Poem by John Greenleaf Whittier

This is a literal translation of A Day by John Greenleaf Whittier.

"Do not think of the sad cold November when a warm June breeze comes and blows the grass. Trees cast shadows, birds sing, and warm sunny rays go down the hill. In the winter, the birds do not sing, and the bees do not hum. The crickets do not chirp; the squirrels hoard nuts for the winter. The hemlock's slowly come awake, and the bird's come and defy winter's cold threat. O wonderful new and old beauty! Oh nature extra dear when the warm sunshine warns the oncoming winter. I hold close to my heart the lovely things and hope for the flowers and nature of spring from God."

This poem talks about nature through imagery, and he uses his own longing and feelings to make the poem more dramatic. Figuritively, the poem describes how the longing of spring keeps him going through the cold hard winter. Thoughts of the animals and the flowers and the warm sun play a major part in the making of this poem. Whittier's thoughts of these things give the poem that hopeful theme and tone throughout the poem.

Journal #8: Romanticism Poem

One day I walked along the brick-layered street,
Looking at the many bustling stores.
And taking in the cool, brisk air so sweet,
I felt tired and worn from all the hustle and more.


And then I came upon a wonderful sight;
There in the middle of all the motion
Was a tree that seemed to shine so bright.
I was swept away as if by an ocean.


The dashing leaves of green and gold and brown
Fell towards the ground with such gentle care.
Fanning out in the shape of a marvelous crown,
The leaves just sat there, come in pairs.


And when I looked upon those leaves so great,
I thought of the tree from whence the leaves had fell.
Compared to others, the tree had bloomed late,
But compared to others, it still looked well.


This wonderful tree gave me a peace of mind,
And rest, and patience, and a memory of the quiet past.
It was more than a tree or leaves; it was an object to find
The softer and gentler side of life at last.

This poem talks about a tree in the middle of the city, literally. The city is very busy and as I walk around the city, I notice how life is so crazy, and I basically become very tired from it. But in the middle of the city, there is a tree, with wonderful leaves. The tree reminds me that life is not so busy. It offers rest, peace, quiet, and gentleness that is sometimes forgotten in a busy environment. This is my romanticism poem made by myself.

Thanatopsis Analysis

Thanatopsis is a poem by Fireside Poet and romanticism era William Cullen Bryant. Here, I am going to analyze it literally and figuratively. The literal meaning is the following.

Nature speaks to those who love it, happiness when they are happy, and sympathy when they are sad. When one thinks of death and sad thoughts come into one's mind, go out into nature where you will hear a voice, and a few days later you will die. You lived by the earth, and you will be part of the earth, and people will walk on you. Roots of an oak tree will penetrate your form. You will not die alone, and you could not wish for a better resting place. You will be buried with the wise and the kings of the past. The sun, the valleys, the rocks, and the oceans are the scenery of your grave. The universe looks down sadly at death. Everyone on the earth will die. Go out into the wonderful nature and woods, and there are the silent death all around. You will die, but what if no one notices that you died? Everyone will die. The happy will laugh, and people will go on with their lives, but they will die eventually. People will go on, but the young will grow old and die, and those after them will die as well. So live your life so that when you die it will not be in agony, but rather in peace and rest.

That was the literal translation of the poem, and it does not seem very cheerful since it talks about death. But if one looks at the parts of the poem, one can understand the figurative meaning of the poem. For example, the poem has a lot of imagery which deals with nature and the beauty of nature. "The hills/ Rock-ribb'd and ancient as the sun,--the vales/ Stretching in pensive quietness between;/ The venerable woods; river that move/ In majesty..." (Bryant). Bryant's descriptions of nature as beautiful, majestic, show his celebratory attitude towards nature, a common Romanticism theme. They also show, that the poem is not a sad attitude about death, but rather a happy one, because he says that nature is so beautiful that when we die, we are surrounded by a wonderful thing. Overall, Bryant is not feeling sorry for death or being afraid of it, but looking at it optimistically since to him, when we die we are surrounded by a great and magnificent force, nature.


Bryant, William C. "Thanatopsis." Poetry-Archive. Poetry-Archive.com, 2002. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/thanatopsis.html

Journal #17: Nature

I like being out in nature. I am not one of those city girls who cannot stand to be anywhere around a tree or in the woods or something without freaking out. And if you are one of those girls, then that is perfectly okay. That is you, and you are free to be you, and I am free to be me. I am not like that though. I am the outdoorsy type, one who enjoys walking out in the woods, fishing, hiking, hunting (occasionally), and just being outside. My grandpa owns a little peninsula shaped part of land on a lake. We go there all the time to go fishing, skeet shoot, and camping. A few years ago, I went camping there, and I had so much fun. My grandma and grandpa invited our family, some of our really good friends, some of their really good friends, and my family from Kansas. It was basically one big lake party. We got there a little bit after lunch and started fishing. The lake mainly has blue gill, crappie, small mouth bass, sunfish, red fish, and carp. I used a fly rod, different from a bobber, worm, and reel pole. A fly rod is a rod where you do not just cast it once and wait for the bobber to go down. Instead, you cast it a specific way, move the line a little, recast, move the line again, recast, and repeat, until you feel a hit. We also went rope swinging into the lake, which was a lot of fun. When it got dark outside, we lit up the campfire, roasted marshmallows, and camped outside under a star filled sky. It was great!

But the time that I really connected connected to nature was when I went to Wyoming with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. Our cabin was right in the middle of the Tetons, and I saw those beautiful mountains every day. We went horse back riding, hiking, boating on Jenny Lake, fishing on the Snake River, white water rafting, shopping (of course haha), and camping. I loved Wyoming. It was so amazing being able to visit another beautiful state. It was one of the best trips that I have ever been on.

I will always be an outdoorsy girl. I just love being out in nature. When you look up at a clear night sky, and you see all those trillions of stars just shining down at you, you just get that feeling that everything is just okay. I love that feeling of being out in nature.

Journal #16: My Favorite Day

My Favorite Day, would be the best day of my life where I could do whatever I wanted for the entire day. It would be my day, my favorite day. So....

My Favorite Day would be on a Saturday. Saturday is a day where there is no school, and there is no pre-school day, such as Sunday. So my Favorite Day would be Saturday. I would wake up at seven o'clock on the dot so I could get an early start on my Favorite Day. For breakfast I would have a big bowl of fruit loops, my favorite cereal, and a blueberry strudel with icing, my favorite kind of breakfast pastry, and a glass of milk. I would watch a little bit of television, and then I would head into town. Also the day would be in the fall, and the weather would be cooler with a small breeze, just strong enough to blow down the colorful leaves. I would meet up with one of my best friends, Caroline, and she would tell really funny and slightly mean jokes, that would just make my day. We would go shopping at the mall and have a bunch of fun. We would go to American Eagle, Kohl's, Shoe Carnival, and of course, Target! Then we would go to lunch at Subway, my favorite sandwich shop, and I would order a ham and turkey on Monterrey cheddar, with lettuce, spinach, green peppers, vinegar and oil, and oregano, plus baked barbecue chips and a Dr. pepper. We would just hang out and have a great day, until approximately two o'clock pm. Then I would meet up with my other best friend, Hope, and we would just hang out and probably go to a park and ride all the rides, because we are cool like that. After this, I would meet with another best friend, Jordan, and play basketball with her. We both love basketball, because it is one of the greatest sports ever. My day would end with a steak dinner, medium, with a baked potato, corn on the cob, a crescent role, and some grape koolaid. After that I would just chill outside, play with my dog Max, a chocolate Labrador, and just look at the stars and the really amazing scenery known as outdoors. Then I would watch television, Family Matters, to be specific, and go to bed about eleven o'clock.

This would be my Favorite Day.

Journal #15: Logic and Reason

When do I use logic and reason? I use logic and reason in my math class and science classes. Obviously, one needs to use logic and reason in a math course, because that is what math is. It is not a theoretical class of what if's; it is a class of fact, of one right answer, of a certain way to do a problem to get that one right answer. This is why I like my math class. It deals with problem solving to get the right answer, no if's or but's about it. For example, I am in Pre-Calculus. If a problem dealt with the unit circle and asked for the point on the unit circle where sin= radical 2/2 and cos= radical 2/2, then the answer is pi/4. pi/3 would not be the right answer. Why? Through logic and reason of course! The coordinate on the unit circle for pi/4 is (radical 2/2, radical 2/2). Plus both are positive, which means they are in quadrant one, (the happy place, where everything is positive.) It is not pi/3 because the coordinate for pi/3 is (1/2, radical 3/2), so it obviously cannot be pi/3. Therefore, it is pi/4. This is figured out through logic. Just like when a second grader checks his or her homework of 15+3=? They added it up and got the answer of 17. (Silly second grader!) The correct answer is 18. We got this through logic and reason. 15 plus 3 is 18 because one can count it out, adding three more items to something does not get one two more items. That brings in chemistry with the Law of Conservation of Mass, but that is another subject for another time. Anyway, logic and reason points to the answer of 18.

One can also use reason and logic when in a predicament. There is this thing called common sense. Many people do not use it, something that drives me crazy. (However, sometimes I don't use common sense, and I end up looking like a fool, and thinking, "Now why in the world did I do that?") Even though, many people don't use it, it still exists and should be used. For example, if one is contemplating whether to stick one's hand in an aquarium full of hungry Piranhas, one should use common sense. That means they should decide not to stick their hand in the tank, because it will no longer exist in approximately five seconds, something that would be very painful. Common sense, if one used it, can save one from a very dumb or dangerous situation.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense

Thomas Paine, who was a political writer, was a well known Revolutionary figure. He wrote many pamphlets and letters, including Common Sense, The Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason. Common Sense was a pamphlet written during the before stage of the American Revolution against Britain. During this time, there was controversy whether to fight the British off and become their own nation, or whether to just stay part of the British empire. This pamphlet strongly represented Thomas Paine's view of fighting off their oppressors, the British. In this pamphlet, Paine offered his views and gave examples to back his ideas up.

One of the ideas in his pamphlet is that government should not be based around a king, but that it should be based by and around the people. It is not the king that makes the people happy; it is the people themselves who make each other happy through their own government. "And as this frequent interchange will establish a common interest with every part of the community, they will mutually and naturally support each other, and on this (not on the unmeaning name of king) depends the strength of government, and the happiness of the governed" (Paine). This was one of the basic ideas that was a foundation for the democratic government that is now The United States of America. Parts of Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense, have ideas in them that are part of the Declaration of Independence. "MANKIND being originally equals in the order of creation" (Paine) is an idea stated in the Declaration of Independence. This just shows that the Declaration of Independence was not something thought off the top of the head by only one person; it was something that represented the thoughts at the time by multiple people, which I find very interesting.

The other thing that I find interesting in Thomas Paine's Common Sense is the truth behind his statements of the King of England. His ideas of the king and the king's duty and life are true, rather than just exaggerated statements of an angry radical. "But it is not so much the absurdity as the evil of hereditary succession which concerns mankind. Did it ensure a race of good and wise men it would have the seal of divine authority, but as it opens a door to the foolish, the wicked; and the improper, it hath in it the nature of oppression" (Paine). Paine says that hereditary succession would be a good thing, if it ensured a good ruler, but it does not always do so, so it is a bad thing. Paine also says in his pamphlet that a major problem with hereditary succession is that it is possible that a successor is not as wise or great as his father or mother in ruling. Many times this is true, that a great king leaves a younger, foolish, and unprepared prince in his stead, who does not follow the ways of his father and puts a nation in danger. The truth behind Paine's comments is what makes the pamphlet believable and logical. Plus, Paine's tone of voice through out his writing makes the pamphlet, Common Sense, come alive and become not just another boring complaint but a strong, passionate petition against the British Empire. His word phrases, examples, historical facts, and analogies help his work come alive with a strong purpose.

Works Cited

Paine, Thomas. "Common Sense." Common Sense (1971). Archiving Early America. Archiving Early America, 2010. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. .

The American Dream in Accordance with Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is a well known historical figure. He was a diplomat, scientist, and writer. He is very famous for his lightning rod, but he is also famous for his literary works. Benjamin Franklin wrote many things, including newspapers, journals, almanacs, and even his own autobiography. J. A. Leo Lemay discusses The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin in his literary criticism, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and the American Dream. In this he discusses the main topics and themes throughout Benjamin Franklin's novel.

The thing that I found interesting is how Lemay connected "the American Dream" to Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. He said there was one main theme throughout the work that was consistent with the American dream at the time of Franklin and now. That is the idea of going from "rags to riches," "dependence to independence" (Lemay). "This aspect of the American Dream motif gives the book much of its allegorical meaning and its archetypal power" (Lemay). Lemay's criticism is in agreement with a general overview of the book. Since it was written during the Rationalism Period and during the Enlightenment, it has views regarding those two things. Benjamin Franklin tells of how his experience and knowledge kept him going rather than God. He viewed God as more of a teacher and creator rather than an interactive being in people's lives. Science became more popular because of the longing of facts, proof, and knowledge. These themes are seen throughout the work and are tied into the American Dream. For example, J. A. Leo Lemay says, "A more fundamental reason for the book's power and popularity lies in the archetypal appeal of the individual's rise from helplessness to power, from dependence to independence. In that normal development that every human being experiences from nebulousness to identity, from infancy to maturity, we all recapitulate the experience of the American Dream."

Also, Lemay digs deeper into Benjamin Franklin's work, not just discussing that it is a very popular novel, but also why it is so famous. He talks of the complexity in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. Franklin includes anecdotes and simple advice, along with his own life, and also a sense of the American Dream. "Franklin deliberately creates a certain kind of fictive world, embodies that world in some unforgettable scenes, creates and sustains one character who is among the most memorable in American literature, and writes vivid truths that strike us with a shock of recognition. For these, among other reasons, I believe that the Autobiography is a major literary achievement, more complex, and in many ways, more artful, than a beautifully constructed novel like The Rise of Silas Lapham, which, of course, is much indebted to Franklin's Autobiography" (Lemay).

I agree with Lemay's view of Franklin's work in the complexity of the autobiography. His view is interesting how it goes much deeper into the work, rather than just looking at the story of Franklin's life. He connects the outlook of the Enlightenment and Rationalism Period into Franklin's views and a basic concept of the American Dream.

Lemay, J.A. Leo. "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." InThe Renaissance Man in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 1978. Quoted as "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BLTTAD005&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 13, 2010).

Journal #14: Declaration of My World

Everyone has always pretended to be in some other world. Some worlds are crazy imaginative worlds, others are conservative, some are just plain scary, and some are just regular worlds. They all have one thing in common. This is that they are all part of our imaginations. Well, seeing as nobody is alike, and all have different ideas and imaginations, please do not insult or judge my world if yours is different than mine. That is not very nice, and you would not want someone to judge your world, so please do not judge mine.

So the Declaration of My World states: -Everyone can breathe above land and underwater. (how cool would it be to not have to hold your breath or use heavy underwater gear? Instead we could just swim underwater without coming up for air!) Like I said, don't judge.
-Everyone is not be allowed to kill each other. (DUH)
-One has to wear a name tag in public.
-Everyone dresses up in a themed costume every Friday of the month.
-Church is every Sunday, and people have the choice to go or not.
-I am the leader, but there are representatives from different families.
-Everyone does their homework and studies and goes to school. (Yes, I can be classified as a "nerd").
-Everyone has to participate in some kind of outdoor activity, to get rid of laziness.
-One must ride a bike if they are in proper condition on the first Saturday of the months of April, May, June, July, and August. (Weather permitting)
-Everyone is to follow the law or accept the consequences. (Just as in the real world.)

That is pretty much my Declaration of My World. That is my world, and everyone can have their own declaration of their own world. When I was younger, those were the things that I thought would have made my world perfect. Everyone is entitled to their own dream world. So, as I have said before, please do not make fun of my made up world, when you know that yours is designed by you, and mine is designed by me, and you and I are completely different.

Journal #13: Homecoming Spirit

I love homecoming week because everyone... (well not everyone)... dresses up and participates and if they do, it makes the week really fun! For our week, Monday was hat and jersey day. Tuesday was cowboy/cowgirl day. Wednesday was 80's day. Thursday is class color day, and Friday is school spirit day.

I hate it when people do not actually dress up for school spirit day. It really annoys me. I mean, take 80's day for example. I went all out. I had the green neon converse with pink leg warmers, blue tights, short shorts, loose shirt hung over a bright green tank top, with a pink neon mesh shirt thing over the other shirt. I had tons of jewelry and makeup and my hair in a curly side pony tail. It was so much fun! But of course, even with the neon track suits, side pony tails, spiked hair, loose bright clothing, converse, and bulky jewelry, there were people dressed in regular clothing. WHY????? That is no fun. People say, I will look like a loser if I dress up in 80's attire. But really, they look like losers if they don't dress up. It is just fun to dress up like people did 30 years ago. It just bugs me when people don't dress up because they think they are too cool for it (not true) or if they are too lazy to do it.

Also, school spirit day is really fun because nearly everyone dresses in red or blue, and some people go all out, and paint their faces and look like smerfs. Haha. It is just fun to be in the spirit of things, and those people who do not dress up or participate during homecoming week are just depriving themselves of a great time. Plus the homecoming week activities lead us into homecoming, and the more fun the week was, usually that carries into the dance, and makes it more fun. Of course that also depends on the DJ and music he plays, but you get the idea.

So if you are contemplating whether to go all out during homecoming or spirit week, do it, because I guarantee, no matter how ridiculous you look along with other people, you will have way more fun than the people who think they are too cool (which they aren't) to dress up and participate during the week!

Journal #12: Partners?

To have a partner? Or to not have a partner? My preference is to not have a partner. "Why you may ask? Why would you want to do the work all by yourself? Why would you want that responsibility? Why do you not want to hang out with that partner--friend? But having a partner means less work. It means more fun on the project!"

I like working by myself. Why? Because I like doing the work. I am one of those "weird" people who actually likes to do most of the work. That is me. I like coming up with the idea and using my idea. I like being able to take full responsibility of the project, to do it my way, and not someone else's way. That is my personality. People always joke about how I will go the extra mile and go over the top on something. Or they will joke that I can never work well with people on something, because I want to do it my way. This is somewhat true. I have gotten into arguments about how to accomplish a project because I wanted it done one way and my partner wanted it done another way. My dad always jokes about that they should never argue with me, because I will eventually get my way in the end. HAHA Dad! (not really)

It is also a trust issue. How do I know that my partner will go home and do his or her part of the project? I don't. If I work alone, then I know that I am getting it done. And if I do something wrong, then I take full responsibility of the fault. I know what I did wrong and later when I am doing a similar project, I know what to avoid. However, I don't want to get in trouble with a project because my partner did not do his or her work or did it poorly. I am kind of a perfectionist, so I like things done extremely well, and done by me.

Plus, if my partner knows I will do the project, then they get credit for something I did. I hate that. It is wrong. Lazy people should not get rewards for feeding off of the prepared and those willing to do the work. That is why I prefer no partners.

Journal #11: Ethics and Values

Every one has different ethics or morals or values. Mine are probably different from the next person, which are different from the next person. Certain politicians have different morals and ethical values that I do not agree with... cough cough... (Rod Blagojevich)... cough cough... Anyway, I am just going to talk about some of my values, or morals, or ethics, whatever you prefer to call them.

One of my biggest morals is to not cheat. I hate when people cheat, because all it says is that they did not take the time to actually study for a test. You are in the class room for a reason, to learn the subject of that class. Notes or teaching or whatever method the teacher uses to teach that information is what you are to learn. If you do not want to learn, then do not sign up for that class, although sometimes you have to take a certain class. Still, when a test comes, for me cheating is wrong. One you are cheating that person. All you are doing is taking their effort into the test and passing it off as your own. Plus you are cheating yourself. When you cheat it is usually for a short period of time, like a test. You usually do not retain that information. So all in all, you are cheating yourself of learning that material and actually processing it. Cheating is against my morals.

Also, I do not believe in having sex before marriage. I am a Christian, and God says that is wrong. I believe Him, and follow that rule. Sex before marriage can complicate and ruin a relationship, cause emotional feelings and drama, or can result in a pregnancy. Also along those lines, if one does become pregnant, I believe in pro life.

These are some of my values along with, honesty, not stealing, not using drugs, not drinking alcohol before the legal age, and telling the truth. As I said before, many people probably have different morals than me. That is them, not me. All I am saying in this blog, is a list of my morals and ethics.