A tribute poem from The Things they Carried, written by Tim O’ Brien.

By. Starlotte Green

Lieutenant Cross slept in his quite hole.
He held tightly to that one picture,
Of a girl he imagined to love.
Pretending that he loved became his security.

We walked through unknown country,
One by one by one;
Carrying our own weight for survival
And the dead weight of fear.

Everyone would carry their own habits
Jenson carried soap,
Henry carried food for two,
Ted used to carry tranquilizers
But now he is dead.

Fear was a universal weight.
No one would portray this fear.
We all carried it in silence,
It was weak to cry.

Every thing we carried was accounted for.
Each ounce mattered.
Heavy boots,
Heavy guns,
Heavy fear of death.
Every thing counts.

When we had to go underground.
Only one of us would go.
It depended on the number we chose;
If we would be lucky enough to live.

Ted was the unlucky one.
No one thought it was his time.
But he just fell flat.
Boom.
Nothing else.
Flat dead.
No drama. Just dead.

Cross silently felt guilty.
He was responsible for the lives of these men.
He was now responsible for their death.
He wept.

Cross hated that picture,
Of the girl from the other world.
It was just his imagination.
He no longer needed the empty love.
He would only lead us now.


Here is a link to some beautiful poems about war.

http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/

On The Rainy River

Here is my first try for this English class on the difference between an Analysis and a summary.

SUMMARY
The story written by Tim O’Brien On The Rainy River, is about a young man that receives a draft from the army. He hates the thought of war and thinks he is too good for it. He is pressured to serve in the war from his peers and parents. He does not want to disappoint them, but he is afraid of death.
He tries to run to Canada to avoid being deported and stays at a lodge that is owned by an old man. They spent a lot of quiet time together and that brought him to realize that he cannot live with the guilt of not doing what was expected from him. He went back home and went to the war.

ANALYSIS
In Tim O’Brien’s’ On The Rainy River, a young man is terrified of a life change after receiving a draft for the Vietnam war. He was emotionally sick with confusion because he does not believe in the politics that stand behind the war, “Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons“ (O‘Brien 40) . If he chose to join the army he could die and unwillingly live a life of blood shed; or he could hide away from it and live in shame and embarrassment. After a few days of debate he chooses to go on to the war which is for the best. He would of never been able to live a normal life, “ I was afraid of walking away from my own life, my friends and my family, my whole history, everything that mattered to me” (O’ Brien 44-45). Even though he hated the thought of war he went because he was insecure with being a failure.

Work Cited
O’ Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Mariner Books, 1990. Print.

I am against the war and found this web site.

http://www.draftresistance.org/

Sam Hamill

The story, “The Necessity to Speak,” written by Sam Hamill, is about the violence in the world that needs a public awareness. Hamill addresses the problems and solutions of war, domestic violence, murder, and rape. He believes there is a way to help with these ongoing issues; through writing and a universal self awareness.
Sam Hamill writes this story through his own experiences. He was an orphan, raped in prison and he served in the Marine Corps. All of these things he believes taught him violence. These are all things that most people have in their lives, and then passed on to children. Violence is a vicious cycle. Children learn to live with violence and will eventually portray it.
Hamill found his own way of expressing himself in a positive way; through writing. He knew that others could relate. He believes that people that have suffered from violent situations could utilize this method of writing to help them cope with the long term effects it has. This makes the writer vulnerable and perhaps embarrassed. Hamill uses writing in a way to open himself up to the world and to touch another human being on the inside. To him, this is a gift.
Hamill thinks the root of violence is that people will ignore these problems. It is easier to avoid conflict when it is not hurting you. It is also easier to shield innocent children from the ugliness of violence. The problems in society are swept under the rug and eventually forgotten. Hamill thinks that there needs to be a spoken truth and education of violence. This may be the beginning of a new generation of true love and peace.
http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/personal-growth/write-therapy/write.asp

Joy Harjo

The poem, “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window”, written by Joy Harjo, is about a single mother who is contemplating suicide. Throughout the poem the character thinks of all of the reasons to live and the things that depresses her.
The character is insecure with her race, poverty and she wants to give up on life, “she knows she is hanging by her own fingers, her/ own skin, her own thread of indecision”(Line 47-47). Harjo explains the woman's reasoning for wanting to die, “She thinks she will be set free”(Line 7). Suicide could seam like an easier way to deal with depression.
Depression can have a nasty effect on people; its painful. Harjo points out that very few people have an educated understanding of depression, “Some of them scream out from below /for her to jump, they would push her over. Others cry softly /from the sidewalks, pull their children up like flowers and gather /them into their arms. They would help her, like themselves”(Line 70-74). I am personally bias against depressed people. I think that anyone can walk in the beauty of their own life. Everyone is beautiful. Yet, I have never been depressed. I do not know the disease.
The beautiful part of this poems is that it gives inspiration. Harjo explains that the waman is not alone,“She sees other​/ women hanging from many-floored windows /counting their lives in the palms of their hands”(Line 24-26). This could be the answer that helps with depression. If a depressed person could realize that there are other people that know their sorrow; they may not feel so alone.
Harjo not only writes beautiful poems, but she is also talented in music. Harjo writes most of her poems about her culture, woman, and poverty,“I feel strongly that I have a responsibility to all the sources that I am: to all past and future ancestors, to my home country, to all places that I touch down on and that are myself, to all voices, all women, all of my tribe, all people, all earth, and beyond that to all beginnings and endings”. Harjo is incredibly inspiring and I feel blessed to have found her.

Works Cited

Harjo, Joy. “The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window”. Poetry Foundation. 2006. 16 June 2010. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=180960

np. “Joy Harjo (1951-). Poetry Foundation. 2020. 16 June 2010. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=2929
Here is Joy Harjo's website.
http://joyharjo.com/Home.html

Here is a video of Joy Harjo doing a live reading of her poem, "A Poem to Get Rid of Fear".

Daffodils

The poem, “Daffodils”, written by Alicia Ostriker, is about the importance of war and the beauty of life. I was taken back when I read this poem because I live in my own little hippie world. For instance, I do not watch the news; so I have no idea of the worlds issues. I live for peace, happiness, and with the belief that everything will always be okay.
Ostriker describes the beauty and serenity that the world has to offer, even though there is a war going on, “The daffodils do look as if they dance/ And make some of us in the park want to dance /And breathe deeply and I know that/ Being able to eat and incorporate beauty like this”(Lines 16-19). This is to show that the beautiful things in the world are always available to us.
There are a lot of people who do not approve of the war. I am one of them, but if it is my family and my land that is threatened; my attitude would change, “It is our business to defend it/ Even the day our masters start a war?/ To defend the day we see the daffodils? (Ostriker lines 34-36). I would have no choice but to defend myself even if I do not believe in war.
Needless to say, everyday offers the best and the worst of things in the world. Ostrikers' poem compares this matter to poetry, “What explains poetry is that life is hard/ But better than the alternatives, /The no and the nothing” (Lines 22-24). I think that this is a beautiful truth of life. Life is difficult but also a path of learning experiences.

Works Cited
Ostriker, Alicia. “Daffodils”. Poetry Foundation. 2005. 16 June 2010. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=181769

Here is a website that I found inspiring for peace in todays world. I hope you enjoy.
http://www.peacerevolution2010.org/

Star's Introduction

Star's Introduction

Good Readers, Good Writers

In the story, “Good Readers, Good Writers”, the author Vladimir Nabokov believes that readers should develop certain skills to gain the best results of the written material. He says in order to be a good reader you cannot just read, but can only reread the material. For instance, my favorite author is Sidney Sheldon, and I have almost every book that he had written. I reread his books every few years, and each time I reread a book, I always find something new.
I also agree with Nabokov when he explains that your mind can only comprehend so much. Last fall semester I took an intensive reading course, and my instructor gave me advice for reading that I will always carry with me. She suggests underlining important points, and adding side notes while reading. There were numerous reading materials in her class, and this method helped me to differentiate between them. This helped me to become a much better reader. I am glad that I took her class before I took Introduction to Philosophy, which had endless reading material. This method works wonders. Especially for college students who are in multiple courses, or have reading assignments that do not interest them.
A good reader needs to be open-minded. When I read a book from an author other than Sidney Sheldon, I have to get into the text of the book, and not to expect what Sheldon has always given to me. This was not easy for me at all. It took research to find an author that interests me, Aimee Bender. She is fun, witty, and imaginative. I think it helps to be a good reader when you enjoy the author’s way of writing.

Here is one of the books that I read by Aimee Bender, titled The Girl in the Flammable Skirt




Here is a link that gives suggestions for good reading skills.

http://www.landmark.edu/institute/assistive_technology/reading_overview.html

Star and Star

My last experience of horseback riding was reassuring. I had just finished a year of college that was filled with obstacles, frustration, and doubt. With that said, I needed real "me" time.
It was a few years ago when I first started my relationship with horses. Thanks to a great friend of mine, Terry O. He taught me his way of understanding these wonderful animals. Like the F words that have to come in order; Fast, fair, firm, and friendly. This will build respect between you and the horse. This surprisingly works for my kids. HA!
One of the other many things I have learned though Terry O and horsemanship, is to always remember where your belly button is, your center. If you ever get into a "pickle" with your horse; if he kicks, runs, or does anything that you cannot handle, you need to know where your belly button is. You pull the rains tight and turn them into your belly, it works!
So, all of this horse philosophy has helped me many times in life.
When the Spring semester was finally over, I did not know what to do with myself. I facebooked, cleaned closets, took naps, read novels in a day, and developed cabin fever. That is when I had my Epiphany and called my Terry O.
I put on my sexy (borrowed) cowboy boots, Levi's, and took off on a horse who shares my name. I could imagine that her red stocking where a blaze of fire, and I was for a moment untouchable. I kept remembering where my center was. This is something that people do not always do. Not just to ride a horse but, to know who you truly are.
I am Star and I know what centers me.