Qualities Post

In class, we've picked up The Book of Qualities by Ruth J. Gendler.  It is an interesting and poetic take on qualities that make us up, as humans.  I think that as a human, I am humorous and filled with anxiety.  My favorite poems I've written out of the four are Anxiety and Humor.  I really enjoyed the book and our assignment.

*I was absent on Friday, May 17.

Innocence

Innocence is a nine year-old boy.

He has dark, brown hair and

bright, green eyes.

He likes to run through fields

and draw.

He is made up of purity and is

the essence of unassuming.

His voice is soft,

and his mind is calm.

He is smart, and on a whole,

too trusting.

What Innocence needs most,

is his mother.

Humor

Humor is swift.

She swoops in surreptitiously,

causing surprise.

She can bring laughter to anyone’s lips.

She makes mouths toll like church bells,

with a swing of her hips.

Her eyes are always twinkling,

and her mind, always thinking.

Her voice is loud, but her footsteps,

light.

She gives ease to those who are bound tight.

Charm is her mother,

and Wisdom, her father.

Anxiety

Anxiety is monstrous and mean.

He is always clothed in a black

cape, from head to foot and his

face is never visible.

His heart is seeped in with evil

intent.

He likes to watch people squirm

in his presence and sweat at his

touch.

His list of harmful affects include

nausea and in severe cases,

paralysis.

His stays may occur frequently,

but, the durations vary.

Fear is his father.

And, Uncertainty, his mother.

Anxiety is a deadly hybrid.

Clarity

Clarity is an old woman,

with an even older soul.

She is wise enough to have

lived a thousand years.

She clears minds and

wipes away tears.

Her deep breaths move

mountains. 

And, with a blink of her 

crystal, blue eyes she can

spark up flames.

She is small, but sturdy.

Her bare feet are always

planted firmly on the ground.

Her face has lines from the

constant wear of a smile.

But, none from a frown.

Because she never lets

life get her down.

Rainy Day Prompt

Rain poured down hard as my alarm sounded.  I clicked it off and opened the window, just behind my head.  I closed my eyes and relished in the air.  I pressed play on my speakers and set my iPod to shuffle.  I curled into the sheets, felt the soft, cool air wash over my face and listened to the echoes of the music.  The crack of thunder electrified my thoughts.  I thought of everything all at once, the past present and future.  I thought about how once upon a time I was little and how much I wanted to go back.  I thought about all the bad decisions I ever made and then the good ones.  I thought about where all the choices got me to and how if I slightly changed just one, how different it may have all turned out.  Then, carefully and slowly I thought of forever.  I inhaled the rainy air and eased it out from my lungs.  It was too hard to fathom forever.  I was satisfied with the now: my eyes closed as the rain pitters against my window.  Before I knew it, I thought of nothing and fell asleep.

Dandelion Wine Discussion Questions

1.)Bradbury bottled up his memory and stored them away to write the book.  He thought of his memories as dandelions on a summer day, sweet and to be savored.

2.)Leo Auffman's wife was upset by The Happiness Machine because the joy was all an illusion.  She wasn't really in Paris or indulging in her wishes, hopes or dreams.  It wasn't real at all.

3.)The concept of the ravine symbolizes a darkness, and even death.  The ravine could even represent the darkness inside the characters themselves or within the very heart of the town.  The part of people they choose to ignore.

4.)I can see why Mrs. Bentley decided to deny her past.  But, it isn't necessarily right to.  Your past shapes you into what you are yet to become.  Sometimes you make choices that you aren't proud of, but you learn.  Your past consists of all the lessons you've once had to learn.  Past and present go had in hand.  The entire novel is connected to time.

5.)Through the documentation the boys keep, they learned how important the time spent actually is.  But, the process actually contradicts itself because they're wasting time counting up their experiences, instead of fully enjoying them.

6.)The Lonely One connects to the ravine in relevance to darkness.  The Lonely One represents the dark force that seems to always be present at night, to the boys.  The town thinks the man Lavina killed was The Lonely One, because it makes logical sense.  The boys refuse to believe this because, they think The Lonely One can not be killed.

7.)Douglas suffered a heat stroke type illness.  Mr. Jonas gives Douglas cool, pure air and tells him to breathe in.  'Drinking the air' cures him.

8.)The summer of 1928 never really ends for Douglas.  The dandelion wine represents his memories of the summer.  And, the memories can stay with him forever.