Favorite Winter Poem

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost

Good Authors

What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers." - Logan Pearsall Smith

What I think Smith is saying here is that good authors will not blatantly write a straight forward piece. Instead, a good author will make it so the piece has many meanings. A good way of doing this is by using symbols, themes, and foreshadowing events throughout a novel. Sometimes the underlying meaning of a certain text can tell more about a certain book than the obvious. Also, more obscure novels leave readers with different opinions on what they feel the text is actually trying to reveal. This leads to a more interesting novel along with a good discussion about the text.

My Favorite Short Story

One short story I remember during middle school was The Lottery. It was a story about a perfectly normal neighborhood except for one thing. Each year they had a lottery. I know what you are thinking, what is wrong with a lottery? Well, this lottery was not an ordinary one. The winner of this lottery did not get money, but got stones thrown at them until they died. This story attached to me for a couple of years. It was really interesting. Questions like why this strange town would hold such a cruel lottery still stick in my mind. Overall, I felt this was a very interesting short story, unlike any other I had read. 

Do you think young people today value their education as much as Sara Smolinsky does? Why or why not?

Personally, I believe people today do not value education as much as Sara Smolinsky did in The Bread Givers. First, today many people did education for granted. In fact, I can't even imagine a world in which a formal education was rare among women. In the Bread Givers Sara willingly gave up her home and family to pursue her dream to become educated, allowing her to later become a teacher. Today, most people are educated no matter what. We don't have to fight for it, or give up our family and home for it, education today is just taken for granted by many students, including myself. All of Sara Smolinsky efforts went towards her dream of one day being educated and becoming a teacher. I feel there is no comparison between the way she valued education and the way students today value education. Sara Smolinsky was willing to sacrifice anything for an education. 

First Bread Givers Class Discussion

The Bread Givers, by Anzia Yezierska, is a novel which mostly describes the hardships and struggles of an immigrant Jewish family in America. During this discussion, our class mainly discussed the role of the father in this novel. I have made two observations of this infamous character. First, he is very irrational. Throughout the novel he clearly favors his religious studies over his family. He sacrafices his family's well-being for a so called place in heaven, which may not even exist. Next, the father is very irresponsible. After picking two unsuccesful suitors for her daughters the father becomes very enraged. However, instead of stepping to the plate and taking responisbility for his mistakes, he blames everything on his daughters. The father needs to seriously adjust his character, but until he does so, I consider him to be pure evil.

How Difficult is Writing?

"There's nothing hard about writing. All you have to do is sit down and open up a vein."

- Walter "Red" Smith

I agree with Walter "Red" Smith; writing is very difficult and almost
impossible. Anyone can put together sentences, but can we really
consider that writing? Being a writer does not mean you get to sit
in your pajamas, with the television on in the background and write
whatever you want. It is quite the opposite. Being a writer consists of
many stressful nights trying to compose a well-written masterpiece,
that you are proud of. Writing has also contributed to some authors
and poets going mad. In fact, I believe being a writer is one of the most
difficult professions.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

My Top 10 Thanksgiving Foods

1. Pumpkin Pie

2. Sweet Potatoes

3. Cranberry Sauce

4. Apple Pie

5. Mashed Potatoes

6. Stuffing

7. Gravy

8. Roast Beef

9. Yams

10. Green Beans