Writer's Notebook

Fire and Ice-- Robert Frost

"Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice,

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who have fire.

But if I had to perish twice,

I think I know enough to hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice."

This poem is very simplistic, and doesn't have much to interpret, but it is enjoyable to read. I'm sure you could look past the simple meaning of fire and ice, and find numerous references that Frost was trying to make with these two elements. But in general this poem just illustrates his opinion. This poem is really short, but it fits well because you wouldn't want to over analyze this topic, it is simply a matter of opinions.

One thing that I noticed about this poem was the rhyme scheme. The paragraph below the poem mentions that it is seen as an epigram because of the meter and the rhyme scheme. So that is the one element I would like to take from this poem, I would create an epigram. I love the fact that the simple words that he used can reference so many things, like human condition, with less than ten lines. I think that just shows what a great poet he is to have so much power behind so little words.

Writer's Notebook

"We Real Cool"-- Gwendolyn Brooks

"We real cool. We

Left school. We

Lurk Late. We

Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We

Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We

Die soon."

This poem is very simplistic, but has a powerful meaning behind it. One thing that I get out of this poem is that if the narrator continues on this path of destruction then death is inevitable. He describes the things that he does, the things that he thinks make him cool, but instead his actions are only getting him in trouble. The dialect reminds me of someone in the inner city involved in the wrong crowd. It is interesting that he uses the word "we" instead of "I" which leads the reader to believe that his peers are involved. Maybe this poem shows the negatives of peer pressure, and what happens if you are more concerned about "we" instead of "me."

One thing that I want to take from this poem is the repetition of a certain word, in this case the word "we". It makes the poem more focused and puts all the attention on one subject. But I would also like to take the rhyme scheme from this poem. I love the fact how the rhyme is not found at the end of every line, which is the conventional rhyming technique. Instead the line is ended by the repetition of the word "we" and the rhyme is found within the line.

Writer's Notebook

"Washing Rice"-- Lam Thi My Da

"A gentle wind ruffles the shade of the palms

The yellow rice glistens in rippled water

The ripe grains and the unripe look the same

They are both the color of silk, the same color

But why does she keep washing, washing so long?"

This poem really caught my attention. There are so many ways to interpret it and so many questions that the author introduces to answer. This poem has simple imagery then finishes with a number of questions that are running through the little girl's head. This easy task of washing rice gets turned into something bigger.

One thing that I want to take from the poem is the imagery. This poem is very short, but portrays a strong message. Another aspect of the poem that I want to take is the use of questions to finish off the poem. I feel that by leaving questions unanswered it leaves room for interpretation by the reader, and leaves them to ponder what the author's true intentions were of writing this poem.

Writer's Notebook

Negro-- Langston Hughes

"I am a negro:

black as the night is black,

black like the depths of my Africa."

The reason I chose this poem is because it reminds me of the book I am reading, and what people in the South went through. Not only were they discriminated when they were slaves, but even after they were emancipated they were not treated fairly. This poem just reiterates that opinion. This poem just shows that no matter what it comes down to the fact that someone is black. The narrator describes how he has been a slave, worker, singer, and victim, but he continues to come back to the "plain and simple".."I am a negro."

One thing that I want to take away from this poem is the repetition in both the beginning and ending of the poem. This repetition strengthens the meaning behind the words and makes this poem all the more powerful. It seems that no matter what the narrator accomplishes in life he will always be known just for his race.

Writer's Notebook

"Hope"-- Ariel Dorfman

"Somebody tell me frankly

what times are these

what kind of world

what country?

What I'm asking is

how can it be

that a father's

joy

a mother's

joy

is knowing

that they

that they are still

torturing

their son?

This poem is so powerful, not only the thoughts behind the words, but the set up of the poem. Throughout this piece the author seems indecisive about what she wants to write and how she can word something so painful for her to think about. This really shows what happens in other countries, and how we are lucky that we live in such a safe environment. Even though they knew the fate of their son they had no choice, but to proceed on with life. The pathos in this poem is incredible. It is so heart wrenching how she tells the reader that the only joy in her life is to know that her son is still being tortured, because that means he's still not dead, which derives the meaning of the title.

One thing that I would like to take away from this poem is her use of questions. The questions not only express what she is feeling, but also further the development of pathos in the poem. It allows the readers to interpret, while interjecting her own thoughts and beliefs. Another interesting aspect of the poem is her repetition or slight change of words, "and he may might could still be alive." I feel like this technique in the poem really shows her hopefulness, but also shows how she is unsure about the whole situation.