always play the sibling card. Striking a deal with your parents by implying if i had a car i could always pick them up for you is a great beneficiary way for everyone. There are many reasons as to why not coming right out asking for a car is a good think, considering what a big deal it is it may be a smarter idea to line up the proof to why it is necessary. Showing your parents how much it Will help is almost a full proof plan on your road to a new car! 

Characters

THE WITCHES

To me I believe the witches look like very old women who are not that pleasent in appearance. Each one of these witches are very dark and mysterious and will give you the creeps. These witches faces are full of anger and disguist, they are not people but they are creatures. The three witches can scare anyone and all though they are mysterious they have a lot of tricks up their sleeves and can surprise anyone with the things they can do.

MACBETH

Macbeth is a very powerful man. He is elderly and and scruffy looking in the face. Macbeth is a quite handsome man who is full of pride and knows exactly how great he is. Macbeth will be the new king and everyone likes him greatly and sees the wonderful potential that he has in order to be the king. He will take over and become the best thing that has happened to the towns people. Macbeth is overall someone to be admired and cherished. 

What is Ambition?

what is ambition? Is it good? Or is it bad? Ambition is a desire to succeed, to get ahead of the game. There are many times that ambition is a good thing, for example a person who is very ambitious will always try their hardest in everything they do. If someone who is smart and ambitious they will know how to handle situations and use their desire to be ambitious as a good thing. when beinng ambitious good isnt good enough and all though this can get you very far, ambition can also be bad thing. There are people who are ambitious but in a way that does more harm then good for themselves. For example someone that is overly ambitious can sometimes come off as a know it all or obnoxious.Being ambitious to a point where you may do innapropriaate or hurtful things to get ahead is not an ambition to be proud of. If i was asked if i wass ambitious? I would say yes to a certain extent. I try and do the best I can when it comes to my work but i would never use people or hurt others to higher up myself. Ambition can make or break someone, but with a good attitude you will o far.

32 Seconds of Death

Macbeth is a play about the ruler who is killed and replaced with the new king. This play tends to be very violent and death is no surprise at all, occurring almost every line. Throughout this play innocent people seemed to be killed and murdered for no reason at all.  Line one through ten is the build up to the death of the ruler, Macbeth has arrived all the townsmen are acknowledging his presence. The towns people want to make Macbeth the king and are now plotting to kill the ruler. After the ruler is killed Macbeth takes the throne and the cheers of the people are now cheering happy to praise King Macbeth. In this play I have observed that the town, more so then the current ruler, very well likes Macbeth. I have also observed that plenty of the people were killed, almost all of them. Some things I am curious about are things such as, why were all these people killed? What made them all turn on the ruler? And also what makes Macbeth so important? With more of the story I would like to find out all that has occurred prior and after the 32 second scene. 

~Picture This~

Imagine a room where every inch you look is filled with something, not one empty space. Every time you turn around something new is suddenly right there in your face. Homer and Langley live in the brownstone mansion, a mansion filled of things not even imaginable. Picture yourself walking into a house of the most random things you will ever see, everything from jars with body parts in them to a car in the living room. Waking up to a mess in front of you, next to you, and all around you constantly. There is no telling what possessed Langley to gather all these things but it has lead the mansion to become a scene right out of TLC`s hoarding episodes. When entering the mansion you no longer feel as if you are in a house but a different world of mystery. All around are things that most people have never seen, with things placed randomly and falling off shelves it becomes something that may even look interesting. The scene is so unbelievable to a point where you start to think there is some sort of magic to this creation, that there is beauty behind it. In the years of collecting and meaning behind the items they start to bring life to the mansion, a place to escape from reality.....

Understanding....

We should care about literary texts because from them we can learn how to read more in depth and get more a vivid image of what you are reading. To care more about literature we can expand our knowledge and become more intelligent. By using the blogs we can understand literature more by feeding off each other’s ideas and learning other peoples perspective of literature. We can learn to understand better through the blogs because as students having a fun way to share ideas will expand the horizons of learning. A personal language program will help connect with others and make it easier and fun. By writing and reading blogs we expand our vocabulary and improve our writing skills. Reading other peoples blogs helps us develop different types of literature and understand the way that other people write. In my English class I have met plenty of students from other countries, by reading their blogs it is fun to see the way they have learned English and form words. Its very interesting to see the way that fellow classmates interpret text because of the way they were taught growing up. Being in an environment with people who have such different backgrounds is a great way to learn more. Other ways to blog that have become popular these days are facebook and twitter. Facebook allows others to connect and read about other people’s lives. Twitter is a way to blog that keeps people up to date on what you are spending your days and also about your thoughts and ideas. 

About me.........

I am Devin Defilippis, This year in English class I hope to learn how to write papers better and be able to prepare for college allowing me to feel comfortable entering school.  I also would like to learn how to read more in depth and the understanding the meaning of novels.  Being a senior in high school, preparing for the S.A.T and A.C.T is vital.  Some things that I love doing include going to he beach, being with my friends, and spending time with the family. I love spending time at the ocean, scuba diving is a great way to see a different world other than our own. My favorite trip I had taken was to Belize. In Belize I got scuba certified and went diving everyday, it is so interesting to see animals in their natural habitat. One of my most memorable experiences was going night diving. Although it was scary, going night diving allowed me to see the ocean in a new light. I also like to play lacrosse; I have played for the past three years and enjoy the sport very much. I used to live in Chicago but moved prior to my freshman year of high school. I occasionally go back to visit friends and family that still live there. Chicago is a beautiful city and has much to do, and there is rarely a dull moment with the fast pace lifestyle. I have a strong passion for animals and always want to help them. I would love to volunteer at shelters and be able to save animals from abuse. Whenever I see stray animals I wish there was something I can do to save them, especially when seeing hungry animals. When I grow up I hope to be able to do as much as possible and make a difference.