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.