Poetry analysis #3

Ballad of Birmingham

BY DUDLEY RANDALL

“Mother dear, may I go downtown

Instead of out to play,

And march the streets of Birmingham

In a Freedom March today?”

“No, baby, no, you may not go,

For the dogs are fierce and wild,

And clubs and hoses, guns and jails

Aren’t good for a little child.”

“But, mother, I won’t be alone.

Other children will go with me,

And march the streets of Birmingham

To make our country free.”

“No, baby, no, you may not go,

For I fear those guns will fire.

But you may go to church instead

And sing in the children’s choir.”

She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair,

And bathed rose petal sweet,

And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands,

And white shoes on her feet.

The mother smiled to know her child

Was in the sacred place,

But that smile was the last smile

To come upon her face.

For when she heard the explosion,

Her eyes grew wet and wild.

She raced through the streets of Birmingham

Calling for her child.

She clawed through bits of glass and brick,

Then lifted out a shoe.

“O, here’s the shoe my baby wore,

But, baby, where are you?”

Title: I think that the poem will have something to do with a day in Birmingham Alabama.

Paraphrase: In the first few stanzas a child is asking if he can go outside and celebrate with other children and his mother replies in the next stanza saying no that she would rather him just stay inside or go somewhere safe like church. In the next stanzas the mood shifts when the mother hears an explosion and she suddenly becomes frightened. In the last stanzas it is the mother looking for her child through the ruins of the explosion

Connotation: “But, mother, I won’t be alone.

Other children will go with me," Is rhyme it helps the poem roll off the tongue and it's easier for the reader to read. 

"Her eyes grew wet and wild" is imagery, you can image the way this woman looked when she heard the explosion and it makes it more real for the reader.

Attitude/Tone: In the beginning the tone is playful, just a conversation between a mother and her son. But towards the end it shifts to fearful when the mother hears the explosion and then sadness when she is looking for her son.

Shift: The last two stanzas shift the poem. It goes from playful to worrying and then to sadness. This shift makes the poem more serious and gets the meaning through.

Theme: The time that this poem is about was when racism was really popular in the South and bombings like this were very common. 

Poetry analysis #2

Addie Ramonda

Per. 3

AP Lit

Across the BayBy Donald Davie

A queer thing about those waters: there are no

Birds there, or hardly any.

I did not miss them, I do not remember

Missing them, or thinking it uncanny.

The beach so-called was a blinding splinter of limestone,

A quarry outraged by hulls.

We took pleasure in that: the emptiness, the hardness

Of the light, the silence, and the water’s stillness.

But this was the setting for one of our murderous scenes.

This hurt, and goes on hurting:

The venomous soft jelly, the undersides.

We could stand the world if it were hard all over.

Title: I think that given from the title this poem will be about the water. It will probably have to do with a view by the ocean or some body of water. 

Paraphrase: I think that Donald Davie is describing a murderous scene. When reading the second stanza it is an allusion of death when he talks about the "silence and stillness." He talks about the scene being so great but then "hurting" because he is reminded it is a murderous scene. Using a metaphor about jelly fish by saying they look soft and not harmful but when you touch them they sting. 

Connotation: Allusions to death are made when he talks of the "silence and stillness." A metaphor is used when talking about the jelly fish and how they don't look harmful they when you touch them they are, just like the scene seems peaceful until you realize what goes on there. "For one of our murderous scenes" is apostrophe, referring to something as though it is human, it makes it seem more real and important. The poem is extremely detailed I think he does this in order to help the reader create the scene and feel as though they are there as well. The theme of the poem is that we can enjoy things to a certain extent and how something may seem so perfect but actually have an awful secret. The title does represent the setting in this poem . There's a shift in the last stanza breaking you from this beautiful view and back to reality when he starts talking about a murderous scene. 

Unreliable Narrator blog post #2

Addie Ramonda
Per. 3

Caroline. She's the love of my life, her golden blonde hair and light complexion is almost impossible to resist. I've been around for millions of years and have yet to come across anyone like her. She will never be with me though. I killed so many people that she loves and ruined the life of her boyfriend Tyler. He's a werewolf though, come on Caroline. Caroline deserves someone much more interesting for example a hybrid, like me. I only do these evil things because I'm troubled. My feeling were shut off, I didn't have a conscious. Of course since Caroline I have begun to feel again but I have to keep up my evil reputation or else I won't be respected. I'm an original, I've seen things and over the years they have gotten to me. There is no other way to be than bitter. And when you come so close to breaking the curse only to be fooled out of it, that would leave anyone in an awful mood. See if I had it my way I would break the curse and no longer be a vampire. I could have real human emotions, live a normal life, settle down maybe, have a few kids. But this is nearly impossible now since my only plan seemed to have been ruined. But any ways back to Caroline. She's stubborn, so stubborn that it frustrates me to the core. Everyday I reply the things she says and try to figure out what is going on in that brain of hers, but I can't. She's independent too. Always trying to figure things out for herself and doesn't like others help. Horses, she loves horses. I know this because once when she was dying and I saved her life she mumbled it to me that she loves them. I painted her a picture of a beautiful horse, and I swear I almost had her but then she snapped out of it and realized who had given it to her. I guess I will have to get used to watching her from a distance.
-Klaus (Vampire Diaries)

Poem/Song Analysis #1

Addie Ramonda
Period 3
Song/Poem Analysis

I chose to analyze the song Say Something by A Great Big World.
Say something, I'm giving up on you

I'll be the one, if you want me to
Anywhere, I would've followed you
Say something, I'm giving up on you

And I am feeling so small
It was over my head
I know nothing at all

And I will stumble and fall
I'm still learning to love
Just starting to crawl

Say something, I'm giving up on you
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you
Anywhere, I would've followed you
Say something, I'm giving up on you

And I will swallow my pride
You're the one that I love
And I'm saying goodbye

Say something, I'm giving up on you
And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you
And anywhere, I would have followed you
Oh-oh-oh-oh say something, I'm giving up on you

Say something, I'm giving up on you
Say something

I think that this song is about a man who is in love with someone that is dying or in a comma and can't respond to him. In the beginning of the song it's showing how much he loves her by saying that he would have followed her anywhere. Throughout the song the artist keeps repeating "say something, I'm giving up on you," which would lead you to believe that they are talking to someone who is not responsive. Towards the end of the song it says "And I'm saying goodbye Say something, I'm giving up on you And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you," I think they are saying I'm sorry that I couldn't save you and I'm letting go now because theres nothing else I can do. This song is really powerful and sad but I like it because it's relatable and real. 

New Years Resolution blog

Addie ramonda
Per 3

Every year I've had a New Years resolution. Wheather it to be nicer, eat healthier, or try harder in school. But what I've realized is that I never stick to them. So this year I decided not to have one. I think it's too much pressure to have a New Years reaolution and I'd rather just start a goal whenever I want.
I always find it entertaining however that the day after New Years the gym is absolutely packed but within two weeks it goes back to normal. Again, I feel like people put too much pressure on New Years resolutions and they should just go with the flow and make goals when they feel inspired not when they think their supposed to. I also find it funny how people tend to say "New year, new me." When in reality it's just a new day, just like every other day. I think the way you should look at it is that eveyday day is a new day to start over and not wait around for a new year to start something.