On Close Reading

In Peter Rabinowitz "On Close Reading" he explains the various types of reading and  the effects they have on the reader. I appreciate how he understands that we should not read that same piece over and over again because your mind can not grow if you keep reading the same things.Mr. Rabinowtz sort of gives you a new way to think; he makes you understand that being open minded is actually good for you. while reading this I understood more that it is important to read different types of literature to understand how people write and perceive things. This reading was the honest truth.

On the minimalist Fiction

In John Barth's "Minimalist Fiction" he talks about minimalist fiction is and  preaches less is more.When I read this I found it strange that the author was emphasizing less is more but throughout the writing he used  parenthesis and constantly used ellipsis. The author also conveyed that a writing needs to be simple and straight to the point so people can understand. I quite frankly can understand where John Barth is explaining because sometimes i just want to read a book or any type of writing that is straight forward and to the point.  John Barth writing is very realistic and easy to relate to.

On the danger of reading fiction

The story “On the Danger of Reading Fiction”, Thomas Jefferson clearly shows his hostilty for reading fiction novels. Jefferson has stated that fiction novels are “time lost in that reading” and thinks it should be instructively employed. It is obvious that if a person read this that they would get offfended about the comments about fiction reading.  Jefferson’s take on fiction novels takes a very negative and closed-minded approach. while, reading this i saw that it was crystal clear that Jefferson does not like ficton. It is understandable why the author felt this way about fiction because fiction is just an imagination and it can infect the mind. However, fiction is not all bad; it can be enjoyable to read.

FIGURES OF SPEECH

Figures of speech is defined as a way of saying one thing in the terms of saying something else. Many poets, writers, and inteligent people use figure of speech to capture the imagination of a reader; it puts an image in a person's head. Examples of figures of speech are: similes, metaphors and oxmorons. The author of Figures of  speech proposed an example of figures of speech with saying  "the diner leaped from the table and roared at the waiter," by using this vivid sentence, it painted the picture of a heated diner wanting to attack the waitor;using this sentence, it compares the diner to an animal. Many people respond more to figurative language rather than literal language because it grabs your attention.

Figuring out Metaphors

       In the perspective Figuring out Metaphors, It explains the usage of metaphors and the way people perceive  metaphors.A metaphor is a trope or figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common. For example, Sally is a block of ice and Sam is a pig are some metaphors that people understand easily. People can understand that this is a metaphor because a block of ice is dull and unemotional.Metaphors are used for variety reasons such as sarcasm, exaggeration, or repetition. Metaphors are used for creation to add flare in the poem or story to make it more fancy.

On the words in poetry

     In the poem on the words in Poetry, the author Dylan Thomas, professes his love of words in a poem.  He loves the rhymes,symbolism,and nursery rhymes. He is very descriptive in his perspective of poetry, for example, he stated," the first poems I knew were nursery rhymes, and before I could read them for myself I had come to love just the words of them, the words alone." He shows the passion of the words that were felt in the first poem he read and love what the words stood for.  I agree with the author because poems have a way of establishing emotion and creativity. My first poem was from the Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Hams, as a kindergarten student I was impressed  of the rhymes, creativity, and descriptive imagery Dr Seuss used.   Words used in poems should be treated like a painter to art. 

Billy Collins

          In the introduction to poetry is simply about Billy Collins putting his thoughts on how a poem should be read.  I think he is giving the reader instruction about how to approach poems, not simply stating that analysis is beating the poem. He invites  the joy that poetry brings us but there is a tonal shift, which warns the reader not to over analyse.The poem states that poems are living things, that they are alive. Collins uses personification, metaphors, and similes to prove his point.  Collins wants students to fully immerse themselves within a poem and enjoy it as well as discovering what its deeper meaning is. Students should try to find the meaning themselves rather than trying to get the poem to tell them what it means.