W.H.Auden - If I Could Tell You

I just want to share one of my remembrance about this poem with you. After we read this poem in the class, we had a break. I really liked the poem that I read several times. Then I immediately called my love and said her “just listen this please” she was surprised. Then I started to read it.. “Time will say nothing but I told you so, Time only knows the price we have to pay, If I could tell you I would let you know..” I got it that she liked it just like me. I was feeling her smile. Especially, the heart of the poem for us “There are no fortunes to be told, although, Because I love you more than I can say, If I could tell you I would let you know..” It simply became one of our favorite poem..we both really liked it. What a description was that..we were amazed with these word. By the way, after reading this we keep trying to tell to each other those nice words which symbolize the love and its feelings..This poem has different place on my mind and heart anymore. Whenever I read it, I will remember that special time. I think I am thankful to Shawn Sturgeon for sharing with us the best equipments for our class. I am thankful for W.H.AUDEN as well.


Thank you Mr.Sturgeon and,
Thank you Mr. Auden

KURT VONNEGUT

Kurt Vonnegut was born in 1922 in Indianapolis. He was born from a descendant of prominent German-American families. Kurt was sent to public school when he got the great depression. But his other two siblings were studying in private school. In high school years, he edited the daily newspaper of the school. He studied at Cornell College for just two years, with orders from his father and brother to study chemistry, a subject in which he did not do extremely well in. He was the writer of the Cornell Daily Sun. He joined to U.S Army in 1943. The following year, Kurt’s mother committed suicide, and he was taken as a prisoner following the Bulge Battle. After the war, he gets married and entered a master’s degree program in anthropology at the University of Chicago. Kurt also worked in Chicago as a reporter for the Chicago City News Bureau. Then he devoted himself to full time writing where he wrote effectively until his death in 2007.

Kurt published short stories in national magazines during the 1950s. In 1952, Vonnegut’s first novel, Player Piano appeared. Sirens of Titan was published in 1959, followed by

  (1962)  Mother Night 

  (1963) Cat’s Cradle 

(1965)  God Bless You, Mr. Rose-water

(1969)  Slaughterhouse Five (his most highly praised work) This novel depicts one of the most horrific massacres in history of European.

KURT VONNEGUT – SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE “1”

This book is the story of Billy Pilgrim who has become “unstuck at past”. Billy Pilgrim is travelling back, goes to his birth, his death, and all the moments in between out of order and repeatedly. The interesting part of the novel is, even though there are lots of events in many years, there is no order about them. It explains them like in small fragments. First ten chapters of the novel, Kurt Vonnegut explains about some difficulties of novel writing and its effects of Dresden in his life.

Billy Pilgrim travels in time, he gets confused and he doesn’t know how to react. I’m sure most of us have experienced those kind of moments. Isn’t that feeling really very weird?

Generally, the novel explains bad sides of the war and its effects by giving examples of Kurt Vonnegut’s experiences in World War 2.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Last chapters

At the last parts of the story, it describes the difficult decision that Robert makes to over his relationship with Edna. Edna calls Reisz one day for comfort and instead of him she finds Robert at her old home. She surprises to learn that he returned from Mexico but he doesn’t tell it to her. They express their love to each other. Edna starts to plan to be with him. While back at her small house, a servant of Monsieur Ratignolle comes to find Edna to bring her to the Ratignolle house. Adele is in labor and wants to see Edna. She tells to Robert to wait for her. Once there, Adele tells to Edna just to think of her children. Edna returns to her home but  Robert has left with a goodbye note. The note tells of Roberts love for Edna. Edna is shocked and hurt that she just stares the wall all night, holding Roberts letter in her hand. Finally, Edna goes to her beloved place which is ocean. She removes all of her clothes and walks into the water. She continues to walk farther and farther until she is seen no more.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Chapters 11-20

The following chapters are containing her tries for changing her life. Edna becomes more social those times. She starts to have strong relationships with people around her. Because she is very sure about to make a change in her life like on her personality, behaviors and things that are surrounding to her. For example, she defines of her changes with not dressing up for Tuesday receptions. She waits her guests with her daily clothes not with reception gown. This and her these kind of careless behaviors effects Edna and her husband’s relationships. Because Leonce is a person who really pay attention their  responbilities and importance for their society.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Chapters 1-10

The story is about Edna Pontelliers’ life. She is 28 years old and she is married with Leonce who is from New Orleans. Leonce is a businessman. They have a good family but their relationship doesn’t goes well. Because they don’t do well in their relationship, Edna gets awaken on the situation and try to get some new experiences.  Actually story gets start in this part because the novel is all about their responsibilities, feelings, and the reactions that they give when they face with problems. At the beginning, Edna is a good housewife that takes care of her home and children. But then, she starts not to do those stuffs.  Edna’s loves to her husband gets increase but after the time, she doesn’t even give any answer to people around her. She gets bored from her life and starts not to like it. Edna decides to change her life. She takes steps to realize it but these steps are not right behaviors for her family.

Frank O`Hara - Song

I chose this poem because I really liked the main point of it. It’s about love which I have been feeling in last 2 months of my life. It reminded me my love when I was reading it. I found myself in it. I do lots of thing in a daily life such as watching TV or movie, going out for a dinner, going to university, playing football, reading a book, singing a song, visiting relatives but just like Frank O’Hara says, actually “I was thinking about you” The writer implies same things for himself there. “Having a Coke in the heat it was your face, I saw on the movie magazine, no it was Fabian's, I was thinking of you, and down at the railroad tracks where the station has mysteriously disappeared, I was thinking of you”(Song) Everything that the writer does, he actually thinks of her on that moment. It’s like there is nothing much important of valuable to think except her love. This poem really made me to think about my love. Even mentioning about her makes me excited, makes me smile, makes me feel different. Yes, I am thinking about her now. Her lovely face, her eyes, the way she talks, her smiles, our moments, and our song (Shayne Ward-Breathless) I going to call her now..yeah I’m in love! 

KURT VONNEGUT – SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE “2”

The main character of the novel, Billy Pilgrim was born in 1992 in New York city. After his father’s dead, he goes to war which is in Germany. (He studies optometry before to join to it) He and other American soldiers relocated in Dresden city which is a very beautiful city. Dresden gets bombed on February 1945 and it kills approximately 130,000 people. Billy Pilgrim survives from this attack by hiding in a meat cellar. By the time, some of his friends at the campsite become friendlier than others but Billy ends up returning home after bombing. He continuous his studying of optometry after he comes from Germany. At this time, Billy Pilgrim meets with his wife. Her name is Valencia. Her father has a school so he is a rich person. After a while, Valencia’s father helps financially to Billy Pilgrim. Then, Billy and Valencia gets married and have two children; Robert and Barbara..

CALVINO-ITALO-INVISIBLE CITIES Cities & Memory 2

As all other poems in the book, Cities & Memory 2 is also about journey and the cities. The writer talks about the city Isidora which "the buildings have spiral staircases encrusted with spiral seashells, where perfect telescopes and violins are made, where the foreigner hesitating between two women always encounters a third, where cockfights degenerate into bloody brawls among the betters”(cities &memory 2)

In the last part of the poem, writer actually trying to imply that the Isidora is his imaginary or dreamed-of city that he always imagine or dream about it. The writer is actually old person but he contained him as a young man. In my opinion, If we think about his dream of city and his wondering to be a young man, we will understand that there is a secret message about the importance of time. As we know time is the most valuable thing one can spend but unfortunately people don’t aware of its valuable.

"Time is the coin of our life. It is the only coin you have,and only you can determine how it will be spent" 

Carl Sandburg

CALVINO-ITALO-INVISiBLE CITIES Cities & the sky 4

This poem mention about Perinthia city.  Position of the city is as same as the position of some stars on the sky.  All details, but especially order of the city were very important for the astronomers (who are the establishers of this city.) I said the order was very important, because in their belief every single star will be effected every living things in Perinthia city. So their goal was to do everything like perfect.  They were thinking that reflect of the harmony of the firmament, nature’s reason and the gods benevolence would shape the inhabitants destinies.  But things didn’t happen how they were thinking. Because they didn’t think about something. Even though all the details were well done, diversity of people would not let them to receive same reaction. It is kind of same situation like our real life. We try to be or try to make things perfect but even though we get so closer to it every single time we fail. 

CALVINO-ITALO-INVISiBLE CITIES Trading Cities 2

The poem “Trading Cities2” talks about the great city Chloe.  Chloe people move through the streets but they are all stranger to each other.  Everyone has different ideas about the other person. No one greets anyone. A girl, a woman, and a tattooed giant come along but something was running among them. Even though it is for several seconds, the writer believe that these people have an eye contact with each other which are like arrows, stars or like triangles..When some people find themselves together for to do something, they are all consummated among them without any word exchanged, any physically contact or even almost eye contact.

Briefly, Calvino explains about the strange position that people face in their daily life. My opinion is, I’m sure it always happens to us. We think what the people around us thinking about while we walk down the streets. We look the other peoples’ eyes for a second or they do that to you. The most interesting part is, we never know how to react on that moment. It’s kind of weird moment that sometimes makes us smile but sometimes nervous.

CALVINO-ITALO-INVISIBLE CITIES Cities & Eyes 3

The poem "CITIES & EYES 3" is about the city which is called Bausic. It is an imaginative city that it is not in touch with the earth, except its long flamingo legs. So imagine a city, which is on the sky, on the clouds, and far away from the earth and has two long legs that is in contact with the earth. There are several hypotheses about Bausic people; They hate the earth, but they really respect it so much and avoid all contact with it. They love it, as it was before they existed and They never tire to examine things by their telescopes..like examining leaf by leaf, stone by stone or animals by animals..

Elizabeth Bishop - I Am in Need of Music

Music…We listen it in every places: at home, school, work, shopping malls, concerts.. on train, bus, ship or taxi. We listen it even if there is no one is playing it. It starts in our head and then we continue to sing or listen it. Because it is part our life that we can’t live without it. Music occupies a lot for our lives. It is just like water. We really need it. I am really in need of it. It gives a way to our live my live. When we are happy we sing, we dance or we listen it. We spread smile around and sing again. When we are really sad maybe we cry, but most of the time we listen it to relax. It helps us to overcome most difficulties in our life with its own special way. Therefore, music is really very important thing for human beings. Briefly, in this poem Elizabeth Bishop points out the importance and intense need of music. It’s magical effects to our emotions or feelings.  

“I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours.  But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places.  Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality.” Harry Allen Overstreet