Sylvia Plath Poetry

I read five poems by Slyvia Plath: Ariel, Brasilia, Barren Woman, Channel Crossing, and All the Dead Dears. When I read her poetry, I feel a little empty. I love the poems, but they are all so sullen and dark, which is hard to read after a few poems of the same thing.
I love the line, "We walk the plank with strangers," from the poem Channel Crossing. So many little snippets of her poetry ring in my head after I read the poem because every line is thought out so well, and everything has a meaning.
Personally, I wouldn't choose to read a book of her poetry because they're all so depressing, but once and a while it's nice to read Sylvia Plath.

The Bell Jar by Slyvia Plath

I have read into chapter four so far in the novel, and I love it. The sarcastic tone of the narrator, Slyvia, is amazing, and her whole take on being in the shadow of another, prettier girl is easy to relate to. The character of Doreen is very frustrating for me to read about, since I know a girl like her, and I lived in her shadow for a couple years, so reading about that is kind of obnoxious, but I've gotten past that.
The character Sylvia is amazing; how she drinks plain Vodka because it looks clean was one of my favorite details. I can't wait to get father into the book, even though it will probably be really depressing. The writing is amazing, and so is the story line. So far, I really like this book.

Always Running by Luis J. Rodriquez

This was one of the poems that I enjoyed reading. It was written very clearly, and I understood what Rodriquez was trying to get across, what the topic was. This was a sad poem, especially when kids were brought up. The image of the little kids sleeping, covered in roaches in a dirty bed was amazing; sad, of course, but a great image that set the tone for the rest of the poem.
I do not like many poems, but this is a poem I would read again.

Mnemonic by Li-Young Lee

After reading this poem with the class, I was bored and left hanging. I think the last line "So my father took off his blue sweater," was supposed to wrap the poem up, but it didn't for me. The whole poem was dull, and there was nothing that I could relate to in it. When Li-Young Lee talks about the world being flat and round, I was very confused.
It was nice writing, but apart from that, there was nothing I enjoyed about this poem.

Betsey Brown Response #3

Over the past week, I have finished Betsey Brown, which was a disappointment because the ending was terrible. Apart from that, I loved this novel. It took a while for me to get used to the writing style that Ntozake Shange used, but it really fit the story, so it worked out.

Betsey was a great character, and I really liked following her thoughts, especially when she ran away to a salon in the city. I wish it went a little deeper into her thought process, but that's okay. Greer was a frustrating character for me, with his cool, calm attitude like all of the doctors I know. Jane was also an interesting character, but I found it kind of random for her to leave, it was like it was just for the sake of the character Carrie, whom I didn't like either.

After Jane came back, the book ended. Just like that; done. I did not like that. What happened to their marriage? What happened to Eugene? Did Betsey ever confront Jane about the responsibilities she had taken on after Carrie was fired? There was too much left hanging, and it ruined it a little for me. But everything before the ending was great, so I guess I can forgive Shange.

I would definitely recommend this book to young-adults in the ninth grade and down, since the writing is simple and I don't see many older kids wanting to read this. But it was a great novel, and I would probably read it again.

Betsey Brown Response #2

I am just a little past the halfway point in the novel, and I'm starting to warm up to the eccentric writing style of Ntozake Shange. Betsey has become a dear character, as we get to look a little deeper into her thoughts about boys and growing up. Now as she is heading into a white school, I feel closer to her because the writing is so clear about how all of the children feel about this transition. I also like the character Regina, since she kind of spurred on Betsey's thoughts about "growing up," and kind of added comical relief to the so far slow book (not that there is anything wrong with going slowly.) The nannies almost act as a symbol of what level of maturity Betsey is on, well they are for me anyways. With the first nanny, Bernice, Betsey was still climbing trees and becoming a tomboy. Then with Regina, she was noticing boys and thinking about her future.

This book, surprisingly, is actually one of the better novels I have read this year. At first, I thought I wouldn't enjoy it, but now I'm starting to get into it, and I look forward to reading on into the story.

Betsey Brown by Ntozake Shange

I only read to page twenty in this book, and I'm already bored. It seems like it's going to be a cliche novel about a girl coming of age, just like most of the books I have read this year. The writing is confusing, the language being used is hard to read aloud.

The characters seem deep, though, and I can tell that there is going to be a long story behind the mother, father, and grandma. But right now  it's very confusing with all of the characters running around and yelling. Hopefully this book will get better as we read more.