Poetry Journal One

Title: Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle.
Author: John G. Neithardt
Style of Journal: Literary Critic

S: Scientist explanation on life
O: Teaching of life.
A: Young children, to teenagers
P: To prove the circular motion of life and the nature around humans.
S: Talks about nature and life.
Tone: Calm and joyful

If John G. Neithardt’s message was to show the world how a circle is important in our lives then I agree. Once I realized the main message that Neithardt tried to convey, I began to think of other object that had a circular form. For some reason it was hard for me to find the rhythm of the poem. It seemed to me like Neithardt was listing all the things that was a circle to help him prove is point. If I had to choose a device the device would be that the poem contains internal rhyme. This device tells the reader that the context of the poem is set to prove the circular motions that the world takes. For example the poems talks about the human process being a circular motion. Meaning that humans first get burned, then they become adult until they are old and die again. When a person dies a new circle begins. The author even goes from something simple as season to show how things are move in a circular motion. What actually moves these objects seems to be the power of the earth. In the poem, the author does not reveal to the reader exactly what the meaning of power. I, myself took a wild guess of the power being that a new day is coming and the cycle is going to began again.



Title: Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note
Author: Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones)
Style of Journal: Personal Response

S: Lonely person
O: A day in a our world.
A: Anyone who feels sorry for lonely people.
P: To explain lonely people in this world.
S: Being alone.
Tone: Sad

Even though I am not suicidal, this poem’s message connects to me a lot. There has been time in my life when I have felt alone in this world. Even when I go to church in search of God I still feel alone. The main character in the poem seems to not have a friend that he or she could hang out with. The poem talks about the main character counting the stars all alone, while in the world today you mostly see in movies where two couple would lay down and count the stars together. The poem also talks about people not caring for each other, for example when the main character has to chase the bus. One would think that the bus driver would be kind enough to stop and pick up the main character so he or she would lot be late to the place they are trying to go. As for the “silly music the wind makes”, I too have heard it. When I used to work for AAA Rental in Redwood City I had to catch the bus to get there. There’s been a couple of time when I had to chase the bus all the way to its next stop. While doing this I heard the music the air makes while I am racing to catch the bus. I remember a time when I saw my baby sister praying at the edge of her bed, the only difference is that the little girl in the poem seem to be portraying a lonely prayer. While my baby sister on the other hand had an angle look after her and praying with her. It was an amazing sight to see.