My self published poem

My Poem 

The Truth About the Heroic Couplet

In order to publish my poem, I tried to reach out to people in real life rather than posting it somewhere on the Internet,  I wanted to reach to people that may actually be interested in poems rather than just making people like or skim through it. First stop, I went to the Richmond Public Library during the weekend, I printed out 150 copies to hand it out while people were going in and out of the library because I didn't want to rudely disturb people to take photos and ask them to read it while they were choosing their books and stuff. Even though some were very annoyed by my constant questioning whether they wanted to read my poem, others actually were very kind and gave me awesome feedback. I was so surprised by the amount of people that would actually take the time to read my poem and some people even came back to me to question me about the details of my poem. But this is also the first time I felt so much rejection, some people just ignored me the entire time and some even gave me a look. 

Because I felt that it was pretty successful handing it out at the Public Library, I decided to go to a near by mall, Landsdowne Mall, which did not work out very well. I brought 150 copies with me thinking that I would be able to hand it all out like the library,  but sadly I barely handed out 80 copies over an hour of time and because I needed evidence to take pictures of people, one actually got mad at me and told me to delete that picture right away. So overall, it wasn't very successful but it wasn't horrible. LOL

I got permission from a Starbucks store in Richmond to allow me to leave my poem there for a few days, I left a few poems on the table so that when people are sitting down to enjoy their coffee, they can take the time to read the poem. I also posted my poem by the waiting area, so that when people are eager for their coffee, they can read my poem... :)

The next day I went back to see if the were just lying to me...which they didn't, but surprisingly I actually saw people looking at it and reading it. I even asked the workers there if they saw people reading it, they said that many people were very curious and asked them questions about it.

I also got permission from a restaurant in Richmond, Sea Harbour Restaurant, near the River Rock Casino to allow me to put a copy of my poem into the free newspaper stand, which would allow more people to see it because some people aren't willing to pay for newspaper, so I decided to place it in the freebies. I also putted by the cashier which can also get people's attention because while customers are waiting for their bill, they can take that time to read a short poem......not really related to food.....

Lastly, I posted my poem in the school's bulletin, while students read the bulletin or even look at Linda's wonderful poem, they can also read mine. I also handed my poem out to various students and teachers to read and give me feedback. Surprisingly many teacher actually "liked it".......... :P

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The Truth About the Heroic Couplet (with analysis)

                               

"I wanted to try writing a poem that asks questions about the importance of poetry. In high school we have studied some Shakespeare and other forms of poetry that talk about heroes, their sacrifices, their great loves, and their fights. I often wonder if the poet himself, like Shakespeare, had experienced any such feelings or events in their lives; if they were really heroic characters who truly spoke from experience and tried to pass on their values through their poems.

But when I try to imagine a person writing an epic piece of poetry, I often picture a thin and lonely little man who scribbles things in his room, trying to make his life more interesting by creating epic characters on the page. So this is what my poem is about: a poet who creates a 'cage of words' that holds a lot of grand ideas an characters which may not exist in his real life.

I did a google search on Google for some forms of poetry used in epic poems, or poems with a heroic or romantic subject matter. I came up with a few forms, but I chose to mention a "heroic couplet" as a hook. It is two rhyming lines in iambic pentameter that is often used for the closing of longer poems. I tried to write the poem in rhyming couplets too. I don't know if it worked very well; it is only my second attempt at writing anything that rhymes.

In my poem, I wanted to say that poems are only made of words and they can only capture a small aspect of reality, and if we learn to look for greatness, there is a lot pf real heroic and loving people and events to find. But this should not to undermine the value of poetry at all. In the past week or two, I have thought about this a lot, and the way I would explain the value of this kind of poetry is this: they put intangible values into words, and they give us a language to celebrate and encourage greatness.

I started out with a poem that kind of makes fun of heroic poetry and their poets. But I think I am finishing this year with a better appreciation for poetry all together."

"Do Seek Their Meat From God" by Charles Roberts Title Explanation

 The title of Charles Roberts' short story, "Do Seek Their Meat From God," is an allusion to a verse in the bible where the roars of hungry lions are interpreted as a prayer to God for food.This verse may be interpreted as a demonstration of God’s mercy to all creatures, even the wildest animals. But in the context of Roberts' story, the verse has an ironic meaning, because the roaring of the panthers are set against the cries of the child in the cabin. The panthers are seen as good parents who take care of their young and of each other (they go hungry to feed their cubs, and later try to protect each other from the shooter), and so the cries of the abandoned child may be understood as the answer to their prayer. Yet when they are shot dead when they follow the sound to their meal, and as a result, their cubs perish. In contrast, the human community is not described favorable in the story as one father is a negligent drunk and the other hesitates before saving the child. And yet, the child and the father both survive when the man shoots the panthers.

 So the novel raises serious questions regarding the fairness of God. Or perhaps it even questions whether God exists at all. Does God favor humans to other creatures even if their actions are less godly than panthers? Or is the author implying that there is no God to make sure life is fair, and only the fittest survive, because we follow the law of the jungle. By giving a biblical title to his story, the writes makes us think about very difficult question of  fairness and equality in life."