Spare Time

     I don't have any more stories from this class to discuss in my blogs so I decided to just do one of a different topic. I have been thinking about how I used to read all the time in high school in my spare time because I enjoyed it. Now that I have been out of high school a couple years, I have noticed that I do a lot less reading in my spare time. It's not a big deal, it is just something I have noticed that is different about me now. That is why I enjoy taking Mrs. Siemens English classes. They make me find time to read and has introduced me to many different authors and poets. There is no way I can say that this class was a waste of time because I learned a lot from it and enjoyed these last two online English classes. The set up of the class is really unique and user friendly. Also, it is nice to participate in discussion boards with everyone and see what everyone else thinks about a certain story. This is a class I would defiantly recommend to others.  

My Papa's Waltz Thoughts

 My Papa's Waltz was written by Theodore Roethke and is one of the most interesting poems I have read from our selections this semester. It is one of those poems that is short, but carries a lot of meaning with it. I tried linking this poem to Roethke's past to see if it was inspired from personal experience but I didn't find much information to match the events that occur in the poem. The only information I found about Roethke's father was that he owned a 25-acre greenhouse and died from cancer when Theodore was only fourteen (Poetry Foundation, 2015). So the events in the poem could have been fro m personal experience, but I can't say for certain.
  The poem describes a drunk father who grabs his son and continues to swing him around while trying to take him to bed. The child's mother can be considered an accomplice since she doesn't do anything accept watch what happens and the child tries to hang on tight to his father so he doesn't get hurt. To defend the mother, she probably is used to the father being drunk and knows that he gets violent and was afraid to do anything for her own safety. That is the only reason I can think of why she doesn't do anything. This is an interesting poem that I think many of you would enjoy.

  Here is the link for the source used:   http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/theodore-Roethke

 

Faulkner's Delimma

    In Faulkner's story Barn Burning, the son has a difficult decision to make. The father Abner Snopes, has been accused of burning down a barn which he is brought to trial for. His son is Sarty and he loves his father but knows that he has been doing these terrible things to others. His father always says that you should stick with your family no matter what because if you don't have family to rely on, then their will be nobody to help you when you need it. This information sticks in Sarty's mind and he continues to defend his father multiple times. Even though he knows that he shouldn't, he knows that family is important.
    As the story continues, Sarty discovers that his father is planning on burning down another barn. After thinking about it, he runs to warn the soon to be victim of the fire with the knowledge that he will be disobeying his fathers belief that you should never go against family. Sarty made a decision based on what he believes and not what his father believes and does what he knows is the right thing to do.
   I will agree with Snopes that family is important and they should try to protect each other, but there is a certain line that shouldn't be crossed. If there is an extreme case like the one in this story where people could get hurt, then something has to be done. What are your thoughts about this issue? 

Baldwin's Musical Interpretations

    In Baldwin's story Going To Meet The Man, he does a great job of showing the time period the story was set in. The story takes place when black and white people were very opposite in their roles in the world. Black people were segregated and treated less than everyone else. As everyone is aware, enslaved African Americans would develop songs to help them stay connected with each other. Some would even give hidden messages about how to escape their confinement. Baldwin incorporated their singing and songs in this story in a special way.
    When the main officer explains the events of the day he had to his wife, he tells her of the prisoners' constant singing. It gets to the officers so much that they try to force them to stop singing, but they never stop. Their singing has such a powerful impact on the man the he continues to hear the singing while he is in bed. He thinks about what it must mean to them and why they sing it and comes to a conclusion that they are not singing black people into heaven, but singing white folks into hell (Baldwin P. 1332).
   Here is a link to some popular slave songs that I found.
http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/allen/allen.html