After Apple Picking

This frost poem was easy to relate to as far as a day of apple picking. I found it interesting how random and abrupt the rhyme schemes were. It always felt sort of off to me. I feel like maybe he did this intentionally (well of course he did). Mainly because this poem lets of the idea that he is describing a sleep an after sleep of a day of apple picking. Dreary, drowsy, sort of confusing. Probably trying to put us in his place, make us feel just as drowsy and confused even if we really are not. This poem was exhausting to me. I had a hard time following the lines at first and then I realized that making me feel this way was meant to happen, in order for me to understand the poem in my own way. I would interpret this poem as describing some sort of a "final sleep" an after death sleep. Frost says in the beginning about his ladder being pointed toward heaven still...however there are things left undone " And there's a barrel that I didn't fill." I'm not sure if I'm on the right track here but it sure feels like I am on some sort of path. I am not sure at what point the sleep actually begins this is part of the confusion of the poem. He speaks sometimes as if he were already asleep and dreaming but then at other times speaking as if he were still picking apples waiting for the sleep to come on. Frost's poems were much like this in all always using something sort of environmental or even common to get his message out. I liked that. This certain poem is definitely about life. Troubles, triumphs, possibilites etc...but maybe feeling as if time is running out. Maybe he is feeling too late.

Now that I've had time to think after class I wanted to add a little more to my post... I am sticking with my original ideas but now that my ideas were expanded on I see there is more to this than I read before. I see Frost contemplating life and death. He is doing this throughout the poem while at the same time making it seem so simple. He is working daily and getting tired. He notices his ladder points towards heaven but he also notices he still has an empty barrel to fill. He goes on about how tired he is and how things are slipping and he is becoming so tired. He explains that he is off the ladder but can still feel the pressure in his foot from being on the ladder ( a reminder of heaven). This poem is very intriguing I can't even count how many times I have read it. There is so much emotion and so much to relate to as well. In the end when Frost speaks of the woodchuck I don't think he is literally comparing woodchuck sleep to human sleep. He is once again bringing his environment even closer. The woodchuck could be the illusion of his exhaustion and he is having trouble distinguishing a Long sleep and a human sleep.

Enlightened

The way the world goes round has always been interesting. Hearing a different perspective on slavery from Booker T. Washington is something I will never forget. I do not want to tear his piece into shreds with my own opinion and judge what he has written like many other people do when they post. I want to just read this take what I need from it and remember it. It was admirable. In chapter one a Slave Among Slaves there is recollection of his past and what it was like. Readers need to take into account that he is preaching what he knew and how he lived at that time, not whether it was right or wrong. It was interesting to read on and listen to Washington speak of the masters and how they were gracious. Here in modern days we would merely call giving a piece of bread and meat gracious. But to him it was. Education was not a part of his life either. I read this over twice and now I see that he is simply trying to get his readers to view life as a slave would. An uneducated, simple, innocent, and hard working slave. I can also appreciate him mentioning his white father that he knew nothing of. Many white men slept with or even raped African American women..got them pregnant and then never cared to lift a finger to help. " He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution which the Nation unhappily had engrafted upon it at that time." Washington did not find his white father at fault because this was the way things were. He knew nothing of his father which was why he knew this. When things are accpetable in society and many if not everyone view things as acceptable then there is no wrong. No wrong to the person who was intitially wronged and no wrong to the one doing wrong. I can understand why Washington feels no animosity or fault within his father because like I said before this was the way things were and people live according to the concrete laid out in their communities.
Another part of this story that I found admirable was when Washington was speaking of his people. " I have said that there are few instances of a member of my race betraying a specific trust." In this particular segment Washington speaks of a man set free by the government. However before freedom was set into place this man had signed a contract with his master in agreement that he would work until he could buy his own freedom from his master. While this freedom was set into play this man kept his word and worked and paid his master and then enjoyed his freedom. Think and say what you must but I believe that a slave and a master completed one person. By this I mean the slaves did everything their masters could not and in turn the masters knew everything a slave didn't. They needed eachother to survive because this was the way they learned to live. Slaves had the upperhand when slavery came around they knew how to survive physically and how to keep up their homes...education came later.
I enjoyed reading Washingtons words and I respectfully understand his point of view.

Favorite Reading of the week; We Wear the Mask

Everyone takes meaning differently, which is something I have learned repeatedly in class. So no answer is really wrong just a new way of viewing something. "We Wear the Mask" reached out to me the most because I could relate to it. I understand that in this world we all wear a mask never showing our true sorrows, troubles, and our cries. " We smile but, O great Christ our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet and long the miles; But let the world dream otherwise; We wear the Mask!" Who are we really wearing the mask for if everyone else is wearing one. It is odd to think that we are all wearing these masks, everyone knows we are wearing the masks..so why hide anything? Mainly to protect the way we view ourselves, maybe as a gateway to believe everything is okay and will work out. Maybe a way to remain subtle and happy with our own lives....

Letters from the Earth

I liked this poem but at times it made me feel a little uncomfortable. Not just for me as the reader but uncomfortable because the topic of Satan is always negative. I got a bit of a different light here. Twain is almost doubting religion and god because it is underneath the logic he see's from Satan's viewings. I am getting the hang of this here poem stuff but it is still difficult to put into my own words. It is quite different from the religioius things we learn in church and even from the bible but this new light is a little inspiring at times. It's okay to think different.