Poetry Response - "Dreams" by Langston Hughes

"Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow. "

      The poem that I chose to respond to is "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. This poem is about how you should never give up on your dreams, because if you do, life is depressing and dull. I like this poem because I like the comparison of hope and a bird. I think that they are very similar in some ways. They are both very delicate creatures. He says that without hope, life is like a broken winged bird and a frozen barren field. I think that this mean that without hope, life is broken and sad. And with hope, you can "fly" meaning that you can do great things if you have hope and you don't give up.
      I think that Langston Hughes wrote this poem because he wanted to tell people to have hope and to never give up because without hope, life is depressing. This poem kind of reminds me of a quote that says, "When the world says: "give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time"". This is what I think that Langston Hughes is kind of trying to say. Even if the world is against you, and you want to give up, you should keep trying because without hope, life would be really sad for you.

The first picture that I drew is about what life would be like if you have hope. It is a picture of a bird flying and on its wing, it says hope. If you have hope, you can fly and do great things. But the other picture is what life would be like it you didn't have hope. Like it says in the poem, I drew a picture of a bird with a broken wing and scattered around it are the remains of the word hope, but the letters are broken.

Sources:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dreams-2/ 

2nd Quarter Reflections

      This year was completely different from last year. We got a completely different schedule. Instead of nine, forty-five minute classes each day, we have four, eighty-eight minute classes each day, and we have an A Day, B Day schedule. It is already half way through the year (I can't believe it either), and I wanted to reflect on the Second Quarter. So, this is my reflection blog. 

      In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts? 

      I think that this quarter I have improved with studying. Last quarter I wasn't really used to the new way that we were doing vocab tests, and had never used flashcards to study before, so I didn't know the best way to do it. But, this quarter, I think that I am much more used to flash cards, studying, and the way that we do vocab tests. 

What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?

      Something that I accomplished that I am proud of is finally reading Anne Frank's Diary. I've always really wanted to read it because I seemed so interesting to me, and this quarter I finally did. It took me a while, but I got it done. She is a really good writer and it is horrible what happened to her. I would really recommend the book people. 

What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

      I think that the most challenging part of the second quarter has been time management. I have learned that I procrastinate A LOT. I get home and I go directly on my phone instead of doing homework. And I kind of wait until the last minute to get things done. Something that I have started doing to help with this is having a family member kind of take my phone hostage until I finished my homework.

Where are you in your 40 Book Challenge? 

      I am not very proud of where I am in my 40 book challenge. I have only read a few books this quarter. I read Anne Frank: Diary of A Young Girl, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and two other books that I can't really remember right now. I really need to do better next quarter so that I can get farther in the challenge. 

Blog for Week - 1/19/16 - Book Talk Blog

      The book that I am reading right now is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, which is a young adult fiction/science fiction book. This takes place in the future after North America was destroyed. There are 12 districts around a Capital. The farther the districts get away from the Capital, the poorer the districts are. So District 12, where the main character is from, is the poorest. The main character is Katniss Everdeen. She is a strong, stubborn and just wants to protect her family. Which is why she takes her sister’s place in the 74^th annual Hunger Games. The hunger games are a competition between all of the districts. One girl and one boy are chosen from each district and put into an arena where they have a fight to the death until one victor remains. And all of this is broadcast on live television for the Capital’s entertainment. The mood of this book is serious. The book starts out with Katniss telling everyone how horrible her district is and almost all of the rest of the book is the games, which is also a horrible event. I think that one of the themes in the Hunger Games is sacrifice. Katniss sacrifices herself to save her sister, knowing very well that she could die in the games.

      I really like this book because I think it is suspenseful and has a lot of emotions. The thing that I remember most about the book is the first moment that the tributes are in the arena. I remember this because Katniss is so vivid with her descriptions and tells us about everything, from the way that it smells, to the plastic sheet that was lying by her feet. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes kind of sci-fi, dystopian books. It is suspenseful and yes, a little violent, but I think that this is a really great book. 

I commented on: Melissa's Blog, and Emily's Blog,