#3 (on bloggin')

Blogging (or bloggin' as spelled above) is hard work. No, I didn't have to go outside and pour concrete when it was a hundred degrees out (which I am definitely thankful for), but I did have to face an intellectual challenge. It is easy to get on websites like these to rant, or push a cause, or just become entirely self-absorbed. However, it is difficult to write well. I do not just mean to write gramatically correct, or with an interesting style. Those are basic skills that honed every year that you write. However, finding engaging topics that truly make readers, or, in this case, classmates, think is challenging. My creative mind is usually spent after my classes each week, so adding this blog as a requirement was difficult because I was already intellectually drained. However, I did find the blog to be a fun challenge at some points in the semester, especially when I was really intrigued by a certain aspect of something that we had discussed in class, and wanted to take my new knowledge to the next level. The blog provided a great outlet to connect my musical and poetic interests, which I enjoyed. Also, one of my favorite parts each week was reading what others had written. This allowed me to see the common themes and ask questions based on the new information that my classmates provided. I also feel that our class connected more because of the blog. We got to read much more of each other's writing, and got better glimpses into true personalities. So, even though there were times when I griped up a storm about these blog entries, I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy them. I am not sure if I will got through withdrawals until summer arrives, when I won't be insanely busy with all the other class requirements, but I will miss connecting with our class on here. This was definitely a great outlet that I am truly thankful for. Until next time blogosphere, I bid you adieu.

#2 (The Tyger)

The Tyger by William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

(http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15523)

This was the first poem that I memorized, which really isn't that momentous of an occasion, but I still greatly enjoy this poem. Now that I have memorized a ton of poems for my college classes, I can look back on this one and smile. Enjoy!

#1 (Absurdists, Confessions, and Martians! Oh my!)

So, I felt like I had journeyed to Oz after this class discussion. The unique viewpoints of both the absurdists and martian poets have the ability to make your head hurt, just because they look at all things in such a unique way. I had been introduced to these styles before, and remembered the Martian poem distinctly because I liked it so much. However, I still enjoyed hearing about these styles again. One of my all-time favorite genres of poetry is the confessional genre. In my last Creative Writing class, I did an in-depth study of a poem by Sharon Olds, who belongs to the neo-confessional category. I think that confessional poetry is such a beautiful expression because it is truth-based. It doesn't try to hide what emotions are really like in the human experience. Even though confessional poets have frequently experienced tragedy, their work does not deny the beauty of emotion on both ends of the spectrum, from despair to happiness. I would highly recommend work by Sharon Olds to read if you also enjoy the confessional genre. This was a great class discussion of these three forms that I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to being exposed to more poems in all of these genres in the future, since they are so set apart from the poem in its traditional sense.