Blue Ridge Poem

Andrew Sullivan, author of, What is a Homosexual, portrays his experience growing up; trapped in his own identity. He paints a detailed portrait of the hardships caused by being homosexual. He explains the struggle of self-concealment, and how doing so is vital for social acceptation. The ability to hide one’s true feelings make it easier to be “invisible” as Sullivan puts it. “The experience of growing up profoundly different in emotional and psychological makeup inevitably alters a person’s self-perception.”(Sullivan)This statement marks one of the many reasons for this concealment. The main idea of this passage is to reflect on those hardships, and too understand true self-conscious difference. Being different can cause identity

In Natasha Trethewey’s poetry collection Native Guard, the reader is exposed to the story of Trethewey’s growing up in the southern United States and the tragedy which she encountered during her younger years, in addition to her experiences with prejudice and to issues surrounding prejudice within the society she is living in. Throughout this work, Trethewey often refers to graves and provides compelling imagery regarding the burial of the dead. Within Trethewey’s work, the recurring imagery surrounding graves evolves from the graves simply serving as a personal reminder of the past, to a statement on the collective memory of society and comments on how Trethewey is troubled with what society has forgotten as it signifies a willingness to overlook the dehumanization of a large group of people.

You swine. You vulgar little maggot. You worthless bag of filth. As they say in

I have the misfortune of being an English instructor. I attempt to instill a bunch of bobby soxers and drug-store Romeos with reverence for Hawthorne and Whitman and Poe! (62).

It is no secret that when Alison Bechdel was a child, homosexuality was not exactly met with open arms. Due to the unpleasant views many heterosexuals had in regards to homosexuality, Alison Bechdel was at first quite cautious when it came to being open about her newfound sexual orientation; however, she eventually opened herself up to her family, friends, and the world about who she is and did not let the political prejudices of others stop her. This is evident when Bechdel writes, “It was in that tremulous state that I determined to tell my parents. Keeping it from them had started to seem ludicrous anyway” (76). Here, Bechdel decides to come out to her parents, deciding that it was absurd not to tell them. Evidently, the prejudices of society could not keep Alison Bechdel down, and this resulted in her personality being shaped by the courage of being oneself, which is hardly an easy thing to

My English Literature major has helped me to achieve an outstanding level of appreciation, enjoyment, and knowledge of both American and British Literature. As a high school AP English student, I struggled through great works like Hamlet and To the Lighthouse. My teacher’s daily lectures (there was no such thing as class discussion) taught me merely to interpret the works as critics had in the past. I did not enjoy the reading or writing process. As a freshman at Loras, I was enrolled in the Critical Writing: Poetry class. For the first time since grade school, my writing ability was praised and the sharing of my ideas was encouraged by an enthusiastic and nurturing professor. Despite the difficulty of poetry, I enjoyed reading it.

This text response will be looking the comparison of the two poems, ‘Drifters’ by Bruce Dawe, And ‘In the park’ by Gwen Harwood under the name of Walter Lehmann. Drifters is about a seemingly constantly moving family, it describes the process the family will go through leaving their newest home. In the park is about a seemingly single mother raising her children, it describes the mother sitting in the park with her children when a previous lover comes by and talks about the children. With in each poem, the form and structure, language techniques and the tone and message will be analysed and compared with the other to gather a grater understanding of the Australian voice.

In “Sweet Home Alabama,” by Ronnie VanZant, it appears that at least four times, “you” refers to the State of Alabama. VanZant writes, “Sweet home Alabama / Lord, I’m coming home to you,” the “you” being the Southern state. The other two times, “you” could be referring to Neil Young, writer of “Alabama,” because VanZant’s song is a reply to Young’s. “Does your conscience bother you? / Tell the truth.” It could be assumed that VanZant is questioning Young.

Throughout the journey of life individuals experience many incidences of adversity that initially begin as obstacles however increase our inner strength. Throughout Bruce Dawes body of work ‘sometimes gladness’, such a concept is demonstrated especially in the poems ‘Migrants’ and ‘drifters’. Drifters is a poem that gives responders into the challenges of living a life on the move as well as the impact of such a lifestyle on the various members of the family, displaying the inner strength required to embark on such a life long journey. Furthermore, ‘Migrant’s’ details the struggles associate with a migrant families bid to assimilate into an unknown land, an emotional and physical journey that truly tests ones inner strength.

I have been a Central Academy Cougar for the past three years. I suppose it’s about time for me to try something else my senior year. Perhaps I’ll try to be a Monroe High Redhawk. I’ll learn how to do things the “Redhawk” way, I’ll get rid of my Cougar terminology and adapt the Redhawk slang.

Welcome back my friends to the blog that never ends. I’m so glad you could attend. Read along! Read along! There in this class is some prose that’s pretty crass. Be careful as you pass. Read along! Read along! Wow! How disappointed Emerson, Lake and Palmer must be in this sophomoric attempt at humor. Certainly, a painful finale to wonderful class. Admittedly, I have struggled to produce original and interesting content for these blogs. It wasn’t always so. In the autumn of 73, I experienced no such struggle. Ideas burst forth freely and often to form exquisite prose delighting my English professors. Indeed, the fact that I now struggle was a compelling argument to register for this class.

“In 2001 Collins was named poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, a post he held for two years. In that capacity he devised and promoted an initiative called Poetry 180, intended to help high-school students connect with and find pleasure in poetry” (Cunningham).

Throughout this story he gives up several parts of himself in order to make his mother happy. When discovering his sexuality he first felt ashamed by the sexual urges he had to touch himself, so went onto remove his hands. This story greatly impacts the way the LGBTQ community see themselves. Members of this community are used to feeling ashamed and guilty for their sexual orientation and what gender they identify with. This story highlights how detrimental the affects of this guilt and shame people are forced to carry. People would rather resort to losing their hands than dealing with what they are feeling. This is symbolic of how the LGBTQ community would rather lose what makes them unique, what makes them who they are, than carry around the burden they feel for the sexual preferences and the gender they self identify with. Reading this may help someone who is feeling like they have no choice but to hide whom they really are by showing them how it may result in a total loss of self. Those who may be dealing with the guilt and shame associated with their sexual orientation or with the gender they choose to identify with may feel connected to this story in a way that may help them deal with their emotions and help them respond in the appropriate ways instead of loosing sight of who they are.

I was first introduced to Vassar by an exemplary woman whom I’ve grown to cherish and admire: Elizabeth Bishop. Looking back on the day I was randomly assigned Bishop for an extensive poetry project in my AP Literature and Composition class, I couldn’t have anticipated the impact her story would have on my life. Not only was I enticed by her profound and eloquent poetry, but also her life as a whole -- the trials she faces and the milestones she reached as a prominent

In her poem “Route 62,” Helen Moffett paints a beautiful and powerful picture of the landscape in South Africa. However, the title evokes the image of a man-made road familiar to many Americans. Nonetheless, Moffett carefully structures her poem and employs vivid language to clearly illustrate that human achievements and life, like the titular road, are ultimately insignificant in comparison to the durability of the long-lasting mountains.