Infant Sorrow and Infant Joy

     Although these two poems by author William Blake may seem similar, they are different in many ways. For one, in Infant Sorrow, this poem is using imagery so the author can imagine the young child being born into a sinful world,while the father is freaking out during the child birth,with the only thing to comfort it is it's mother's breast.
     On the other hand, Infant Joy also talks about how an infant, as young as two days old, can have so much joy and can be seen as innocent in another person's eye, since it's so young. This poem talks about how since the child hasn't experienced life yet, it is still innocent. Even though both of these poems, by William Blake, have the same topic, they both go into different deeper meanings.

My reading profile

Reading is a very essential key to learning throughout life. Everyone, including me, have few strengths and weaknesses with reading. Reading is not only novels, it can be poetry and literature as well. My strength in reading literature is that I can easily understand what that piece of literature is about and I can predict what might happen next if the story is incomplete. My weakness is with reading poetry because I have a hard time analyzing poetry and trying to figure out what the poem's story is about.

Grant's Letter

Dear Grant,
Thank you for choosing our advice program to help you in this situation. As we read your letter,  we see that it seems that you are in a jam. We will be more than happy enough to help you. Firstly, in order for you to turn that "boy" into a man, you must first ask yourself, "Do I know the requirements of being a man? ". Maybe in order to get him to listen, take baby steps with him to try to at least convince him to listen and at least let you be able to give him dignity before he dies. He does has a reason to try, and don't say his life is already gone. He probably needs to be told that he is loved and that someone is there for him even if he knows it or not. Since he is acting like a hug,  try to convince him that he is very much so different than a hog. Hopefully, our advice will help you in your situation. Good luck with your task.

Sincerely,
The Advice Columnist

School is a tree

School is a tree
Tree sprouts
Tree sprouts
Tree grows
Insects and people come and go

The Sorrow of War (Saturday's Reading)

Saturday's Reading:

1. "His father had hardly mentioned her. He had avoided talking about her for his own sake, to avoid suffering. He had resigned himself to his fate of keeping his family of two in modest circumstances." (pg 124)

• This quote indicates the conflict man vs society. It is traditional that a man and women should be together as a family.
• This quote relates to the theme of suffering. It hurts Kien's father to talk about Kien's mother due to her leaving them.

The Sorrow of War (Thursday and Friday's Reading)

Thursday's Reading:

1."From that day on, Kien avoided her. If their paths accidentally crossed, Kien would bend his head and weakly mumble, "...Sister. "...Perhaps in their dreams, for soon she was gone."(pg 67)

• This quotation relates  the theme of guilt. Because of Kien was avoiding Hanh after what happened that day in the air-raid shelter, he avoided her and he never got to know what she wanted to tell him, which made them loose their connection. This made him feel guilty.
• During this contemporary society, alot of people avoid one another after something agaping happens, such as Kien tried to avoid Hanh very chance he got after what happened in the air-raid shelter.

2."Kien sat forlornly in his apartment, emotionally exhausted....What he saw astounded him: his hair, his beard, his wrinkles, the circles under his eyes....His looks, his voice, seemed to upset others these days. Was it the empty, blank stare he knows saw in the mirror? Was that what they turned from, avoiding his glance?" (pg 70)

• This quote relates to man vs self. Because of his constant drinking and smoking problems, he has cause himself to look this way. 
• This quote leads onto the conflict of Kien quitting his studies and decided to just let everything go for no apparent reason.

Friday's Reading: 

1." ...he sat for hours  just listening to the quiet wind blowing over the lake as he gazed into the distance, far beyond the horizon of thought to the harmonious fields of the dead and living,of unhappiness and happiness,of regret and hope."(Pg 87-88)

• This quotes theme is loneliness. Many people go to certain places just to get away and clear their minds about certain situations and topics that makes their mind clutter.Places like this seem to make people calm and to find their "happy place."
• This quote is man Vs self. He is trying to fade things out and escape reality with the sound of the wind blowing over the horizon.

2." Now, even after many years, whenever I see a flood I feel a sharp pang in my heart and think of my cruel stupidity. No human being deserved the torture I left him to suffer." (Pg 94)

• The quote is  man vs. man conflict. Because Phan was not able to save the ARVN Special Commando, he will always wonder what he could have done differently in order to save him.
•  This quote relates to the theme survivor's guilt. Phan survived the bombing and the flood,but because he was not able to rescue the ARVN Special , he still has flashbacks of that terrible memory.

As I sat beside the win-

As I sat beside the win
Dow I can smell the autumn
Leaves in the air. The sweet
Sweet breeze hits my face. Multiple
Living things standing in one huge area,but
Not moving standing beside the sidewalk
Dancing to and frow with the wind