Poem #2

 Hoax

If our eyes capture it;
camping near local churches,
Does it exist?
In England, Arizona, or small town in California--

Death raptors and Chupacabras.
When fact meets fiction
And science meets magic.
 
What was it? Mister Ramirez? Misses...?
Paranormal presense?
There's hidden creatures among possibilities of nature.
The size of humans. Birds.

poem #1

Like a Cigarette



Your existence is an empty pack of cigarettes;
Yet I'm addicted to you.
I crave for you.
You inflict invisible pain like cancer.
I allow you to ease my sorrow regardless of your detriment.
I have constant urges for you hoping to satisfy my fix.
Lit, inhaled or not, you burn away and burn quickly.
You're pain is my pleasure.
You're existence is an empty pack of cigarettes
Upon every cigarette, you remind me.

In class Exercise ("Hey There Delilah" Rewrite)

"Hey There Christina"

Hey there Christina
What's it like away in college?
I'm so sad you moved away

But I know soon you’ll be back with me
Yes you will

It seems so lonely without you
You know it's true

Hey there Christina
We’ll get married as soon as you’re back
Just call me if you get lonely
Give this song another listen
Close your eyes
Listen to my voice, it's my disguise
I'm by your side

Oh why did you have to leave

Oh why did you have to leave

Oh why did you have to leave

Oh why did you have to leave
Why’d you have to leave

Hey there Christina
I know school is getting hard
But just stay focused, girl
All the hard work will pay off in the end
You’ll graduate
I’ll wait like I told you I would
My word is good

Oh why did you have to leave

Oh why did you have to leave

Oh why did you have to leave

Oh why did you have to leave
Why’d you have to leave

Class Exercise (The Royal Flush)

The Royal Flush

Marriage is a spirited splash of what we imagine is perfect;

And divorce is a classic construction. So

buying a home is the prejudice painting our friends convinced us was real.

Now my hopes and dreams were drawn with a magic marker;

This false advertisement was written with a sharpie.  It was

his promotion that changed the arranged agreements

As he deals a new hand.

Northridge Heat!

The Valley is much more hotter than where I'm from. I understand it's summer time so we should expect it to be this hot, however I would much rather enjoy being back home in San Diego. The weather is much breezier plus there is always something to do. Last year when I first moved up here, that was the very first thing I called my dad to complain about. I was so upset that it was humid. There was absolutely nothing I could do.

We have officially began Fall semester. It's been a year since I last moved up here, and even though the valley is considered Southern California, I still refer to Northridge as "up here" because it's north of San Diego. Now that I have been here for a year, I know what to expect when the seasons change. Of course I know what the heat feels like, and I mean real heat. As we approached a new season, I realized that the people I knew last year were complaining about how hot it is. The Valley is hot and there is no changing it.

The best way to cope with this extremely hot weather is by either not thinking about it, or wearing appropriate clothes. I personally cannot wait until we get cooler weather. Me, myself, I would much rather be cold living here in the valley because San Diegans were not raised in climates like this. So even though people complain about weather they should already expect, it really should influence the school's decision to cancel classes when the climates become so unbearable. It's unfair that when other geographical areas are affected by extreme weather climates that their school's are canceled. For example if it snows, schools have a "snow day" and nobody has to attend school. If there is an extreme amount of rain increasing inch by inch, the news stations will announce school is canceled.

As for Californians, we have to suffer here in Northridge, California and still attend class when the weather is above one hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit. Just horrible.

Explicated Poem (essay #1)

Christina M. Torres

Professor Wexler

20 September 2012

You Were Young Once, Now Regretful

          Some people fall in love, and others let the opportunity for love pass them by. William Butler Yeats' poem "When You Are Old" displays the memories of a woman who was once young with happiness. The poem describes her memories about missing her youthful days but is sad because she let love pass her. Certain figurative language and techniques are used to help convey this secret regret in her life; line lengths like quatrains. They also compliment the regretful and sad idea about missing her past as the quatrains provides readers an interchangeable rhyme scheme option to read the first and last lines of each stanza. There are also many sound devices such as assonance and alliteration within the language presenting a musicality. Devices like words of color and other nouns greatly attribute to the poem’s description of the speakers mood.

          Each stanza in quatrain form begins with indications of curiosity: 'When', 'How', and 'And'. Because the poem's intention was to create sympathy among readers regarding this woman's regretful past, the beginning of each stanza attributes to the speaker’s mood. For example, "When you are old and gray and full of sleep," paints a picture for the audience on what life is like once you get old and just look back at things that you should have embraced, but are now just missing those precious moments of your past. The second stanza, "How many loved your moments of glad grace," nearly questions her readers to cogitate about a person who genuinely appreciates them; and if there is more then one. Lastly, the final stanza ends the poem with an additional setting to the poem, “And bending down besides the glowing bars,” implies a sense of hiding from someone behind glowing bars. This can symbolize a non physical characteristic, but mean that the speaker actually glows with love and affection for this one person in their past love life, however keeps it hidden avoiding happiness. Kim Adonizio’s list poem “Forms of Love” compares to Yeats’ character as they both display avoiding love and any possibility of happiness:

          I love your hair / I love you but I’m not that into you / I love you secretly / I           know how you make me feel like I’m a monastery in the desert / … I love    everything about you except your hair / If it weren’t for that I know I could            really, really love you. (Adonizio 47).
This back and forth feeling about how much this woman loves this person which she speaks of is indecisive on exactly what she should do. Both Yeats and Adonizio’s works are relatable in the fact that both speakers avoid every having fallen in love. Adonizio’s character however is a little more expressive about the optimism that love gives her, but still keeping her feelings inside, like Yeats’ secretive speaker. 

          When poetry can be read differently, as far as the ordering of the lines goes, it adds more to the meaning. Yeats utilizes this technique in a successful way. The tone in the speaker’s language demonstrates how she regrets letting someone who loved her pass her by. A particular rhyme scheme is introduced in an ‘a, b, b, a, c, d, d, c, e, f, f, e’ form. This forces readers to approach the context of the poem in an alternative way to connect the meaning to the format of the quatrain rhyme scheme:

          When you are old and gray and full of sleep / Your eyes had once, and of their      shadows deep / How many loved your moments of glad grace / And loved the   sorrows of your changing face / And bending down beside the glowing bars /      And hid his face among a crowd of stars. (Yeats 81)

 This passage is how the speaker’s message becomes more impactful to readers; being more rhythmic and emotional. Reading the poem by only reflecting on the first and last line of each stanza clarifies the sense of regret. Simplifying her thoughts, but separating them on the outer parts of each stanza almost works as a metaphor for how she has kept her feelings outside instead of obvious, like the interior parts of each stanza. The connection that the first and last lines have throughout the poem were done purposefully so readers can look more in depth at the sorrow and regret she has. Poets like Tony Hoagland in his work “Two Trains” talks about heartache as well. Hoagland’s speaker displays grief regarding being alone and heartbroken, “I can feel the absence stretching out in all directions,” creates a setting similar to Yeats’ speaker being lonely and empty in life.

          Word choice within this poem plays a major role impacting the setting and tone of the poem. The regret that this woman feels about how much she misses being young is described by different words of color and nouns. Stanza one begins with great word choice immediately setting the tone of the poem creating sympathy among readers, “When you are old and gray and full of sleep” incorporates the color gray which implies a foggy feeling the speaker is expressing. Gray is a color associated with sadness, grief and even confusion. The word ‘sleep’ is interpreted as an indicator that because the woman is now old, that she is exhausted; not only physical, but emotionally so fatigued that she is mentally full of sleep. This also implies a contradiction to her regret towards someone she once loved; hence she is full of sleeping alone in an empty lonely bed.

          Finalizing the poem, Yeats’ last two lines include other colorful and symbolic diction to convey the overall lonely feeling that is presented throughout the entire phrases like ‘upon the mountains’ and ‘crowd of stars’. This is a prime example of what is an overwhelming feeling by the word choice. ‘Mountains’ implies something difficult and exhausting to climb or accomplish. One may live with regret having not finishing a hike on a mountain. This symbolizes regret for never following through with being you and in love at one point, and just giving up because it was too hard to process the right ways to approach it. Also the ‘Crowd of stars’ indicates a feeling of joy but the word ‘crowd’ also contradicts that. Readers would assume that this person is hiding in a crowd of stars; exemplifying an over joyous feeling, however still hides in a crowd from reality. Yeats’ purpose was to inform readers that everyone experiences regret at one point in their life. Regret should not follow you to your old age though. Live youthful and without regrets. 

         

Works Cited

Adonizio, Kim. Lucifer at the Starlight. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 500 Fifth           Avenue, New York, NY 10110. United States. 2009.

Hoagland, Tony. What Narcissism Means To Me. Graywolf Press. 2402 University          Avenue, Suite 203. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55114. United States. 2003.

Smith, Philip. 100 Best-Loved Poems. New Anthology. General editor: Applebaum,        Smith, Philip. Dover Publications, Inc. 1995.

Favorite Song

Drake's "Take Care" featuring Rhianna is currently one of my favorite songs. I feel like in reference to poetry, any poetic song or poem should be relatable. "Take Care" dispalys the connection between two people who were both heart broken at one point and are both hesitant to beginning a new relationship with eachother. Both characters explain how their hearts will be safe with one another, however they also reiterate how afraid they are to move fast. Overall, poetic material is meant to convey realistic meanings and connect to the readers or audience. This song is definitely relatable.

Media technology plays a role in teaching

As it is my senior year at CSUN (California State University Northridge), I plan on pursuing a graduate studies program to further my education towards a teaching credential. As an English major, I have realized and learned many different techniques of learning throughout college. One that has been the most impactful is learning through technology.

Technology has progressed in many different professions and has become a great impact on many businesses. Media technology plays an important role in teaching college students because our newer generations practises thoughts, behaviors, and learning through technology.

At CSUN, the most education resource for learning is the moodle website. Most of my professor have utilized moodle as a resource to submit work, to post blogs about assigned readings regarding the courses subjects and topics, as well as challenging other peers and their intillect when responding to posted forums and discussions. Moodle had become the most effective for the way I choose to learn new things and practise different writing skills.

As a future educator, I plan on being a teacher who looks at websites such as moodle.com to better prepare my students in becoming "tech-savvy." This will influence not just my students, but others to keep up with challenges as our society continues to further enhance the use of technology. Again, English major greatly appreciate writers in general. Social media websites have inspired many people to become writers and bloggers which is how we gain our media knowledge about what happening in the world hence news headlines.

All in all, it is just staying in the race with the world since there are things happening everyday. I would not want my students to miss out on anything because they are not using technology like so many courses now-a-days do.