The following infographics were created by students in the spring semester of Ms. Lewis' English 12: Poetry and Short Fiction class: Jasper Broad, Isabela Camacho, Felipe de Cardenas, Santiago Duckenfield-Lopez, Eva Gonzalez-Whitehouse, Amanda Harris, Lucas Jolivert, Ali Lugo, Ana Martin, Jake Meyer, Madison Munroe, Heidi Riemer, Jack Rivas-Vazquez, Juan Rivera, Caroline Sosler, Ana Maria Tovar, and Ani Victor.
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Week 5: April 29, 2022
Week 5: April 29, 2022
Group 4_week 5 infographic .pdfAudio Transcript:
“Ongoing” is a poem that is loosely about graduation. Author Jenny Xie makes several connections in her writing that resemble the Ransom Everglades experience as of late, especially for the senior class as we approach the end of the school year.
Xie uses one central simile that encopasses the bitersweetness of inevitable change in one’s life. She describes this transition as “separating new vows from the old.” Though growing up can be uncertain and turbulent, Xie diminishes the significance of these challenges to nothing but a mundane chore, “like separating laundry whites.” In doing so, she insinuates that they are simply a part of life. This simile drives the entire poem, and relates to the universal experience of not having all of the answers. It is as if the poem suggests that the answers may never be found because they are constantly changing. It is simply something that we all must face, hence the title, “Ongoing.”
Another literary technique that Jenny Xie utilizes is metaphors and diction. Her choice of language sets an agonizing, yet opportunistic tone. It is clear that the poem refers to a mental battle and the “tangles along the way the comb-teeth of the mind had to bite through.” However, the author parallels physiological turmoil and instability with animalistic terms such as threadbare, ripped, appetite, prowled etc. This alludes to the theme of survival and strife. The metaphor of ‘the hunt’ for answers and for identity is strong and consistent.
Alliteration is present throughout the piece, and sporadically highlights important phrases. And example of this is “the threadbare twenties,” which set a contextual stage for Xie to communicate her main ideas.
Enjambment is used to add significance to particular lines and possibly display the passing of time. The absence of punctuation leaves the idea open ended, and temporarily halts the motion of the line. This contributes to the rhythm of the poem and the fast paced experience that the author is trying to portray.
Week 4: April 22, 2022
Week 4: April 22, 2022
Maritime Infographic Example and Template.pdfAudio Transcript:
Hello, we will be talking about Maritime by Sharon Wang. This is Eva, Amanda, Juan, and Jasper.
Maritime means “connected with the sea.” The sea is a recurring theme throughout the poem. The poem begins with an enjambment, where we see punctuation in the middle of a line instead of at the end. This creates an unexpected pause that puts an emphasis on the next word, “astonished.” In the next lines of the stanza we see the universal images, blood and air. Universal images provoke shared symbolic understandings. Blood is a symbol for life, death, injury, and a necessity for life. Air is also a necessity for life. The next stanza begins with another enjambment, putting the emphasis on peace, another universal image. The next line is a simile, comparing peace to a floral carpet and persistent scent of a treasured memory. The stanza ends with another enjambment, introducing a new idea: someone else.
The third stanza begins with alliteration, repeated “s” sounds that help the poem flow. We see it in the words sun, something, someone, soup, that are all in close proximity.
Later we see an example of antithesis, a negation technique created by the contrast between “love” and “envy.”
There are several metaphors in stanza three: “the emotions wash into a teacup” and “your teeth are storm-stained.” These metaphors show how intense and conflicted the emotions of the narrator are: the emotions are compared to water in a tea cup, and when the narrator drinks them their teeth become storm-stained. This gives the impression that these emotions towards the other person are conflicting, confusing and impure. These emotions come with a consequence - they are potent, and stain your teeth.
In the fourth stanza, the wave is another universal image. Waves can signify peace and tranquility, but not in this case. These waves hold a negative connotation - they are blue black, causing flooding and spinning of emotions. There is a simile in “their needs together as if they were fabrics in a laundry machine”. This shows that people have the same basic necessities even though we all come from different places. Nature is another universal image that symbolizes calmness and power. The final literary technique is repetition with “And I’ve got you, and I’ve got you.” This emphasizes that we are all there for each other.
This poem is about human experience and emotions, conflicts with pain, trust, peace, longing, and at the end, the individual finds comfort in someone else - although the individual was hesitant to become close to this person, as evidenced by the earlier metaphors of conflicting emotions.
The poem connects to the Ransom community with the incorporation of nature and togetherness in our community. RE is located on the bay where we have the ability to participate in watersports like sailing and canoeing. RE also gives us the opportunity to go on adventures like outward bound which allow ourselves to connect with nature. Another connection this poem has to RE is with community. “We’re floating somewhere in a primordial pool. And I’ve got you, and I’ve got you.” This shows that through the ups and downs we all have each other. We are in similar situations and it is ok to rely on each other. Throughout high school, we have learned to navigate conflicts of love, pain, forming connections, and learning to trust each other.
In addition to the emotional connections to nature, the author shows an idea of self awareness and questions her own worth by describing the peace she feels as something “put there by someone else”. Throughout our journey at Ransom Everglades we are constantly learning more about ourselves and reflecting on these exact things. For example our Outward bound trip to the Everglades was entirely dedicated to learning about ourselves through our connection with nature, which perfectly encapsulates what “Maritime” is about.
Week 3: April 14, 2022
Week 3: April 14, 2022
Ode to Teacher Inforgraphic (3).pdfAudio Transcript:
The poem “Ode to Teachers” by Pat Mora, connects to our school because its thematic ideas reflect the educational experience at Ransom Everglades. The poem is an encomium, a piece of writing that praises someone, and an ode to an anonymous teacher from the speaker’s childhood. Our personalities are formed early on in our life during childhood, where interactions with others can help form our sensibilities about the world. The recounting of the speaker’s memories begins when they describe how they started off the school year nervous and reluctant to participate. However, through reassurance and dedication from their teacher, the speaker gains the courage to participate and express their thoughts. In the middle of the poem, the speaker quotes the teacher’s uplifting encouragement. The teacher in the classroom seems to often state: “I'm listening, [...] “Come on!/ Join our conversation,/ let us hear your/ neon certainties,/ thorny doubts, tangled angers.” The choice of words including different emotions such as certainties, doubts, and angers shows how open the teacher was to the student’s thoughts. This part reminds us of Ms. Lewis and her constant encouragement to cultivate our poetic selves.
This poem uses techniques that capture the reader’s attention. In the first stanza, the author uses consonance with the “s” sound: “...and when I glanced up/I saw your smile/shining like a soft light/from deep inside you.” She also uses consonance in the last stanza with the “s” sound again with the words: “smile,” “inside,” “dog’s face,” “sister’s laugh,” “melodies,” “the softness of sunrise,” “steady blessings of stars,” “autumn smell,” and “security of a sweater.” Consonance does not just give the poem rhythm and flow, it also emphasizes how the teacher’s positive attitude left a lasting impression on the students. A simile that demonstrates this as well are the lines: “We need you/and your stories/and questions/that like a fresh path/will take us to new vistas.” The kindness of the teacher was acknowledged and helped the speaker have an optimistic attitude later on in life. Another simile that adds to the teacher’s encouraging attitude towards the student is “I saw your smile/shining like a soft light/from deep inside you.” The final simile in this poem: “I carry your smile/and faith inside like I carry/my dog's face,/my sister's laugh,/creamy melodies, the softness of sunrise,/steady blessings of stars,/autumn smell of gingerbread,/the security of a sweater on a chilly day,” compares the impact that the teacher had on the student to specific things that bring the student joy. This poem connects to our experience at RE by highlighting the importance of teachers on our both educational and personal development.
Week 2: April 8, 2022
Week 2: April 8, 2022
NAPOMO Week 2 2022 (3).pdfAudio Transcript:
The poem “I Love Uncertain Gestures” by Valerio Margrelli is a beautifully written poem illuminating the universal truth that everyone has flaws. Margrelli uses specific technics to relay his theme aesthetically and effectively. Margelli makes his poem aesthetic by using enjambment for the entire poem except for the first line which contains the complete thought, “I love uncertain gestures:” (line 1). This deviation from the enjambment pattern creates an emphasis on that line and gives the poem a definitive tone. The enjambment from the rest of the poem makes the poem flow from one line to the next easily and makes the poem have an aesthetic similar to a thought process. In the fifth line of the poem, the author uses the word “sentinel” (line 5). This is an allusion because this is a purposeful reference to a real-world profession. As most of us know sentinels are soldiers trained to stand perfectly still. By introducing this allusion, Margrelli demonstrates that even a sentinel (known to be incredibly disciplined and closest to perfection) is flawed. They are attempting to stand perfectly still but “can’t stop the flickering of their lashes” showing that even when highly trained or motivated, everyone has flaws. The equation of a human to a “broken mechanism” on line 11 is a metaphor that demonstrates the faults and inefficiencies humans have. The last line of the poem says “Inside, something dances” (line 18). This is a personification because only people can dance. Through this line, Margrelli is telling his reader that when these flaws present themselves it isn’t something to be ashamed of. Our flaws and inefficiencies aren’t bad, they free us. Perfection is an unobtainable ideal and those who try to achieve it will be stuck spending their lives trying and failing to be perfect. We should embrace our flaws and mistakes because everyone has them and as Margrelli puts it they make your souls “dance”.
This poem connects to RE because people here tend to believe their peers are perfect. In a place with so many gifted students, it is easy to constantly compare yourself to the perfection your classmates seem to achieve. We hope this poem will remind the RE community that no one achieves perfection. Everyone has faults and inefficiencies, and comparing yourself to idealized versions of other people is illogical and these comparisons are inaccurate. There is beauty in imperfection and brokenness.
Week 1: April 1, 2022
Week 1: April 1, 2022
April 1 Infographic.pdfAudio Transcript:
This infographic is brought to you by students in English 12: Poetry and Short Fiction, a senior elective taught by me, Ms. Lewis. In honor of National Poetry Month, we’ve curated a series of five poems we feel speak in some way to the RE community or experience. We hope you’ll take the time to listen, read, and write in response to these poems.
Elizabeth Alexander draws on a rich tradition–called ars poetica–of poems about the art of poetry. According to “Ars Poetica #100”, Poetry is “idiosyncratic” (2) and insistent. It reminds us who we are, and in doing so, invites us to hear each other. This poem is the embodiment of RE’s celebration of National Poetry Month, which aims to harness poetry’s power to connect us.
Alexander’s poem is notable for its use of repetition; she repeats “Poetry is…” four times and “Poetry is not…” once, for a total of five repetitions in this 19 line poem. She supplements this repetition with two homophone sets, are and our, and here and hear, emphasizing her message that poetry is not just about what we say to others, but about the conversations we carry on with ourselves; “here I hear myself loudest,” she writes in parentheses. Alexander’s appreciation of sound expands to include a single, imperfect end rhyme between “flats” and “snaps”, a flourish that joins two alliteration-heavy stanzas; moments like “the shell that snaps,” and “proverbial pocketbook” are as sonically rich as they are metaphorically. Her message about poetry’s power is, like poetry, simple and complex. It is “dirt” and it is “God”. Through her use of enjambment, or lines that flow into each other without pause, Alexander reinforces the multi-faceted nature of poetry–which she relates to the human voice. Her final question asks us to understand that to read a poem is to read ourselves, dramatic and idiosyncratic as we may be.
Let us join Alexander in her celebration of poetry–by reading the poem, contemplating what poetry is to us, appreciating the ways in which poetry can bring us closer together, and adding to the community poem. Happy National Poetry Month!
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