The Storm part 2 - assignment 1/28

I was very moved by the poems in the last half of Blood Dazzler. Patricia Smith goes into some deep subjects in her poems. I was surprised to read about death and religion in her poems. Her style of writing really sets the mood also. The way she ordered the lines, the use and repetition of words, and way the words played with each other really added to the effect the poems had on me. I found it interesting how she wrote poems about Katrina's "family". I also like how all the poems created different perspectives of hurricane Katrina.

Another Find - assignment 1/26 part 3

Seven miles from my hut, I stand at the edge of the land, breathing in the air coming off the ocean. A nice walk along the shoreline has become a weekly habit of mine. With my shoes and socks off, the sand gushes between my toes. Washed up from the tide, the most peculiar shell lay in the sand alone before me. "Another one to add to my collection," I thought as I stooped to pick it up and began my journey home.

The Simple Things in Life - assignment 1/26 part 2

On a late summer night, the forest echoed with laughter. "Camping for Boy Scouts was the best," my friend Brent exclaimed, wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead. "And no matter what, we are always could get a fire going," I added, watching the flames dance within our own fire pit. A summer's night spent gathered with friends is always a night well spent I thought, as I heard a coyote howl in the agreement.

Racing Through the Woods - assignment 1/26 part 1

"Pat, pat, pat," my feet say as I run along the trail in the woods, taking care to navigate between the trees and leap over the roots as I go. The trail takes a turn towards the creek. Fish swim in the water as a beaver scurries away. Whoa! A doe dashes out in front of me, daring me to race her. Another day, another race.

The Storm - assignment 1/26

I thought reading about hurricane Katrina would be slightly boring to read. Patricia Smith does an excellent job of mixing in different views of the hurricane's story. I liked how she used personification for a few of the view points. She made the hurricane sound like an actual person and it was interesting to hear its own story. I did not care for some of the language she used. Some of it helped shape the story, especially the multiple use of some of the same words, but I felt she could have used more descriptive, less vulgar language in some parts.

A History of Wolves - assignment 1/21

Rick Bass had a unique style in writing this story. Especially at the beginning, he was very graphic and blunt about the story. Whatever he said was straight to the point, making the story fairly easy to understand and follow along with. I liked how he told the story, but i believe he got a little carried away with the wolves. Even though i know the essay is about wolves, he just seemed a little too head strong with them. Bass seemed very knowledgeable of wolves and their habits. The facts and experiences he threw into the story made it a lot richer in detail and more fun to read.

The Consequences of Our Actions- assignment 1/21

It is easy to see that Terry Tempest Williams is very passionate about her family and how her community has been affected by nuclear ffallout. Her story is very moving in the way she justifies her beliefs on nuclear testing. It's really sad that so many people had to deal with the after effects of nuclear testing and that, at the time, the government wasn't willing to compensate for damages. I believe that the government should compensate for the families affected. It's a tough issue to say that the nuclear testing was unnecessary though. It was hard to know what to do during the Cold War, with everyone being scared of what might happen. I don't blame the U.S. for doing the testing but it's a shame that families are developing cancer and that the U.S. government seems to not care.

A Friendly Encounter- assignment 1/21 description of hut

Walking through the fog in the forest, you see an outline of a hill amongst the trees. As you advance towards the hill, it begins to resemble a hut. This hut, crafted from branches held together by tied vines and bark resembling shingles, gives off a scent of vanilla and cinnamon along with the salt of the ocean. Curiosity arising within you, you take a look inside the cabin. Pictures of people smiling, boxes of Jeff's pizza, even a piano are a few of the things you notice inside the cabin. It seems quite calm here. Suddenly, you hear someone running up to the cabin, short of breath. With a bewildered look on your face, a stranger walks in smiling and asks, "Hey, how you doing?"

Times of Old - assignment 1-19 photo

With steam spewing from the engine, this place existed as a home for travel. The place busted with passengers, wishing to visit family or enjoy the view of the country side. These trains not only carried passengers but also business. It turned into the most effecient way to deliver the town's export, clay tile made from the hills outside of town. All the farmers asked for Rockford's famous tile for their fields. This place resided as the hub of the town. Now, grass has grown around it. A new set of tracks lay down, serving a new purpose of delivering corn and soybeans. The paint is chipped and faded, a landmark serving as a reminder of our history.

Exploring Home - Assignment 1/19 home place exercise

My hometown is Rockford, IA. This is a picture of the fossil beds just outside of town.

1. The picture is some kids from the school on a field trip exploring the fossil beds. I remember going to these fossil beds myself as a field trip when I was in elementary school. If I remember right, I think it was an annual trip for us. My classmates and I would always compete to see who could find the best fossil.

2. The fossil beds are very symbolic of Rockford. This place is very rare, there is only one other place like it in the U.S. I remember one time I ran into someone from Oregon visiting the place. It is one of the few places that allows someone to take fossils home. It also represents the town's history. The original purpose of digging here was for clay to make tile. Rockford was well known for the quality of tile it produced. The fossils just so happen to be there too. When clay was replaced by plastic, the plant closed down but the fossils still remain. Since then, a museum has opened near the beds and it has attracted visitors for many years.

Susceptible Nature-assignment 1/19

Before reading this passage, I didn’t know much about the Great Salt Lake. It was interesting to read about how easily it is affected by amounts of rainfall, heat, and other factors. Since the Great Salt Lake changes a lot, people and especially nature need to learn how to adapt to it. Nature isn’t always as quick to adapt as us. We take advantage of nature by exploiting it to get what we want and we don’t always consider protecting animals. Morman culture highlights how everything on the Earth is somewhat connected and that protecting animal reserves is essential to preserving the Earth.