It roared like a lion in the night
He was demonstrating just how powerful he was
His dark and large appearance kept everyone inside
They were all too scared to walk in its path
Everyone except for the girl
It was getting closer with every passing second
The homes in the vicinity would be towered by him
He would cover up their joyous day
Everyone would have a frown on their face
Everyone except for the girl
The figure released his growing anger
His thunderous growls were easily heard
It hit the neighborhood homes hard
They were all hiding under the covers
Everyone except for the girl
Drip, thud, drip, thud
Fury was knocking on the roof
He forced the poles onto the ground
The neighborhood was frightened by the sudden darkness
Everyone except for the girl
They all kept silent
The people hoped for him to calm down
There was no longer anything for them to do
He took away everyone's enjoyment
Everyone's except for the girl's
She laid on her bed
Her eyes were closed
The drips soothed her to sleep
Everything in the world was at peace
She wished it would never end
Weather Experience: Thrilling Bike Ride
It was a nice Spring day about four years ago when I had the urge to go on a bike ride. The sun was up, and I hadn't ridden on it since the summer. When I asked my dad if he would take me out to enjoy the nice day, he said yes! My mom and little sister decided to tag along as well, making me even more excited. My dad thought that riding around the neighborhood would be boring, so he decided to switch things up and take us to a bike trail near Orland Park. As I looked out the window, there were a few clouds and it was a bit windy, but I didn't think anything of it because the sun was shining to brightly!
When we got there we unloaded our bikes and began on our little journey. I decide to wear my hoodie because it was getting cool, and the clouds were beginning to build up. My dad said the weather man said it would rain, but until later that night, giving us what we thought would be about 3 hours of nice breezy weather. I remember how happy I was, riding as fast as I could, loving how the cool wind was hitting my face and blowing my hair back, I missed that feeling after being stuck inside all day for about 5 months.
About 40 minutes into the trail, we began to hear the loud rolling of thunder. I remember looking up and that sky looked like a scene from a movie. It looked so beautiful, yet so dangerous at the same time. My family had been too into the ride that we hardly even noticed how bad it had gotten. We decided to head back as fast as we could because it had began to drizzle lightly and didn't want to experience the worst of it. Sadly, it was too late.
About 20 minutes into our way back, the rain fell down hard. it was as if the sky decided to pour a large bucket of water on us! The water was hitting my face and it hurt so much, I had to look down. I could feel my entire body becoming cold and water seeping through my sneakers. The wind was violent and blowing in our direction, making it harder to breathe at one point. My sister was having the time of her life! She was riding on the toddler seat behind my mom's bike and was laughing as we rushed back to the car. My dad had put his jacket over her so she wouldn't get wet and sick.
We decided to just stop in an open area because it all became too much. The trees around us swayed violently, and I was scared one would fall on top of us! We had no umbrella or heavy jackets on us, so we were alone, cold, and wet. All of a sudden, a man with a big umbrella came running from the trail. he saw us and ran in our direction. We were confused about why he was coming towards us, but he just smiled and held the umbrella over us. We were so thankful!
About 10 minutes later, the rain stopped. We thanked the man many times, because if it were not for him, our conditions could have been worse.We continued on our trip back to the car and i felt so uncomfortable because all of my clothes were wet, making it hard to move my legs and feet. The sun appeared soon after that and I felt like it was mocking us. Why couldn't the rain wait a little longer? When we got to the car, we loaded our muddy bikes, and got our wet bodies into the car, turning on the heater. We were laughing about our reactions and everything that had happened. Maybe it wasn't the ideal day that I had hoped for, but it was an experience I would never forget.
The Most Beautiful: Beach
When I was about 9 years old, my family decided to take a nice family vacation. My cousin was planning it out, and wanted everyone to go, from my aunts and uncle to my grandparents. There was much speculation to what the destination would be, but she finally decided on Ixtapa Beach, Mexico. I had never been to the beach before, so I was extremely excited!
When we got there humidity surrounded us. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I was so amazed at the people and things around me because I had never seen them or experienced them in my life. The palm trees on the beach towered above me, and their bright green color stood out from anything else! They provided nice shade for walkers or joggers deciding to take a break from the grueling heat. When we checked our bags into the hotel and changed into our comfortable beach attire, we all finally decided to go out into the pool area, and eventually into the ocean water. It looked and sounded amazing.
You could literally smell the strong scent of the ocean salt water and feel the heavy humidity on your skin. It seemed as though the beach could go on for miles and miles, filled up with many tourists. Since my hotel was a bit uphill than the rest of the others, I was able to enjoy the view of all the people in their colorful bathing suits, forming a mixed up rainbow. The sand felt mushy beneath my feet, but it was comfortable. I loved being able to dig my toes into the sand, letting my feet sink in and feeling the seashells surround them. Its nice tan color reminded my of warm sugar cookies, and the fact that it was evenly distributed along the entire beach area amazed me.
Sometimes, the sand looked as if it had extremely small crystals in it, so whenever the sun hit it, some light would glisten off of them. When I experience that sight for the first time, I was left in awe because I never thought that would be possible. It looked the nicest in the evening when the sun was about to set because the entire scenery was a warm color. The sun would turn a pretty yellow/orange, matching with the sand, and it was very peaceful. Since hotels have night shows, most people head into the hotel around this time to shower and get ready for the dinner and entertainment. This caused the beach to be lonely, which amazed and confused me at the same time. Even if my family and I did attend the nightly events, we stayed to enjoy the unique sight. We rarely got to see anything like this in the city, so we were amazed by all the beauty nature was able to create in such a short moment.
The water looked and sounded the best at night. I remember my dad and I would take a seat on the balcony outside of our room to relax and take in the view. That time, our room was on one of the higher floors, so we were able to enjoy more of the scenery. Off to the distance there were spiky mountains, and some colorful homes were built on them. The hotels along the beach seemed perfect, forming organized rows. The benches and umbrellas seemed uninformed as well, not a single one folded up. The Waves were the strongest in the night since there was more wind. They all rose and fell in nice synchronization, one after the other, like a chain reaction. The height they were able to reach looked so natural and effortless, yet so dangerous at the same time because a single blow was able to take you in. The sound was soothing, helping me go to sleep. It was all so new, you never witnessed things like this in the big city. (651)
Native American Creation Story: Bean From The Clouds
According to many tales, there was a family of intimidating giants living among the clouds above the sometimes cloudy Windy City. No one ever saw them because they moved from day to day to the area that was the most congested with clouds. These giants were just like any other family, except for the fact the they lived in the sky, were about 1000 feet tall, and had purple skin. They all had to be careful not to drop anything down to the world of tiny humans, or it would stay there forever. This had never happened though, because they were always very careful, especially when they ate.
This lovely family consisted of four humongous members. Daddy Giant ran the household, traveling for many miles in order to find food for his family. Mama giant took care of the two children and the small home they lived in. She also cooked meals with the little food daddy Giant found. Even if it wasn't much, it was delicious. Baby giant was very fussy and stubborn. Mama giant always paid the most attention to him because he was always whining that it was too windy to do anything or that it wasn't fair that he wasn't able to play in the snow below them. You can only imagine what the family had to deal with during the blizzard of 2011! Sister Giant was very calm and relaxed. She often helped her mother clean up around the household and she also tried to entertain her little brother. They ended up fighting most of the time though, they didn't always get along...
The Giants loved the city of Chicago! Sometimes, they enjoyed peeking through the clouds to catch a glimpse of the Bears scoring touchdowns along the lake front. Other times in the middle of the night when no one was around, they would stretch their long arm down to the real world and snatch some Chicago style pizza and hot dogs from the trash. To them, that was some of the best food they had ever had, but it was rare. No one ever left these kinds of left overs or threw them out. In this city, it was considered a sin to do that to these heavenly foods.
Most of the food Daddy Giant ended up gathering was from Jack's giant beanstalk a few miles away. He was a frequent visitor, and always gathered the usual: green beans. One day during one of his many visits, he noticed something shiny catch his eye. When he got closer, he noticed it was a silver bean, larger than all the others on the beanstalk. It looked so magnificent, gleaming beautifully under the sunlight, nearly blinding him. He had heard tales about this bean from a few of his ancestors in the past, and they always sounded excited. They had told him that this was a magical bean that grew every 100 years and it granted one wish. Daddy Giant could not believe that this was now his, so he ran back home to decide on a wish to make for his family.
When he got home, Mama Giant was nearly in tears because she couldn't believe that this was now theirs. They began discussing and decided that they would wish for all the food they could possibly have, that way Daddy Giant wouldn't have to go out every day and they would never starve. Suddenly, the children came in and Baby Giant began to cry and tell his parents that Sister Giant was not sharing her toys with him. Suddenly, both kids stopped in their tracks. The bean looked so beautiful and it shocked them. Both of them wanted to hold it, and they began to argue. Daddy Giant decided that the oldest would go first, and Sister Giant gave Baby Giant a smug look because she was chosen to hold the strange bean. A few minutes later, Baby Giant began complaining that it wasn't fair that she was holding it for such a long time and that it was his turn, so he snatched it from her hands. When he tried to grasp it though, it fell through the clouds and down to the world below.
Today, the magical bean is located in Chicago's Millennium Park. The city was confused as to how it got there, but they decided that it was probably a gift from an anonymous donor, so they kept it. Chicago named it "Cloud Gate" due to reflection of the skyline and the sky that was always displayed on it, but most citizens refer to it as "the bean" because it had a strong resemblance to a small one. The Giant family was still disappointed about wasting a wish, but they were proud that their one mistake lead to a beautiful and unique landmark in their favorite city. (808)
Reactions to Essays
I thought all of the essays were really interesting. I enjoyed watching how some peoples' view about nature changed over time. In June of 1962, Thoreau wrote an essay about how he enjoyed being isolated from the people and facilities. He took pleasure in being by himself in the peace of his home, having a good relationship with nature only. He hopes that this land not be taken over by ignorant humans, stating that "possibly, the day will come when it (the land) will be partitioned off into so-called pleasure grounds, in which few will take a narrow and exclusive pleasure...". He doesn't want people to believe that nature is only enjoyable if it is taken over and fixed by a human, but when it's in its natural state instead.
A few years later in October of 1881, Sarah Orne Jewettwrote an article about her experience with gulls watching her as she floats down the river. She seems quite fascinated about them, observing how they go on with their lives. This make her realize "Who can say, however, that our death is not only a link in the chain? One thing is made the prey of another. In some way, our present state ministers to the higher condition to which we are coming". This shows how humans are a part of the circle of life and a part of natural world. We should learn to respect it and take care of it because it is a part of us and we are a part of it as well. She holds a similar view like Thoreau, believing that nature is beautiful when left alone, and that we have a deep connection with it.
Moving forward to November of 1973, Annie Dillard gives us a view of how much the world's views and priorities have changed over time. "I never met a man who was shaken by a field of identical blades of grass. An acre of poppies and a forest of spruce boggle no one's mind". Annie does not believe this though, not minding when plants get in the way with human culture. The people in 1973 don't think of nature as such a valuable thing compared to the people living 90 years ago. They don't see such a big significance and decide to tow it down.
It amazes me to think that these are real excerpts from essay from real people because the change that is noticeable in a person;s attitude toward the natural world is very noticeable. People went from being at peace with nature itself, not needing human company to make their lives happy and enjoyable (Thoreau), to Not giving a thought about the forest or "Identical blades of grass", They no longer see anything significant or unique about, It is quite saddening to observe how the views and values of many about the world they are a part of have changed over time. (487)
Reading responses
The Corn PlantingThis was a story about life and how it should go on even with the passing of people we love and care about deeply. In this story,the elderly couple decided to burry cobs of corn into the ground when their only son passed away. This was some sort of therapy, or way to deal with all of the emotions coming to them. It was their way to mourn their son's sudden and unexpected death. In the text, it says that "it was as though they were putting death down into the ground that life might grow again- something's like that". This just shows the reader how it seemed that they wanted their son back, even if it was not in his original form. They were maybe hoping that life, or corn, grow back in his place.
I was able to relate this to the Native American tale "From the Navajo Origin Legend" because the corn was a symbol of life to them. The people were able to come alive, or be made through the corn. Here, the elderly couple is hoping that some life come out of the corn they plant. This makes me think that they would want some happiness after this tragic situation they are going through, considering how much they loved their son. They were always excited to receive his letters and drawings from the mail, and now they were no longer going to receive them. This was a good story, even if it was saddening. (250)
From Nature
"Nature" was an interesting piece of writing to read because it gave me a different view on life. I never thought the way Emerson did and it was exciting to see life from someone else's point of view. Emerson believed that we should live simply. We don't need any fancy items to be happy, and that we just need nature in its natural state to enjoy life. Many people have this same belief today, even if Emerson's writing Is a few years old. In the movie "Into the Wild", Chris follows in the steps of Emerson and Thoreau in living the smoke life.
I really liked when Emerson states "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit. To a man laboring under calamity, the heat of his own fire hath sadness in it". As funny and strange as it may seem, it is true on many occasions. Nature is an interesting thing, and it works wonders. I have observed this many times in my lifetime. One time would be when I was upset about my grandpa's passing and I was crying a lot and was not my usual self. The day outside was cloudy and it looked like if it were going to rain. I would like to try out living a simple life much like Emerson did one day, to be able to have that experience. I think This has been one of the most interesting readings we have read in class. (243)
Thanatopsis Poem
This poem was the reading that I think had the greatest impact on me. Death always seemed like a scary thing, knowing that you would never live to see what the world will be like 100 years from now. This poem glorifies death and makes it seem natural, and like a regular thing. In the text, the author states "All that breathe will share thy destiny", saying that everyone will have to go through the same thing eventually, so it shouldn't scare you.
I really enjoyed the author's language throughout the poem. In class we had and assignment where we all had to translate different lines of the reading into our own roads, and it sounded so simple. He makes it seem very difficult, but when you cut it down, it's very easy to understand and the main idea of it is interesting. One example would be when he says "And, lost each human trace, surrendering up thine individual being, shalt thou go to mix forever with the elements". The author is basically saying that the human will disappear from the traces of the earth to decompose in the ground of the world surrounding it. I really enjoyed this poem because it gave me a different view of death. It made it sound soothing and beautiful in a way, and not scary. I think people who had the same views as me should read it because the ideas are understanding and easy to understand. (244)
When Grizzlies Walked Upright
This was probably my favorite tale from the five that we read because it was the one I understood the most. The concept was cool, and it amazes me how people back then were able to come up with these strange tales that make sense. As I read the story, it kept reminding me of the Disney movie "Brother Bear". In this movie, a normal boy who lives in some sort of Native American tribe, turns into a bear. He goes on this long journey to find out how to turn back into a human, but eventually he stays a bear because he enjoys it. In the movie, the Native Americans do show respect to bears, showing how it was a great symbol to them. I figured the movie must be related to the tale in some way because in the text it says "Those strange creatures, his grandchildren, wandered and scattered over the earth. They were the first Indians, the ancesstors of the first Indian tribes". If they were the ancestors of the first Indian tribes, then this tribe in the movie must have branched out of it as the years passed.
I noticed that like the Earth on Turtle's Back story, the main characters (who were the leaders, or rulers of the area) lived in the sky as well. It made me wonder if these two families had a connection, or if they were complete strangers. Did Native Americans have many tales involving the sky as the chief's home? I wasn't sure if it was an important setting for them wit a meaning or they just enjoyed having it as a setting. This was an entertaining tale to read, and I loved how I was able to understand it well. (292)
The Earth on Turtle's BackOut of the four creation stories that we read, this was one of my favorites. The concept seemed quite unique and something I could have never thought of. I was a bit confused at first, because the tale was a bit strange. It reminded me a bit of Inception (from what I have heard of it). It was basically, to me, like if she were pulling out an Earth from the Earth? Where else would there be water and animals on? This part is what threw me off, because it just didn't make a lot of sense.After rereading, I figured it may have been a story about creating a different Earth, because for some unknown reason the people didn't like this one very much, even if they did live in the sky. In the text it says " She stepped onto the new Earth and opened her hand, letting the seeds fall onto the bare soil". This line gave me the impression that the Earth already existed, and that this was just a newer one. I doubt this idea is still relevant today, considering how developed and how far we have come on this Earth. Overall, this was a decent and entertaining tale, even if it didn't make a lot of sense to me. (214)
I was able to relate this to the Native American tale "From the Navajo Origin Legend" because the corn was a symbol of life to them. The people were able to come alive, or be made through the corn. Here, the elderly couple is hoping that some life come out of the corn they plant. This makes me think that they would want some happiness after this tragic situation they are going through, considering how much they loved their son. They were always excited to receive his letters and drawings from the mail, and now they were no longer going to receive them. This was a good story, even if it was saddening. (250)
From Nature
"Nature" was an interesting piece of writing to read because it gave me a different view on life. I never thought the way Emerson did and it was exciting to see life from someone else's point of view. Emerson believed that we should live simply. We don't need any fancy items to be happy, and that we just need nature in its natural state to enjoy life. Many people have this same belief today, even if Emerson's writing Is a few years old. In the movie "Into the Wild", Chris follows in the steps of Emerson and Thoreau in living the smoke life.
I really liked when Emerson states "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit. To a man laboring under calamity, the heat of his own fire hath sadness in it". As funny and strange as it may seem, it is true on many occasions. Nature is an interesting thing, and it works wonders. I have observed this many times in my lifetime. One time would be when I was upset about my grandpa's passing and I was crying a lot and was not my usual self. The day outside was cloudy and it looked like if it were going to rain. I would like to try out living a simple life much like Emerson did one day, to be able to have that experience. I think This has been one of the most interesting readings we have read in class. (243)
Thanatopsis Poem
This poem was the reading that I think had the greatest impact on me. Death always seemed like a scary thing, knowing that you would never live to see what the world will be like 100 years from now. This poem glorifies death and makes it seem natural, and like a regular thing. In the text, the author states "All that breathe will share thy destiny", saying that everyone will have to go through the same thing eventually, so it shouldn't scare you.
I really enjoyed the author's language throughout the poem. In class we had and assignment where we all had to translate different lines of the reading into our own roads, and it sounded so simple. He makes it seem very difficult, but when you cut it down, it's very easy to understand and the main idea of it is interesting. One example would be when he says "And, lost each human trace, surrendering up thine individual being, shalt thou go to mix forever with the elements". The author is basically saying that the human will disappear from the traces of the earth to decompose in the ground of the world surrounding it. I really enjoyed this poem because it gave me a different view of death. It made it sound soothing and beautiful in a way, and not scary. I think people who had the same views as me should read it because the ideas are understanding and easy to understand. (244)
When Grizzlies Walked Upright
This was probably my favorite tale from the five that we read because it was the one I understood the most. The concept was cool, and it amazes me how people back then were able to come up with these strange tales that make sense. As I read the story, it kept reminding me of the Disney movie "Brother Bear". In this movie, a normal boy who lives in some sort of Native American tribe, turns into a bear. He goes on this long journey to find out how to turn back into a human, but eventually he stays a bear because he enjoys it. In the movie, the Native Americans do show respect to bears, showing how it was a great symbol to them. I figured the movie must be related to the tale in some way because in the text it says "Those strange creatures, his grandchildren, wandered and scattered over the earth. They were the first Indians, the ancesstors of the first Indian tribes". If they were the ancestors of the first Indian tribes, then this tribe in the movie must have branched out of it as the years passed.
I noticed that like the Earth on Turtle's Back story, the main characters (who were the leaders, or rulers of the area) lived in the sky as well. It made me wonder if these two families had a connection, or if they were complete strangers. Did Native Americans have many tales involving the sky as the chief's home? I wasn't sure if it was an important setting for them wit a meaning or they just enjoyed having it as a setting. This was an entertaining tale to read, and I loved how I was able to understand it well. (292)
The Earth on Turtle's BackOut of the four creation stories that we read, this was one of my favorites. The concept seemed quite unique and something I could have never thought of. I was a bit confused at first, because the tale was a bit strange. It reminded me a bit of Inception (from what I have heard of it). It was basically, to me, like if she were pulling out an Earth from the Earth? Where else would there be water and animals on? This part is what threw me off, because it just didn't make a lot of sense.After rereading, I figured it may have been a story about creating a different Earth, because for some unknown reason the people didn't like this one very much, even if they did live in the sky. In the text it says " She stepped onto the new Earth and opened her hand, letting the seeds fall onto the bare soil". This line gave me the impression that the Earth already existed, and that this was just a newer one. I doubt this idea is still relevant today, considering how developed and how far we have come on this Earth. Overall, this was a decent and entertaining tale, even if it didn't make a lot of sense to me. (214)
