Robert Frost pg.1388 (2-23-2010)

First and foremost, we have to remember that Robert Frost believed in naturalism. He was the type of person that believed that nature played an important part in our daily lives and that as humans we had to try our best to be in tune with nature. Frost uses a lot of imagery in his poems and he uses a traditional form of writing poems. Personally, I find Robert Frost poems extremely difficult to read but I have learned that we can sometimes interpret poems our own way. While reading his poems, I found Mending Wall and After Apple Picking to be especially interesting. I found that there was a lot of imagery, but I also found that these poems had a lot of meaning.

After carefully reading Mending Wall and doing research on Frost, I came to find out that humanity can relate to this poem. Mending Wall shows us that a neighbor is trying to fix the wall year after year because of the repairs that it needs. Frost continues to tell the neighbor that he doesn't see the reason as to why he is trying to fix this wall. It seems that Frost is trying to let his neighbor know that it is best to leave the wall alone. If the wall keeps mending year after year, then it is obvious that the wall does not belong there. As a human being, I can relate to this in every aspect. The poem can be applied to social, political, and personal relationships. As humans, we sometimes put barriers between us believing that these barriers will have a positive effect on us. However, these barriers can sometimes be negative and they can hurt us, causing us to weaken our relationships with others. When we soon realize that these barriers don't work, we then comprehend that it is better to improve our relationships with others rather than to stay distant. We realize that it is better to work out our problems, wether they are cultural, social, ethnic, etc. By doing so we become one with nature and in the end we are able to lead better lives and we are able to understand each other.

After Apple Picking is another interesting poem that I found hard to understand at the beginning. After reading it several times, I came to the conclusion that the poem was talking about opportunities. Frost states that apples appear and disappear. This to me makes it clear that in life we all have opportunities. These opportunities are like apples in the sense that we choose which ones we want. Frost then mentions that there were ten thousand fruit to touch and that he grew overtired of picking them. In life, opportunities constantly show up. We pick some, we let many go, and in the end we sometimes grow tired of the decisions that we have made. However, we sometimes make the mistake of letting some go, and we sometimes choose the ones that we believed to be the correct choice. In letting some opportunities go, we realize that those same opportunities will never be back and that they have lost their worth, sometimes causing us to feel remorse and in turn causing us to lose our sleep.

Booker T Washington

After carefully analyzing both activists, I would have to agree by far with Booker T Washington. Washington suffered a lot since he was a child and into adulthood. But I agree with Booker T Washington for many reasons. First of all, he seemed to be a humble person that didn't show any anger towards the whites, especially considering that he was enslaved by them. Booker T Washington proves to be an optimist and he would view any situation in a positive way. He would constantly urge people not to get involved with politics which is ironic because in a way he was involved. However, we can view this as Washington having deep love for his people and at the same time we can conclude that he cared for them, therefore he was willing to fight for their rights. Even though I believe that equal rights towards black people was something important to Washington, I don't believe that this was his main concern. Instead, he wanted to earn these rights by proving his race useful to the whites. He wanted his race to work hard and gain education so that they could be better prepared to face the world, which in turn would eventually earn the respect of whites. In fact, when freedom came, Washington realized that this could very well be possible because the blacks were well prepared in almost everything since they would constantly work for the whites. Another interesting aspect is that Washington believed that his people were ambitious. This would enable them to learn, and ambition would enable them to try harder in life, therefore allowing them to progress in life. I didn't live during Washington's time but I sometimes think that Washington was looking towards the future and knew that it would take some time to soften up the white race. He believed that it was better to be democratic rather than demanding, and this is something else that I believe helped Washington. Little by little he earned the respect of them, and his wish was that eventually by his people’s acts, they would earn the respect that they deserved.

Up From Slavery/ Page 665

Up From Slavery

Up from slavery is a great story that tells the reader how the life of an African American was like during enslavement. Booker T Washington was a man that did so much for his people in order for them to live a comfortable life. I noticed that throughout his story, Washington uses a lot of imagery describing where he grew up and how his mother would constantly pray for freedom during the nights. Another place in the story where I feel that Washington uses imagery is when he tells the reader that the slaves would watch every victory of the Federal armies and every defeat of the Confederate forces. This serves as great imagery since it allows the reader to put himself in their place and see what was going on during those times. Washington also uses imagery when he is describing what he ate. He states that he would eat once in a while and in small portions. One of the passages that got to me the most, is located in the final sentence of page 668. He states that he saw two young mistresses eating ginger cakes. Those cakes seemed so desirable to him that if he ever reached freedom, his ambition would be to acquire those cakes. This passage made me think of how we sometimes take things for granted. It seems obvious that the mistresses didn't even think about how they were privileged to delight themselves with ginger cakes, and here Washington’s ambition was to eat these cakes as soon as he got out.

During the whole story, Washington's tone appears to be a passive tone. He doesn't appear to be angered, but rather he seem happy. For example, he states that there was a close bondage between a slave and his master. In fact, some slaves would beg for the privilege to sit up at night at nurse their wounded masters. This is a great act of kindness because as slaves, many could have displayed bitterness for not being free, but they didn't. In fact, I found it surprising when Washington in a way thanked the White men because they were taught so much. They were taught to sew, cook, take care of the house. This proved to be valuable when the slaves were set free because they were well prepared to face the difficulties in life.

Booker T Washington’s story makes me think about how great of a man he and his fellow black slaves were. His story makes it clear that slaves cared for their masters, were hard workers, and many were not in the least bitter. Washington shows us that he was a humble man and that he loved his people. At the same time, we learn that Washington was ambitious and this was the reason for him going to school. This is a great example for us because sometimes we face difficulties in our lives, but from his example, we learn that if we have the right determination and display hard work, anything in life is possible.

Cochise (Pg. 383,384) February 9th 2010

Cochise

I am alone is a speech given by Cochise in which he states how bad and sad he feels about what is happening with his people. From the speech, we find out that Cochise was talking to the “white people” and he was informing them of all the things they have gone through. For example, Cochise states that his people have fought Spanish, Mexican, and American soldiers. Cochise finally becomes tired of what he and his people have gone through and all he really wants is peace for his people. The imagery that Cochise uses in this speech is great, especially when he describes Spanish soldiers in their iron shirts, long knives, and guns.

From his speech, we learn that Cochise is a leader of his people, in this case the Apaches. We know this because it is he who goes to the “white people” and explains his situation and what his people are going through. We also learn that Cochise is someone that cares for the well being of his people. From this we can infer that he is humble, caring, and all he really wants to do is live in peace among the white people. From what I can tell there was no tension in this speech, in fact Cochise seems to display a sort of calmness throughout the speech.

One cant help but to feel bad for Cochise and his people. They have been through a lot, considering that they fought the Spanish, Mexican, and American people. From the tone of Cochise, it seems that so much fighting had taken a toll, and at the same time Cochise realized that he was losing everything. Cochise kept on losing people, people of which he knew he would never get back. Cochise was very saddened with what was taken place and we know this from the tone that he was using while giving this speech. For example, he states that he comes not from any love for the American people, but as a conquered chief. His tone is almost as if he were begging the American people to let his people live in peace. He didn't care about anything else, he just wanted peace because he saw all the damage that had been done to his people. However, I cant help but ask a question; What would have happened if Cochise would have had a stronger army? Maybe things would have been different and he wouldn't have given up so soon. In a way, Cochise saw that he had no choice because the American soldiers kept on coming, whereas the Apache soldiers once dead, had no one to replace them. Cochise was humble until the end and we know this from leading his last sentence. Even if the Americans didn't help with resources such as food, I see Cochise as a great leader because in the end he states; “ I will do my best to feed and clothe them, in peace with the white man”. These to me were very powerful words.

Letters From the Earth (Mark Twain) pg.307

Letters from the earth are interesting short stories that the devil sends to the archangels Gabriel and Michael. The title that Mark Twain gave to this essay was a good one, but it is hard to predict that these letters were being written by the devil himself. In the opening section of the story, we find out that God created the universe, the earth, and all the animals and humans that exist today. Satan then begins to make negative remarks about what God created and is sent into banishment, which in turn leads him into writing these letters to Gabriel and Michael. Satan’s tone never seems to change throughout all of the letters that he sends, and his tone reflects that of an observer. He constantly observes how humans act, especially how they act towards the Creator. Twain uses many paragraphs in this story, and I also feel that he uses some imagery in his story. For example, there is a passage in the story in which satan tells the archangels that white men will not associate with black men, jews are hated, and that all nations hate each other. For me it was very easy to imagine this, considering the fact that the world went through all this hate in years past. There were a lot of historical and sociological implications in this passage itself since we can relate towards negative acts such as the holocaust, racism, and world wars. It is also very interesting how the devil explains human nature here on earth. For example, satan states how humans will constantly go to church, how they will try to live moral lives, and how they will endure going to church for long periods of time just to be able to get into heaven. Twain uses great imagery here again, because in a way we have seen this when we attend church. In fact, many of us have probably felt the same way. Many of us feel that attending church is a sacrifice in which we sometimes doubt if it is worth it. Satan also makes an ironic point about humans, which in turn forces the reader to think. Sexual intercourse is one of the most enjoyable things that a human being can experience, but it is also something that will not be in heaven. Satan also states that all men want to be in heaven praising and singing to God 24/7. He also finds this to be ironic, considering that a sane man would not enjoy constant singing and worshipping towards God. Letters from Earth make me think about human nature and how we sometimes think that we want something without really knowing if its what we really desire.