Wednesday, December 1, 2010

thINK #3

Harsh Times are Sure to Come, Stand Strong
Journal Entry: December 2, 2010
Katelyn Hardin

Harsh Times are Sure to Come, Stand Strong

Wallace Stevens, through diction, and especially imagery, in his poem "The Snowman," reveals beauty in the harshest of conditions, and man's ability to withstand and survive all his trials and errors and continue towering above all else. One must dive into life with an open mind to be able to conquer his own tribulations. By looking at what is ahead, and not dwelling on the past, one can achieve whatever he wishes.

One may have to endure scrutinizing, agonizing, torturous situations, but in the end, he will see the "distant glitter" that is awaiting him. Open mindedness is important in these crucial tribulations. Without an open mind, one could become consumed in the present, and begin to think that the future doesn't exist anymore. With an open mind, one can configure a way to triumph over his hardships and move on with no worries, and leave the past in the past.

Endurance and strength seem to be two major trials that one must overcome while working through his other personal battles as well. One may find that rather difficult, but if he can withstand, good will arise. Like a snowman in the blistering winds of early January, if one can find the will to make himself immovable, but not unloving or uncaring, by all outside sources minus himself, if he can withstand all the painstaking times thrown at him like the long, rough coldness a snowman encounters, then he will surely come out on top.

Stevens, Wallace. "The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens." PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of Poems and Poets.. Poetry Search Engine. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. .http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-snow-man/

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Selfishness is a serious matter

Selfishness is a Serious Matter
Journal Entry: November 18, 2010
Katelyn Hardin

Selfishness is a Serious Matter

Revenge, lust, betrayal, all things Arthur Miller portrays in "The Crucible" through agonizing deaths resulting from terrible lies told by one sniveling, selfish child! Why does one always feel the need to lie for his own good? Why? Because he is uncomfortable in his own skin? Because he wants all eyes on himself?

Selfishness is a huge problem in the world of today, yesterday, and, more than likely, tomorrow as well. Selfishness results in blindness; blindness to love, blindness to hate, blindness to friendship, joy, happiness, even blindness to selfishness. Pain, suffering, heartache, only a few of the many harms selfishness inflicts upon its victims.

When one is selfish, he doesn't have many friends, no one wants to be around him, so therefore, he is harming not only others, but himself as well. Why inflict harm on yourself, much less others, when all one has to do is give a little here and give a little there?

Don't do things out of selfishness, especially because of lust and revenge! Selfishness can cause serious damage, especially if taken too far, which most tend to do. One needs to take others' emotions into thought before acting out of selfishness. More harm can, and WILL be done if one only thinks of himself.

Miller, Arthur. Arthur Miller's The Crucible. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2008. Print.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

thINK asignment

Stand Strong Through all that Comes Your Way
Journal Entry: November 9, 2010
Katelyn Hardin


Stand Strong Through all that Comes Your Way


Gossage, in his detailed imagery of "the pond," portrays the beauty and complex features of such a simplistic photograph.

The pond, seemingly so unruly and uncared for by anyone, has beauty beyond measure. The photograph comes across, if looked at closely, as very calm and elegant. The trees, they seem to flow to and fro with one another as if they were a team who, rather disorganized, works together very carefully and lovingly as one whole.

As the darkness falls upon the trees, all their leaves gone, and color faded away, they still stand tall and strong. The trees, their branches thrown around like a wacky hair style, are determined to remain calm and relaxed as a ball team who does not want to be too cocky so they do not wind of losing the game. The team, the trees, after losing their final game in the playoffs, overwhelmed by sadness, still has the ability to hold strong, their heads held high and bodies strong.

This photograph proves that, even in times of darkness and worry, one can still stand tall and strong, for there are surely better days to come. The trees, though living in a dark, colorless world, surrounding the serene pond, may be troubled, but they are still standing tall and strong. One should take the lesson from these trees to never give up and to stand strong through all hardships and tribulations.


Gossage, John. "Exhibitions: John Gossage: The Pond." American Art. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. .


http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2010/gossage/

Monday, October 11, 2010

Communion is Everywhere
Journal Entry: October 11, 2010
Katelyn Hardin

Communion is Everywhere

Through clearly stated detail and diction, Thomas C. Foster, in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, presents the fact that if one takes the time to look about, he will find acts of communion in every corner. Communion can take on different symbolic meanings, but all in all, it means the act of people coming together to eat or drink.

When one thinks of communion, he normally thinks church. This is a plausible thought because, at church, people come together to take in the body and blood of Christ. But church communion isn’t the only form of communion; people perform acts of communion in everyday life. Eating together at the lunch table in school, or around the snack machine at work, or even at home around the dinner table or just relaxing on the couch with a drink in hand; communion comes in all sorts of different forms.

Communion, as it is normally thought of, always symbolizes good happenings. Well, most of the time this is true. The taking in of the body and blood of Christ shows one’s love and thanks for his savior, and most of the time, eating lunch or lounging can be relaxing and thought provoking. But, meals can take a turn for the worse. Something bad can happen, such as someone baring bad news, or an unexpected, unwanted intruder arises to ruin the supper. When happenings such as those occur, the communion plummets from good to terrible. We find that, at times, people plot the demise of the other, and; therefore, the revulsion of doing harm to “one’s dinner companion” is reinforced.

Communion is important in the world of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. One learns things from dining and drinking with another, and whether that lesson is good or bad, it is still a valuable lesson to be learned.

Foster, Thomas C. "Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion." How to Read Literature like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading between the Lines. New York: Harper, 2008. 7-14. Print.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Beauty isn't Always Recognized as it Should Be

Journal Entry: October 7, 2010

Katelyn Hardin

Beauty isn't Always Recognized as it Should Be.

With his vivid use of color and shadowing as representation of the beauty of the world around us, Dale Chihuly demonstrates how the world seems to pass by in a blur without ever truly being noticed. People live day to day life as routinely as possible without really caring about anything outside of their everyday comfort zone.

One may walk by a bush of beautiful yellow, pink, white, and red roses and not even notice anymore because everyone is always in a rush to get somewhere. If people could stop and take the time to appreciate the beauty of the world, they would see things with a new eye, and learn to appreciate the world around them even more. Life would be far more fun, and each day would be far greater. People tend to be far less stressed when they take the time to go out into the world and look at the beauty around them.

Chihuly expresses his ideas by painting the people as faint and clear, and the flowers and sky in bright beautiful colors. Beauty needs to be appreciated, taken in and thought about, and enjoyed as much as possible. If only people would take the time to enjoy nature, they would find that life is so much better than before.

Beauty is an amazing aspect of this world. If people weren't so distracted by work, money, trying to survive as well as they possibly can, they could take the time to enjoy the wonders of this amazing planet as they should.

Chihuly, Dale. "Imagine a Chihuly Exhibition at Seattle Center!" Dale Chihuly - Artist. Web. 11 Oct. 2010. <http://www.chihuly.com/>.

Monday, September 20, 2010

thINK assignment: Journey Through Life

Journey Through Life

Journal Entry: September 23, 2010

Katelyn Hardin


Journey Through Life


Life, long lasting, yet so short; full of sadness, yet extremely invigorating; through trial and error, fights, rough times and good times, life goes on. Never give up hope! Never lose the will to live! The journey through life is a rough one, but of all journeys, it is the one worth it all. All eyes, at some point during life, will be open to the beauty, the wonder, the smallest details of the world around them.



The fisherman, having reeled in an old, rough, tough, war veteran began realizing the details of the world around him. The fish, full of old fishing line, "like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering," "didn't fight" at all. He hung there. Seeing his life finally coming to an end, the fish gave up hope, but the fisherman, he didn't. His eyes, after seeing the poor, helpless fish "breathing in the terrible oxygen," his face "sullen," were opened to the not so simplicit world around him. He admired everything, his boat, his catch, until all he saw was "rainbow, rainbow, rainbow."



He aparently felt remorse for the helpless fish, for he let it go. The fish had been through so much, and possibly, in a way, it reflected the life of the fisherman.

Bishop, Elizabeth. "The Fish." PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of Poems and Poets.. Poetry Search Engine. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. .

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

AP English 12.... reading response

Response to question number 13:

The pond, deep, dark, devastatingly amazing, never moving, but always on the mind, symbolizes the loss as well as the dawning of a better time. The pond reals in its prey slow and steady and as it's "clasped dead cold round" its prey, its victim morphs into something new. The pond takes "in the hideous cold element" hiding within its prisoner, and opens the eyes of its captive. The pond is like the cocoon of a measly caterpillar, which protects the insect inside and slowly allows it to transform into a beautiful butterfly.



The pond is like the lake in The Awakening by Kate Chopin. They both symbolize an escape from a world so strict your voice will never be heard. While in the lake, Edna escapes pain and heartache by finally being set free on her own to swim alone and do as she pleases. In both stories, the pond, the lake, they both represent an awakening to a new light, but they are also harmful. The lake consumes Edna, and she is finally free of all her troubles, brought down by the water she loved so much. Mabel, she is also consumed by the water. She gets lucky though, and has a saviour who comes to her rescue. In other words, the pond seems to symbolize the same thing whenever used, but it may take on different form.



As Mabel slowly walks into the midst of her death, she begins to let go, not caring that she is going to die. She tries to drownd herself. The doctor sees her and slowly wades in, he trips, he falls, but he doesn't give up. He feels for her, and when he finally finds her, he slowly carries her back to land and revives her. In the pond, Mabel is dying. The doctor himself almost drownds as well while trying to save her. He regains control though, and gets himself and Mabel back to shore safely.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Writing...

When I was younger, I used to write stories all the time. I even sent them in to competitions. I never won, but I always received a certificate saying that I had done well. Getting those certificates in the mail always made me smile. I loved being rewarded for what I had done, I felt as if I had achieved greatness!

I still write today, but I don't ever finish my stories. I have about 3000 beginnings of stories that I more than likely will never finish. I always feel like writing at the most random moments, and every time I write, I write about something different. I tend to write stories with the same emotions I am feeling at that time, and for some reason, I never feel exactly the same way again, so I can't finish my stories.

I don't like being made to write in school. Research papers are the worst, (sorry Mr. Qualls and Mrs. Huff), and essays aren't too fantastic either. I do like to write though, I just never seem to be able to finish the stories I begin.

Friday, March 12, 2010

randomness i guess

I seem to never use this blog anymore, but I though that I might use it to vent this one time. Ill see how it works. No one reads it anyway, but at least it may help


So, as a child, playing in the sandbox and swimming in the pool were the funnest times of my life. My only worry, the thought that I might get put in the "time out" chair. Remember the "time out" chair? I spent a fair part of my life sitting in time out wandering: "What did I do to deserve this? You only put me here to make me mad!" Looking back, I realize that the time out chair never really helped. It got me thinking, but not about what I had done. I always plotted about what I was going to do next. Who's drink would I mess with? Should I freeze my brothers' underwear? I miss those days when nothing seemed to matter, when I had no care in the world except what I was going to play with that day.


As I've grown up, I realize that those WERE the best times of my life. I had my papa, I had my toys, I had my friends. But just because I had so much, and just because I may miss it, does not mean that those days have to be the best days of my life, I still have many more to come! I miss not having any worries or responsibilities, but with responsibility come greatness. I get to hang out with my friends, drive my own car, and just do my own thing. Worries, there isn't anything good about them, not that I can find at least.


I have so many worries now. Sometimes it's hard to escape them. My friends betray me, they stab me in the back, but I try to forgive and forget. I give them a second chance. Sometimes though, they really hurt me... and I know for a fact that they do it on purpose. They know what gets to me and tears me down, so they do it. Why? I don't have a clue, but it's only high school, so I'm hoping things will change. I'd rather not linger on this though, no good can come from it.


I do so much now that I used to never do. I play softball, even though I always get injured, I sing in choir, or at least I used to until my schedule got messed up, I get to hang out with my friends, as long as my mom knows where I'm at and when I'm coming home, and I get to do so much more. I don't know why I worry sometimes, I just let the stress of being a Junior i high school get to me I guess.

Well I hope everyone reading this has a fantastic day! And thanks for taking the time to read this, I really wasn't expecting anyone too. It is just a bunch of randomness. (is 'randomness' a word)?