Journal Three from Maddie

A Quiet Poem

By Elaine Equi

My father screamed whenever the phone rang.

My aunt often screamed when she opened the door.

Out back, the willows caterwauled.

In the kitchen, the faucet screamed

a drop at a time.

At school, they called screaming "recess"

or sometimes "music."

Our neighbors' daughter had a scream

more melodious than my own.

At first, Col. Parker had to pay girls

to get them to scream for Elvis.

I didn't want to scream when I saw The Beatles,

but I did. After that, I screamed for even

mediocre bands.

Late in his career, John Lennon

got into Primal Scream.

Many people find it relaxing to scream.

Just as crawling precedes walking, 

so screaming precedes speech.

The roller coaster is just one of many

scream-inducing devices.

The ambulance tries, in its clumsy way, to emulate

the human scream, which in turn tries to emulate nature.

Wind is often said to shriek, but Sylvia Plath

also speaks of "the parched scream of the sun."

Jim Morrison wanted to hear the scream of the

butterfly.

With ultra-sensitive equipment, scientists measure

the screams of plants they've tortured.

It's proven that if you scream at a person

for years, then suddenly stop, he will hear even

the tenderest words of love as violent curses.

And to anyone who speaks above a whisper, he will say:

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare raise you voice to me."

Part One: Majority of the stanzas in this poem are couplets. I say majority because there are a couple tercets included and even some single lines. I think this works well for this poem because the tone changes often and the tone shifts between the stanzas, it goes from annoyance, to excitement, into something similar to despair. There is also some slight situational irony within the poem that I loved, particularly when she described the neighbors' daughter's scream as melodious.  

Part Two: This poem vividly shows the many different emotions there can be behind a scream, which is reflected by the tone. I really enjoyed this poem because she took something as uncomplicated as a scream, and turned it into something so much more real. My favorite stanzas are the last two, especially the second to last. There's a lot I love about that one stanza, one of which being word choice (I like the word ''proven'' in that line). Overall I think this is a great poem and it's a lot of fun to read.

Journal Two: Katie

Hello! I am Katie and a Junior at Ohio State. I was born and raised in Westerville, OH. I am the second child of four, with an older brother, a younger sister, and a younger brother. Besides myself and my siblings living under the roof, my family owns 3 dogs- two terriers and a lab. Suffice it to say, it is quite busy and noisy here. I enjoy reading and watching Netflix because they are lots of fun and you can learn a lot from them. Pizza is also a lot of fun, plus buffalo chicken dip. They are both very yummy.

I find the textbook interesting because it is not written like other textbooks. In most the author says there are only one or two ways to do something and in this textbook, the author says their way may not be the best way for students to learn writing. I find it oddly refreshing that the author realizes his way of teaching may not be the best for everyone. At the same time, it makes me confused because that means something I write may be the opposite of what he says, and still be right. This should be interesting to see how this class goes.

For the Poem "Homage to my hips" I find it funny in a way. She realizes with her hips there are benefits and drawbacks. Like she can no longer "fit into little petty places" but she has "known them to put a spell on a man." I like how she repeats hips, as it makes the poem flow. She also speaks truthfully about her hips in a way I have not thought about my hips. It is true, what I find so enjoyable.

Journal Two From Maddie

Hey guys I'm Maddie. I tend to be a very laid back and down the Earth person. I did my freshman year of college at The University of Akron, and then transferred to OSU, which is the best decision I could have made. After moving back home from Akron, I decided to get my own apartment instead of moving back in with my dad. He was not kidding when he warned me not to be so eager to grow up. I work as a waitress at Bun's in Delaware, which is basically my second home, but I'm still the poster child for being a broke college student. I also like to think I was born in the wrong generation, since I don't know many other people my age with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers posters on their bedroom wall.

The best thing about this textbook is how real and aware the author is. The author knows exactly who his audience is and how to appeal to us. Most textbooks students are forced to read are dry and are a chore to read. Maybe it's because of the nature of this course. The author of a creative writing textbook is not going to write the same way as the author of my behavioral neuroscience textbook, and that is refreshing. Not only is the language easy to read, the author does a good job of reminding us of concepts we once learned and clearly laying out new ideas we may not have ever learned.

Lights by Stuart Dybek was my favorite poem out of the packet. I love the simplicity of and yet, it reminds me of being younger. While I never shouted "Lights" at cars, I can feel like I can still relate to it. "Waiting for the night, posed against the afterglow on corners" just takes me back to running around my friend's neighborhoods in the summer, before I had to spend my summers working.

Journal Two from Megan Wittkopf

I'm Megan Wittkopf! I love turtles, buffalo's, and cats. I have two babies, Jasmine and Binx. Yes, they're cats...but I treat them like my children. I love concerts (I'll be seeing Bush in February), and laying on the couch. I work at Dewey's Pizza in Dublin, if you're looking for a job we're hiring in the kitchen! The pizza is amazing if you have never been. I love the Green Lantern pizza: Red sauce, minced garlic, light moz, goat cheese, mushrooms, artichokes, and pesto! Sounds amazing right? I'll see you soon :). I am also studying to be a nursing student, but not here! I'll be transferring to Chamberlain School of Nursing and graduating there! If I am not studying I am reading Dean Koontz or Stephan King.

What struck me in the textbook was lyric poems. I write a poems when I have any free time. I always thought I wrote in free verse but now that I recall I write lyric poems. Lyric poem is "any fairly short, non-narrative poem presenting a single speaker who expresses a state of mind or process of thought or feeling". This is very open of me, but I write better when I am down or upset. Most of my poems are not very happy. But they are short and express my state of mind. I also really enjoy how the author writes. It sounds like someone is speaking to me instead of trying to dissect what they are trying to say.

I enjoyed the poem, How Trust Works. You can feel a sense of depression in the poem, even though it seems like it will be a poem of advice from a grandmother. The poem also speaks about how even though you've been warned it is hard for a girl to live by the advice if you are in love. You want to trust people, which makes us foolish girls. The boyfriend left at the end because men are stereo-typically not as foolish and listened to the advice given by his grandma. I've seen this through some of the people close to me. they love whom ever they are with despite the warning and then the man hears a warning about her and leaves.

Journal Two from Dana

Hi, I'm Dana. I hate introductions that are assigned as classwork. They come off as awkward, forced, and insincere, and that's because they are awkward, forced, and insincere. If it wasn't disrespectful, I wouldn't do any introductions. I wouldn't even tell you my name.

Fun fact: I'm a people person.

I love drawing. I will probably be drawing in class. It helps me pay attention to lectures. Here, let me be a big showoff:


Untitled by Anthea-S on DeviantArt

The textbook is being delivered right now. Curse you, amazon snailmail.

I snickered when I read Homage to my hips. I have big hips, too. I understand "i have known them to put a spell on a man and spin him like a top." My boyfriend is definitely under a spell.

Welcome, and Journal Two prompt for blog. From Mike

Hello, students, and welcome to our blog!

The first thing you must do is get a Gmail account, which you may have done prior to class.  Then, using that Gmail address, please write to me at mikelohre@gmail.com and I will invite you to the blog.

You will then have to follow some steps and verifications to become a member of our blog. Please choose to use the normal Blogger user profile and not Google plus, or the blog will annoy you with wanting you to share all your posts.   I will help you if we come into any problems, so please just raise your hand as help is needed in the lab.

 http://english2267.blogspot.com/ This is our blog address.  The fastest way to find it is to sign into Gmail, then open a tab and go to Blogger.com and it will show you your blogs.  Click View Blog.

Once you are a member, you will see your Gmail address appear in the upper right hand corner, and only then can you post to the blog.

To do a New Post, you must again find that link in the upper right hand corner.  Click New Post and a window will appear to let you compose.

Please title all your writings, and use a username that is either your name or nickname so we know who is writing.  Only class members will be on this blog.

--For your first post, write a paragraph where you introduce yourself, tell us some things that help us know you more, and share a fun fact about you.  Also, if you are comfortable to do so, please post a photo of yourself or something you love, so we can always come back to this and associate your name with your face and introduction.  Again, the blog will just be for our class and I will adjust the privacy and search settings.

--In your next paragraph, respond to one of the poems in the packet we read for today.  What do you notice?  Which language stands out to you as best, and why?  What feeling or connection do you make to this poem?  Can you relate? Have you been there?  Tell us.

--When you are finished, publish your post, and then read other posts on the blog and write Comments to two other people in the class.  Try to respond to something specific, or add to or connect to something that has been written. 

Remember, you can always save the post or even publish it, and then go back and add and subtract from it.  Just use the Posts list, or go back to your post and click the pencil icon to edit.

Good luck, have fun, and just let me know when you need help!