Poems by Robert Frost:
A late walk:
WHEN I go up through the mowing field,
The headless aftermath,
Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,
Half closes the garden path.
And when I come to the garden ground,
The whir of sober birds
Up from the tangle of withered weeds
Is sadder than any words.
A tree beside the wall stands bare,
But a leaf that lingered brown,
Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,
Comes softly rattling down.
I end not far from my going forth
By picking the faded blue
Of the last remaining aster flower
To carry again to you.
In Neglect:
THEY leave us so to the way we took,
As two in whom they were proved mistaken,
That we sit sometimes in the wayside nook,
With mischievous, vagrant, seraphic look,
And try if we cannot feel forsaken.
Storm Fear:
WHEN the wind works against us in the dark,
And pelts with snow
The lowest chamber window on the east,
And whispers with a sort of stifled bark, T
he beast, 'Come out! Come out!'--
It costs no inward struggle not to go,
Ah, no!
I count our strength,
Two and a child,
Those of us not asleep subdued to mark
How the cold creeps as the fire dies at length,--
How drifts are piled,
Dooryard and road ungraded,
Till even the comforting barn grows far away
And my heart owns a doubt
Whether 'tis in us to arise with day
And save ourselves unaided.
Poems taken from the book: A Boy's Will by Robert Frost
Biography of Robert Frost:
Robert Frost was born in San Fransico, California to a journalist and his wife. Despite Robert Frost's later association with rural life, he grew up in a city. In 1894, Robert Frost sold his first poem, " My Butterfly, An Elergy". He then went on to study liberal art in Harvard but had to quit to support his family. Robert Frost's grandfather had purchase a farm in Derry, New Hampshire for the couple, which is where and what inspired Robert Frost to write his poems on rural areas. Frost became a teacher in Pinkerton Academy when his farming failed befrore sailing with his family to Great Britan and then settling down in Beaconsfields (Outside London) where he wrote and published his first book of poetry, A Boy's Will. When World War 1 began, Forst returned to America and bought a farm there, which is probably what inspired him to write more poetry on rural areas.
Taken from www.wikipedia.org
Why I like this poet and a thesis:
Robert Frost once quoted: I'd as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down. In this quote, we can see that Robert Frost has a genuine love for writing poetry, he has written many great pieces of poetry, like " Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening". Robert Frost's poems are mostly related to nature in some way or another, some of them also have hidden meanings, like " Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening" brings out the confliction of a man torn between his desire to explre the woods and his duty to keep his promises. Other than that, Robet Frost's works are also unique as he sees the world from a different perspective, an example is a "Late walk" (Above). Robert Frost seems to see the world from the eyes of an animal who is living in the woods/fields. the example "Late Walk" is from the perspective of a creature who is living in the field, as it is just mowed and the trees trimmed, the creature feels sad and disturbed. Other than poems on nature, Robert Frost also manages to capture the terror and joy of childhood, examples "A Boy's Will", "Storm Fear" and "In Neglect". Robert Frost's childhood poems are easy to visualise and has a unique tinge to it as it really captures the type of fear of the storm or the joy in the child. Other than that, I think Robert Frost is a rather troubled man as most of his poems are rather sad and a bit to the negative side (all 3 poems above are negative). Robert Frost is also a tye of enviromentalist as he brings out the fear of the birds when their field is cut, the sorrow when the trees are bare and the uncomfort of the animals when the flowers are destroyed by humans. Thus he opens us up to the horrors man has caused to our enviroment and makes us feel regretful so that we would not harm our enviroment on purpose again.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Lesson 1 # Figurative Language
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
1. Figurative Language uses in this poem:
Hyperbole:
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
( The poet wants to emphasize that it was winter and that it was snowing rather heavily)
The darkest evening of the year.
( The poet wants to emphasize that it was very dark)
Personification:
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
( The poet potrays his horse as a person, asking why they were stopping in the wood, this shows that the poet and his horse were stopping at a place where they should not have stopped)
Metaphor:
-None-
Simile:
-None-
Symbolism:
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
In this poem, the poet uses the horse to symbolise the author, as the horse knows he is not suppose to be stopping by the woods, although the poet wants to go into the woods, he knows he still has promises to keep and miles to travel before he can rest.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
In this poem, the woods symbolises the men's desire and the promises his duty. The poet is writing about a man who is torn between desire and his duty.
2. Why I like the Poem
I like this poem as it uses many figurative languages, rhymes very well and has a catchy tune to it. This poem also makes it very easy to visualise the splendor of the woods that this man is seeing. Other than that, this poem uses a lot of symbolism to show a man torn between duty and his desire and requires quite a lot of thinking before you get the gist of the poem. Overally, I like this poem as it portrays a lot of nature's splendor and the poet uses quite a number of hyperbole to make the woods seem even more beutiful and outstanding. This poem also rhymes and fits in very weel, as with the poet's choice of words.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
1. Figurative Language uses in this poem:
Hyperbole:
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
( The poet wants to emphasize that it was winter and that it was snowing rather heavily)
The darkest evening of the year.
( The poet wants to emphasize that it was very dark)
Personification:
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
( The poet potrays his horse as a person, asking why they were stopping in the wood, this shows that the poet and his horse were stopping at a place where they should not have stopped)
Metaphor:
-None-
Simile:
-None-
Symbolism:
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
In this poem, the poet uses the horse to symbolise the author, as the horse knows he is not suppose to be stopping by the woods, although the poet wants to go into the woods, he knows he still has promises to keep and miles to travel before he can rest.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
In this poem, the woods symbolises the men's desire and the promises his duty. The poet is writing about a man who is torn between desire and his duty.
2. Why I like the Poem
I like this poem as it uses many figurative languages, rhymes very well and has a catchy tune to it. This poem also makes it very easy to visualise the splendor of the woods that this man is seeing. Other than that, this poem uses a lot of symbolism to show a man torn between duty and his desire and requires quite a lot of thinking before you get the gist of the poem. Overally, I like this poem as it portrays a lot of nature's splendor and the poet uses quite a number of hyperbole to make the woods seem even more beutiful and outstanding. This poem also rhymes and fits in very weel, as with the poet's choice of words.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Blog Prompt, News Clip #2 Muscle Musical
Q. Do you agree that since a professional sports career is short-lived, you should not go into one?
I do not agree that we should not go into a professional sports career, but I strongly discourage it. As stated in the question, a professional sports career is short-lived, a professional athlete can only compete in sports events until the age of about 30, after that, he would have no means of earning money. I feel that people who aspire to become professional athletes should think of their future too and not just the near future.
Although I strongly discourage it, I also feel that we should have athletes in Singapore. This athletes can bring glory to Singapore by winning medals in the Olympics or other sports events, like the recent one in the Beijing Olympics, with our women team winning sliver. However, I would urge these athletes to tink about their future ahead and save up or pick up courses to help them find a better job next time.
I do not agree that we should not go into a professional sports career, but I strongly discourage it. As stated in the question, a professional sports career is short-lived, a professional athlete can only compete in sports events until the age of about 30, after that, he would have no means of earning money. I feel that people who aspire to become professional athletes should think of their future too and not just the near future.
Although I strongly discourage it, I also feel that we should have athletes in Singapore. This athletes can bring glory to Singapore by winning medals in the Olympics or other sports events, like the recent one in the Beijing Olympics, with our women team winning sliver. However, I would urge these athletes to tink about their future ahead and save up or pick up courses to help them find a better job next time.
Missing of titles for Blog Prompts
Oops, I just realised that I missed out some titles in my blog prompts, if anyone know whats the title, could you help me post a comment on that blog post?
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Blog Prompt, News Clip #2
Q. How far do you agree that courtesy begins at home?
In my opinion, courtesy oes not really begin at home. The people at home are usually in someway related to you, and therefore, we are courteous to them. But when we go outside, we do not know anyone and therefore are not courteous. I think that at home, we only learn how to be courteous and why we should be courteous but only have th chance to apply it on family members and friends. Usually, we do not seem to be courteous in malls or public places as there are a lot of strangers and they are not related to us and thus, some of us do not care about them and are uncourteous towards them.
Other reasons that people are courteous at home but act cold and indifferent outside are because they are afraid. They are afraid of people looking at them when they are courteous or that they are rejected or mess up when they are courteous. Therefore, people are courteous to friends and family because we know they would not laugh or look strangely at us, but when it comes to strangers, we do not show courtesy. Thus, I feel that courtesy does not begin at home but when you are out in the world, at home, we only learn the basics of courtesy, which we should apply in the outside world.
In my opinion, courtesy oes not really begin at home. The people at home are usually in someway related to you, and therefore, we are courteous to them. But when we go outside, we do not know anyone and therefore are not courteous. I think that at home, we only learn how to be courteous and why we should be courteous but only have th chance to apply it on family members and friends. Usually, we do not seem to be courteous in malls or public places as there are a lot of strangers and they are not related to us and thus, some of us do not care about them and are uncourteous towards them.
Other reasons that people are courteous at home but act cold and indifferent outside are because they are afraid. They are afraid of people looking at them when they are courteous or that they are rejected or mess up when they are courteous. Therefore, people are courteous to friends and family because we know they would not laugh or look strangely at us, but when it comes to strangers, we do not show courtesy. Thus, I feel that courtesy does not begin at home but when you are out in the world, at home, we only learn the basics of courtesy, which we should apply in the outside world.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Blog Prompt, News Clip #3
Q. Why are GM or genetically modified foods such a controversy in the world today? Are they truly dangerous or are people being over cautious? Discuss.
GM or genetically modified food are crops that have their genes modified to make them herbicide resistant, pest resistant etc. Therefore, this has raised concerns with public intrest groups, enviromentalists and many more that if these foods are safe for consumption and are not just the agriculture section pursuing profit.
In my opinion, these people are being over cautious, as there have currently been no harmful effects of the food on humans, other than allergies. I strongly support GM food as they can help solve the problem of food shortages, and insufficent food to feed countries, these can also help increase the production rate and lessen the possibility of the crops being destroyed in droughts of harsh colds. Therefore, I feel that is there are no ill effects on us and there are more benefits than normal crops, there is no need for making a mountain out of a molehill and they should let this matter rest.
GM or genetically modified food are crops that have their genes modified to make them herbicide resistant, pest resistant etc. Therefore, this has raised concerns with public intrest groups, enviromentalists and many more that if these foods are safe for consumption and are not just the agriculture section pursuing profit.
In my opinion, these people are being over cautious, as there have currently been no harmful effects of the food on humans, other than allergies. I strongly support GM food as they can help solve the problem of food shortages, and insufficent food to feed countries, these can also help increase the production rate and lessen the possibility of the crops being destroyed in droughts of harsh colds. Therefore, I feel that is there are no ill effects on us and there are more benefits than normal crops, there is no need for making a mountain out of a molehill and they should let this matter rest.
Blog Prompt, News Clip #3
Q. Do you support stem cell research? Explain your view.
Personally, I do not support stem cell research as I think of it as a bit unnatural. In my opinion, we should let nature take it's course and not keep cloning people or animals over and over again. Other than that, I also think pet owners who want to clone their pets are very narrow-minded, yes, even if you had many great times with your pet, we all should learn to let go, and not keep cloning them. I think that even though the clone of a pet has exact same genetics, thinking and features of the original one, it would always be just a clone of the original one and would never be able to take the place of the original pet.
Other than that, the cloning technology, if it fell into the wrong hands, can be used to bring hitler and other evil dictators bak to life. This cloning technology is both dangerous and beneficial to our society, although many people think that cloning is an advancement of science, personally, I still think that we should let nature take its course and not try to alter it or change it to suit us.
Personally, I do not support stem cell research as I think of it as a bit unnatural. In my opinion, we should let nature take it's course and not keep cloning people or animals over and over again. Other than that, I also think pet owners who want to clone their pets are very narrow-minded, yes, even if you had many great times with your pet, we all should learn to let go, and not keep cloning them. I think that even though the clone of a pet has exact same genetics, thinking and features of the original one, it would always be just a clone of the original one and would never be able to take the place of the original pet.
Other than that, the cloning technology, if it fell into the wrong hands, can be used to bring hitler and other evil dictators bak to life. This cloning technology is both dangerous and beneficial to our society, although many people think that cloning is an advancement of science, personally, I still think that we should let nature take its course and not try to alter it or change it to suit us.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Blog Prompt, News Clip #3
Q. Urban development is more important than architectural conservation in a small country. Discuss.
Urban development in a small country like Singapore is essential for our ever growing population, however, I think we should not neglect our old buildings and old heritages. Now, in the modern Singapore, we rarely see pasar-malams or night markets that was so frequently seen years back. In modern Singapore, there are lots of high rise buildings and many different architectural designs. To you, these designs may be a symbol of Singapore moving forward, but as I have heard in a geography lecture, these designs are like a replica for other parts of the worl, like the IR resot that is going to be built, there is already a similar one in the Middle East. Another example is the bridge that we are building accross the Singapore river, it seem s like a mini replica to a bridge in Melborne. Therefor, I think that architectural conservation is more important than Urban development.
Architectural conservation conserves the buildings of our past which are unique and cannot be found anywhere else, wheras in urban development, architects build buildings with the same design all across the world. Therefore, I think that preserving our heritage is much more important than urban develpoment, with our heritage, people from other countries will also stream to Singapore to experiance our culture and learn about the history of Singapore through all the preserved buildings.
Urban development in a small country like Singapore is essential for our ever growing population, however, I think we should not neglect our old buildings and old heritages. Now, in the modern Singapore, we rarely see pasar-malams or night markets that was so frequently seen years back. In modern Singapore, there are lots of high rise buildings and many different architectural designs. To you, these designs may be a symbol of Singapore moving forward, but as I have heard in a geography lecture, these designs are like a replica for other parts of the worl, like the IR resot that is going to be built, there is already a similar one in the Middle East. Another example is the bridge that we are building accross the Singapore river, it seem s like a mini replica to a bridge in Melborne. Therefor, I think that architectural conservation is more important than Urban development.
Architectural conservation conserves the buildings of our past which are unique and cannot be found anywhere else, wheras in urban development, architects build buildings with the same design all across the world. Therefore, I think that preserving our heritage is much more important than urban develpoment, with our heritage, people from other countries will also stream to Singapore to experiance our culture and learn about the history of Singapore through all the preserved buildings.
Blog Prompt, News Clip #2
Q. "Teenagers should not allowed to play online games." Comment.
In relavance to this quote, I feel that teenagers should be allowed to play online games. Online games can help you de-stress, and can also help you make more friends. Through games like World Of Warcraft, WoflTeam and Maplestory, you can also get to know many people from other countries and learn a bit of their culture from them. Other than these, playing online games may also help with people feeling depressed or lonely as most online MMORPG games include multiplayer action and can give you a snese of comradeship or make you feel very big and strong.
Although many people think that teenagers should not play online games as it will affect their studies, I think otherwise as if a teenager knows how to manage his time properly, he will be able to both play and complete his work on time.
In relavance to this quote, I feel that teenagers should be allowed to play online games. Online games can help you de-stress, and can also help you make more friends. Through games like World Of Warcraft, WoflTeam and Maplestory, you can also get to know many people from other countries and learn a bit of their culture from them. Other than these, playing online games may also help with people feeling depressed or lonely as most online MMORPG games include multiplayer action and can give you a snese of comradeship or make you feel very big and strong.
Although many people think that teenagers should not play online games as it will affect their studies, I think otherwise as if a teenager knows how to manage his time properly, he will be able to both play and complete his work on time.
Blog Prompt, News Clip #1 Psyched to win
Q. Should talented athletes sacrifice their education to explore their full potential in the sporting arena? Discuss the pros and cons.
In my opinion, atheletes should not sacrifice their education to explore their ful potential. I feel that atheletes can only compete in the arena for a short period of time before they have to retire, therefore, they must also have a stable job to see them through later in their life, thus, they should also receive education. If an athelete sacrifices his education to train and come up to his full potential, he only prepares for the near future, in which he still can compete, but when he grows old and is unable to compete, without education, he would be unable to get a good and stable job.
If an athlete sacrifice their education for sporting in the arena, they will have better chance of winning a medal or trophy for Singapore as they do not have school work and homework to bog them down while they are taining and can put all their attention on their sport. Thus, they would acctually play much better than an athelete who has to cope with school work too.
In my opinion, atheletes should not sacrifice their education to explore their ful potential. I feel that atheletes can only compete in the arena for a short period of time before they have to retire, therefore, they must also have a stable job to see them through later in their life, thus, they should also receive education. If an athelete sacrifices his education to train and come up to his full potential, he only prepares for the near future, in which he still can compete, but when he grows old and is unable to compete, without education, he would be unable to get a good and stable job.
If an athlete sacrifice their education for sporting in the arena, they will have better chance of winning a medal or trophy for Singapore as they do not have school work and homework to bog them down while they are taining and can put all their attention on their sport. Thus, they would acctually play much better than an athelete who has to cope with school work too.
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