I am really struggling with the upcoming essay #2 that is due soon. I’ve changed my mind three times and to be honest I am having a really hard time finding a common link, motif or theme between two stories. My weakness in writing has always been writing about literature or comparing two pieces of literature . The assignment would be much easier for me if I were able to just analyze one piece of writing and do research on one short story. I don’t have a clear thesis for my paper and I’m not exactly sure which direction I should turn. I’ve spent exactly 48 hours fighting with these stories and different ideas. I’m confident that I will prevail, excel and pull through this eventually.  Maybe I am thinking too hard and just need to relax and write. I am disappointed that I don’t have much to say about my paper at the moment, but that will soon change because one thing is for sure, the due date won’t be  changing anytime soon=)

It’s been a few weeks since my world and America’s world was rocked by the sad news of yet another African American man slain by a police officer. Terence Crutcher had the misfortune of being a black man at the wrong time, in the wrong place. However, it worries me deeply that the wrong place could have been anywhere, in his home, his car, in front of a gas station, or on his neighborhood sidewalk. The wrong time could be anytime, at dawn, in the afternoon or at midnight. This leads me to believe that it is not the place or the time that matters to these officers when they make the rash decision to end another mans life, maybe it is simply the color of his skin. Terence Crutcher like so many other black men, was murdered on tape and shot in the streets like nothing more than a dog or a savage. He was disregarded like the Trash collected by the city, killed in an instant as if he wasn’t someone’s son, father,brother or uncle. This news broke my heart and made me feel defeated. I felt as though I was fighting a hopeless, never ending, battle that would somehow get the best of me. What’s the point of going to college? What’s the point of getting an education and trying to better myself If live in a society where black people are still being oppressed? These are the questions I  began to ask myself when I woke up in the early morning to get prepared for school. However, just when I started to feel like all hope was gone, the news was released that the officer who pulled the trigger is being charged with murder! This news brought a smile to my face. At that very moment, the light seemed to flicker on my dark views of America, our Government and our police force. I started to believe or at least hope that African Americans did indeed have a chance to receive justice once and for all.

The Daffodils

The Daffodils is a very famous poem written by William Wordsworth, because of how famous the poem is I was initially expecting it to be so much more complex and “over the top”than it actually was. I felt that I would struggle to understand and analyze the poem just as I do Shakespeare and so many other great poets.  However, my initial reaction to the poem was actually the polar opposite. The poem is well written but it is simple and easy to understand, yet somehow it still captivates the reader and instills in them the feeling he describes himself as experiencing. It may sound silly ,but I feel as though I can actually see in front of me a host of golden daffodils fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

I didn’t feel as intimidated or confused by this poem as I am with most poetry. However, I couldn’t stop think about what the meaning of ‘inward eye’ is in the poem. Is it the soul? The heart? or ones mind? I feel as though knowing what the ‘inward eye’ is could be a critical component in fully understanding the poem.  Another poem that I was introduced to in class is A Work of Artifice written by Piercy. This poem was a lot more challenging than the Daffodils for me to comprehend. The author begins the poem talking about a bonsai tree, and I think one of the reasons I misinterpreted the poem is because I had never laid eyes on a bonsai tree. I did a quick search on google for a bonsai tree and after I saw just how small, delicate and beautiful the plant is, I was able to establish that the poem was indeed about a woman. I came to the conclusion that this was definitely a romantic poem as Piercy even describes her ‘hair in curlers.’ I got a much better understanding of the poem and I was able to appreciate it a lot more after we analyzed it in class. I realized that poetry isn’t necessarily difficult or impossible to understand, it is just meant to be read with open eyes and an open mind.

Battle Royale at a military base

         My initial reaction to this story was overwhelming emotion, mixed with shock and sadness. This story paints a graphic, unfiltered and detailed image of the racial tension and unjust treatments for African Americans in the US Battle Royal’s colorful vocabulary and fondness for wordplay really makes it seem almost like a movie to me, I really feel as though I could see the scenes playing out right in front of me.I do have a few question after reading the text, I want to know a bit more about the story’s setting for example, what year is Battle Royal set in. The author provides clues to let me know that it is after slavery but I would like a more specific time line.

In comparison to the short story  Where are you going, We have you been It is shocking that both stories are centered around two kids whose lives are the polar opposite.  In Where are you going, where have you been Connie (the main character) is a typical vain teenager whose main focus is her appearance in public. However, in Battle Royal, a young boy has more to be concerned with than his appearance, as he a endures a cruel and ferocious battle with the “white man” and an even more ferocious battle with himself.