The Theme of Monologue for an Onion

For my post, I chose to discuss the theme in Monologue for An Onion.

I would consider the theme of this poem to be The search for truth, or elusive truth. The onion expresses that the person is peeling away the layers, “layer by layer” to find the heart. The onion insists there is nothing inside and it is only “pure onion”. (“Beneath each skin of mine / Lies another skin: I am pure onion--pure union.”) The person is chopping, in search of the heart. (“That you are, you who want to grasp the heart.”) The person continues to look for the heart, but only sought their desired truth. (“A stopless knife, driven by your fantasy of truth.”) As the poem continues, the person has hurt and changed themselves. (“Lies. Taste what you hold in your hands: onion-juice, / Yellow peels, my stinging shreds. You are the one / In pieces. …”) I believe that the message of this poem is that the truth can hurt and you can get lost looking for a deeper truth and meaning. (“...Poor fool, you are divided at the heart, / Lost in its maze of chambers, blood, and love, / A heart that will one day beat you to death.”)

"We Real Cool" - Enjambment

“In "We Real Cool," (poetry reader page 11), Gwendolyn Brooks uses the poetic element of enjambment (see your glossary). Why do you think she does this, and how does it affect the meaning of the poem?”


    The poetic element Enjambment is very important in the poem “We Real Cool”. This poem is fairly short, but the use of Enjambment seems to make it flow much quicker. Enjambment changes the rhythm of this poem and puts emphasis on “We”. Using Enjambment also gives the poem a sense of urgency. The last line also really stands out in comparison to previous lines. The poem explains bad choices these “Players” have made, and it leads quickly to an end. I think “We Real Cool” stands for this group of players [We] doing things to be cool, and not making great decisions in the long run. At the beginning of the poem it mentions some bad choices such as “We/Left School”, then leads to “Sing sin”, and “Thin gin”. I noticed “sin” and “gin” when I read this, and the poem eventually leads to “We/Die Soon”.

HMNS Paleontology Hall Visit

    On Wednesday my science class visited the Hall of Paleontology at HMNS. There were many different fossils and objects that I found very interesting.     



     The first portion of the exhibit had some Stromatolites and an astounding number of Trilobites. Stromatolites are the oldest existing evidence of life on Earth. This exhibit supposedly has one of the top five largest Trilobite collections. There were many Trilobite fossils and Trilobite imprints.


Left: Some Trilobite fossils and prints.


     Once we passed the section with fossils from the earliest life, we ventured on to the rest of the exhibit which had many fossils, fossil imprints, and entire skeletons of dinosaurs and other animals. There were some authentic fossils but there were also some models. If you see metal framework supporting the skeleton, it is likely authentic.

     I found the "Zuhl Collection" to be very interesting. This portion of the exhibit had fossilized sections of tree trunks that are millions of years old. When the tree died, it was petrified instead of rotting away. For a trunk to petrify, it must be buried and exclude oxygen. The chemical reactions that cause the wood to decay do not occur if there is no oxygen. Volcanic sediment was rich in soluble silica. The silica dissolved into the water that the trees were soaked in and when the water evaporated, it left behind the solid silica. The end result is an amazing colorful petrified tree trunk.
-                                                                                                      Right: Petrified Oak Trunk
         
Overall, the trip to the HMNS Paleontology Hall was very informative and enjoyable. I'd like to learn more about the early aquatic animals featured at this exhibit. I'm looking forward to my next visit to the Paleontology Hall. Thank you Dr. Ott!

Little error image below I can't seem to remove. 

'Out of the Amazon: Life on the River'

   On Tuesday, the IHSS group took a guided tour of the ‘Out of the Amazon: Life on the River’ exhibit at HMNS. I found this exhibit to be very interesting. There were many amazing artifacts and objects and we had a very informative tour, thanks to our docent.

    The Amazon is located in South America and spans across Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and many other countries. It is also the largest tropical rainforest in the world. The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world, just a few hundred kilometers less than the Nile. The Amazon is referred to as "the lungs of the Earth". Approximately 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon.

     It is believed that nearly 10,000,000 natives once inhabited the Amazon. Today, that number is around 700,000. These inhabitants exist within tribes, many of which are very diverse in culture and heritage. Some tribes haven’t made contact with the outside world and are still hunter-gatherers.

     I found the Shuar tribe and their customs particularly interesting. Their tribe was one of the largest tribes, and were often referred to as the “savages”. The Shuar have long resisted the efforts of rivals to conquer them and they are considered to be war-like people. Warfare, headhunting, and revenge are generally accepted. They live in isolated homes only for a single family, not in villages. The homes were built to defend against attacks. For example, they had double walls to protect themselves from projectiles and tunnels for means of escape. One of the most well known customs of the Shuar is the “shrunken skulls”, or “tsantsa”. Their reputation is largely derived from those customs. These shrunken skulls were part of the actual heads of their enemies. They believed that the deceased warrior’s spirit would come back to get revenge on their executioner. By shrinking the skulls and sewing the eyes and lips together, the Shuar believed they prevented the soul from exacting revenge. The process involved the skin of the deceased warrior being removed from the head. The skin was removed, boiled, and shrunken, and the lips and eyes were sewn together as part of the ritual. They were also known to shrink other animal heads. It is said that these shrunken animal skulls were used for a substitute for a “tsantsa”, for educational purposes, or to sell to foreigners who were interested in these shrunken human skulls. These “tsantsa” were not considered a trophy, but could increase a warrior’s “Arutam”. The Shuar believed each warrior had personal power, called the “Arutam”. By collecting shrunken heads, a warrior would increase his “Arutam”. The practice of shrinking heads allegedly came to an end after World War II due to an increase in demand for the heads, which led to a rise in headhunting.

 I have added some pictures from the exhibit below.

Shrunken human head 

Shrunken animal head 

Man holding a shrunken human head

Poetry and Prose

Poetry and Prose: What's the difference?

Poetry is a literature or language composition which expresses or evokes ideas and emotions. Poetry is arranged according to it’s rhythm, sound, and meaning.

Prose (prosa) is a word of Latin origin which translates to ‘straightforward’. Prose is like the ordinary form of language and is generally composed of paragraphs and dialogue. The language in Prose is more grammatical and natural. Much of what is written today can be considered Prose.

In poetry, ideas may be grouped into lines and stanzas. Prose is almost always contained in sentences forming paragraphs. Poetry and Prose aren’t always easily distinguishable, but Prose is more straightforward and follows general grammar rules, and Poetry has pattern, rhythm, and is more structured.