Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Irony

Irony is a statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea. Irony can be expressed in many different ways. For example verbal irony,dramatic irony and irony of a situation.

Irony has existed in my life. Irony is a part of life itself. For example my friend Kristy, she's always so happy all over the place, smiling like no other and things always seem right in her life, at times I would think damn I want to be in her place, I want to be happy all day everyday and not worry about anything, because thats just how she looked. She would always come to school looking so pretty, always clean, always nice clothing , hair always done. I just thought Kristy was perfect like no other. But little did I know. One time Kristy came to school with shades and didn't want to take them of at all. I just had that feeling that she was hiding something. She tried so hard to smile and act like everything was great, but I knew things weren't right. When we were alone I decided to snatch the shades of and what I saw wasn't good. Kristy had both eyes black and blue. She couldn't hide it anymore at least not from me. She fell crying on my shoulder telling me she wasn't happy. Everyday she comes to school smiling laughing is just a front so people wouldn't know, but I had found out , and I just felt so bad . This is just so ironic to me. That appearance can lie so much, the other people that didn't know thought just like me, She had it all. But little did they know at home she had nothing. As a friend I didn't know what to do or say because I was so shocked. But this was an ironic situation in my life because she was my friend and I felt her pain. Her father abused her . That was just ironic to me, how could it be? She seemed so perfect until the true story came out.

The poem "Richard Cory" by.Edwin Arlington Robinson is a very ironic poem.This poem can relate to my experience with irony. In the poem Cory is like that boy that everyone wants to be. He has it all. When he walks all eyes are on him,he was nice a gentleman, clean favored and imperially slim. He even glittered when he walked. He was rich. The people looked upon him wanting to be in his shoes so badly. But Ricard Cory on a summer night, put a bullet threw his head. "And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,Went home and put a bullet through his head." This is ironic. How can a man so nice, so quiet, so calmed, and so rich kill himself when he had it all. We will not know. This just shows how life can be so ironic and appearance means nothing. Don't judge people by what we see because deep down we just won't know who that person is or what that person may go through.

The short story "The Necklace" by:Guy De Maupassant is ironic. This story is about a couple, this couple isn't very wealthy. The girl is a young house wife. The man goes work while she's at home cooking , cleaning etc. She barely goes out or has friends. Her husband gets invited to this big dinner party, where all the rich people will attend. He wants to take his wife, but she refuses because she has nothing to wear. He really wants her to go with him , so he gives her money to buy herself some nice clothes to wear. After she buys herself a nice dress, she see's she still needs jewlery , diamonds to make it perfect. He has no money to buy her diamonds. But she does have a good old friend that could sure help her. So when she goes to her friend and borrows this diamond necklace, she's set and happy to go. She enjoys the party, she looks beautiful all eyes on her. But one problem by the time she get's home the necklace is no longer on her neck. After a week of not finding the necklace, they lost all hopes they would have to try and buy her the same one.When they found one that could replace the other 1, it cost thirty-six thousand. They had to get it one way or another , so the husband used he last $18,000 that his father had left him and borrowed the rest. "He did borrow it, getting a thousand from one man, five hundred from another, five louis here, three louis there. He gave notes of hand, entered into ruinous agreements, did business with usurers and the whole tribe of money-lenders. He mortgaged the whole remaining years of his existence, risked his signature without even knowing it he could honour it, and, appalled at the agonising face of the future, at the black misery about to fall upon him, at the prospect of every possible physical privation and moral torture, he went to get the new necklace and put down upon the jeweller's counter thirty-six thousand francs."

  The article "The House that Slaves Built"By; Gardiner Harris,is a great article that didn't only teach me a little something that I didn't know but also shows how ironic life can be. This article is about the White House. The White House was built by crews of black laborers, both slave and free. Yet back then it was very rare to have any black people in the White House.  In the 20th century there was a taboo that forbade blacks to the White House. Some people were against that . President Franklin D. Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor, was against that and famously included blacks among her many guests at the White House.But she was criticized just like others who did the same. Bess Abell who was the secretary of the White House had found a black women crying in the bathroom. When Bess had asked her what was wrong, The black women replied "there's nothing wrong. This is the most wonderful day of my life. When I first came to Washington, I couldn't get a hotel room, and tonight, I danced with the President.' " The black women was just so happy that she got to dance with the President in the White House. It's crazy how she couldn't get a hotel room but that night she danced with the President. Those were tears of joy. The ironic part of this article is that back then blacks were taboo from the White House. Today we have a black President , living in the White House. Back then no one would of ever saw that coming.

   . Is it ironic that I posted a video about how boring and useless Facebook is on Facebook?
Readers' verdict: 93 percent not ironic; 7 percent ironic. Final verdict: Not ironic.
    Definitely it's ironic how we are saying Facebook is boring and useless but yet we are posting the vedio on Facebook. It Doesn't seem so boring and useless to me if we on it ?. Something that's useless to me I wouldn't use. Not post something about it on it. Yes this very ironic to me.
  1.. "A Nebraska teenager - dressed as a mobile breathalysing unit for a Halloween party - was pulled over on his way home and arrested for drunk-driving." I definitely believe this is ironic because she's dress as a mobil breathalysing and was drinking while driving she should already know if the cops stop her , and put her to breath on it. yShe is going to come up with level of alcohol in her system. That's just stupid and ironic.
 2.Tim Schrader, an Australian convicted in Thailand for heroin smuggling and sentenced to death, received a Royal pardon on medical grounds after contracting HIV as a result of sharing needles during his heroin use while in prison. I agree that this isn't ironic because things like this really happen. He got H.I.V as a result of sharing needles so regardless he is going to die, might as well pardon him on medical grounds and help him a little. He was still going to die regardless. So That's ironic.
3.If I have a phobia for longs words I have to tell people that I have Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia?... This is ironic and funny. If I have a phobia for long words how em I even going to say all that. People wont even understand what I'm saying they going to think Im crazy.
4......there is a song about the phobia of music? I agree that this can be ironic because if someones has a phobia for music why would they make a song about it, no one that has a phobia for music would make a song about it.



This cartoon is ironic because the guy went to the fortune teller to know about his future, but the fortune teller is asking him about his future. How ironic could that be. If I go to a fortune teller is to know what's my future looking like, not to be asked what i think its going to look like. This so ironic and funny.

In Alanis Morissette's lyrics " Ironic" I found many ironic verses. Her lyrics were very ironic to me they really conected to the word irony.
But one main verse that seem so ironic to me was the first one.
"An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think"
 I think this verse is so ironic. How could it be that when you turn 98 , so old you win the lottery and die the next day. Finally when your going to be rich you die the next day. Life can be so ironic sometimes. This verse really caught my attention, that's why I say live everyday like its your last cause you just never know when it's your turn to go.
 Another verse that is ironic is this one.
"A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic...don't you think
A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think..."
More then ironic is like bad luck. I would definitely find it so ironic a no smoking sign on my cigarette break, and ten thousands spoons when all i need is a knife. Like The narrtor said a little to ironic.

The short video  shows me some irony. It talks about how a girl is saying that older people are becoming more anti-social but during a pause they show older people are riding bikes, and driving cars. That doesn't seem anti-social to me.  There are many adults riding bikes having fun. The young girl needs to learn that her way of being social by being on Facebook isn't her parents way of being social. They are different age and do different things. This short video is ironic to me because she says  how she read an article, but I just saw different. I actually saw parents riding bikes with friends enjoying themsleves. That isn't anti-soical to me.

 Irony is very important in our everyday lives. From what we eat to what we wear, to the people we even associate with. Many things can be so ironic and we wouldn't even know this. Irony is what we say, what we do, its even how we think because everyday of our lives we are doing something ironic without even realizing it. Irony is part of my life everyday. It's even ironic how on weekend I could surely wake up bright and early but on weekdays it surely is a hassle to get me up. Its ironic how that could be and I don't know why I just know it happens. Irony occurs without we even thinking of it. Its like the least things you expect to happen will happen.





















































































































































Monday, November 7, 2011

The Confrontation

I have read both short stories " The Fight "by: Richard Wright & "The Confrontation "by: Raymond Barrio to me both stories a very very similar, and a slightly different because it's different situations going on. The main point of both stories is to always stand up for yourself, defend yourself no matter what. In both stories both main characters did that.
  In  the story "The Fight" , the narrator was a guy who was attending a new school and since he was the new student other kids were trying to bully him. He didn't take it stood up for himself and fought back. After that he was left alone no one else tryed to bully him. In the story "The Confrontation" the narrator was a hard working man " Manuel" who worked  very hard for his money. He worked all day. So one day Manuel was so tired it just wasn't his day. Roberto, the contractor, came to work, to collect money from them. Manuel could not believe what this guying was asking for. He wanted to take 2 cent from every guy's bucket. No one wanted to give the money up, but no one spoke but Manuel. Manuel refused to give his 2 cents. He knocked his bucket with all his things and everything went all over the floor in different directions. When the contractor demanded him to pick it up now on purpose he knocked another one down. The contractor said ok ok, this time I wont take it. Manuel felt a lot of power within him. He knew later on there would be a consequence. But he had shown defiance. He had salvaged his money savagely and he had earned respect from his fellow workers.He didn't care about the consequence because he would think that's just food out of my kid 's mouth. These stories are similar because both narrators stood up for themsleves.
   Now both stories are slightly different because it was different situations. In the story "The Fight", the narrator was going to be bullied if he didn't stand up for himself. Yet in "The Confrontation" was different because Manuel had to stand up, he had worked so hard for this man to just come and take 2 cents of what he earned and mostly that was meaning taking food from his kids mouth. In "The Confrontation" Maunel didn't have to fight, he just stood up and refused. But in "The Fight" the narrator had to fight to show the other kids he wasn't going to take being bullied. In "The Fight" he knew if one bullied him, then all the others would too, and he couldn't let that happen.
   I agree that in both these stories the narrators did the correct thing, me being the narrator in "The Fight" I would have done the same thing. I would of fought back because I have been in that situation and being bullied isn't a good thing. Also being in Maunels situation I would also have done the same thing. That has never happen to me but I could just picture what it's like to have worked all day, so hard so this guy could just come and try to take your money. Manuel reacted in the right way because he's a father, the money wasn't going to his pocket but to his kids food. I agree he did the right thing. That's what a man is suppose to do.
   "Men are built to experience a certain sense of honor and pride. Or else they are dead before they die. This was a quote in "The Confrontation." This quotes means can a lot and conects to Manuel. Men should have some honor. Men are the ones who are suppose to protect thier family, men are the ones who work, men are the ones who bring in food, men have a big role in life , so its saying if men don't do what they have to do , if they don't have that sense of honor or pride , they are dead before they die.
Once a man has lost their respect, or pride , they have nothing. If a man can't take care of his family, He's nothing. That's just how I see it. If a man can't stand up for Himself he's nothing.

 Both stories "The Fight" And "The Confrontation" both have some similar things and a little difference. But they both have their main point whitch is to stand up for yourself.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Metaphor

A metaphor is a comparason between two disimilar things. The use of metaphors is a way to describe something. Metaphors can make things more intersting and entertaining. An example of a metaphor is ''Life is a precious possession'', ''death is a loss''. It's saying like living is precious it's good, yet death is loss. When we die we lose it all, we just add to it,Make it more intresting. 

Theres many different typesof metaphors, such as a simile, personification, anthropomorphism, hyperbole, parable, fabel, and analogy. A simile is when we compare the characteristics of two things by using like or as.  For example ''My mother is as beautiful as a rose''. A rose is beautiful and so is my mother. That's a simile. I'm comparing my mother to a rose. Another metaphor is a personification. Personification is giving something a human-like quality or ability to something that is not human. An example is ''The run down house appeared depressed''.  No house can appear depressed, We can see the quality we give the house even though the house isn't human. Another metaphor is anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena. An example is ''The dog in Bathoven was playing basketball and wearing sneakers.'' It's saying  a dog could really play basketball and wear sneakers. There's no such thing. Another type of metaphor is a hyperbole . A hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in ''I'm so hungry I could eat a cow''. I'm exagerating, I could be so hungry , but I could never eat a cow. A parable is a simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson. An example is The Good Samaritan (New Testament). A fable is a kind of metephor. A fable is a short allegorical narrative making a moral point, traditionally by means of animal characters who speak and act like human beings. For example The Boy Who Cried Wolf. It's a fable of a little boy who would always cry wolf, to just scare the people make them think the wolf was there wen it really wasn't. Analogy is another metaphor which means a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based. An example of an analogy can be fire is to ice as hot is to cold.

  In the poem "Joy" by; starfields I noticed a metaphor. The metaphor was "first blade of grass, the messenger of spring''. This is a metaphor because the first blade of grass is like a signal  messenging us telling us the spring should soon arrive. In the poem "Creativity" by;starfeields it has personification. It's saying the shadow of a branch is dancing and its writing its story in the ink.  There isn't any such thing as a branch dancing and writing its story. Also the poem "Peace" by;starfields  has personification "The wind is now a roaring, smashing monster of destruction" This line is personification because its giving the wind sounds such as roaring, and turning the wind into a monster. Its giving the wind human characteristics.

   A simile that I found in the cartoon elephant, was "He eats like a pig, Vines like golden prison" the example is trying to say the elephant eats so much because pigs also eat so much. Its also saying it can hold you very tight because  a vine can be like a long string and you can compare it to his trump. With his trump he can hold on to anything. In this link it gives you many different examples of simile and how they use the elephant to identify it.

  The poem " My Town" By;Sharon Hendricks has many personifications. Every line we read has personification.
The leaves on the ground danced in the wind
The brook sang merrily as it went on its way.
The fence posts gossiped and watched cars go by
which winked at each other just to say hi.
The traffic lights yelled, 'Stop, slow, go!'
The tires gripped the road as if clinging to life.
Stars in the sky blinked and winked out
While the hail was as sharp as a knife.
I read in the first line how it says, "The leaves on the ground danced. Leaves don't dance, humans dance, this is personification. The author is just saying like the leaves were getting pushed around by the wind , so to make it more intertaining, he saying they were dancing.  He says the traffic lights yelled yellow stop, slow and go. That can't happen because traffic lights can't speak. The author is saying like the lights were changing. The red means stop, the yellow means slow and the green means go., These sign we already know, they don't speak to us. Another poem that has many personification is Games By; Sharon Hendricks.

Chipmunks chatter and scurry,
Blue jays scream and scold.
Robins talk and gossip
demanding their story to be told.
Squirrels skip and box one another
and rabbits play hop scotch.
The games they play, the sounds they make
Really are top notch

Squirrels skip and box one another and rabbits play hop scotch. This line manily has personifcation. It's giving human charcateristics to the squirrel and the rabbits. Squirrels can't box. That's what humans do and a rabbit can't play hop scotch. That's a game humans play.

A fable is a metaphor."The Hare and the Tortoise" is an old fable. In this fable the hare would brag about how fast he was and how no one could bet him. So the tortoise gladly challenged him to a race . The hare thought it was a joke and said I'll dance all the way. The hare was too confident. So when the race begun course the hare was fast , when he looked back he didn't see the tortoise no where in sight. So he decided to stop and take a nap. As the time passed when the hare woke up he noticed the tortoise was passing the finish line. This is a metaphor because the hare and the tortoise both act and speak like humnas beings. This fable makes its point , never be to over confident .

I found metaphors in two of Emily, Dickinson poems. In the poem "The wind" in the first line she says "The wind tapped like a tired man,And like a host, "Come in,"  in this line I found two metaphors . Personificatin and a simile. The simile is she's comparing the wind to a tired man, and the personification is she's saying the wind tapped on her door. She's giving the wind human characteristics, such as tapping like a tired man. The wind tapped her door slowly like an old man would. In the other poem in which I found a metaphor was in "The Stone " In the first line "How happy is the little stone". This line is a metaphor because the narrator is giving the stone a feeling. The stone has no feeling the stone can't be happy. I feel like in this poem the stone dickinson was trying to saying like a stone could just be so happy , because it doesn't having any feelings, unlike a human, a human has many different emotions.
   A leaf falls loneliness by ee cummings is a metaphor. This line its saying how when a leaf falls of a tree its lonly, because once it falls its not going back up on the tree. When I see a single leaf falls to the ground from the tree, it's describing how the leaf can feel lonly. Just like when one person is all alone, the person feels lonely.


 Metaphors is part of our everyday life. We use metaphors in everything we do. By us talking to writing we are using metaphors. As we get older and grow we learn and do more.  we have different experiences in which we use metaphors. Most people just by the way they speak, or dress exaggerate everything. Their whole personality could be a metaphor. A metaphor that can apply to me is "A Roller Coaster - Life consists of ups and downs, and we are along for the ride" I think the metaphor applys to me, beacuse with all the things that i have been threw life to me really is a rollercoaster. One day your up high , on your best everything goes great, and the next day your down , no energy, no money, no friends sumtimes not even family. On the ride i'm all alone . With the years that have passed and the things that I have learned, in life it's just Me, Myself and I.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Fight

The narrator arrives at a new school. He doesn’t know anyone. The other kids try and test him. One kid tries to pick on him, but the narrator holds his ground and doesn't back down. Most of the time this really happens to a lot of kids.  It even happened to me. So I know exactly how the narrator felt and reacted how he did. The situation was that since the narrator was the new kid, the other kids wanted to bully him. He just wasn't taking it. One of the bullies picked a fight with him, and he fought back. He responded by defending himself. He fought the kid back and wasn't scared. I agree that the narrator did the correct thing. I’ve been in the same situation before in junior high and I responded the same way. Some girls came up to me trying to bully me around and I wasn't with it. It’s not good to fight but in order to get respect sometimes you have to do so. After the narrator fought the bully. Then the other kids already knew not to mess with him. The narrator wasn't scared. That’s what they do with a new kid at a school, they try to test you. If I show them I’m scared, they will bully me around. Once I stand up for myself, they will know not to mess with me. Not just only me, but most of my friends also had been in a situation like this. This happens all the time. Some kids take the bullying, while others don't. Everyone says it’s not okay to fight. But sometimes you just have no other choice. After I reacted the way I did, by fighting back. The other girls wouldn’t dare try to bully me. Because I wouldn't take it.  Now I can bet all the other kids talk to him and wont try to bully him. This is a lesson to learn. Show no fear. After that he went the next day to school – he even challenged his enemy to another fight but the boy wouldn’t respond. Fighting was no longer necessary he knew he was accepted.