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.