Category Archives: English 11

To The River by Edgar Allan Poe

Posted on by
Reply

Illuminated Poetry POWER POINT -1xw15j3

“To The River” – by Edgar Allan Poe (assonance fair river in thy bright, alliteration wandering water,

The poem is about a man encapsulated by the varied beauty of a woman. And how the lake is beautiful, for it is just a reflection of her beauty. And just like the river he too is beautiful, for he holds her image. “To The River” addresses a social custom; which is love. The man is talking to himself about how beautiful this girl is and how she vary beauty reflects within the water. Throughout the entire poem, it is quite abstract using the river as a metaphor for his perception of her. Utilizing connotation when he says “which glistens then, and trembles” just as a river trembles when brushed by the beauty of the wind. He trembles by the sight of his lover. Also, “the heart which trembles” this is connotation for his rapidly beating heart when she’s around. Poe’s diction towards the subject revolves around the river; for example “crystal, glistens, stream, wave.” Poe’s tone towards the poem is entirely different to his later works of horror and depression. As this poem is again ambiguous but, is about love. For example; “Thou art an emblem of the glow of beauty — unhidden heart,” this man is completely in love with this maiden of the Lake. “To The River” is written as two stanzas. The first stanza contains six lines with rhyme scheme ABACCB, while the second stanza contains eight lines with rhyme scheme ABABCDCD, all rhyme is end rhyme and is open. He makes the poem sound optimistic and happy by utilizing assonance and euphony “fair river in thy bright,” alliteration “wandering water.” This poem is one giant metaphor, filled with symbolism “for in my heart as in thy stream; her image deeply lies” comparing his heart to a stream. Flowing steadily and is everlasting. The title works well in conjunction to the poem. “To The River” describes the setting, yet leaving it ambiguous enough to leave some mystery. And the poem is quite ambiguous as the meaning differs from person to person with the common theme of love. Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates his skill and utter mastery of his craft by being able to grasp the reader from the title to the bitter end. And “To The River” is no different. We can all relate to the character through our mutual love for others and how the most common of streams can be beautiful.

“To The River” by Edgar Allan Poe – 1829 

Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow

Of crystal, wandering water,

Thou art an emblem of the glow

Of beauty — the unhidden heart —

The playful maziness of art

In old Alberto’s daughter;

But when within thy wave she looks —

Which glistens then, and trembles —

Why, then, the prettiest of brooks

Her worshipper resembles;

For in my heart, as in thy stream,

Her image deeply lies —

The heart which trembles at the beam

Of her soul-searching eyes.

Choices: Why I choose the pictures I did

picture #1

The poem describes this riverbed, and I wanted to find a river bed that was quite tranquil, calm, and beautiful.

picture #2

“Thou art an emblem of the glow of beauty — the unhidden heart.”

When I read this line, I always would imagine a golden heart shrouded in darkness. Only able to see by its golden glow.

picture #3

“The playful maziness of art of old Alberto’s daughter.”

When I read this line, I would think of abstract blotches of paint. To demonstrate the “maziness” Poe was writing.

picture #4

“but when within thy wave she looks — which glistens then, and trembles.”

this line always made me think of a beautiful eye that is just sparkling.

picture #5

“Why, then, the prettiest of brooks her worshipper resembles.”

I would always see a woman that is physically a part of the lake. That her body is the body of water Poe describes

picture #6

“For in thy heart as in thy stream.”

Edgar Allan Poe is describing that is heart is like a stream so I thought it would be fitting if a river would look like a heart.

picture #7

“her image deeply lies.”

I wanted to find an image that looks as if she vary image engraves into the man’s brain, that it would demonstrate not only her beauty but also his love for her.

picture #8

“The heart which trembles at the beam, of her soul-searching eyes.”

I love this picture because the eye looks as if it is staring directly into space, seeing the vary soul of the universe.

Music Choice:

Song used: Grace by Sophie Hutchings

The song has this beautiful melody which gradually builds like Poe’s love for this girl. And the beats just fall seamlessly into the rhythm of the poem. The song is tranquil, calm and elegant just like the poem.

 

Capital Punishment within the short story, ‘Two Fishermen’

Posted on by
Reply

“Not in My Name: Why I Oppose Capital Punishment.” Historymaniacmegan. Megan, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.

We a see man in the electric chair, about to face his death. And a hand on a lever with the control to kill this man or save him. The colors and the shapes tell us the whole story. The man in the electric chair with the bright yellow light shone on him is the light you see right before your death. Then you see the hand on the right side of the image; on a red background along with the jagged objects on the side making it apparent that it is a grave situation.

 

Canada has used the death penalty in the past, and the use of the death penalty has been on a steady decline ever since. And capital punishment is now non-existent in Canada. Canada in the 19th century used capital punishment for crimes of treason, rape, and murder. But, it wasn’t until a century later where the murder into capital and non-capital offenses was classified. Meaning, if you committed premeditated murder, or murdered a police officer, guard or ward on duty, then it was mandatory for you to be hanged. As the years progressed, the use of capital punishment became less and less, where it became almost nonexistent. But, in 1987 a motion has proposed the house of commons about reintroducing the capital penalty. The motion was declined. As you see the death penalty nowadays, it has become a mandatory life sentence of 25 years with no chance of parole. Since the abolition of the death penalty, murder rates have dropped significantly.

What year would it be in the story Two Fisherman if taken place in Canada? Thomas Delaney kills Mathew Rhinehart. He is receiving the death penalty for his actions. Thus the story must be before the abolition of the death penalty. Second, was this premeditated murder? Indeed, it was not. There is no evidence to show that Thomas Delaney knew that Mathew Rhinehart was going to rape his wife. Therefore, this murder was entirely incentivized. Mathew Rhinehart’ profession is still unknown but during his murder wouldn’t a police officer have a pistol on him? Ultimately, this murder must have taken place before 1961. Furthermore, in the story Two Fisherman there are cars in the story. Thus, the story must have taken place between 1908 (the first car was released) – 1960.

Thomas Delaney should not be killed for his actions. It is evident Thomas is not a threat to society. Notably, Thomas did not kill for blood lust; he killed because he saw that his wife’ life was in danger. Besides, Thomas kills Mathew because it was too much of a risk for Thomas to have left Mathew to his intentions. We already knew Mr. Mathew’ intentions. Therefore, Thomas had to make a quick decision, and he chose to kill one life to save another. Notably, not the actions of a killer, moreover, a hero. Thus, giving this hero the death penalty would be an act of complete injustice. The human aspect must always be intertwined with the law.

Food and Me (Norma’s Seafood and Steak)

Posted on by
Reply

Norma’s Seafood & Steak 

The Steak isn’t the only thing that’s well done.

Zachary Fletcher February 1st 2017

Food and Me

Great service and great food is just a small snippet of what’s to come when you go to Norma’s Seafood and Steak.

Let’s talk about location. It’s walking distance from all of the major hotels in the Seaside Coast, and the smell just walking up to the restaurant is magnificent. The pungent crisp salt air with the echoes of the roaring sea, truly is incredible. As you come closer to the restaurant you notice it’s unique charm. The sea blue paint with the miniature lighthouse on top; amazing. Now what’s a restaurant without good food? Don’t worry, Norma’s Seafood and Steak has it all. With a menu that screams “I’m delicious”, it’s impossible to choose a bad meal. What I absolutely love is there clam chowder. It is heaven in a bowl. It’s simple, it’s smart, it’s delicious and it has won many awards. You can smell each ingredient is fresh. The broth; thick and creamy, the clams; soft and salty, the potatoes; big and beautiful and on a cold day in Oregon it is an absolute treat to have. Served with a beautiful slice of rye what more can you ask for?

Then my favourite entree, the crab cakes. If you couldn’t tell already Norma’s Seafood and Steak is big on fresh ingredients and their crab cakes or no exception. That means, crab you could have sworn was just taken from the sea and cooked for your royal demand. As you cut into the tender, scrumptious crab cake and bring closer to your salivating mouth you can smell the roasted red peppers and the hint of the garlic aioli. Once it hits your tongue, you’re in flavour city as it melts in your mouth all you can feel. Is pure joy. Delicious.

People go to restaurants for a lot of different reasons. Maybe it’s because of the great food, maybe it’s because they like one specific server or great service in general, or maybe it makes you feel at home. At Norma’s Seafood and Steak I believe it’s a mix of all three. The food (as previously discussed) is incredible but the service at Norma’s Seafood and Steak is text book definition of what great service should be. Always greeted with a smile that will melt your heart faster than butter on a lobster tail and always taken care of by the lovely servers. And the atmosphere is always pleasant and warm. Like a hug from a close friend. You should always feel invited when coming to Norma’s Seafood and Steak.

All wrapped up in a rustic, coastal setting and you have one fantastic place to eat.

In conclusion, I highly recommend you try out Norma’s Seafood and Steak if you are ever in Seaside, Oregon, you’ll be sure to have a great meal for a better price.

Yelp Review: Dominic Aidouni, Keg

I would enjoy the keg a lot more if it weren’t so expensive. Great quality of food but be prepared to empty out your wallet.