Tyler Hughes
Eng 109.01
Journal 8/Nov 23, 2010

Boy, Waiting for a School Bus

"His breath carves little statues out of cold"
Even though there is no set rhyme to the poem but there is a small rhythm get into as you read it. This line is such a simple little observation that adds to the cold morning air but it is so much more. This metaphor gives life to the boy's breath and gives you a vivid mental picture of watching your own breath every time its cold. It makes you wonder if your breath makes little sculptures in the air.
I flashed back to my time spent at the bus stop. I vividly remember one winter morning at the bus stop. The temperature was at or below 20 degrees, there was a foot of snow and of course i was wearing shorts and a hoodie. As i walked the two streets to the corner i just always saw my breath. So i changed my breathing to make weird patterns in the frigid sky. I sped up my breath, slowed it down and made short fast breaths. As i waited the 5 or 15 minutes for the bus to get there, i pretended i was smoking then thought to blow "smoke" rings and failed.
Overall i felt very mellow and reminiscent about my childhood and my childish conquests.

jounral 8

I, too, Sing America by Langton Hughes. Tomorrow, I'll be at the table when company comes. Nobody'll dare say to me "eat in the kitchen," then. What stands out about this to me is the meaning behind it. How hopeful he is about his life even though he isn't living in the best situation. This poem made me feel hopeful for the future. That things will get better if you work hard. This is telling us to work hard through tough times and keep hoping and work for a better future and to never give up hope.

I, too, sing America

I love this poem we read it last year in English and it really stood out to me. My favorite line is more an entire segment, '"Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then."' This really stands out because its almost like a punch in the stomach. It really makes you think about suffrage in black America, like what people went through and the way they were treated. But I love this because it say tomorrow meaning in the future he will eat at the table, he will be excepted and not treated like an animal. It makes me sad in the beginning that people were treated so terribly in our country for so many years but it makes me happy that it has improved but it still is not good enough, like in Ordinary Resurrections there are limits and restrictions still set on people and i think its awful.

Poem Response

Amanda Floyd
English 109.01
journal 8

"But they don't want them to discuss current events because it might be controversial and upset them and make them want to take drugs which they already have told them all about". This quote stood out the most to me because it contradicts an issue in which was already brought up in the beginning of the poem. I think the meaning of the words also stood out to me because the current happenings usually lead to people using drugs.
This poem made me feel like this statement was very true. Alot of people turn to drugs or even alcohol when they aren't satisfied with happenings in our society, whether it's based on their personal choices or the choices of others that influence them.

Poem Response

In the poem packet we received in class, my favorite poem was For Brothers Everywhere. In the middle of the poem the author says.

Their bodies like muscular saxaphones body-boppin

better than jazz, beyond summer, beyond

weather, beyond everything that moves-

I enjoyed reading this poem because of the metaphors and the language the author uses to describe people, movements, or things around the environment he's in. This poem had some humor to it and it was also somewhat serious as well, although, he was talking about a group of kids in a schoolyard.

For Brothers Everywhere

"keep risin up with baske'balls ripe as pumpkins
toward rims hung like pinatas, pinned
like thunderclouds to the sky's wide chest"

I have to say these 3 lines are my favorite from this poem. It's my favorite because the use of metaphors. The use of metaphors describe the basketballs and the rims really well.

This poem reminds me of the game of basketball. Honestly it reminds of two groups playing basketball against each other and/or having free style contests such as having a dunk contest. This poem made me feel energetic, wanting to play basketball with some friends. This is so because of how the author wrote it. I can relate this to life by simply just playing a real game of basketball with some friends.

Poem Response

"And they mainly want to teach them not to question, not to challenge, not to imagine, but to be obedient and behave well so that they can hold them forever as children to their bosoms as the second millennium lurches toward its panicky close" This line is from the poem What They Learn in School. This stood out to me the most because everything about this poem is very true from telling you about the problem, but not willing to teach it because they do not want children to start doing bad stuff. I believe that this poem really didn't have a rhythm but it all flowed together. After reading this poem it almost made me laugh because i can really relate to this poem especially with the school district I came from because they were always willing to tell you what to do and what not to do, but since our school district wanted to shelter us they were not willing to teach us for example about marijuana, crack, heroin because they thought if we teach them this they may want to start trying it, which probably wouldn't be the case because kids would have a more understanding of it.