Optimistic Outlook

Optimistic Outlook

Ecstatic over the smallest of things,

While galloping through the wind’s breeze.

Love and joy is what he brings,

Though he thinks it is fun to tease.

He views the world as only kind,

That no harm will ever come his way.

When in regards to reality he is blind,

For he thinks all results in a brighter day.

Never in a disposition of gloom,

Because he only have a positive stance.

His personality brings happiness to bloom.

And his puppy face puts everyone in a trance.

This carefree personality is my inspiration,

How everything causes him a sense of adoration.

I decided to write my poem in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet. This is a form I have been familiar with, so I was more comfortable with writing a poem with this form instead of attempting another form. I also like this type of poem because it flows nicely and there are not too many rules to follow. I only have to remember the number of lines and the simple rhyme scheme. There is no set syllable rule to obey by. This form also fits the topic of my poem. My poem is about my dog that thinks everything in the world is perfect and does not see the bad in anything. He is very simplistic in personality but sometimes I think deep into his personality to try to figure out why he acts so happy. This poem form is similar to his personality. While reading the poem it seems simple enough with it’s rhyme scheme, but this structure is more complicated than it looks especially for someone who is writing it. The three rhyming quadrants all express the characteristics of my dog’s personality. The last two lines explain why I am writing about him. I chose to write about my dog because I truly do look up to him as a way to be a happy person even though he is just a dog. His love for all things intrigues me and I wish that I could, all the time, be as happy as my dog, to be happy just for happiness’ sake.

David Gessner

I expected David Gessner’s reading to be the same or similar to the Tayari Jones reading when I originally went to the reading. Instead it was quite different. He seemed like a funny and charismatic person, but I felt that he talked about himself a little too much. The concept of the book kind of bored me too because it is not a topic that interests me. Nature interests me while I’m around it, but not while I am reading it. Though I found the topic of his book kind of boring, he did keep me interested with his witty personality. I found the making of his book to be more interesting to his actual book. He gave me insight on what actually goes on when it comes to publishing a book. My favorite part of his reading was when he was talking about how he wrote in a part of his book is his belief on what is wild and the difference between wild and wilderness. He mentioned how he wrote about what he believes is the wild and gave it to his editor and his editor gave it back to him saying pretty much “no, that’s not what you believe,” and Gessner kept having to change what he believes to fit the editors view on what he “actually” believes, turning his “I believe” into “we believe.” He also gave me insight on how the publishing industry works by telling us how his book was bought by one of the publishing companies but they kept wanting him to make changes and kept pushing back the deadline before they actually published his book. I was disappointed that there was no Question and Answer section of his reading. For Tayari Jones, that was the most interesting part of her reading. Instead of just hearing Gessner talk about himself and read from his book, a Question and Answer sections would have kept the audience more interested in what he had to say. I enjoy audience interaction because it makes me feel that whoever is the speaker cares what everyone else has to say instead of his views about his own work. Other people’s insight and questions allows the speaker and the audience get a difference perspective about the work being discussed and also gives the audience more information about the reading and a better understand of the author’s intentions and ideas of the book.  

My Garden

There is Another Sky by Emily Dickinson

Published in 1890

There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields -
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!

My Garden

Florida is where I go,

For the warmth of the air,

And frolic through the orange grove,

Beaches are somewhere there;

Water washes up on the shoreline,

Dolphins are seen close by,

And the sun brings its shine,

Dazzling in the bright sky,

Poor weather I pardon,

For I will not say bye,

This land is my garden

Libra

Born within the Sun and Venus

Of October and September

Coincidence of these two yellows

Balance be brought upon me

Harmony, my life’s essence

Air is the sign’s element

Said to be kind and vicious

Resembles the stability of things

Playing with Order of Events

When we take our seats, I am by the window, the middle seat is empty, and my mom is seated in the aisle seat because she has a history of being claustrophobic.

            I remember her telling me that she became claustrophobic ever since she had a dream that she got stuck in an elevator. Ever since then it has affected her. During one of our vacations in Miami, we were taking the elevator to the floor that our room was on. My mom was arguing with us to not take the elevator and to take the stairs instead, but the elevator was more convenient. My sister, my mom, and I were in the elevator with about three other women. The elevator all of a sudden got stuck. My mom freaked out right away and pushed everyone aside to try to open the elevator door herself. Everyone else in the elevator stayed composed. My sister and I were trying to relax my mother while another woman called the front desk about the elevator. It wasn’t like we were going to be stuck in there forever and there was no way out. My mom caused everyone else in the elevator to have an even more unpleasant experience dealing with the current situation.

After take off, my mom and I both fall asleep for about an hour until the turbulence jerks us awake.

“Oh my God, Raven! The plane is going to crash! Oh my God!” my mom screams grabbing onto my arm.

“No its not. Stop it.”

“Raven, I’m scared!”

“Are you serious?”

“Why aren’t you helping me?”

“Because you’re overreacting.”

            Still, I let her hold on to me hoping it’ll help outburst which is freaking out the other passengers. But she doesn’t stop, not until the plane lands. The plane rolls up at the gate and stops. We have not been waiting that long but for my mom it feels like at least an hour.

Reflection

When I heard the class had to go to a mandatory book reading, I immediately thought of the word boring. I do not particularly like reading nor was I looking forward to someone reading to me. In all honestly, I was surprised to admit that I quite enjoyed Tayari Jones’ reading of “Silver Sparrow.” It was not so much that I actually liked the book; it was more due to fact that I enjoyed the author’s personality. The she read the dialogue in her story caught my attention. She performed each character and kept me interested. I expected a long boring reading of some book that I wouldn’t read anyway, but it was a positive experience and it did not cause me to believe that my time was wasted. Jones’ question and answer section at the end of her reading was definitely the most entertaining part. She was a person that the average person was able to relate to. She did not make herself to seem better than anyone. She told her audience to basically stay true to themselves and their writing. She expressed that writers need to be realistic about their writing and to know what is good, what is bad, and what the audience would find interesting. She was definitely a personality that almost anyone could get along with.

On Happiness

            You can argue what happiness is. You can argue how to acquire it. But we can all agree that it is a delightful feeling. I view it as the most important thing in life. It is subconsciously our overall goal to fulfill. In some it hides, in some it flourishes, but happiness has infinite meanings. I would describe it as a combination of everything that makes you feel content, but at the same time it is also somewhat indescribable. Some attempt to illustrate this emotion in words, but a verbal description would be ineffective. You just feel it; it fills your soul with warmth. When happiness takes its toll on you, you feel like nothing can bring you down. You do not need to explain to someone if you are happy, they just know, you just know. Your gleaming smile, the tone of your voice, your carefree spirit, these are all indications of the emotion we all strive to attain.

The simplest things cause me to be happy. The angelic voices of the Backstreet Boys create a natural drunk off life reaction for me. Coffee, Backstreet Boys, and my dog are the foundation to my happiness. Many other factors play a role to this feeling, but these three objects heighten the mood. For my friend, seeing the Penn State swim team is all that is needed to create happiness within. My sister only needs a party and my dog only needs her bone. To each their own.

            Some people are more demanding. My mother needs a new Chanel bag to be satisfied. My father needs to constantly upgrade his Corvette to be pleased. Of course they are happy just as they are. They have each other and that all that matters is what they will argue. Its true, but materialistic objects enhance the mood.

Various scenarios create this sensation.

 Cheap and expensive items, expected and unexpected occurrences, and little and large items. All these abundant factors support and prolong the attained happiness. There are different levels of happiness. Each level is accessible depending on person and cause. All depends how much of nothing or everything the individual has. To experience the affects of happiness, you have to have experienced sorrow. We all heard the saying, “to experience the good you have to experience the bad.” The good is what we would consider happiness. Happiness is an element for a healthy life. The key to life is finding the definition that most appropriately fits your idea of the word "happiness".