Day 1 - Lesson 2: Favourite Poet

Robert Frost. Does this poet's name ring a bell? Well, he is one of the top poets in the world! Frost was a man famous for contradictions, known as a cranky and egocentric personality – he once lit a wastebasket on fire on stage when the poet before him went on too long! I will be covering his background and historical context and will share with you 3 poems.

After researching and reading many of his poems, I felt that his works are extremely intruguing.

He was born in San Francisco on 26 March 1874, but he lived in California till he was 11 and then moved East — he grew up in cities in Massachusetts. Frost had deep US roots: his father was a descendant of a Devonshire Frost who sailed to New Hampshire in 1634. William Frost had been a teacher and then a journalist, was known as a drinker, a gambler and a harsh disciplinarian. He also dabbled in politics, for as long as his health allowed. He died of tuberculosis in 1885, when his son was 11.

In 1894 Frost sold his first poem, “My Butterfly,” to The New York Independent for $15.On the strength of this accomplishment, he asked Elinor Miriam White, his high school co-valedictorian, to marry him: she refused. She wanted to finish school before they married. Frost was sure that there was another man and made an excusrsion to the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. He came back later that year and asked Elinor again; this time she accepted. They married in December 1895.

Frost returned to the US in 1915, and by the 1920s, he was the most celebrated poet in North America, winning four Pulitzer Prizes (still a record). Upon his death in Boston on January 29, 1963, Robert Frost was buried in the Old Bennington Cemetery, in Bennington, Vermont. He said, “I don’t go to church, but I look in the window.”

Now, I'll share with you threee of his famed poems.

FIRE AND ICE

by: Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

HOUSE FEAR

by: Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Always--I tell you this they learned--
Always at night when they returned
To the lonely house from far away
To lamps unlighted and fire gone gray,
They learned to rattle the lock and key
To give whatever might chance to be
Warning and time to be off in flight:
And preferring the out- to the in-door night,
They learned to leave the house-door wide
Until they had lit the lamp inside.

THE IMPULSE

by: Robert Frost (1874-1963)

It was too lonely for her there,
And too wild,
And since there were but two of them,
And no child,

And work was little in the house,
She was free,
And followed where he furrowed field,
Or felled tree.

She rested on a log and tossed
The fresh chips,
With a song only to herself
On her lips.

And once she went to break a bough
Of black alder.
She strayed so far she scarcely heard
When he called her--

And didn't answer--didn't speak--
Or return.
She stood, and then she ran and hid
In the fern.

He never found her, though he looked
Everywhere,
And he asked at her mother's house
Was she there.

Sudden and swift and light as that
The ties gave,
And he learned of finalities
Besides the grave.


Sources: poetry.about.com/od/20thcenturypoets/p/frost.htm
www.poetry-archive.com/f/frost_robert.html

Day 1 - Emergency IT Lesson 1: Figurative Language

Fast rode the knight by stephan crane

Fast rode the knight
With spurs, hot and reeking,
Ever waving an eager sword,
"To save my lady!"
Fast rode the knight,
And leaped from saddle to war.
Men of steel flickered and gleamed
Like riot of silver lights,
And the gold of the knight's good banner
Still waved on a castle wall.
. . . . .
A horse,
Blowing, staggering, bloody thing,
Forgotten at foot of castle wall.
A horse
Dead at foot of castle wall.

Figurative Language
personification- eager sword(line 3)
simile- like a riot of silver lights(line 8)
hyperbole- blowing, staggering, bloody thing(line 12)

I love this poem! It reflects the passion of Arthurian times, when knights were great men who fought for honor, their people, and their kingdom. When Stpehen Crane incorporates phrases such as "hot and reeking," "steel flickered and gleamed," and "riot of silver lights," it's like you can really see the bloody battle going on. I love the fact that the brave knight is doing battle in order to save the lady he loves. Isn't it amazing how poems even as short as this, can paint such a vivid picture in the mind's eye?

Blog Prompt: Is progress necessarily beneficial for society? Comment.

I think that progress is necessary for the benefit of society. I would like to cite evidence from Village by the Sea to support my argument.

Firstly, if Hari did not learn watch-making skills from Mr Panwallah, he would have not survived the development of Thul.

Secondly, most of the villagers in Thul were too stubborn to adapt to the development of the country.

I would also use animals to support my argument. For example, a clownfish adapts to the environment by hiding in the sea anemone while the clown fish protects the sea anemone from its predators.

Please comment.

Blog Prompt: Which part of Village by the Sea do you like best? State your reasons.

My favourite part of Village By The Sea was the part in which Hari left Bombay. I find this part interesting because this is the turning point in Hari's life. After suffering from the torment of his father, he finally succumbed and escaped to Bombay. You could also say that it was the climax of the story.

It was at Bombay when Hari met his benefactors, namely, Jagu and Mr Panwallah. Jagu provides Hari with a job, a place to stay,food and even tried to help Hari on some occasions. Without the help of Jagu, Hari would not have been able to survive in the mean streets of Bombay.

Mr Panwallah taught Hari many things, like how to adapt to the changes Thul is undergoing. Also, he taught Hari how to mend watches, which was very important in the later of the development of Thul.

Please comment.

Blog Prompt: Who is your favourite/least favourite character Village by the Sea? State your reasons.

I would be talking about my least favourite character of the story. It would be Hari and Lila's father.

Hari and Lila's father is a very irresponsible man. He goes to the toddy shop everyday. Basically, he was the one who started all the problems. He caused the whole family to be disfunct. In the village of Thul, the responsibility of a father was to earn money for the family. However, in Hari and Lila's family, this was not the case.

Because of their father, they had to take up responsibility of a mother and father. He also takes Hari's hard-earned money to buy toddy. This also deprives the chance for the family to improve.

He was partly responsible for Pinto's death. It was Pinto's death that triggered Hari to escape to Bombay.

I really do not blame Hari for that. Hari was under much pressure because of his alcoholic father. After Hari escaped, Lila was left to cope alone.

In conclusion, Hari and Lila's father is the main "villain" of the story.

Please comment.

Blog Prompt: I rather be a city rat than the country rat

There are many pros and cons of either side. I know many of you would choose to be a city rat. However, after weighing the pros and cons, I would like to be a country rat.

A city rat lives in an environment that is very noisy and lively. The city is also the place where you can earn more money and fame. The country has a very tranquil atmostphere. You can live in the country with light hearts and be happy-go-lucky. However, there are many problems you face in the city. (e.g loss of jobs)

In the country, you may be jobless, but carry on living. You can just plant any vegetables you want. It is an agricultural place. The country can actually be quite interesting. I have been to Perth before and it was a amazing experience for me. I was able to milk cows and even pluck apples from trees.

In conclusion, if you seek power, fame and abundance of money, you should be a city rat. If you seek a carefree life, tranquil atmostphere and you love nature, you should be a country rat. I choose the latter.

Please comment.

Blog Prompt: Confessions of a procrastinator

Hello everyone! I have many confessions as a former procrastinator. Being a procrastinator once, I slept early and woke up late. That was how lazy I was.

I was always late for parties, so in the end, I received very few invitations to parties. I always procrastinated when I needed to do homework. I would always leave my homework right to the very last minute. This is why you could always see my dying face a day after the weekend. However, one thing really changed me. It was exams. A rather major one too. PSLE.

One day, my mother asked me to start on my revision for the PSLE. Shaking my head, I said, "Relax, it's just a month away." However, I really regretted having that bad attitude. When I started revision was only a week before the PSLE. You could imagine how anxious I was. Everyday after school, I would rush home to study and studied till the wee hours of the morning.(I don't do this on normal examinations)

I always went to school with a heavy heart and a huge desire to fall into slumber. I was one day caught sleeping in class. The teacher chided me on how lazy I was and repeated that the PSLE was round the corner. My parents had to meet her. I was given a tongue-lashing by my parents. Soon, the dreaded day arrived. That night, I was dunking coffee down my throat. When I arrived in school, you could really see my "panda eyes". I slept earlier on the day before the other papers.

That first day was the only paper that I did not recevied an A*. So, this really shows that sleep is important. But after this difficult lesson, I finally learned not to procrastinate.

Please comment.

Bed Bugs

Hello everyone. You all should see this video about the dangerous bed bugs. And I mean DANGEROUS. Bed bugs are nasty parasites. When your mother tucked you in bed and said, " Don't let the bed bugs bite!" she wasn't joking.



Here are some information about the bed bugs:

Bed bugs can lay between one and five eggs per day with an incubation period of 10 days in warm weather (slightly longer when cool). These newly hatched bed bugs will require five significant blood feedings to reach adult size. They will molt in between feedings by shedding their exoskeleton. One mature they will begin the process of laying new eggs.

You may not realize right away that bed bugs are the source of the annoying sores on your legs when you wake up in the mornings. Bed bugs are attracted by both warmth and the presence of carbon dioxide, which is what we exhale in breathing. The bugs climb up onto your skin and pierce you with two hollow tubes, one of which injects anti-coagulants and anesthetics. The other tube is used to withdraw your blood, feeding for about five minutes before returning to their hiding places.

That's all folks!
Joel.