Freshmen English Anthology

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THE ROAD I CHOOSE TO TRAVEL A Personal Anthology Christian Dunn April 12, 2006 Freshmen English Honors

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Freshmen Year English Anthology, including quotes, poetry and prose that I enjoy to read.

Transcript of Freshmen English Anthology

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THE ROAD I CHOOSE TO TRAVEL

A Personal Anthology

Christian DunnApril 12, 2006

Freshmen English HonorsHarwood Union High School

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Acknowledgements

I thank Ms. Stahl, my Freshmen English Honors teacher who led

the class in the right direction during the creation of my

anthology, and answered my many questions during the time.

I thank Mr. Macleod, who sat next to me every day of class that

we discussed this anthology, for helping me when I was confused

by an assignment, which happened very often.

I thank Ms. Guion and Ms. Kalantari for allowing me to use their

works of poetry in my anthology the day before the entire project

was due.

I thank my parents for allowing me to use my computer to type

many parts of this anthology when I should not have been using

the computer at the time because of other reasons.

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This Personal Anthology is dedicated to

Everyone who reads this anthology

With a thirst to find a work which is captivating to them

As these works are for me

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Contents

Preface 7

Ten Brief Quotations 12

Albert Einstein

“No Amount of Experimentation” 12

“You Cannot Simultaneously” 12

Muhammed Ali

‘Silence is Golden” 12

Aristotle

“A Likely Impossibility” 13

Benjamin Franklin

“A Clear Conscience” 13

“Be Civil to All” 13

“An Investment in Knowledge” 13

C.S. Lewis

“Safety and Happiness” 14

Voltaire,

“A Witty Saying Proves Nothing” 14

“There is a Wide Difference” 14

Walt Whitman

“The Habit of Giving” 15

Works by Five Poets 16

Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken 16

Dust of Snow 17

The Lockless Door 17

Shel Silverstein

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Ations 18

Eighteen Flavors 19

The Oak and the Rose 19

Galway Kinnell

Blackberry Eating 20

Daybreak 21

Telephoning in Mexican Sunlight 22

Emily Dickinson

"Hope" is the Thing with Feathers 23

I’m Nobody, Who Are You? 24

Success 24

Langston Hughes

The Dream Keeper 25

As I Grew Older 26

Dream Variations 27

Martha Collins

Lines 28

One Piece of My Own Poetry

Growing Up 29

One Piece of My Own Prose

In Response to I Shall Finish the Game 30

Three Prose Excerpts 31

George Orwell

Excerpt from 1984 31

ScienceDaily.com

What Is Time?

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C.S. Lewis 32

Excerpt from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe33

Works by Students 34

Janice Guion

Response to The Loosing of the Shadow 34

Hannah Kalantari

Response to The Loosing of the Shadow 35

Analina Aitken

Response to The Dragon of Pendor 36

Biographical Sketches

Janice Guion 37

Hannah Kalantari 38

Analina Aitken 39

Bibliography 40

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Preface

An anthology is a collection of writing, and this is my collection of writing

that I have compiled for my Freshmen English Honors class. As I found works of

prose, poetry and quotation that I enjoyed, was able to relate to or wanted to

read over again, I created this anthology. A phrase of poetic advice that I

followed as I compiled this anthology is from a poem by Robert Frost, The Road

Not Taken, which is on page 16 of this anthology. The poem speaks of choosing

a path, a path that is in the forest in the poem, but could also be a path of

choices in life. The last three lines of the poem convey the wise advice that

comes from The Road Not Taken:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.

I have followed this advice to the compilation of my Freshmen English

anthology in the way that I looked for works to place in it. Much of the works in

this anthology are or were inspired by writing that is less traveled by and

through than many of the popularly read works. In the English class that I am in,

instructed by Ms. Stahl, I have read and responded to works of writing which I

would not have traveled by if I were not in the class, and that has made much

of a difference in the writing that I enjoy and add to my anthology. One lesser

traveled by but ingeniously written novel that we read in my English class is The

Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin. The responses to the novel in class

inspired the writing of many good works of poetry by students in the class. My

anthology includes works by other students in the class in response to The

Wizard of Earthsea. A part of a poetic response by Janice Guion to chapter 4 of

The Wizard of Earthsea on page 34 of my anthology, which is entitled The

Loosing of the Shadow, which speaks of the unknown danger and darkness that

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the protagonist of the story, Ged, loosed onto Earthsea during a bitter duel with

his rival, Jasper:

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Unwanted AwakeningsDanger, hiding on unturned pagesAn opening into an unknown world

When I read these lines, which are toward the beginning of the entire

poem, these lines set the poem to the beat of a drum, strong, and tough to

combat if the beat of the drums is the beat of the darkness that was released in

the time setting of the poem. Every syllable in these lines has the sound of the

drums that would be played to accompany this poem if it were read in an

ancient story telling ceremony, a quick yet robust beat. Then, when these lines

are read to the beat of a drum, the entire poem and the story it responds to can

be told to the beat of a drum.

Another path that is followed less frequently than others is the

examination of the vast array of perspective of places, people and objects.

Things appear differently when they are viewed from a perspective that they

were never looked at through before. I have included in my anthology a

response that I wrote in September of 2005 to a short story by Isak Dinesen,

entitled I Shall Finish The Game. My response is from the perspective of the

young hunter who is hunting, waiting and watching for the deer that is soon to

come into his sight:

From behind the blind, you are hidden. Nothing in the

forest will see or sense your presence if you remain

silent. There you wait, the patient hunter, your eyes

darting around looking for your prey. Silently, gun poised,

you wait for the deer to get in the position of your sight.

This writing is in response to a detailed observation of the perspective in

I Shall Finish The Game. The entire passage is on page 30 of my Freshmen

English anthology. During our class reading and discussion of the story, I wrote

several passages in response to the story from the perspective of different

characters and objects in the story, including from the perspective of the deer,

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the knife used to kill the deer, and the hunter’s perspective. Something cannot

be understood completely if it is not viewed from many points of view, and this

is why being aware of perspective is important.

The difficulty and importance of perspective is found in a quotation by

the Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, which I have included in my anthology

on page 13:

A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility.

That which is possible and true is true, regardless of what is regarded as

likely. However, something that is less difficult to comprehend has the tendency

to be regarded as the possibility, even though the true possibility is often

regarded as unlikely. A change in perspective is very important in order to be

assisted in finding what actually is possible and what is true. For example, if you

were trying to find the exit in a gigantic maze cut in a full grown cornfield, it

may seem impossible from the perspective of someone in the maze, but if they

were to view the maze from the air, from that elevated perspective they would

easily find the pathway to the exit, and see things that in the overall design of

the corn maze that they would not have been able to walking in the maze itself.

Someone seemingly stuck in a maze would start to think of what they think is

likely, that there is no exit, even though the unconvincing yet true fact that

there is, in fact, an exit to the maze. The willingness to accept an unconvincing

but true possibility is usually the path less traveled, as opposed to the easier to

comprehend impossibility.

Another pathway with a destination, which is so much needed in the

world, is the pathway of honesty, justice and kindness, which leads to the

destination of safety and happiness. A quote by C.S. Lewis explains that safety

and happiness for everyone on earth can only be acquired through integrity:

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Safety and happiness can only come from individuals, classes, and nations being honest and fair and kind to each other.

This quote is a part of my anthology on page 14. An unfortunate quality

of many nations and people is that honesty, fairness and kindness is often the

path less traveled, and peace on earth is something that cannot be earned by

war, but it must be worked for through honesty, justice and kindness between

every person, between the rich and the poor and from nation to nation. I added

this quote to my anthology because it shows the very important, lesser-traveled

path in the direction of peace.

In the later days of summer, when so many forest paths have been

traveled and worn by the many travelers, there is another, sometimes lesser-

traveled experience of blackberry picking. Galway Kinnell captures the tasty

wonder of looking through the prickly plants and finding what may be the

plumpest, ripest blackberry in the forest that I come to enjoy in September so

well in writing in Blackberry Eating:

…certain peculiar wordslike strengths or squinched,many-lettered, one-syllabled lumps,which I squeeze, squinch open, and splurge wellin the silent, startled, icy, black languageof blackberry-eating in late September.

This part of the poem by Galway Kinnell, which I added to my anthology

on page 20 is my favorite part of the poem because it allows me to taste the

taste of blackberries with the juicy vocabulary. The word that Kinnell uses in

Blackberry Eating that is my favorite is “splurged”, which allows me to taste a

rush of sweet blackberry juice rushing into my mouth. I was introduced to

Kinnell’s poetry because Blackberry Eating was a poem that was given to my

English class by Ms. Stahl as a five minute write poem to respond to. A poem

that replicates the sweet taste of blackberries is one that I enjoy to read

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repeatedly, and that is why I have added Blackberry Eating by Galway Kinnell

into my anthology.

My Freshmen English anthology has been influenced by several lesser-

known paths in the forms of poems, prose and quotation that I would not have

traveled in a different English class, and these new paths have made an

improving difference in my perspective of poetry. I have enjoyed and still enjoy

the short stories, poetry and novels that I have been reading in English class,

and each of the works in my anthology have significance to me that I explain for

each work of writing, from sound, meaning or perhaps something too complex

to describe, but partially comprehensible through language. Much of the writing

in my anthology is not mine, but its importance and effect that it has on me

when I read it is something that is mine to remember. I welcome you, the

reader of my anthology, and I invite you to find significance in these poems in a

way that is uniquely yours.

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Ten Brief Quotations

No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.

(Albert Einstein)

Discoveries are very fragile. Some things can never be proven, but a

single shred of something that disproves can prove an entire idea wrong. In the

world of science and mathematics, so much work is required to convey your

ideas to others and to show an idea, hypothesis or theory to be correct, but so

little work is required to disprove an idea even if only a tiny amount of

information disproves it.

You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.

(Albert Einstein)

This quote tells us that if you are preparing for a war, you cannot prevent

a war from happening. It is significant because much of the world today feels as

though it is possible to both prepare for war by stockpiling weapons of mass

destruction and prevent war at the same time. According to this quote, both

actions cannot be possible at the same time, and much of the world, preparing

for and trying to prevent war are performing futile actions.

Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer.

(Muhammed Ali)

This quote reminds me of my best option when I’m in school or

elsewhere. It is much better to remain silent when you don’t know the answer to

something to keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, if you open your mouth and

say something, if what you say is wrong, you will only put yourself in a position

worse than when you were before you opened your mouth. I have learned this

from times in the past when I have said things that I later regretted for a longer

time afterward than I would have waited without an answer.

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A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility.

(Aristotle)

It is often more preferable, or at least easier, to accept something that is

likely but impossible rather than a possibility that may seem unconvincing.

However, it is better to think of the possible rather than the impossible, and

look past an unconvincing appearance and look toward the possibilities.

A good conscience is a continual Christmas.

(Benjamin Franklin)

Having integrity and doing nothing to be guilty of makes life as enjoyable

as Christmas every day. When you are nice, fair, honest and subordinate, the

heavy weight of guilt does not hold onto you like a heavy ball and chain and you

feel much freer than a time filled with guilt.

Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.

(Benjamin Franklin)

It is never my desire to be the enemy of another person, and it is always

my desire to be friendly to everybody. While it can sometimes be hard to avoid

having enemies, I strive to be civil to everyone and to make no enemies. An

enemy in life takes time and energy from what you want to do into defense

against an enemy, but being friendly and civil gives energy and enjoyment. This

quote by Benjamin Franklin also says that you can only be friend to one person,

and this seems true. While you can be a friend with many, and that is a good

thing to be, it is not possible to have two ‘best’ friends.

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

(Benjamin Franklin)

There are many things in life that can be invested in. Stocks and bonds

are monetary investments, but there are investments in life that also need to be

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taken. It is important to invest in friendship, integrity, friendliness and physical

shape, but the investment that will give back the most in interest in the long-

term course of a lifetime is the investment in knowledge. An investment in

knowledge can be obtained by getting the most out of education and learning

as much as you can, and then when you are well into your life in later years, the

interest of wisdom will help you through, followed by the interest of friendship

and integrity.

Safety and happiness can only come from individuals, classes, and nations being honest and fair and kind to each other.

(C.S. Lewis)

There will not be safety from terrorism and violence when there is also

deception, dishonesty, injustice and unkindness to others. No peace treaty can

survive if the nations involved are deceitful to each other. If there is no honesty,

what is to stop nations to turn against a mere document declaring peace?

Honesty, integrity, justice and kindness are so important for these reasons.

A witty saying proves nothing.

(Voltaire)

This is very ironic because it is a witty statement in itself, and yet it

proves nothing because of what it states. If it were true, then it would be an

oxymoron, disproving itself as well as every other witty quote ever quoted. The

presence of irony in a statement makes a statement interesting to me and one

that I enjoy to take a few moments to ponder whenever I read it.

There is a wide difference between speaking to deceive, and being silent to be impenetrable.

(Voltaire)

When you speak to deceive, you are only tearing yourself down, but

when you are silent, you can be impenetrable to a verbal onslaught. A person

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who always is deceitful and speaks lies in every sentence will rarely be trusted,

and when someone is no longer trusted, they will have wished they have been

silent. Anyone who regrets something that they earlier said will wish they were

silent. If you remain silent and speak only with integrity, you will have no

regrets.

The habit of giving only enhances the desire to give.

(Walt Whitman)

Giving can be a difficult task at times, but I feel that it is true that once a

person starts to give, it will become less of a chore or a burden and more of an

enjoyment. I feel such a satisfaction whenever I know that I have given to

something that will help others who need help so much. If I, or anyone, started

to give as a habit, it would become something to look forward to every day, and

this would help those who truly need help.

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Works by Five Poets

Since I am in the state of Vermont as I compile this anthology, I find it only

fitting that works by the great poet and Vermonter, Robert Frost are the first of

the works of poetry I have here. Frost’s poetry has such a pure simplicity and

appreciation for Vermont nature that, when I read it, brings me to a quiet place

in a forest. The quiescence of Frost’s poetry has a calming effect and some of

his works, such as Dust of Snow, is a short poem which reminds me to find a

little something to enjoy in a day on those days that don’t work for me, like a

crow shaking snow down from a tree. Here are three of my favorites of Frost’s

poetry, and the first poem is one that has become very famous for all those

living or who has lived in Vermont.

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The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that, the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.

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Dust of Snow

The way a crowShook down on meThe dust of snowFrom a hemlock treeHas given my heartA change of moodAnd saved some partOf a day I had rued.

- Robert Frost

The Lockless Door

It went many years,But at last came a knock,And I thought of the doorWith no lock to lock.

I blew out the light,I tip-toed the floor,And raised both handsIn prayer to the door.

But the knock came again.My window was wide;I climbed on the sillAnd descended outside.

Back over the sillI bade a 'Come in'To whatever the knockAt the door may have been.

So at a knockI emptied my cageTo hide in the worldAnd alter with age.

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I remember back to the year when I was in primary school, and I read and heard

so much of the poet Shel Silverstein. The poetry of Silverstein was abundant at

the school in large books like Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic.

I enjoyed hearing and reading the poetry of Silverstein so much back in my

younger years, and I enjoy it today when I revisit it in the creation of my

personal anthology. Silverstein’s works bring me back far in my memory, in

retrospection of my earlier, younger years of listening to stories and poetry.

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Ations

If we meet and I say, “Hi”That’s a salutation.If you ask me how I fell,That’s consideration.If we stop and talk awhile,That’s a conversation.If we understand each other,That’s communication.If we argue, scream, and fight,That’s an altercation.If later we apologize,That’s reconciliation.If we help each other home,That’s cooperation.And all these 'ations' added up,Make civilization.

- Shel Silverstein

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Eighteen Flavors

Eighteen luscious, scrumptious flavors –Chocolate, lime, and cherry,Coffee, pumpkin, fudge-banana,Caramel cream and boysenberry,Rocky road and toasted almond,Butterscotch, vanilla dip,Butter brickle, apple ripple,Coconut and mocha chip,Brandy peach and lemon custard,Each scoop lovely, smooth, and round,Tallest ice-cream cone in town,Lying there *sniff* on the ground.

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Blackberry Eating

I love to go out in late Septemberamong fat, overripe, icy, black blackberriesto eat blackberries for breakfast,the stalks very prickly, a penaltythey earn for knowing the black art of blackberry-making; and as I stand among themlifting the stalks to my mouth, the ripest berriesfall almost unbidden to my tongue,as words sometimes do, certain peculiar wordslike strengths or squinched,many-lettered, one-syllabled lumps,which I squeeze, squinch open, and splurge wellin the silent, startled, icy, black language

Dunn

I was introduced to the poetry of Galway Kinnell this year and I have

enjoyed reading Kinnell’s works. So much information for the senses flows from

Kinnell’s poetry. The taste of blackberries, found in Blackberry Eating, the sight

of pink sunset in Daybreak, and a squeaky chittering in Telephoning in Mexican

Sunlight are all vivid descriptions for the senses in the poetry. The sensory

exploration in the poetry is something that makes me want to read the poetry

again, continually diving into the “squinch” and “splurge” of blackberry eating.

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Daybreak

On the tidal mud, just before sunset,dozens of starfisheswere creeping. It wasas though the mud were a skyand enormous, imperfect starsmoved across it as slowlyas the actual stars cross-heaven.All at once they stopped,and, as if they had simplyincreased their receptivityto gravity, they sank downinto the mud, faded downinto it and lay still, and by the timepink of sunset broke across themthey were as invisible

Dunn

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Telephoning in Mexican Sunlight

Talking with my beloved in New YorkI stood at the outdoor public telephonein Mexican sunlight, in my purple shirt.Someone had called it a man/womanshirt. The phrase irked me. But thenI remembered that Rainer MariaRilke, who until he was seven woredresses and had long yellow hair,wrote that the girl he almost was"made her bed in his ear" and "slept him the world."I thought, OK this shirt will clothe the other in me.As we fell into long-distance love talka squeaky chittering started up all around,and every few seconds came a sudden loud buzzing. I half expected to findthe insulation on the telephone linelaid open under the pressure of our talkleaking low-frequency noises.But a few yards away a dozen hummingbirds,gorgets going drab or blazingaccording as the sun struck them,stood on their tail rudders in a circle around my head, transfixedby the flower-likeness of the shirt.And perhaps also by a flush rising into my face,for a word -- one with a thick sound,as if a porous vowel had sat soaking upsaliva while waiting to get spoken,possibly the name of some flowerthat hummingbirds love, perhaps"honeysuckle" or "hollyhock"or "phlox" -- just then shocked mewith its suddenness, and this timeapparently did burst the insulation,letting the word sound in the openwhere all could hear, for these tiny, irascible,nectar-addicted puritans jumped backall at once, as if the air gasped.

Dunn

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"Hope" is the Thing with Feathers

"Hope" is the thing with feathersThat perches in the soulAnd sings the tune without the wordsAnd never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;And sore must be the stormThat could abash the little birdThat kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest landAnd on the strangest sea,Yet never, in extremity,It asked a crumb of me.

Dunn

Emily Dickinson’s poetry does a good job of trying to explain some

unexplainable things in life, like the existence of hope and the feeling of

watching success from a spectator’s perspective. Hope is something that is

never lost, a bird that sings its tune, sometimes very quietly, but always sung.

Dickinson’s poetry conclusively captures and in short time tries to explain some

intangible things like hope and success, and an almost bizarre interpretation of

that feeling of “nobody”. I was introduced to Dickinson’s poetry in my Freshmen

English Honors class in the year of 2005 and I have enjoyed her poetry since

that time.

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I'm Nobody? Who Are You?

I'm nobody! Who are you?Are you nobody, too?Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!How public, like a frogTo tell your name the livelong dayTo an admiring bog!

- Emily Dickinson

Success

Success is counted sweetestBy those who ne'er succeed.To comprehend a nectarRequires sorest need.

Not one of all the purple hostWho took the flag to-dayCan tell the definition,So clear, of victory,

As he, defeated, dying,On whose forbidden earThe distant strains of triumphBreak, agonized and clear

- Emily Dickinson

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The works of Langston Hughes show the importance of dreams, and

being a dreamer. Dreams should be protected from the roughness of the world:

protected from criticism, abuse, and doubt so their value and the hope they

allow can stay with the dreamers. Hughes shows us that are dreams should be

protected in something soft, like a blue cloud cloth, and that they can remind us

of things later on in life so vividly that the dream becomes bright like the sun

before they are almost completely faded by forgetfulness. Hughes’s works on

dreams reminded me of this importance, and that I should not abandon dreams

even if in many years they become nearly forgotten. Here are some works that

speak of dreams.

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The Dream Keeper

Bring me all of your dreams,You dreamers,Bring me all yourHeart melodiesThat I may wrap themIn a blue cloud-clothAway from the too-rough fingersOf the world.

- Langston Hughes

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As I Grew Older

It was a long time ago.I have almost forgotten my dream.But it was there then,In front of me,Bright like a sun--My dream.And then the wall rose,Rose slowly,Slowly,Between me and my dream.Rose until it touched the sky--The wall.Shadow.I am black.I lie down in the shadow.No longer the light of my dream before me,Above me.Only the thick wall.Only the shadow.My hands!My dark hands!Break through the wall!Find my dream!Help me to shatter this darkness,To smash this night,To break this shadowInto a thousand lights of sun,Into a thousand whirling dreamsOf sun!

- Langston Hughes

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Dream Variations

To fling my arms wideIn some place of the sun,To whirl and to danceTill the white day is done.Then rest at cool eveningBeneath a tall treeWhile night comes on gently,Dark like me--That is my dream!

To fling my arms wideIn the face of the sun,Dance! Whirl! Whirl!Till the quick day is done.Rest at pale evening...A tall, slim tree...Night coming tenderlyBlack like me.

- Langston Hughes

Dunn

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Lines are important for mathematical people like me, and Lines by

Martha Collins is a poem that feels so good to read because it reaffirms the

many places where lines are found. The world is full of lines, and lines are found

beyond the realm of a geometry class. Lines shows how lines, connecters from

point “x” to point “y”, can be a line of vision, a line of communication, a line of

fire, or, of course, a line between two points. Lines, in a line of communication,

are a pathway of conversation, a line of direct eye contact between two. Of

course, for me, lines will always have the most significance to me as a

connector between two points, perhaps “x” and “y”.

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Lines

Draw a line. Write a line. There.Stay in line, hold the line, a glancebetween the lines is fine but don'tturn corners, cross, cut in, go overor out, between two points of noreturn's a line of flight, betweentwo points of view's a line of vision.But a line of thought is rarelystraight, an open line's no partyline, however fine your point.A line of fire communicates, but dropyour weapons and drop your line,consider the shortest distance from xto y, let x be me, let y be you.

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One Piece of My Own Poetry

Things change with time, and a time of such immense change is the

transition from childhood to later years, when things you thought in the past are

not the way things are. Wishes that you may have made as a 5, 6 or 7 year old,

you may not want them anymore because you see things differently, and yet

they may be coming true at a time you don’t want them to. Of course, as a

teenager or an adult, you can’t have a tantrum when things aren’t going your

way, rather the only thing you can do is deal with it in silence, and you feel like

nobody else can know.

Growing Up

I’m sorry if you don’t like this –But there is no other way.You are getting older,Your childhood wishes are coming true,And yet you don’t want them.You don’t like it,But you can’t have a tantrum.You are on your own.Your life is in your hands.

- Christian Dunn

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One Piece of My Own Prose Writing

The pressure and silence of a hunt is evident in this writing, and the

reader can connect with the waiting and watching of a hunt, and the intense

emotions involved. Perspective is very important in this passage, the location of

the hunter, hidden from the deer, and the possibility to feel the perspective of

the deer in the sight of the hunter. The sweaty palms the hunter feels from

holding the gun remind me of times when my palms become very sweaty when

I nervously await a presentation, grade or some other unknown outcome until,

slowly, the final outcome is within sight as you slowly begin what you were

nervously awaiting.

In Response to I Shall Finish The Game

From behind the blind, you are hidden. Nothing in the

forest will see or sense your presence if you remain silent. There

you wait, the patient hunter, your eyes darting around looking for

your prey. Silently, gun poised, you wait for the deer to get in the

position of your sight. Your palms become sweaty, and your eyes

lock onto the neck of the deer. Nothing to alert it of your

presence, slowly, you pull back on the trigger.

(Christian Dunn, 2005)

In response to I Shall Finish The Game by Isak Dinesen

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Three Prose Excerpts

It was curious to think that the sky was the same for everybody,in Eurasia or Eastasia as well as here. And the people under the sky were

also very much the same everywhere, all over the world, hundreds orthousands of millions of people just like this, people ignorant of oneanother's existence, held apart by walls of hatred and lies, and yet

almost exactly the same people who had never learned to think but werestoring up in their hearts and bellies and muscles the power that would

one day overturn the world.

(George Orwell, 1984)

Everyone in the world is different, and yet everybody is so close to being

the same. The book 1984 struck me as a world that everything that would make

a person free is taken away, a terrible place. The restricted, dictatorship similar

world of 1984 is what would exist if a nation became so restricted with laws and

regulations that virtually every action became regulated by laws, and everyone

was monitored by a “big brother” like government.

In the world of today, there are already concerns of “big brother” like

developments. Although George Orwell’s vision of the year 1984 did not take

place in 1984 or anytime in the beginning of the 21st century, the possibility still

can’t be ruled out for the future. A world ruled by a “big brother” would be a

world like that described in this excerpt, one where everyone is held apart by

walls of hatred and lies. Concerns of “big brother” arise in the world of the

internet, “cyberspace”, where more and more actions are being monitored by

governments. Various governments have spied upon phone conversations and

data transfers. When more laws and more invasion of personal privacy come

into existence, a nation is closer to a life with a “big brother” monitor and rights

more restricted than those in a communist nation.

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What Is Time?

The concept of time is self-evident. An hour consists of a certain number of minutes, a day of hours and a year of days. But we rarely think about the fundamental nature of time.Time is passing non-stop, and we follow it with clocks and calendars. Yet we cannot study it with a microscope or experiment with it. And it still keeps passing. We just cannot say what exactly happens when time passes.

Time is represented through change, such as the circular motion of the moon around the earth. The passing of time is indeed closely connected to the concept of space.

According to the general theory of relativity, space, or the universe, emerged in the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago. Before that, all matter was packed into an extremely tiny dot. That dot also contained the matter that later came to be the sun, the earth and the moon – the heavenly bodies that tell us about the passing of time.

Before the Big Bang, there was no space or time.

“In the theory of relativity, the concept of time begins with the Big Bang the same way as parallels of latitude begin at the North Pole. You cannot go further north than the North Pole,” says Kari Enqvist, Professor of Cosmology.

One of the most peculiar qualities of time is the fact that it is measured by motion and it also becomes evident through motion.

According to the general theory of relativity, the development of space may result in the collapse of the universe. All matter would shrink into a tiny dot again, which would end the concept of time as we know it.

“Latest observations, however, do not support the idea of collapse, rather inter-galactic distances grow at a rapid pace,” Enqvist says.

(Science Daily)

This excerpt from ScienceDaily is an excerpt that appeals to me because

the concept of time is such a mystery. The short excerpt here does a good job of

summarizing what many physicists have come to believe about time and it is

comprehensible by anyone who is curious about the subject. Time and space

are virtually infinitely complex and far extends its complete comprehension by

humans. We can have vast evidence support a human comprehensible view of

time and space, but we can not prove its truth through any method on earth.

The vast expanses of the concept of time can be attempted to be explained in

this short excerpt.

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Everyone agreed to this and that was how the adventures began. It was the

sort of house that you never seem to come to the end of, and it was full of

unexpected places. The first few doors they tried led only into spare bedrooms,

as everyone had expected that they would; but soon they came to a very long

room full of pictures, and there they found a suit of armor; and after that was a

room all hung with green, with a harp in one corner; and then came three

steps down and five steps up, and then a kind of little upstairs hall and a door

that led out on to a balcony, and then a whole series of rooms that led into

each other and were lined with books -- most of them very old books and some

bigger than a Bible in a church. And shortly after that they looked into a room

that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe; the sort that has a looking-

glass in the door. There was nothing else in the room at all except a dead

bluebottle on the window-sill.

"Nothing there!" said Peter, and they all trooped out again -- all except Lucy.

She stayed behind because she thought it would be worthwhile trying the door

of the wardrobe, even though she felt almost sure that it would be locked. To

her surprise it opened quite easily, and two mothballs dropped out.

Looking into the inside, she saw several coats hanging up -- mostly long fur

coats. There was nothing Lucy liked so much as the smell and feel of fur. She

immediately stepped into the wardrobe and got in among the coats and rubbed

her face against them, leaving the door open, of course, because she knew that

it is very foolish to shut oneself into any wardrobe. Soon she went further in

and found that there was a second row of coats hanging up behind the first

one. It was almost quite dark in there and she kept her arms stretched out in

front of her so as not to bump her face into the back of the wardrobe. She took

a step further in -- then two or three steps -- always expecting to feel

woodwork against the tips of her fingers. But she could not feel it.

(C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe)

The beginning of adventure starts with curiosity, and in the Narnia

stories, Lucy shows much curiosity. As she felt and moved her way back inside

the wardrobe, she realized that there was no end, and another world to explore

inside the wardrobe. Many things in life can be like the discovery of Narnia in

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Lewis’ Narnia chronicles. Through curiosity and pushing forward (or backward,

in the case of a wardrobe), a completely new and undiscovered world of

discoveries can be found.

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Works by Students

When a poem is read and it can be read with the imaginative sound of

the rhythmic beating of a drum, it has a sound of intensity and power. This is a

poem that I enjoy to read to a roaring, fast beat of the drums, a beat for every

syllable. A mystery exists in the “black hole of blinding brightness” in the poem,

the place from which the shadow came. How a bright black hole’s existence

could be possible makes me wonder about what a bright black hole would look

like. The sound and imagery in this poem is the sensory images that make this

poem enjoyable to read and the reason that I added it to my anthology.

Response to Chapter 4 - The Loosing of the Shadow

Jealousy, hatred, rivalryUnwanted AwakeningsDanger, hiding on unturned pagesAn opening into an unknown worldA world where darkness casts the shadowBlack hole of blinding brightnessMysterious shadow released into the world

Is this the end?An island, safe…

For now.

- Janice Guion

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How a very large message fits so well into so few words in this poem is

something important in a poem. Poems are best when words that are needed

are removed and all that remains is the imagery that is conveyed by the poem.

This poem is very good at telling the story of how and why Ged summoned the

shadow in very few words. When a story is told in few words, it is often easier to

understand when there are many words.

Response to Chapter 4 - The Loosing of the Shadow

GedSpurred by JealousyScorned by JasperWarned by VetchNightGed SummonedA shadow.

- Hannah Kalantari

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The story of how the Dragon of Pendor was forced to forever leave the

villagers of Roke in peace is told with such a rhythm and pleasant sound that it

sounds as if it has been told for centuries in ceremony. A rhyme scheme in the

poem makes each line support the next line in a poetic story which flows with

such a pleasant rhythm. The choice of words used to create the rhyme scheme

works well with the story, and there every line in the poem fits so well that each

line in the poem belongs where it is. The sound of the poem, led by a well suited

rhyme scheme provides enjoyment for me when I reread this poem.

Response to Chapter 5 – The Dragon of Pendor

He stood upon the harbor sandA monstrous beast rose upon his commandA dragon with scales as black as nightWhose spikes and talons made quite a sight“You must be here in search of my hoard”, said he with a roar.“Tis not true, I ask you only to stay here forever more”“Very Well,” said the brute with a sigh,for young Ged knew his name, ‘twas an eye for an eye.’So dragon and wizard then parted waysAnd in Pendor the great monster lays.

- Analina Aitken

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Biographical Sketches

Hannah Kalantari was born in Berlin, Vermont on October 6th of 1990.

She is currently a first year student at Harwood Union High School and a

student of Ms. Stahl’s Freshmen English Honors course. The poem Ms.

Kalantari wrote, entitled Response to The Loosing of the Shadow was written

in response to The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin. The idea of the

poem was to capture the main ideas of the chapter such as “shadow” and

“darkness” using as few words as possible, inspired by Ms. Stahl’s editing and

revision of responses to the chapter.

Ms. Kalantari enjoys horseback riding, and her favorite pet is her foal

whose name is Piccolo. She also greatly enjoys playing the piano and has been

playing the piano for several years. In warmer weather, Ms. Kalantari likes to

cool off with a swim, and in all weather, she enjoys reading a variety of books.

Her favorite type of poem that she has wrote is a “Five W Poem”, which is a

poem which is five or six lines and each line describes the setting using each of

the “five Ws”: who, what, where, when and why and an optional sixth line can

describe ‘how’.

The bacon potato casserole that Ms. Kalantari’s mother cooks is her

favorite food, while asparagus and raw zucchini are foods that she does not

like. She dislikes the chore of cleaning her family’s chicken house because it is

a very messy job.

Ms. Kalantari currently lives in North Fayston, Vermont.

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Janice Guion lives in Waitsfield, Vermont with her mom, dad, and two

younger siblings, Tracy and Stephen. She currently attends Harwood Union

High School as a 9th grader. The poem that she wrote that is in this anthology

was inspired and based on Chapter 4 of The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula

LeGuin. Her favorite food is eggo waffles with raspberries.

Ms. Guion’s favorite book is The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. She

enjoys to play her PlayStation 2, reading, and mountain biking. Her cousin,

Katie, who is a freshman at the University of Vermont is a role model for Ms.

Guion. Ms. Guion’s favorite poet is Shel Silverstein because she says that his

poems are so funny and she has been reading them since third grade.

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Analina Aitken lives in scenic Waterbury Center, Vermont and attends

Harwood Union High school as a 9th grade student. Ms. Aitken is also a

student of Ms. Stahl's Freshmen English Honors course at Harwood. She

enjoys poetry and reading a lot. She wrote the poem that is in this anthology in

response to Chapter 5 of The Wizard of Earthsea. Ms. Aitken wants to become

an acclaimed writer after high school and college.

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Collins, Martha. Some Things Words Can Do. Riverdale-on-Hudson, NY: Sheep

Meadows Press. 1998.

Dickinson, Emily. Poetry for Young People.

Dunn, Christian. Growing Up. Five Minute Write. 2005.

Dunn, Christian. Response to I Shall Finish the Game. Ms. Stahl’s Class. 2005.

Einstein, Albert, and Freeman Dyson. The Expanded Quotable Einstein.

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Einstein, Albert, and Jerry Mayer. Bite-Size Einstein. New York: St. Martin's Press,

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Franklin, Benjamin. Benjamin Franklin - Wit and Wisdom. White Plains: Peter

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Frost, Robert and Edward Connery Lathem. The Poetry of Robert Frost : The

Collected Poems. Henry Holt and Co, 1969.

Guion, Janice. Response to Chapter 4 of The Wizard of Earthsea. 2006.

Hughes, Langston. Langston Hughes Reads. Caedmon Publishing.

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Kalantari, Hannah. Response to Chapter 4 – The Wizard of Earthsea. 2005.

Kinnell, Galway. Selected Poems.

Lewis, C.S. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. New York: HaperCollins

Childrens Books, 1995. Original, ©1950, C.S. Lewis.

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ScienceDaily.com. What is Time?. Online available at

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Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic. Harpercollins Childrens Books. 1981.

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