To a Stranger pt.4

In my opinion I think that the poet is talking to a stranger who he sees. No I don't think it's a random stranger picked from a crowd, I think it was a stranger that he met but and felt as if they were reincarnated from one person specific in his life, perhaps one of his lovers or anyone else in his life. But the connection and essence is so strong that he doesn't feel as if they were a stranger. I think this because when doing research he believed in reincarnation and also in the poem it reads

the first line leads me to believe that he could have felt the person was reincarnated or had very very similiar things. And the lines "we flit by eachother, fluid, and affectionate, chaste and mature" which means very natural and friendly, but also grown up, and not meeting in a sexual tense, because when you meet a stranger you don't immediately tell them "you remind me of someone i used to love" he hopes to see this presence that reminds of someone. This also tells me that the stranger he mat can not only be chaste and mature but also someone who is affectionate and fluid.

Another thing that makes me think he is taking about reincarnation is these lines:

In the lines above I think he's trying to say "I have to wait, and there will be no doubt that he will meet another person that reminds me of someone."

I think in the lines below he uses "he" or "she" because he's talking about being reminded of not just one specific person but many people. He and She is not definite and can be anyone. The spirit and essence from reincarnation isn't just one person, or a forbidden lover. I think this poet is talking to a stranger that reminds him of someone he once knew, and that this can be any stranger, and any person. 

So in conclusion I don't think he is talking to a specific person, but can represent anyone and maybe everyone in his life. He is talking to someone most likely a stranger that reminds him so strongly of someone. 

How is your heart pt.4

   In my personal opinion I think the poet is better off being content than wanting more materialisticly, and relationship wise     

Although you can argue that he should want more because he is a human, and you shouldn't be living like that, and that you should experience relationships. 

You also need to keep in mind that there are more than just him who live a life like that, and he doesnt really care for relationships, because the ones that he's experienced (the relationship between him and his dad, and his dad and his mom's relationship.) have always ended badly. 

A pro to being content is that he doesnt have to worry about people pretending to be his friend for fame and fortune... unless you count some of the prostitutes he was with. 

Another Point people could argue is that shouldn't he want to be sober, and not be a drunk like his dad? Well to him maybe alchohol is a form of power, or a form of how he escapes the temptation of wanting more. He doesnt want to be like his dad.

You could also say that materialisticly he should own a house, car, or something like that to get him by. However money does not buy you happiness, and he doesn't want to be rich, and long for a life he doesnt have; like his father did. He saw the way his father strived for more and how his father acted out because of it. This is clear in the poem he wrote called "My Father" 

the specific words "a man like that" as if he did not want to be associated with it.  Also in the poem this stanza reads 

"caught between my father and the bums" Both the bums and his dad wanted nothing more than to be rich, and he wanted nothing more, so he was caught between them. He didn't want to be so stuck in wanting something that he would act out like his dad or just stay on the streets like bums, and so he made his way getting drunk, waking up in dirty motel rooms, sleeping with prostitutes, and seeing his so called "ugly" self in the mirror was him saying I am not happy, not sad but it's better than wanting more and ending up like that. 

In my opinion I think this poet is better off being content because he has a good reason for it; the poet is content based on his personal experience and that is wha he values more. He doesnt want a car, or a house, or a relationship, and his life, whether being an alchoholic or a weird dude who sleeps in ratty motels he is content because he doesnt want to end up like his father who ultimately failed and was hungry for power. To the poet I think he got power from the satisfaction.  

Interim Reports

   So this is my interim report and basically an update on how I am doing in class. In English so far we have had multiple assignments, like what its like to be a teenager, the tattoo assignment and the myers briggs test. These are all assignments that helped us get to know ourselves and make connections to several things, and that is what english is about. This year we are doing assigments using technology which boths allows us to connect with our peers and teacher but also is a big part of self regulating ourselves.

   So if you asked me what grade I'm getting in English 10, I'm sorry mom and dad but I can't give one to you. Why? Well if I show you my assignments and blog, which also coordinate with Edmodo which helps me stay connected and on track with class I hope you'll believe I'm doing well. Part of self regulating is also assessing our progress, and right now I'd say I'm doing pretty good and see that I improve everytime. I'll show you and explain the process of my blog and Edmodo and you can see that I have been completing assignments, and have been doing well in this class, you can literally read my assignments and also how my teacher and peers think I have done on the assignment, even read my peers assignments. You can read the questions and assignments, and by doing that you should get a clear idea of how I'm doing. You can read my blog and see that the proof is in the pudding... or in this case my blog. 

Symbolism in Tattoos/Tattoo Assignment

   In class we have been talking about tattoos and what they mean, Neuf put a link up of several different tattoos and here is what I think they mean. 

I think the one with the american flags are tattoos that people get when they have been in the army. There were also Celtic tattoos, Japanese tattoos, Traditional Tribe tattoos and more I think they are so cool but not sure if I would ever want something like that. I didn't know what the bird meant though, so maybe someone can help me with that....

   Part 2 of our assignment was to create a symbolic and hypothetical tattoo for ourselves. This assignment to me is very engaging because I have always wanted a tattoo. Ironically by brother came home with one on Saturday.

This is his first, and he put the 4 other people in our households names. (My mom, dad, sister and I) And this gave me the idea of also incorperating family. 

Anyways back to the assignment; I have always wanted on that is about the size of the palm of my hand, so it could fit on the back of my neck. My reason to this is because I don't want a tattoo to show off, it's for me, and the only way you'll really ever see it is if I put my hair up. It's a way for myself to keep it hidden and to myself but also visible when i want to. I had no clue what I wanted to have for my tattoo, I knew I didn't want anything big or like a portrait. I also knew that I wanted the tattoo to have the following:

- represent me

-represent life

- represent where I come from

    

    I didn't know how i was to incorporate all of this in one palm sized tattoo so i started brain storming. 

The symbol i chose was a tree, and I chose a tree because it was said to hold high importance in tattoos and can mean very many different things, usually depicting regeneration, rejuvenation and life. 

Some commons ones were 

-The tree of life

- Ash tree

- cherry tree

- birch tree

-bodhi tree

-palm tree

- bonsai tree

But all of the ones I saw were huge and mainly tattooed on someones back. So I'm no artist and hopefully if I do get one like this it is drawb better and has had a little more time or detail put in to it. However I'm glad with the way it turned out!

 For my tattoo I drew a tree inside a thick fading circle that leads all the way to the roots. The circle also helped with the idea of the circle of life. At the roots of the tree are 4 dates in roman numerals, which I thought was cool way to incorperate family. Those 4 dates attached to the roots are the birthdates of my Mom, Dad, Sister, and Brother. I put those there because I want to remember where I come from, and the most important people in my life. These are the people I grew up around and the ones raised me they are the roots to my tree/life. On the tree, There are 9 branches sprouting from the trunk, which symbolized me being born on the 9th month of the year, there are also 28 lights on the tree which represent that i was born on the 28th day of the month, and the lights were not only blue because it is the colour of my birthstone but also because thats the only colour besides white i liked. The fading circle around the tree gets darker at the top and clearer at the bottom which to me held the concept of being pure and almost care free at the start if your life, and then going through a rough time which is the darker part, and then slowly coming to a purer, simpler life style at the end. A reminder that everything gets better. This is the end result of the tattoo! #Itried 

Extended Metaphor

   So our assignment was to find an extended metaphor, and my original idea was to go about the X-Men Series, and talk about the topic of being mutant that plays throughout the series, and how it actually represents the real life problems of "outsiders" in reality, when the author wrote the comics.
   However although I was passionate about that topic because I love the X-Men movies, I was literally listening to music and decided to switch my topic, and I have a greater passion for this certain topic. So I picked a song, and one that was written by my favourite artist; Ed Sheeran. The song is called Lego House.

  Now, if you have never seen the video, it shows Rupert Grint (ron from harry potter) and him wanting to become Ed Sheeran. This continues on throughout the video, so when he says the lines 

I'm gonna pick up the pieces
and build a lego house

if things go wrong we can knock it down

   Lego house is not literally a lego house what it means is "I'm gonna salvage whats left of what we had, and build back a relationship ( which is symbolized as a lego house) and if something happens we can start again as easy as lego.
it also has euphemism:
It's dark in a cold december
but I got you to keep me warm
Repetition:
it hapens throughout the song and the chorus!
The song isn't about a lego house but is actually about getting so lost in yourself that you have ruined things for others, and you want to build the "a lego house" which is actually the relationship and forgiveness.