Category: English 11

The Taking Tree – Poetry Project

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The Taking Tree - Manroop Thandi 

The maple tree is dying,

Once red and beautiful

With a strong thick trunk,  

Took a sip of the bittersweet

Flight away from life,

In the midst of removing every dried-up leaf,

Giving the other roots grief

Disregarding its surroundings.



The maple tree is dying,

This tree is drowned in an anesthetic

That is reactive but not proactive,

The drink that causes sad happiness

Trusting a true trick.  

creating loneliness.



The maple tree is dying,

The dark day has come,

Now unable to see

It will never breathe

The dagger strikes the tree ,

as it falls down gloomily

Quietly and quickly as fast as

when it started blooming,

it finally acknowledges the world it didn’t get to see.


the maple tree is dying.

Composition:

People often rely on drugs and alcohol as a vanity away from problems but fail to acknowledge the repercussions of such actions. In the poem The Taking Tree, Manroop Thandi displays the theme of using drugs/alcohol to hide pain. The Taking Tree is a free verse and open poem. The speaker is someone who is close with someone who has experienced drug abuse before. The poem is an extended metaphor about someone who abuses substances, this is shown in line 10 “this tree is drowned in an anesthetic”. The anesthetic represents a numbing agent that limits pain but only lasts for a short amount of time, this could represent a drug or alcohol.

 

Thandi’s choice of using maple trees as a comparison to a person could be because a maple tree is very vibrant but after constantly misusing substances it is dead and has lost its life. In line three Manroop says “with a strong thick trunk” this could be representing the strong mind it began with and how substances started destroying its solid roots (mind). The “dried-up leaves” is a metaphor for problems. The tree wants to remove all of the things that bring down the vibrancy of the tree. The line “of removing every dried-up leaf” is also a hyperbole because removing all problems from a one’s life is impossible. Line 8 shows that drug abusers do not know the trail that substance abuse causes and how much it emotionally affects others. The line, “this tree is drowned in an anesthetic” is a hyperbole because the tree is over using this drug for tranquility. Line 11 “that is reactive but not proactive” represents that the drugs the person is taking is only a solution for a limited time but in the long run it will never go away. The poet also shows that the ultimate result in abusing drugs instead of facing problems will result in in loneliness, “trusting a true trick. Creating loneliness”. In lines 21-22 the poet compares the day the tree bloomed to the day it is dying by using a simile. This comparison is made because when the tree bloomed it was excited to grow, similarly, when it dies it will finally have peace. Thandi also uses the symbol of darkness and a dagger to represent death. There are also a couple of examples of personification in the poem. In line 3 Thandi says, “took a sip of the bittersweet” this is personification because trees cannot sip.

 

Thandi also uses sound devices such as repetition, alliteration, cacophony and oxymorons. Throughout the poem, Thandi repeats the line “the maple tree is dying” to emphasize the effect of the drug abuse on the people surrounding the abuser.  In line 13 Thandi says, “trusting a true trick” this is alliteration because of the repeating “tr” sounds. In line 12, Thandi uses an oxymoron “the drink that causes sad happiness”, this represents a faux experience. In the hopes of reviving everything, the person has become depressed. The person fails to realize that this drug is not causing happiness but affecting everything around it. Line 13 is also an oxymoron because “true trick” contradict each other, this is because the person using the drugs believes that this is a real solution but later figures out it was all a trick.The person abusing drugs believes that drugs will solve all problems but later realizes that life with the drugs/alcohol created many more problems rather than solving them. The poet also uses cacophony in line 3 by repeating the “k” sound and in line 21 by repeating the “q” sound.

 

The poem The Taking Tree use many figurative devices to show the path someone going through drug abuse. This poem is insightful to the human condition because many people deal with substance abuse in attempts to hide pain but fail to recognize the effects of these actions.

True Happiness – Fahrenheit 451 Essay

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To be happy is anticipated by many, but does our society know the meaning of true happiness? Often, happiness is thought to be achieved by the amount one consumes and the entertainment one has.  In the novel “Fahrenheit 451”, Ray Bradbury exaggerates the overuse of technology in society. The society in Fahrenheit 451 relies on parlour walls and violence for entertainment. Due to the distraction of technology the society was oblivious to the intense warfare surrounding it. This society burns books because they believe books contain useless information. In his heroic journey the main character; Guy Montag, realizes that happiness cannot be attained through technology but with knowledge and books. Without the help of Clarisse, Montag would have never seen the beauty of the world. Ray Bradbury is prophetic by emphasizing the addiction to technology people face in the dystopian society, which is very similar to today.

 

People tend to seek fill their lives with reactive happiness. In Fahrenheit 451, the society fails to care about things that matter and invests more time in entertainment. The society in the book, believes that life should strictly be composed of entertainment in order to possess happiness. While talking to Montag, Beatty says, “bring on your clubs and parties, your acrobats and magicians, your daredevils, your jet cars, motorcycle helicopters, your sex and heroin, more of everything to do with automatic reflex… I just like solid entertainment” (pg. 58). The society seeks glorification to avoid thinking about political issues. The society seeks to be entertained and has faux experiences. Rather than participating in activities that generate true happiness they are stuck believing that by undertaking drugs you will be in contentment. Whereas it is paradoxical, the parties and entertainment will only be able to grant happiness for a limited amount of time. After the time is up, they will continue to be in melancholy which results in suicidal behavior. In the book, true happiness is only experienced by Clarisse, who neglects technology. Clarisse is able to communicate with others and she has insight into the world. The rest of the society does not challenge their minds, which diminishes their conscience. Similarly, in our society we seek for glorification. One lyric from Donald Glover’s video, This Is America is “we just wanna party”, then Donald Glover continues to dance and later shoots someone. We believe that doing such revolting acts are entertaining, but the adrenaline and happiness lasts for a restricted amount of time. We experience faux happiness and continuously repeat those actions. Once we feel malaise, we quickly react instead of being proactive and doing something that will truly enrich our lives. Both Fahrenheit 451 and society today, lack the feeling of authentic enjoyment.

 

The society in Fahrenheit 451 and society today are both reliant on technology and disregard the ability to critically think. In Fahrenheit 451, technology is the prominent influence in society. The parlour walls in the society display useless information, this makes the society incompetent at critically thinking. Instead of having the parlour walls show cartoons, it could have documentaries that educate the people. The citizens do not have a conscience and do not use the parlour walls for educational purposes. While talking about politics and the presidential election, one of the parlour ladies says this: “I voted last election, same as everyone, and I laid it on the line for President Noble. I think he’s one of the nicest looking men to ever became president” (pg. 93). The parlour women voted for a president based on his looks and did not consider his campaign. They have the privilege to vote, but they abuse this honor. The parlour walls are undervalued for the effective information they could spread. Due to the distraction of the parlour walls, the society is unaware of the warfare happening in its own country. They have no insight into the world. Similarly, in the society’s schools the students learn absurd facts that are irrational. The purpose of school is exploited and used improperly. In our society, we equivalently do not use contextual information. In Time To Do Everything But Think, David Brooks says, “the problem with all this speed, and the frantic energy that is spent using time efficiently, is that it undermines creativity”. Time To Do Everything But Think is a very universal and interpretive article. The internet can dispense everything, and this takes away from our conscience. We can find pointless information online, but we do not use the tool for its full extent. We can easily find educational material online and this takes away from our learning skills. Our society has become lazy and dependent on technology to critically think for ourselves. We do not dive deep with the information we receive but we only stay at a surface level understanding. With the tool of technology, we have forgotten our own ability to think. We are oblivious to events happening around the world because of our hubris. We only care about things happening around the countries we live in and neglect our responsibility in this world.

 

People tend to believe consumption leads to happiness. In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred is exposed to technology all around her. Mildred faces problems with depression yet, she still claims to be happy. At the beginning of the book, Montag was pleased to have a life filled with technology. But at the end of the book he is in despair because of technology and urges to change society’s functions. In the book Mildred is willing to spend “one third of [Montag’s] yearly pay” (pg. 18). Mildred is deeply obsessed with the technology because she believes it is her family. She cannot maintain a relationship with real people but a virtual reality world. This very closely relates to society today. We are indulged in buying the newest products available. By consuming we are tricked into thinking we are happy. We tend to buy things even if they will lead us into debt. After looking at the Happiness Index, countries such as the USA and Canada are claimed to be the saddest countries in the world. The USA is the top consumer in the world, yet, it is the saddest. Mexico and Colombia are the happiest countries in the world because they find joy without consuming useless products. Happiness cannot be measured with entertainment and technology, but it is measured in from within.

 

Fahrenheit 451 was written over 50 years ago, yet the themes still relate immensely to society today. Happiness does not come from faux experiences and technology, but it comes from knowledge. Happiness is a tangible feeling and with intangible items, no one will be able to experience happiness. Technology is taking over the ability to critically think and contextualize information. Happiness needs to be redefined to fit both the society in Fahrenheit 451 and society today. Sadly, Ray Bradbury’s dystopian fiction society in Fahrenheit 451 will soon become a reality due to our hubris.

Sources:
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Simon & Schuster, 2013.

Brooks, David. “Time To Do Everything Except Think.” Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2010, www.newsweek.com/time-do-everything-except-think-150597.

“Childish Gambino – This Is America (Official Video).” YouTube, 5 May 2018, youtu.be/VYOjWnS4cMY.

NEF. Happy Planet Index. Mono, 2016, http://happyplanetindex.org/countries.

Amazon is Taking Over

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The Amazon-ification of Whole Foods

This article is about Amazon’s new branch of delivering grocery items to homes. This article attracted to me because the title simply amazed me. Amazon is the world’s biggest retailer and it is growing at an exponential rate. I had never thought that you would be able to sit at home and not only order your groceries online but also get them delivered to you. Although this new program sounds convenient, I would never use this tool. I do not support this movement because I believe this is going to make the human race lazier and it will prevent face-to-face interactions from occurring. This reminds me of the society in Fahrenheit 451 because they rarely had conversations with others and this movement is a step towards that society. The author explains how Amazon had once before ran “Amazon Fresh” but it went downhill. This gets me wondering how Amazon will be able to pull off this new campaign without shutting it down like “Amazon Fresh”. I do not think that the online grocery store will have the same quality as stores like Superstore or Costco. When you go into a grocery store you get to pick the vegetables that seem fresh and that are in good quality but online you will only be able to select the quantity of food you want. I like how the author, Derek Thompson, has a clear explanation on Amazons plan and includes the future ambitions of the company. At the end of the article, the author talks about how Amazon is planning on creating an online pharmacy and offer healthcare services. By Amazon expanding it’s empire, I think that many businesses will decide to close down and transfer online as well.

The Impact Media Has On Mass Shootings

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Mass Shootings in America Are Spreading Like A Disease 

This article is about the influence media has on mass shootings. Initially, this article attracted to me because of the recent mass shooting at Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida which has caused many protests and walkouts for stricter gun control. The possible motives of a mass shooter could be the popularity he/she receives in news outlets. Mass shooters are often reported about a number of times and receive “public glorification”. Within minutes the identity of the mass shooter is viral on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Although this problem could be solved by distributing fewer information about the shooter, but the listeners and readers would still want to be informed about the small details about the tragedy. The author mentions that a small amount of money has been spent on researching mass shootings. More research about the problem could explain the frequent recurrence of mass shootings and help prevent future shootings. The author was very insightful in his explanation and he states factual evidence of media’s role in mass shootings. It disgusts me to think that one is motivated to kill innocent lives just for recognition on television when instead you could do an act of kindness and receive respect and gratification. Although the article is mainly about media’s influence on mass shootings, at the end of the article the author also mentions the accessibility Americans have to guns. I believe that gun control is an evident reason of the repetition in mass shootings in America. In order to stop further mass shootings from occurring stricter gun control laws need to be enforced.

How Much Technology Is Enough?

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Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?

This article is about the repercussions of technology in millennials lives because of the excessive use of technology. I was interested in this article because I believe that my generation spends too much time on technology. By spending an unreasonable amount of time on technology we have missed matchless experiences and opportunities. Today, people are glued to their phones and often avoid face-to-face interactions. The author compared and contrasted different generations insightfully by using data from previous generations. I enjoyed reading about the authors personal opinion about iGen and her childhood, “Unlike the teens of my generation, who might have spent an evening tying up the family landline with gossip”. The article reveals millennials dependence on technology which can be seen universally. For example, when you feel your phone vibrating, you have an irresistible urge to check the notification you received. Although technology has brought the world innovation and ease, it has also taken away many aspects of life.