Thoughts on Poetry

This week, Mrs.Reidel's question to us was:

WHAT IS POETRY TO YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM WRITING IT?

Poetry hasn't really done much for me. I don't really connect with writing it and I find most of my attempts at writing poetry end up totally fake because I try too hard to sound deep and thoughtful. I much prefer writing fiction. I do however enjoy reading good poetry, and I am always astounded at how the author has put together the words to have such a beautiful flow. There is also a wide range of really interesting, off-beat poets who's work I find really intriguing to read. One of the books of poetry we have in class, Cigarette Salad by Mike Freeman, has really caught my interest with it's crazy topics and nonsense writing - it is a very entertaining read. Overall, writing poetry again has affirmed my previous dislike for writing it, but expanded my interests in reading it. 

This is basically how I feel about writing poetry.  :)  :)  :) 

School is for YOU

How can you, as the manager of your own education, ensure that school assignments meet your needs? Is there are way to meet the instructor's expectations, while also following your own interests?

I believe there is always a way to bend the assignment to fit your interests. If you are able to choose your topic, you can choose something which you are interested in or want to learn about, as long as it fits the criteria. Most teachers are fairly supportive of outside interests and some will allow you to do something a little different if you talk to them first. It is up to you to find ways to interject your interests into your assignments whenever you can. Doing this will allow you to do the project with more passion, therefore resulting in a better mark and making it more enjoyable for yourself. It's hard to do an assignment when you couldn't care less about the topic. Have to do a history assignment on the 1800's? If you find it a snore-fest but really like music, give a brief overview of the time period, answer all the necessary questions, and then instead focus on the way music in the 1800's has influenced modern day songwriting or compare the two etc. Same goes for anything else, just make sure it's okay with your teacher so you don't get bagged for "not understanding the assignment."

"Don't let schooling get in the way of your education." - Mark Twain

Stephen The Wise

   “I am always chilled and astonished by 

the would-be writers who ask 

me for advice and admit, quite blithely, that 

 they "don't have time to 

read." This is like a guy starting up Mount 

Everest saying that he didn't 

have time to buy any rope or pitons.” ― 

Stephen King

This quote from American contemporary horror author Stephen King really speaks to me because I believe that a lack of reading and literacy is a very large problem in today's world. Due to this sad disdain for reading that many people show, we end up with people who write utter junk and will continue to write garbage until they have read some proper works of literature. Since the 70's, King has been a largely successful author, laying claim to 55 published novels which have sold over 350 million copies worldwide. He often criticizes modern day society in regards to technological advances and the poor state of today's developing writers.