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Literary Studies 11 – Poetry Project

Date January 22, 2022

Posted by Markus

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Life to the Fullest

By Markus Jack

Imagine living a boring life,

Never getting married and having no husband or wife.

Waking up and doing the same thing every day,

All humanity the same like a group of cows trying to find some hay.

Imagine a world where you do nothing and then die,

Just like laying in the sun and your skin starts to fry.

Life is a roller-coaster bumpy and rough,

Thump, thump is your beating heart when life gets too tough.

Make more out of your life and don’t sit here and sob,

Instead motivate yourself to go get a meaningful job.

Life is too short to waste any precious time,

It is important to be present and live in the moment all the time.

If we reach out our hand,

To protect all of our land.

We can make this world a better place,

Demonstrating inclusiveness and kindness no matter of anyone’s race.

Humanity has so much potential to be great,

It is time to go explore the world and put a stamp on what you create.

Dig deep into your sole is where you need to start,

Follow your hopes and dreams that are inside your heart.

Markus Jack

Part B: Mini Composition of Life To The Fullest

As the saying goes, “Live life to the fullest!”, always live each day as if it were your last. That is the message that should be broadcasted worldwide. In the poem “Life to the Fullest” by Markus Jack, he uses descriptive language, figurative devices, sound devices, and tone throughout, to portray that message.

As said in the poem, “All of humanity the same like a group of cows trying to find some hay”, he uses a simile to compare the human race to a group of cows, further proving his point that in society, we continue to “follow the leader” instead of taking our own path. The author also uses imagery in that line giving us a direct idea and image of what he means. Throughout the poem, especially in that line, his figurative language really gives a good idea of the tone. It’s almost as if the author is motivating you to do more for yourself while you are reading. In these lines “Imagine living a boring life, Getting up doing the same thing every day” Markus demonstrates imagery.

Markus uses many kinds of figurative devices in his poem. He uses a metaphor to compare two things with similar qualities without using like or as. Markus compares life to a rollercoaster (“Life is a roller-coaster bumpy and rough”). He uses personification to give human qualities by saying that the person is not actually digging with a shovel into their sole (“Dig deep into your sole is where you need to start”) or the person is not really putting a stamp on the world (“It is time to go explore the world an put a stamp on what you create”). Markus uses metonymy to make a concept be referred to by a name of something closely associated with the concept. When Markus says “If we reach out our hand” he is meaning helping out someone.

Markus uses some sound devices in his poem. The author uses an onomatopoeia when he uses the words thump, thump to phonetically mimic the sound of a heart beating (“Thump, thump is your beating heart when life gets to tough.”). Markus uses assonance when he used repetition of the same vowel sound (i) in a line in his poem (“Imagine living a boring life.”). The author uses repetition by using the word “life” multiple times throughout his poem.

Markus crates tone and attitude throughout his poem. He uses a hyperbole when he makes an extreme exaggeration statement which is not meant to be taken literally. The skin is not actually frying (“Just like lying in the sun and your skin starts to fry.”).

In these lines, “Humanity has so much potential to be great. It is time to go explore the world and put a stamp on what you create”, it really relates to the overall theme of the poem. It’s basically saying, if life isn’t infinite, why do we continue to waste our lives? Markus Jack used descriptive language, figurative devices, sound devices, and tone throughout his poem to help express a positive outlook on life and always live life to the fullest with no regrets.

What Can a Poem do?

By Darius V. Daughtry

The poem “What Can a Poem do?” is an open poetry written by Darius V. Daughtry. He shows a lot of different kinds of literal language in this poem. He starts the poem off by saying what a poem can and can’t do but the poem is called, “What a Poem can do?” not can’t do. He continues to talk about how a poem won’t save you physically like getting shot or getting blown up. This poem shows a lot of imagery. When he says, “a poem can’t make you less woman or less poor or less black”, he is saying that a poem can’t make things change you. When I heard this part of the poem it immediately put an image in my head about the BLM movement that is going on right now. I thought how a poem can’t make everyone equal but reading poetry can help a wounded soul. Another piece of imagery I saw in the poem is “a poem cannot turn back times hand, erase mistakes made, or cut, copy, paste memories’, a poem cannot delete history’s horrors”. When I heard these lines of imagery, I immediately thought off mistakes I have made in the past and it’s how you overcome them and persevere through even if you know you messed up. I also thought about how a poem cannot go back in time or go in the future. I cannot fix mistakes in the past, but it can help benefit myself in the future by not making those mistakes anymore. The theme in the poem is a lesson about life. A poem may not be able to save you physically but can help save you mentally. It’s about overcoming obstacles that get into your way and always pushing yourself to be the best person you can possibly be. I chose this poem because this is the poem, I understood the most and felt the most connected to. I struggle with not being able to let things go. For example, when I play hockey and make a mistake which leads to them to scoring, I must have a short memory and let it go. If I do bad on a test, I must let things go and move on and make sure I am more prepared for the next obstacle in my way. Every time I have something important, I always think of this curtain quote. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog”. Saying this over a couple times helps calm me down and lets me know I can only do what I can control.

Literary Studies 11 – Fahrenheit 451 Project

Date January 9, 2022

Posted by Markus

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Here is my Fahrenheit 451 project down bellow.

Info Dot 1

Blood

Blood appears throughout the novel as a symbol of a human being’s souls or self being. Montag often feels his most revolutionary thoughts circulating in his blood. Mildred, who sometimes seems completely oblivious to what the society is going through. She remains unchanged when her poisoned blood is replaced with fresh, mechanical blood by the Electric Eyed Snake machine. The symbol of blood is related to the Snake machine. Bradbury uses the electronic device to reveal Mildred’s corrupted insides and shows how delusional she really is. The Snake has explored “the layer upon layer of night and stone and stagnant spring water,” but its replacement of her blood could not help her soul. Her poisoned, replaceable blood relates to the empty lifelessness of Mildred, and the countless others like her in their society.

The Phoenix

After the bombing of the city, Granger compares mankind to a phoenix that burns itself up and then rises out of its ashes. Man’s advantage is his ability to recognize when he has made a mistake so that eventually he will learn not to make that mistake anymore. Remembering the mistakes of the past is what Granger and his group have set for themselves. They believe that individuals are not as important as the whole culture and history. The symbol of the phoenix’s rebirth refers not only to the nature of history and the collective rebirth of humankind but also to Montag’s spiritual resurrection.

Mirrors

At the very end of the novel, Granger says they must build a mirror factory to take a long look at themselves. This point recalls Montag’s description of Clarisse as a mirror in “The Hearth and the Salamander.” Mirrors in this novel are symbols of self understanding of seeing oneself clearly.

“The Hearth and The Salamander”

Bradbury uses images as the title of the first part of Fahrenheit 451. The hearth, or fireplace, is a traditional symbol of the home which is where the book starts. The salamander is one of the official symbols of the firemen, as well as the name they give to their fire trucks. Both symbols have to do with fire. The most important image of Montag’s life is the hearth because it contains the fire that heats a home, and the salamander because of ancient beliefs that it lives in fire and is unaffected by flames.

“The Sieve and The Sand”

The title of the second part ofFahrenheit 451is The Sieve and the Sand which is taken from Montag’s childhood memory of trying to fill a sieve with sand on the beach to get a dime from a cousin and crying at the thought of the task. He compares this memory to his attempt to read the whole Bible as quickly as possible on the subway. He hopes if he reads fast enough some of the material will stay in his memory. The sand is a symbol of the tangible truth Montag needs and the sieve the human mind needing a truth that remains unsolved.

Info Dot 2/3

The impact of technology controlling more spheres of our lives and the possible repercussions: isolation, loneliness, feeling disconnected, increased anxiety and or depression…

Over the years, whether it was during the industrial revolution or the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has evolved. From smart cell phones to self-driving cars to artificial intelligence and machine learning, we as humans have continued to develop sophisticated technology of the future. While a lot of these new developments and inventions have positive impacts, they also leave lasting repercussion on society and mental health. The truth is, as we continue to develop and integrate our lives more with technology, we will gradually have less control over it. As stated in the article, ‘Humans are on the verge of merging with machines’, Harari says, “It’s increasingly hard to tell where I end and where the computer begins.” From what I understand Harari’s quote states, that as we continue to develop technology, it is becoming increasingly harder to tell when “it” ends. In the future, it is inevitable that we will reach the point where everything is ran with technology. As we continue, possible repercussions such as isolation, loneliness, feeling disconnected, increased anxiety and depression will continue to set into the population. With the rise of social media in recent years, we’ve allowed it to take precedence over person-to-person interactions thus creating isolated and lonely individuals. As we adapt to new technology, we need to continue to set good boundaries while maintaining a good relationship with the people around you. As mentioned in the article, “Harari’s advice to us is that we shouldn’t just invest in artificial intelligence; we should invest equally in understanding and nurturing human consciousness”. This gives the idea that investing in artificial intelligence and human consciousness are just as important as each other. New technological advancements are never a bad thing, if we use it properly and with caution. As long as we continue investing in new technology, we as humans need to continue having healthy relationships with the everyday technology we use. “We have much to lose if we aren’t more careful about the technologies we are creating right now.”

Info Dot 4

Humanities Blog Post

Date September 20, 2021

Posted by Markus

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Humanities Blog Post: Are the Studies of Humanities important?

By Markus Jack

Humanities, what is that? Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. I believe the studies of Humanities are important to study because it is important for a healthy democracy and community. I believe studying humanities will open many opportunities for future success. A reason why studying Humanities is so important is communication. Learning English is one of the most important things in the world because so many different countries speak it. You always see exchange students come to our country to try and learn our language because it is so important to them to learn it. Also, reading and writing are crucial too. Learning how to read has helped me drastically in school which makes me motivated to further extend my knowledge in Humanities. Writing is a skill that is important in many parts of life. In her January 2018 article Devaluing a Humanities Education Ultimately Devalues Humanity Itself, writer Mandy Pipher talks about her experience at Oxford University. She feels that students at her school think having an English Degree isn’t as important as a Math or Science Degree. I agree with what Many Pipher is arguing about. I believe there are so many opportunities with an English degree. Some examples include teaching in K-12 classrooms, a writer, a publisher, teaching English abroad, private tutoring, and social media management. In the video “Why We Don’t Study Humanities”, Margarita G has a similar thesis for the importance of the Humanities for society. She believes that people tend to think of getting an English degree as a joke. In movies an English degree is portrayed as an easy degree to get. 20 seconds into the video a woman asks a man what you can do with an English degree. He goes onto saying “you can think deep thoughts about being unemployed”. The Dead Poets Society is such a great example of how important English is in our daily lives. The teacher in the movie tries to inspire the students by looking at things from different perspectives and to help pursue their dreams. The overall message of the video is being able to understand poetry which can lead you to understanding movies and allow you to read your family and friends moods and beliefs. I wish more people would see this video and for the people who saw this I’m hoping they were as impacted as I was. Humanities is so important for our daily life and can help with so many different aspects. Being able to communicate through speaking, listening, reading, and writing will allow you to become more successful in life. In conclusion, I believe studying Humanities is important not just for me, but it will benefit everyone. Before our class discussed this, I never realized how important Humanities is to me and how much we need Humanities in our society and our daily lives.