Granite Pail

Facebook: Guys in class I am reading a poem book called the Granite Pail. It is so interesting, it tells the life of a woman named Lorine Niedecker. You guys should really look into reading it.

Dear Meme,

I am having a great time in college. I am learning so many new things. I am taking an art class that is lots of fun and doing very well in. Also my math class I am doing fantastic in and learning lots. I am also learning more about computers believe it or not here I thought I knew lots about computers but I guess not. In my public speaking class I am doing well in finally getting out of my comfort zone and being able to talk more in front of people.

In my writing and composition class I am doing well also. I am currently reading a book called Granite Pail. The Granite Pail is a poem book written by Lorine Niedecker. You would really love the poem book because I know how much you love poems. It explains the life that Niedecker lived and how she basically survived in the area she lived. Her writing is a little hard to understand but it's because she makes her readers think. Overall it is very interesting how she explains her life in a poem. It is a great book and I hope you get the chance to read it some day.

Our volleyball season ended and we did pretty well. The coach said this was one of her best teams she has had so far at Silver Lake College. I was the youngest one the team so I was worried I was not going to be able to play a lot but turned out I played lots, which was very nice. We are now in basketball season. We have only had two games so far. I will be keeping you up to date during the season as to how we are doing.

How are things at home? I feel like it has been a long time since I have seen you. I hope you are getting the chance to see Charlie play in all of his sporting events. I surely do miss all of your cooked meals, the food here is alright but yours was also just so good. I hope to be home soon to see you and hear how things are going. Just wanting to check in with you it has been awhile, hope to see you soon!

Love,

 

Abby

Dear Ann Engleman,

I attend Silver Lake College. We have been reading The Granite Pail in class. It is very interesting understanding the life of Niedecker. In her poems she does a very good job explaining how she lived in Fort Atkinson, WI. Her writing at times though is very hard to understand what exactly she is trying to get across to her readers. At times it was difficult to understand because she just wrote what she was thinking and the writing was a little scattered. I believe maybe that was her way of having her readers think more about what exactly they are reading. I do really like how much she wrote about the nature she saw around her. It also had me imagining what she was actually looking at. I really appreciated how Niedecker describes how she feels through her writing.

Niedecker has given good details on what she really is seeing around her. For example when she says “ Along the river wild sunflowers over my head the dead who gave me life give me this our relative the air floods our rich friend silt” given good detail of what exactly she is visioning. In my head I vision her sitting along the river with sunflowers all around her, looking up into the sky, thinking about all that has left and gone to heaven. Also as she sees there is water all around her and the ground wet and muddy. Most of her poems were based on the nature she saw around her which was very interesting to learn. I really appreciate how the flooding around her is expressed in her writing; it allows us as readers to imagine what she is seeing. Reading about all of her poems allowed me to feel like I was in Niedecker's shoes just by the way she explained how she felt. Knowing that her whole life was based on the flooding around her amazes me that she still lived in the small cabin. She knew that her house would have water in it but she did not really care, she enjoyed the nature. Niedecker shows me that she really appreciated the nature her around.

From Niedecker's writing you can tell that she lived a very quiet life with not many friends. She expressed her feeling through her writing. I have learned that the people that lived around Niedecker did not know she wrote poetry. Reading her poems in class has been fun it shows me how different people really live.

I am glad to hear that someone has started sharing more of Niedecker's life. The poetry festival in Fort Atkinson gives the chance to people who read Niedecker's poetry to have a real feel as to how she lived. I am sure it is a great experience to go on her property and see where she got all of her ideas. Thanks for allowing people to have that opportunity.

Sincerely,

Abby

Good afternoon Professor Smith,

Have you ever wanted to add something new in your teaching plans such as new books or poetry lessons? I encourage you to have your composition students read more poetry in class. Reading poetry makes readers think so much on the life of the writer. I believe this because some poems are written with a brief description as to how they are living or have faced life.

Poems are normally on the history of the writer. When you read poems you learn the life of others. With that being said, reading the Granite Pail in class shows the history and the life of Neidecker. Everyone has history in their lives that no one really knows about unless they choose to share it. Reading poems in a classroom can allow students to think about their own lives. For example, the Granite Pail tells the life story of Lorine Neidecker. In her poems she explains where she lived, what she saw around her and how she took care of her mother. She explains basically what is on her mind or what she sees around her in almost all of her poems. Reading poems in a classroom would be a great idea. Students can then get the chance to express their own emotions by relating to the poems they have read

You should really consider reading more poems with your students. I really encourage you to read the Granite Pail with them. It can really give them a great understanding of how some poets really express their emotions through writing. I hope you look into adding poetry into your lesson plans. Have a great day. Fill free to contact me if you have any further questions. You can reach me at (906) 221-5879 or at abby@gmail.com. Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Abby

After reading all of these paragraphs it is clear that each is written differently. Starting off with the Facebook post it was not that formal. It was me writing to my friends or family so it was not that well written. When I was writing to my grandma I wrote little more formally. I basically wrote down what was on my mind so it was scattered as well. I also was able to ask her questions on a personal level because I know her well. When I was writing to Engleman I choose to write with all seriousness and more formally. I tried to act more professionally trying not to get on a personal level since I do not know who she is. Imagining myself as a college professor the wording and phrases needed to sound more intelligent. I also needed to be more organized in my writing, and not have everything so scattered.

Silence

Most people know that in the constitution it says that we have the “freedom of speech” but is that really true? Are people really allowed to say what they want or what they believe is right? Try and think the last time you got in trouble for speaking your mind. I am sure it has recently just happened to you.  In the photograph of the man with his mouth sewed shut shows how he needs to be silent. Is he forced to be silent? His he choosing not to speak due to he is afraid what others will think? Those are a few questions that ran through my own mind while looking at picture.

Anne Applebaum writes in “The Decline of American Press Freedom” that Yale University did not publish a book due to the facts others believed there was going to be a huge “outrage.” In my mind I believe that’s not right. If someone wants to publish something what they believe they should be able to publish it. Many people do not believe in the fact people have free freedom of speech. I agree so many people are judged when it comes to what they want to say. For example the book that Yale did not decided to publish because they thought “the risk of terrorism was too great to allow the publication of the twelve cartoons. So many people protested against that decision.  So when looking at the picture and how the man had his mouth all sawed up it makes me wonder if that’s how most people feel. As in do they just stay silent and choose not to speak their minds, so they do not get judged. The picture its self is very disturbing to look at, but it in the end it gives a very true statement.

The picture is very hard to look at but it leaves a great message to however gets the chance to see the picture. It has people questioning what exactly the picture is trying to show. Such as is he choosing to be silent or forced to be? I am sure when people look at a picture this disturbing they wonder if at times they feel the same way, too afraid to speak their minds. So many people judge what others say and people really do not have the “freedom of speech.”

Works Cited

Applebaum, Anne. "The Decline of American Press Freedom." Colobumo, Gary, Robert Cullen and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing Ninth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 639. Book.

Crash My Party

“Crash My Party”

During life kids are told what they can and can not do at a very young age, but what people do not understand is that they should really just let kids act the way they want. Yes, to a certain point you have to let them know the difference between males and females. Make sure they have good manners and respect people the right way. Some people take the gender role too far and force too much on certain people. Most parents just want the best for their children and make sure they turns into a great young adult. “Crash My Party” is a very popular song by the country artist Luke Bryan “Crash My Party.”

Watching the music video showed me a lot about the song. Luke tries really hard to be able to see this girl. He puts up a sign that has an arrow pointing the way to his property so she has a better idea to get to the house. This instance shows me that he is hoping she is actually going to show up. He cares about her coming, so he is putting in a lot of effort.

In the beginning of the music video Luke sets up a wooden table outside with two chairs and puts candles on it. To me it is a feminine thing to do because most girls set the table and put in most of the effort for dinner with a guy. He does it all for the girl. Another key point is when he is in the process of setting up the table and realizes he needs to put something on for a center piece. So he goes out and picks a few flowers to put on the table. Luke is resisting the guy code because most men do not go out and pick flowers, but at the same time he is trying to impress the woman by picking flowers for the dinner. People could look at this in two different ways depends on who you are talking to. Men are supposed to be the ones being nice for the women and getting her flowers but most men will not just go pick them themselves they would just go by them. Luke is going out of his way to pick them which could be more of a woman action to pick up the flowers.

The song explains how a man can really care about someone. He explains several times when he says, “It doesn't matter what plans I got, I can break 'em” When that is stated in the song a lot of questions go through my head. Does he really care about her? What are his true feelings about her? Is he wanting to be with her forever? Is he just trying to impress her for just a little while? Most men won't drop everything for a girl unless he really cares for her and doesn't want anyone else to have her. It shows how a man can really care about someone he wants to be with. You will find men who will drop everything for a woman if he truly loves her. It normally is the girl who makes the effort to try to talk with a guy she wants to talk with. In the end it is normally the guys who decides when they should date or when they should get married, but in this song Luke seems to do everything he possibly can just to be with her.

“We can go raise some hell another night” is more of a male role. Men go out to find new friends to hang around with but his saying he will go out another night explains a lot. It tells the listeners he has his mind set on one individual and no one else. “Raising some hell another night” is him canceling plans with his male friends which if he was really not looking to impress this women he would have stayed. When Luke makes that comment shows he has respect for a girl he wants to be with and not trying to be with anyone else. He wants to be a man and be strong, make it clear to the women that he will do anything to see her.

“I will leave the door unlocked” is more of a male role. It shows right there that he is not afraid of keeping his door unlocked. He is acting very strong for the woman to make it clear that he can protect her. In the same verse he says “ I'll leave on the lights.” “I'll leave on the lights is something more of what a woman would do if she was afraid; it shows more of a feminine role. Luke wants to keep a light on hoping it will encourage the woman to not be afraid to come by because it will not be dark in the house. Leaving the light on, from a woman's point of view, will make her feel more safe and choose to show up knowing he cares to make sure she can see her surroundings. Most men try to act tough and shut the lights out.

Luke says “I do not mind dealing with the bros I cant meet em” is a very surprising thing a guy would say to his mail friends. For example when we read the story “Bros before Hos” it made point that guys are never really willing to skip plans that they have with their male friends for a girl. Hanging with the guys is a tough thing to do but when they decide to skip it to hang out with a girl, they will hear about it for awhile from their friends. Where as, a girl it is very different. The girl's friends will encourage her to go hang out with the guy. In this phrase he is willing to take the heat from his friends by ditching them to go meet a girl which in way can be shown he is manly. I believe that because he doesn't really care what the boys will say to him, he can handle whatever they might have against him for ditching out.

This song is a very good example of a guy who is not afraid to get made fun of for leaving his bros for a girl. He wants to be with someone and is willing to do anything just to make that happen. A few times he shows his feminine side but other lyrics show more of a manly encounter. He is really trying to impress this woman as much as he possibly can and is making sure this woman understands what he is willing to do for her. Throughout life girls will find the type of guys who will do anything for a women. To me that's not really saying they are resisting the guy code, its more like they are trying to show women they care.

Feeling Lost

Ever read something and realizing how it did not really make sense? I am sure almost everyone has read something and either felt lost or confused on what was read. Lorine can be confusing to a few readers. One poem that confused me was Watching dancers on skates.

Throughout the poem a few things are addressed in such a short poem. She first states how "Ten thousand women and I the only one in boots" It explains how she is more of an outsider just by her saying she is the only one in boots. It does not really state if she is more lonely or okay with being different and being her own person. She then goes into talking about the Life's Dance. She says "they meet he holds her leg up" by her saying this can mean a few different things to people. "He holds her leg up" I do not really understand the meaning behind why she would have said something like that out of all the skating moves there are. Is she trying to say that the women trusts the man holding her? How she is not very good at skating compared to everyone else because she may not be able to get her leg that high? While reading that statement so many things can run through a readers head on what exactly she was trying to explain.

Lorine poem writing may have made sense to her when she wrote the poems and maybe the whole time she just wanted her readers to think while reading what she thought. At times it is very hard to understand what exactly what she was trying to get across. Her writing diffidently makes readers think.

Role Model

Role Model

Over the years I have had several teachers who were very strict, easy going, easy to get along with, or even rude to certain students. The teacher I remembered the most was my freshman English teacher Mrs. Wender. Mrs. Wender was a teacher for many years at Iron Mountain High School. On the first day of class she made it clear that she was not going to deal with any goofing off or childish games in her classroom. She told us if we goofed off we would be sent right out the door and most people listened because you could tell in her facial expression that she was serious. Mrs. Wender greeted all the students when they entered her class with a nice “hello how are you doing.” She was very strict on certain areas, such as she did not deal with misbehaving students in her classroom. She expected her students to have their assignment neat and due on time, by doing that she really prepared us for the college world. Mrs. Wender always appreciated it when her students tried their hardest. In Mrs. Wenders class you did not just learn how to treat your peers with respect but also future teachers/professors later in life.

She was an older teacher so she had many students including my parents and many other students' parents. Mrs. Wender was always dressed very nice for school. She always wore jewelry, there was never a day when you would not see any on her. By the way Mrs. Wender dressed she showed us as students how we should dress for our job because she was always looking nice. By the way how nice she dressed it also proved that she respected what was expected for adults to dress at work.

Mrs. Wender was a very caring teacher to all the students. If students ever needed help with homework or any other personal problem she was always willing to help them out.

She might have been a really strict teacher but she was a great teacher. I personally got along with her and loved her has a teacher. I am sure many others can say the same about her. The main reason she was so strict was because she wanted us to always try our hardest and not slack off. Mrs. Wender always knew when students were not putting all their effort into work. When students showed up for her class they had to make sure they had everything that was needed for class that day because she would not let anyone go back to their locker to get something. She was always wanting to prepare her students for college professors. With her preparing us for college showed us students really how serious professors will take college!

Mrs. Wender did not give out much homework but when the homework was given, students were expected to do it. Over my years of high school Mrs. Wender helped me out tremendously with my homework assignments and studying for test. Once a week she would tutor me at her house. The tutoring with her lasted 4 years and it was probably the best thing that she could have done for me; she was so willing to help me. When students chose not to hand in homework she got so frustrated because she was there to help the students. If a student chose not to do the assignment the student would normally have to have a talk with Mrs. Wender because she was going to find out why that student did not do the homework. No matter what the studen'ts excuse was for not doing the homework, she did not really care because it was your job to finish the homework just like everybody else. Once Mrs. Wender had the talk with an individual student and they chose not to do the homework, again then she did not really care after that. Her saying always was, “If you do not care about your grade after our talk then I do not care either.” When she said this she just had a very serious look on her face and stood at the front of the class room lecturing all of us again because one student chose to listen and get help from her.

When it came to taking her tests students needed to study. Her test were not to hard but they were worth a large percentage of your grade. Her test were worth so much because she wanted you to actually take the time to study for them. Her projects were also worth a lot because in order to pass the class, you had to do the projects. I remember a time when I had a project due and I was not exactly sure where to even begin. So I went to her class to ask her what exactly I could do. It was a project on Romeo and Juliet and we had to make either a board game or a scene from the play. She was happy I came in for help. We sat at her desk and wrote down on a piece of paper different ideas I could possibly do. She would say a few ideas and then follow up with what I thought about the ideas she had said. Before she would actually write down a possible idea she made sure I agreed with and a few times I did not really agree so we did not write that idea down. After we had several ideas written down we picked what would be the most successful one for me to do. Sitting down with with Mrs. Wender gave me more confidence in starting my project. When it came time for me to hand in the project she was happy with what she saw because all the ideas we thought about I put into my project. If students had trouble understanding something she was always willing to help them if they had questions or concerns about the homework or project.

In Mrs. Wender's class you were taught how to respect other students and your peers. She did not deal with disrespectful kids. If students were acting up in her class they were asked nicely to leave. She would stop everyone with what they were doing just to tell that individual students to kindly leave. Most students did not like how she stopped the class just to kick them out. Mrs. Wender stopped the whole class because the student misbehaving was trying to get attention anyways so stopping the class made everyone look at that individual so the student got the attention they wanted as he/she left the class room. Once that bell rang for class the students had to all be sitting quickly in their seats. She allowed us to talk before the bell and on some days the last five minutes of class, but that always depended on how well every one listened in class. Students were always expected to be on their best behavior in her class.

Most kids in her class met her expectations. I personally met every expectation for her class. I never missed a homework assignment or project. I never once handed in an assignment late or messy. I always made sure they were neat and the way she wanted them. I tried my hardest on all the homework and studying for her tests. I doubled checked before I went to class to make sure I had everything I needed for class that day because I knew if I did not I would not able to go back and get what I needed.

Mrs. Wender was a very great teacher. She who always took her classroom seriously when class was in session. When we had passing time between classes you would see many students just in her class talking to her. Many of the students respected her and enjoyed her being around her. She was the person to go to if you were having trouble with school or even if you needed someone to talk to. She might have been a strict teacher but she was always a great help and a very caring person, willing to help you out if you ever had questions. Many kids went to her for a tutor because she knew more than just English. What I learned most from her is that just because teachers are strict in the class room does not mean the teacher is not willing to help you outside of class. Most students understood she was strict but she never pushed students away she always encouraged them to do the best they could. She really respected her students because she wanted to be respected also as a person. Certain things she taught me in her class I will always remember especially how she treated her students. Mrs. Wender is a huge role model in my life and I hope the day I become a teacher the students will respect me as much as we respected her.

Gender Roles

Kids at a young age find out what they can and can not do according to the gender rules. Parents try to guide their kids in the right way by the type of gender they are. The short story that by Aaron H. Devor describes mainly how each gender should act and the way the parents raise the kids.

My mother taught me how to be the young lady I am today. I came from a house of 3 brothers and a dad so I always had boys around. Of course sense I was the only girl my parents did not want me to act so much like the boys they wanted to make sure I acted like a girl. When I was little I was always the one allowed to go shopping with my mom cause it was a girl thing and to get me out of the house and away from all the boys. They boys hated that I was always allowed to go but my mom explained to them it was a girl thing. I always was put into a dance class. The dance class was a great thing my parents put me in because it allowed me to get away from my brothers and do my own thing.

The boys were always messing around beating up on one another and at times I would get brought into just because I was always around them. They also played with all the boy toys and sense I was the only girl I did not have many girl toys that lasted in my house. My mom always felt bad for me so she started to get me out of the house and do more girly activities.

My mom was not super strict on me not hanging around the guys she just wanted me to get away from them at times. I believe it defiantly helped me be who I am today.  Being able to do girl things with my mom and dance class just let me be a girl and not have to be around all the boys. I was taught at a young age the difference between what role a boy takes and what role a girl takes.

A strict teacher

Over the years I have had several teachers that were very strict, easy going, easy to get along with and even rude. The one I remember the most and respected the most was my freshman English teacher. She was a teacher for many years and never dealt with kids misbehaving. One the first day of school she made sure all the kids understood that every assignment was due on time and neat. She also made sure everyone knew she would not deal with messing around in her class. She was a great teacher and loved teaching but she took her job seriously when it came to class time.

She was a very strict teacher but was a great one. I personally loved her. Mrs. Wender was always very kind. She would greet us every-time we walked into the room. We were allowed to talk until the bell rang but the second that bell was done ringing we had to be in our seat and be quiet. If a certain student was a distraction in her class she would kindly ask them to leave because she was not going to deal with them while other kids were working. When we were in her class you had to be on your best behavior.

When it came to doing her homework she expected us to do our best work. She would always be able to tell when we were slacking or not trying. When she could tell someone was slacking or not trying she would have a talk with them and make sure they would do better on their assignment. Mrs. Wender never wanted us to fail but if you did not attempt to help yourself after her talk then she wouldn't care what your grade was. When assignments were due we were expected to have the assignment in on time because she would not let you hand it in the next day. The reason why she wouldn't allow us to hand in the assignment the next day was because she wanted to prepare us for college.

Mrs. Wender was the teacher that taught us how to act in a classroom in high school. There was no goofing around or childish allowed in her classroom. I learned lots from Mrs. Wender. She taught me how to respect a teacher and my classmates. I respect her very much and learned a lot from her.