Week 1 Poetry Blog Activity: "Perseverance" - Explain the Function of Contrasts within a Text3/24/2020
Virtual Poetry Unit Emphasized Skills (as suggested in 2019 CED):
Each week, I will post 2 poems on Tuesday. Each set of poems will focus on a specific literary analysis skill. Your job is twofold: Part 1: Compare/Contrast + Critical Thinking Read the two poems and respond to the prompt in a Primary Blog Entry (100-150 words) by Tuesday night at 11:59pm. By Thursday night at 11:59pm, please read all Primary Blog Entries and select two that you find interesting, surprising, insightful, or conflicting with your own understanding and compose a brief response to each in a Secondary Blog Response (60-80 words). Part 2: Individual Analysis + Emphasized Skill The two poems that you read each week have been selected to highlight a specific skill (see list above). By Friday at 11:59pm, please upload to Turnitin.com a short written reflection (200-250 words) in which you use one of the poems to address the question that is aligned to the skill being addressed. *Nom de Plumes for the Blog Entries: Please select a pen name of your own and then share it with me through email. Week One: Virtual Poetry Blog Activity Skill: STRUCTURE 3.D - Explain the Function of Contrasts within a Text Topic: Perseverance Part 1 Primary and Secondary Blog Prompt: Compare and contrast the two poems. What are their similarities? How do they differ? Overall, which poem do you feel is more “essential” to study in AP English Lit and why? -Primary Blog Entry (100-150 words) due by Tuesday at 11:59pm; -2 Secondary Blog Responses (60-80 words) due by Thursday night at 11:59pm BE SURE TO ADD WORD COUNT! Part 2 Individual Written Reflection Prompt: Produce a written reflection (200-250 words) wherein you explain the function of contrasts in one of the two poems. Demonstrate a strong line of reasoning and support all claims with textual evidence. Upload to Turnitin by 11:59pm on Friday.
Raymond Ollivierre
3/24/2020 12:13:27 pm
These poems are similar in structure as the focus on overcoming the obstacles and place a heavy emphasis on letting the negatives go and looking at we do have. The main message of each passage is to overcome however, the tackle this in different ways. In the Rudy Francisco passage, he develops a more offended tone, disgusted almost by the average person's willingness to complain over things that are minuscule in nature. He criticizes our unwillingness to look at life for the fact we're able to function day to day compared to the horrors that occur to other people. "A Psalm of Life" on the other hand focuses on the present being the moment we should live in without worrying about what happened to us in the past and what could be in the future. In terms of what is more important to the AP exam? A Psalm of life takes the cake because of the morbid fascination English based exams have with texts of a more antiquated quality. However, that being said in terms of relevance to our situation, Rudy Francisco couldn't have said it better.
Also me
3/24/2020 12:14:12 pm
187 Words*
Corona
3/24/2020 02:43:31 pm
Rudy does develop an offended or disgusted tone because this topic hits home for him. He states how his uncle was murdered and his cousin was assaulted. He knows what it’s like first hand to witness someone go through something tragic. For others to complain about something of unimportance, he’s disgusted as to how they can sit comfortably, drink the smallest amount of water in their cup and complain when others don’t have the opportunity to do so.
Justin Bieber
3/25/2020 09:49:04 am
His disgusted tone is his way of letting us the viewers really question what are we fighting for. Why are we so negative about the alarm clock waking us up to get education that kids in developing countries would wish to have. Though we go through stuff we should still be content that worse things could have happened, but they didn't.
Dean Koontz
3/30/2020 01:25:50 pm
Rudy is kind of like a sour patch kid. First they're sour then they're sweet. He makes you feel bad for complaining and attacks people a little but then says how meaningful life is. "Each pulse, each throb, each palpitation is a trophy engraved with the words “You are still alive”. Act like it." He is more of the tough love kind of person.
Peace
3/26/2020 12:03:25 pm
I agree with this statement. Even though both poets structured their poems in a similar way. Rudy displays disappointment and a more offended tone. When Rudy reflects on his own personal life, he notices that he himself is guilty of complaining about the little things when there are people dying and going through even tougher situations. In comparison to this, Longfellow takes a lighter approach and encourages the audience to enjoy life and take in the moment.
Erin Morgenstern
3/26/2020 12:48:36 pm
I agree that A Psalm of life would be best to study for AP Lit because the poem has more of a Ap exam format poem to analysis. Meanwhile, Rudy's poem is more modern and would be harder to analysis in terms of the exam. Also I agree that Rudy Francisco couldn't have said it better for us in the situation that we are in right now.
Corona
3/24/2020 02:42:58 pm
Both poems talk about how life is valuable and shouldn’t be taken for granted. However, “Complainers” by Rudy Francisco uses other people’s hardships as examples to demonstrate there are worse scenarios than the basic things we complain about in life. In “A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth, he talks in first person to make the reader feel inclusive, almost talking with us. He uses old language, perhaps because of the time period it was written, to depict how life is fragile. Whereas in “Complainers,” Rudy used modern language in the second person almost as if he is telling/lecturing the reader to stop complaining. “A Psalm of Life” is more essential to study in AP English because the language is more elaborate and I feel as if there is more to analyze rather than the modern poem where everything is straightforward.
Justin Bieber
3/25/2020 09:43:56 am
Though I do agree with your statements, I don't think that just because Mr. Francisco's poem in straightforward that it should be the reason it should be taken out of the running. Nowadays, students would rather have a straightforward poem to read than one that doesn't seem to ever get to the point. They also don’t necessarily have to study the one poem, but compare it like we did in this assignment.
Peace
3/26/2020 12:11:45 pm
I agree with this statement. Francisco's language is more modern and directed toward his audience. His tone makes the audience feel ashamed for taking things for granted and complaining about minor setbacks. Whereas, Longfellow's language is quite different, and makes the audience feel encouraged to do better and take a different approach to life. Even though both of the poets are indirectly saying the same thing, Francisco states his message in a more stern way, while Longfellow is not too condescending and makes his message clear and straight to the point.
Erin Morgenstern
3/26/2020 12:56:44 pm
I agree that both poems talk about how life is valuable and shouldn't be taken for granted. In Complainers it uses real life example meanwhile A Psalm of life uses more figurative language to explain to overcome hardships. I also agree with A Psalm of Life is more essential to study in Ap Lit because there is more to analyze than Complainers. In Complainers the poem uses modern language and less figurative language than in A Psalm of Life.
Caroline Forbes
3/26/2020 08:10:42 pm
I agree with you that the point of view lends to the tone of each piece. I think that it is important that the audience understand what tone the speaker sends their message and that might affect how the audience chooses to receive what the poet is saying. I do think both strategies are effective in relaying their message to the audience.
Ben Dover
3/26/2020 11:57:56 pm
I think it's important to take POV into context. That's actually a really valid point that I didn't even take into consideration. I also do agree with the comments you've made about the way Rudy's poem is almost like a command or a letter to the listener to stop complaining and get it together. However, seeing as poems by Maya Angelou and other modern writers have been included, I don't think time period is a relevant reason for it not to be used.
Erin Morgenstern
3/24/2020 03:11:44 pm
The similarities between the two poems is that both poems talk about life and how we should overcome hardships of life. Both poems explain that life shouldn’t be taken for granted and everyone should be grateful to be living. Both poems talk about having a positive outlook in life and think about how those tragedies in life can be even worse. Rudy Francisco's poem takes real life examples in his poem to prove a point that some people have worse experiences, but they managed to overcome their hardships. Rudy Francisco’s poem sounded very angry because he is mad that people complain about life and how little things make people hate life. Rudy Francisco questions people’s mediocre effort to be happy in life and leaves the poem with an order to people to act like their living. Henry Wadsworth's poem uses personification, imagery, and other figurative elements to explain to the readers that people shouldn’t want to live life thinking about being dead. People should improve their lives to make it better for themselves. The Henry Wadsworth poem is more essential to study for Ap Lit because this poem has many figurative elements and it’s writing style is not modern like Rudy Francisco which takes more time to understand.
Corona
3/24/2020 05:19:38 pm
I do agree that Wadsworth’s poem is more representative of what we are studying in AP English Literature. It has various components that we can analyze in depth. Rudy’s poem is more straightforward and doesn’t really give us something to work with since it is very clear on what the message is. Both of the poems are similar in topics, but talk about it differently; Wadsworth uses complex language, while Rudy uses more of our day to day language.
Caroline Forbes
3/26/2020 08:02:20 pm
I like how you address the different ways the poets use literary devices to get essentially the same message across. I also agree with your evaluation of the difference in tone.I disagree with you on the point of which poem is more important for A.P. Lit because even though Wadsworth’s poem has more literary elements, I think it’s also important to consider that modern literature is much more direct and straightforward which allows for easy understanding, but also more critical thinking.
Ben Dover
3/27/2020 12:00:46 am
I would say that Wordsworth's poem is a lot more traditional in the things that we study in AP lang. And I also agree that your overall summary of the two poems are accurate in the tone they both send towards the audience with Rudy's being considerably more angry. I do argue against the claim that because something is "harder to understand" means its more likely to be chosen but I can understand the reasoning
emily
4/17/2020 02:42:15 pm
i think we all can agree that Rudy's poem was straight forward in what it said and told us to feel, But i agree with the fact that it lacked certain figurative elements that were represented in the older poem. Rudy's poem was easier to understand, but Henry made us think harder. i agree with how both poems do express hardships, but the feeling i get from the second poem is slightly a little more sinister with the use of "death".
Caroline Forbes
3/24/2020 07:58:11 pm
Both poems address the habit of humans taking the good in life for granted and overdramatizing the negative. The first poem discusses the fact that people tend to act like small inconveniences and bad moments are paralyzing when in reality they aren’t. This causes people to not appreciate what they truly have and understand that things “could’ve been worse.” In the second poem, the speaker focuses on not living life in the present but instead being preoccupied with the past and basically living to die. While Francisco uses a more passionate, frustrated tone, Longfellow employs a more empathetic, disapproving tone. The difference in tone has an effect on how the message sits with the reader. I think both poems are essential to the study of A.P. Lit because they both exemplify important themes, but in different formats.
Colson Whitehead
3/26/2020 11:59:19 pm
I would like to say that I appreciate how you implied that both poems discussed the significance of "life. Often times, we tend to abuse or fail to recognize the opportunities in front of us; both poems allows all of us to see that these same opportunities are not meant to harm us in any manner. Simply put, I must say that our lack of appreciation could be a result of constantly feeling the need to compare our own situation to that of another individual. What I do admire about Francisco's piece is that he flips the script. He utilizes a human tendency, the need to compare ourselves to other people, and writes in a way where the audience will be able to reflect in a manner that makes sense to us.
Justin Bieber
3/25/2020 09:30:47 am
Both poems share similarities in addressing that humans should stop complaining about how the little hardships we have to face, we should instead spend more time to celebrate the good that comes out of life. The two poems differ with how the two men address their poems. Francisco takes on this in your face style along with his own life experiences to down play the hardships he first addressed in the poem. It makes us think about the little things we complain about, and always complain about; how stupid they are to even talk about. Henry on the other hand is much more relaxed, but still allows his point to get across with a lot more figurative language usage compared to that of Francisco.
Colson Whitehead
3/26/2020 11:53:36 pm
I do agree that Francisco's approach is more direct than Longfellow's approach. This is one of the reasons why I believe "Complainers" is more essential to Ap Literature because it's "more than the obvious" statements somehow allows enough room for interpretations. Longfellow's poem is very vague and it might pose as a struggle for students. I would like to hear more about your opinion on Longfellow's piece. Similar to Francisco, Longfellow talks about life, but not in a serious manner. It almost sounds playful in a sense.
Dean Koontz
3/30/2020 01:21:52 pm
I feel like Henry is more of the optimistic type of person and always tries to see a brighter side and wants others to be able to improve in that way. Whereas Rudy kind of gives it to you how it is. He's the type to say here's the problem now fix it. He doesn't beat around the bush whereas Henry tries to gently guide people to the right light.
emily
4/17/2020 02:18:35 pm
i agree with this statement because Henry said many things about peoples struggles but he told us how they all survived and how "it could be worse", but Rudy basically said you should start to live in the moment because life will end. We ought to be wary of the past and the future, and instead live and act within the present.
Peace
3/26/2020 11:50:21 am
Overall, both of these poems are written well and contain an important message for it's audience; which is to be thankful for every moment lived. The first poem written by Ruby Francisco, captivates it's audience by providing intense scenarios concerning the overall topic of perseverance and being grateful for the little things in life. The poet does this to grab the audiences attention and make them feel apart of the discussion. Even though the messages are the same, the second poem written by Henry Longfellow dives straight into the topic and uses short quick lines to get it's point across. The tone of the poem is more encouraging rather than bashing as well. As much as the first poem is easier to understand, it would be more beneficial if we focus on the second poem for AP lit due to it's interesting diction and format. It's important that we're challenged and focus on a poem that's out of our comfort zone.
Colson Whitehead
3/26/2020 11:42:22 pm
Both poems discuss the plight of individuals and their everyday life experiences. While Francisco's “Complainers” goes into specific details, it is safe to say that both authors have knowledge on the various lifestyles that one could possibly have. Longfellow’s interesting sentence creates a playful and impulsive point of view on the significance of living one’s life to the fullest. Overall, Longfellow’s depiction is quite encouraging. On the other hand, Francisco writes in a more serious manner as his elongated sentences allows the audience to really consider the examples being mentioned, as opposed to feeling rushed. In terms of deciding which of the two is more essential to Ap Literature, with the highest regards, I must admit Francisco’s poem holds more significance in this era. In the beginning, Franscisco excels at captivating our attention with life threatening situations that humans have experienced. This alone allows us to read further. Then Francisco pinpoints a flaw in modern society- our need to constantly complain about the smallest irrelevance. His intent was to not shame us, but rather to convince us to focus on how we address our small annoyances while comparing it to the extreme risks others took to save their lives. Unlike Longfellow, Francisco recognizes that in order for us to live our lives, we must disregard the little issues because those little issues are not capable of putting us in extreme harm.
Dean Koontz
3/30/2020 01:18:11 pm
The similarities between these two poems are they both talk about life and the struggles of it. It may seem like they have much more in common but I believe they are actually fairly different. In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, he is portraying that even though we are brave, we still move towards death. Therefore we must seize the life we have and be heroic. We should be aware of the past and the future, and live and act in the present. In Henry’s opinion, if you look at the lives of great men you can see that it is possible to live with meaning and that when you depart, you leave your “footprints on the sands of time.” It is possible that some other person who is just going through the motions may see your footprints and follow. You should be hopeful, prepared for anything. Rudy Francisco’s poem on the other hand talks about how a lot of times, we take for granted just how good we have it in many, if not all, aspects of our daily lives. I think we’ve become spoiled with our versions of what we consider the “worst” so when we are confronted with anything slightly more terrible, we cannot handle it and turn to our complaining. I feel like Rudy’s poem is more essential because it's not sugar coated and reveals the flaws in most humanity that we should make an effort to fix in order to better ourselves. Classes can learn a lot more from this poem.
Emily
4/17/2020 02:12:47 pm
these poems both relate to the fact that there are struggles in life that happen for the sole purpose of making life hard. Although there are struggles in life its how you deal with it that affects your attitude towards life. these poems are really similar with how they mention hardships, but i believe they differ in how they should react. the second poem talked about even though we are brave, we still move towards death. so we should seize the moments we have. this differed because the first poem didn't really mention the idea of death. I believe that the first poem was easier to understand and connect with, but the second poem made me think harder as to understanding what his true feelings were towards hardship. Comments are closed.
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