Reading Response to a Poem Essay Example for Free

Reading Response to a Poem Essay The poem â€Å"Wild Geese† by Mary Oliver was a very inspirational poem. Oliver creatively uses imaginative language, emotion, symbolism, and romanticism which led to a very positive and upbeat tone in her poem. Throughout this poem, the one thing that I focused on was the positive and upbeat tones that this poem contained. By her use of symbolic and imaginative language in â€Å"Wild Geese†, the reader is opened to Mary Oliver’s underlying meaning behind her literary prose. Furthermore, the calm romantic tone of this thought provoking poem, raises positive emotions to rise up out of the moment, and invites us to further take a look at ourselves. Mary Oliver immediately engages the reader into considering the true meaning behind her choice of words. In lines one through five, the reader can envision being in a very noble place where rules are always followed. Mary Oliver (1986) noted that, â€Å"You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves† I believe that she is saying that you do not have to follow the rules of society by bowing down to others or to repent for being who you are. Oliver used the symbol of an animal, you should do what you love to do and not worry about having to say you are sorry. With that being said, animals never have to apologize for being who God or the Creator made them to be. In lines six and seven, she again uses emotion and romanticism to bring out the feeling of her readers. Oliver (1986) noted that, â€Å"Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on†. She cleverly shows that we all have problems and yet the world will still go on. God or the Creator never promised us an easy life. In lines eight through eleven, Oliver uses the symbols of nature once again to show us that life is still going on no matter what problems we face. Oliver (1986) noted that, Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees,   the mountains and the rivers. She uses the emotional state of the reader along with the quiet romantic tones to show that although you will go through trying times in life, it will not last forever. She uses the symbolism of the wild geese, in lines twelve and thirteen, to show that we will always be guided to our destinations. All we have to do is allow our natural instincts to guide us just as the wild geese are guided home by natural instinct. In lines fourteen through fifteen, Oliver uses emotion and imaginative language to let the reader know that no matter who you are, or how lonely you feel, the world is for you to design it. The reader needs to use his/ her imagination. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. She again uses the symbolic nature of the wild geese to illustrate this concept. Last but not least, in lines sixteen through eighteen, she again uses imaginative language to challenge the reader to not conform to the world. The reader can use their imagination to break free from their conventional life styles and to join their place in the family of nature. In nature, there are no rules, but the ones that you create, where you are free to be as the â€Å"Wild Geese†. In conclusion, I found the poem â€Å"Wild Geese† by Mary Oliver extremely inspirational. She creatively uses imaginative language, emotion, symbolism, and romanticism to convey a very positive and upbeat tone in her poem. Throughout this poem, the one thing that I continuously focused on was the positive and upbeat tones that this poem contains. This is a very inspirational and uplifting poem. It encourages us to go beyond the plan that is laid out for us by society and lends us permission to be who we were destined to be. Throughout this entire poem, we are given permission to shake off all of life’s discretions, throw caution to the wind, and be as wild and free as nature intended us to be. References Clugston, W. R. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

John Gradys Journey in All the Pretty Horses :: essays research papers

John Grady's journey is one that leads him from innocence to experience and lets him find the 'paradise' for which he is looking. Grady is an outcast. At beginning of the novel he feels out of place in the world in which he is living. On top of that he neither understands why it is changing nor is he willing to accept it. As he is sitting in the theatre watching his mother's play, the narrator tells us his thoughts: 'He'd the notion that there would be something in the story itself to tell him about the way the world was or was becoming but there was not.' The times are changing and he's unwilling to give up the past. The world is becoming modernized and people like him, cowboys and ranchers, are slowly disappearing. He runs away from home because he desires to find peace within himself as well as a place where he can feel he belongs. Here begins the adventure of John Grady and his best friend Lacey Rawlins. It is important to note here the means of travel. The story is taking place after World War II, a time when cars are fairly common, yet these boys decide to go on horseback, like in the fading old days. This is just another concept of how they are unwilling to give up a fading past. When they first begin their journey, the boys are having a good time. In a sense they?re two buddies on a road trip with no real motive. Rawlins even mentions, ?You know what?I could get used to this life.? Then they meet Blevins, the foil in the plot that veers the two boys of their course and also has plays a role in the lasting change of their person ality. Their meeting with him gives an insight into Grady?s character. Rawlins is against letting Blevins come along with them, but because of John?s kind nature he ends up allowing Blevins to come. It?s because of this kindness and sense of morality, he gets into trouble later on. The crossing of the Rio Grande into Mexico is an important structural device and symbol in the novel. This is when they enter the ?frame? of the novel in which all the conflicts take place. The crossing of the river naked is symbolic for the cleansing of their souls as well as a new beginning. In only a short time after arriving in Mexico, conflicts start.

Member of the wedding notes Essay

Stuck between being to young for adolescence and to old to be a child, the protagonist Frankie Addams, has the desire to be the child and the adult. Within herself she’s confused and lost, her body is to big, yet her mind is broken. Through the journey of Carson McCullers novel The Member of the Wedding, Frankie clenches on to the ridiculous idea of belonging to the wedding and even going off with the honeymooners after. This concept developed by her, is what she believes is a way in which she can develop a sense of belonging. Although this idea preposterous and highly immature it highlights that Frankie wants an adult dream at her young age. Her confused desires between child and adulthood are depicted again, when she almost experiences her first sexual encounter with a solider. Although being inquisitive and interested in what would go on between the two of them and although Frankie enjoyed being treated like an adult, it was all to much for her to handle and she fled from the solider. It is difficult to posses a sense of belonging when we are unsure of our own identity. Why? In having a sense of belonging, one must always have a clear understanding of their identity. This is because the groups we attach ourselves with throughout the journey of life resemble features of our own personality. So when one lacks the knowledge of their own self, in finding somewhere or something to belong to which suites and allows them to be comfortable, it is almost impossible. Evidence Through Carson McCullers novel The Member of the Wedding (1946 ) the confused protagonist Frankie Addams reflects how her own frail understanding of her identity impacts and makes it difficult for Frankie to develop a sense of belonging. This â€Å" unjoined â€Å" from society feeling that the protagonist feels is partly formed from different experiences she endures. From growing too old for sharing a bed with her father to being rejected from the club house for being â€Å" too young â€Å". Frankie’s self perception of her physical aspect also adds to this unsettled identity, as she is entering the stages of puberty and feels as if she is a â€Å" freak â€Å" due to her tall height. With both her experiences and her appearance shattering her identity in to an unsettled state, Frankie finds it difficult to belong to something more then the people she lives with. Leaving the protagonist to clench on to the ridiculous idea of being a member of her brothers wedding. Although this concept that Frankie desires so much, of belonging to a wedding, is preposterous it proves how much of an impact having a weak identity can play it finding a sense of belonging.

The Origins of Rice Domestication in China

Today, rice (Oryza species) feeds more than half the worlds population  and accounts for 20 percent of the worlds total calorie intake. Although a staple in diets worldwide, rice is central to the economy and landscape of wider East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian ancient and modern civilizations. Particularly in contrast to Mediterranean cultures, which are primarily based on wheat bread, Asian cooking styles, food textural preferences, and feasting rituals are based on consumption of this vital crop. Rice grows on every continent in the world except Antartica, and has 21 different wild varieties and three distinct cultivated species: Oryza sativa japonica, domesticated in what is today central China by about 7,000 years BCE, Oryza sativa indica, domesticated/hybridized in the Indian subcontinent about 2500 BCE, and Oryza glabberima, domesticated/hybridized in west Africa between about 1500 and 800 BCE. Origin Species: Oryza rufipogonFirst Domestication: Yangtse River basin, China, O. sativa japonica, 9500-6000 years ago (bp)Paddy (Wet Rice Field) Invention: Yangtse River basin, China, 7000 bpSecond and Third Domestications: India/Indonesia, Oryza indica, 4000 bp; Africa, Oryza glaberrima, 3200 bp Earliest Evidence The oldest evidence of rice consumption identified to date is four grains of rice recovered from the Yuchanyan Cave, a rock shelter in Dao County, Hunan Province in China. Some scholars associated with the site have argued that these grains seem to represent very early forms of domestication, having characteristics of both japonica and sativa. Culturally, the Yuchanyan site is associated with the Upper Paleolithic/incipient Jomon, dated between 12,000 and 16,000 years ago. Rice phytoliths (some of which appeared to be identifiable to japonica) were identified in the sediment deposits of Diaotonghuan Cave, located near Poyang Lake in the middle Yangtse river valley radiocarbon dated about 10,000-9000 years before the present. Additional soil core testing of the lake sediments revealed rice phytoliths from rice of some sort present in the valley before 12,820 BP. However, other scholars argue that although these occurrences of rice grains in archaeological sites such as Yuchanyan and Diaotonghuan caves represent consumption and/or use as pottery temper, they do not represent evidence of domestication. Origins of Rice in China Oryza sativa japonica was derived solely from Oryza rufipogon, a poor-yielding rice native to swampy regions that required intentional manipulation of both water and salt, and some harvest experimentation. Just when and where that occurred remains somewhat controversial. There are four regions that are currently considered possible loci of domestication in China: the middle Yangtze (Pengtoushan culture, including such sites as at Bashidang); the Huai River (including the Jiahu site) of southwest Henan province; the Houli culture of Shandong province; and the lower Yangtze River Valley. Most but not all scholars point to the lower Yangtze River as the likely origin location, which at the end of the Younger Dryas (between 9650 and 5000 BCE) was the northern edge of the range for O. rufipogon. Younger Dryas climatic changes in the region included the increase of local temperatures and summer monsoon rainfall amounts, and the inundation of much of the coastal regions of China as the sea rose an estimated 200 feet (60 meters). Early evidence for the use of wild O. rufipogon has been identified at Shangshan and Jiahu, both of which contained ceramic vessels tempered with rice chaff, from contexts dated between 8000–7000 BCE. Direct dating of rice grains at two Yangtse river basin sites was reported by Chinese archaeologists led by Xinxin Zuo: Shangshan (9400 cal BP) and Hehuashan (9000 cal BP), or about 7,000 BCE. By about 5,000 BCE, domesticated japonica is found throughout the Yangtse valley, including large amounts of rice kernels at such sites as TongZian Luojiajiao (7100 BP) and Hemuda (7000 BP). By 6000–3500 BCE, rice and other Neolithic lifestyle changes were spread throughout southern China. Rice reached Southeast Asia into Vietnam and Thailand (Hoabinhian period) by 3000–2000 BCE. The domestication process was likely a very slow one, lasting between 7000 and 100 BCE. Chinse archaeologist Yongchao Ma and colleagues have identified three stages in the domestication process during which rice slowly changed eventually becoming a dominant part of local diets by about 2500 BCE. Changes from the original plant are recognized as the location of rice fields outside of perennial swamps and wetlands, and non-shattering rachis. Out of China Although scholars have come close to a consensus concerning the origins of rice in China, its subsequent spread outside of the center of domestication in the Yangtze Valley is still a matter of controversy. Scholars have generally agreed that the originally domesticated plant for all varieties of rice is  Oryza sativa japonica, domesticated from  O. rufipogon  in the lower Yangtze River Valley by hunter-gatherers approximately 9,000 to 10,000 years ago. At least 11 separate routes for the spread of rice throughout Asia, Oceania, and Africa have been suggested by scholars. At least twice, say scholars, a manipulation of  japonica  rice was required: in the Indian subcontinent about 2500 BC, and in West Africa between 1500 and 800 BCE. India and Indonesia For quite some time, scholars have been divided about the presence of rice in India and Indonesia, where it came from and when it got there. Some scholars have argued that the rice was simply  O. s. japonica, introduced straight from China; others have argued that the  O. indica  variety of rice is unrelated to japonica and was independently domesticated from  Oryza nivara. Other scholars suggest that  Oryza indica  is a hybrid between a fully domesticated  Oryza japonica  and a semi-domesticated or local wild version of  Oryza nivara. Unlike  O. japonica, O. nivara  can be exploited on a large scale without instituting cultivation or habitat change. The earliest type of rice agriculture used in the Ganges was likely dry cropping, with the plants water needs provided by monsoonal rains and seasonal flood recession. The earliest irrigated paddy rice in the Ganges is at least the end of the second millennium BC and certainly by the beginning of the Iron Age. Arrival in the Indus Valley The archaeological record suggests that  O. japonica  arrived in the  Indus Valley  at least as early as 2400–2200 BCE, and became well-established in the Ganges River region beginning around 2000 BCE. However, by at least 2500 BCE, at the site of Senuwar, some rice cultivation, presumably of dryland  O. nivara  was underway. Additional evidence for the continuing interaction of China by 2000 BCE with Northwest India and Pakistan comes from the appearance of other crop introductions from China, including peach, apricot,  broomcorn millet, and Cannabis.  Longshan  style harvest knives were made and used in the Kashmir and Swat regions after 2000 BCE. Although Thailand certainly first received domesticated rice from China–archaeological data indicates that until about 300 BCE, the dominant type was  O. japonica–contact with India about 300 BCE, led to the establishment of a rice regime that relied on wetland systems of agriculture, and using  O. indica. Wetland rice–that is to say rice grown in flooded paddies–is an invention of Chinese farmers, and so its exploitation in India is of interest. Rice Paddy Invention All species of wild rice are wetland species: however, the archaeological record implies that the original domestication of rice was to move it into a more or less dryland environment, planted along the edges of wetlands, and then flooded using natural flooding and annual rain patterns. Wet rice farming, including the creation of rice paddies, was invented in China about 5000 BCE, with the earliest evidence to date at Tianluoshan, where paddy fields have been identified and dated. Paddy rice is more labor-intensive then dryland rice, and it requires an organized and stable ownership of land parcels. But it is far more productive than dryland rice, and by creating the stability of terracing and field construction, it reduces environmental damage caused by intermittent flooding. In addition, allowing the river to flood the paddies replenishes the replacement of nutrients taken from the field by the crop. Direct evidence for intensive wet rice agriculture, including field systems, comes from two sites in the lower Yangtze (Chuodun and Caoxieshan) both of which date to 4200–3800 BCE, and one site (Chengtoushan) in the middle Yangtze at about 4500 BCE. Rice in Africa A third domestication/hybridization appears to have happened during the African Iron Age in the Niger delta region of west Africa, by which  Oryza sativa  was crossed with O. barthii to produce  O. glaberrima. The earliest ceramic impressions of rice grains date from between 1800 to 800 BCE in the side of Ganjigana, in northeast Nigeria. documented domesticated O. glaberrima has first been identified at Jenne-Jeno in Mali, dated between 300 BCE and 200 BCE. French plant geneticist Philippe Cubry and colleagues suggest that the domestication process may have been begun about 3,200 years ago when the Sahara was expanding and making the wild form of rice harder to find. Sources Cubry, Philippe, et al. The Rise and Fall of African Rice Cultivation Revealed by Analysis of 246 New Genomes. Current Biology 28.14 (2018): 2274–82.e6. Print.Luo, Wuhong, et al. Phytolith Records of Rice Agriculture During the Middle Neolithic in the Middle Reaches of . Quaternary International 426 (2016): 133–40. Print.Huai River Region, ChinaMa, Yongchao, et al. Rice Bulliform Phytoliths Reveal the Process of Rice Domestication in the Neolithic Lower Yangtze River Region. Quaternary International 426 (2016): 126–32. Print.Shillito, Lisa-Marie. Grains of Truth or Transparent Blindfolds? A Review of Current Debates in Archaeological Phytolith Analysis. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 22.1 (2013): 71–82. Print.Wang, Muhua, et al. The Genome Sequence of African Rice (Oryza . Nature Genetics 46.9 (2014): 982–8. Print.Glaberrima) and Evidence for Independent DomesticationWin, Khin Thanda, et al. A Single Base Change Explains the Independent Origin of and Selection for the Nonshattering Gene in African Rice Domestication. New Phytologist 213.4 (2016): 1925–35. Print.Zheng, Yunfei, et al. Rice Domestication Revealed by Reduced Shattering of Archaeological Rice from the Lower Yangtze Valley. Scientific Reports 6 (2016): 28136. Print.Zuo, Xinxin, et al. Dating Rice Remains through Phytolith Carbon-14 Study Reveals Domestication at the Beginning of the Holocene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.25 (2017): 6486–91. Print.