MengxinWang

The clock ticks. The pendulum bob of the clock swing, swing. The pendulum oscillates The pendulum bob of the clock swing, swing The pendulum oscillates The pendulum bob of the clock swing, swing The clock ticks The pendulum bob of the clock swing, swing ** 2. Select two poems (must be different than the one you picked for #1) and write two short paragraphs that compare and contrast the poems. Your paragraphs can focus on different elements of the poems, including subject, theme, tone, use of poetic devices such as repetition, imagery, and any progressions that you notice in the poems (for example, you might notice that the images get stronger in each line, or the detail gets more specific). Be sure that (a) you explain how the elements contribute to the message or feeling of the whole poem and (b) that you don’t just talk about one poem and then the other. You have to first talk about the comparisons (similarities) and then the contrasts (differences). So you have to think about the structure of your paragraphs before you write them. ** Due to the fact that these poems were written during the same time period, there are many similarities between them. In the Hunting Song, and I Have Killed a Deer, both were written about killing of deer, which is a sacred animal to the Natives. Repetition is frequently used in both poems, in the Hunting Song, many sentences start with “ comes the deer to my…”, while in the second poem, many lines have the format of “I have __verb noun__.” Even though both poems are about deers, however, in the poem, there are many other living creatures that are mentioned. Despite the similarities between the two poems, there are many differences between the two poems. From the first poem, the mood seems cheery and bright, while the second poem is a lot more serious. In the Hunting Song is about the journey to killing the deer, where in I Have Killed a Deer, there’s a much deeper meaning, about the circle of life. ** 3. Read the short story called "The Navajo Origin Legend". Answer the following questions: ** ** a. What did you like about the story? ** I liked that they used something as common as corn for the creation of human. ** b. What did you dislike about the story? ** I didn’t like how they used buckskin as part of what makes human. ** c. What was the image that was most powerful or interesting for you? ** The most interesting image was when “the white ear of corn had been changed into a man, the yellow ear into a woman.” It is interesting how corns had been changed into human, but mostly, white always represents men, and yellow always represents women. ** d. The Native Americans who wrote this poem are similar to other pre-colonial societies in that they write about the materials of their everyday lives in their myths. Food, nature, and animals are some such materials. Identify all the specific materials that appear in the story that would be common in the everyday lives of the Native American culture. For each material that you identify, explain briefly what is happening to it in the story. ** Corn is very important to the Native Americans because it is brought up in two of the four writings, and the corn in the story turned into human. Deer is also something that appears numerous times, whether it’s deer or deerskin. Deer and eagle feathers were seen as sacred because they helped turn corn into human; however, it was the wind that eventually gave the corn life. From the story, I can tell that these people saw deer as a sacrifice for god because people were made with the help of deerskin. It is possible to tell that those people were very precise, for they described the exact direction something needs to face, and the exact amount is needed. Color is very important to them because their gods are ** 4. The speaker in "I Have Killed a Deer" talks about death and killing in an unusual way. How would you describe the way he talks about death and killing? Why does he talk about it this way? Do you think he feels sorry for killing living things? What single line is a turning point in the message of this poem? What is the overall message of this poem, in a single short sentence? ** The speaker in “I Have Killed a Deer” seemed as if he didn’t feel very sorry to kill the deer, but rather saw killing as very normal. He saw that it was necessary to sacrifice living creatures for other living creatures, including killing animals for himself. This was all a cycle to him, other living creatures give him during his lifetime, and he returns it when he dies, he gives the life back to the living creatures. The turning point of this poem was when he said, “ When I died I must give life t o what has nourished me. ” This was the turning point because instead of talking about killing animals, he’s talking about giving life back when he dies. The overall message of this poem is that one must kill other living creatures to live; it’s all part of a great cycle, and when one die, one must return the nourishment one got.
 * 1. Select one poem of the four provided and write another poem mimicking the style and syntax of the first poem. You can change the topic and words, but the rhythm, sentence structure and poetic elements (such as repetition and figurative language) have to be mirrored in your poem. You may write on any topic you like.  **
 * The Clock Ticks (based on The Corn Grows Up) **
 * e. What can you tell about the culture of this people based on the materials that appear in this story and the way that these objects are used? Do you notice any patterns in how these materials are depicted? **