The Best of Josh Comune

"Hello. For everyone that does not know me my name is Josh Comune. I am a freshman here at Cheshire Academy. I am originally from northern New Jersey were I was born and raised. I came to Cheshire Academy because I was recruited for football to play here for the Fighthing Cats. The opportunity presented itself as my best option for achieving my dreams and goals." 1/7/16 I thought it would be appropriate for me to start this final blog with where it all started. When reflecting on my time here at Cheshire Academy, I can honestly say that it brings out a pool of emotions and things that I really haven't ever talked about in my blogs before. This blog will will carry sentimental value to me throughout it. Yes, I have been in Ms. Guarino's IB Lit Performance class for the past two 2 years, but I've had her as my teacher for the past 4. My journey here at Cheshire Academy has been one that I will never forget. I have made connections that will hopefully last a lif...

While some poems focus exclusively on a personal or private experience, others reflect on the place of the individual in the larger human community. In the work of at least two poets, explore the ways in which poems have conveyed the poet’s sense of the world beyond the private sphere. In Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry, she talks a lot about her Arabic culture, heritage, families relations, and also adapting to new surroundings. Many of her poems tell stories about the experiences of being Arabic in a community that is not always accepting. She tells us that many Arabs are strong minded people that are accepting of others even when others do not accept them. Arabs are incredibly adaptive to their surrounding, but they do indeed try to find areas where they can be themselves without having to press their culture on others.   The last time he moved, I got a phone call, My father, in Arabic, chanting a song I'd never heard. "What's that?" He took me ou...

Naomi's Grandmother Very knowledgeable person but she is illiterate Old/ Near death Experienced Hard Life Caring Family is important Desperation Poor Village--- one cow Rugged feet Moth eaten scarves/holes= old Peasant

My Father and the Fig Tree  For other fruits, my father was indifferent. He'd point at the cherry trees and say,  "See those? I wish they were figs." In the evening he sat by my bed weaving folktales like vivid little scarves. They always involved a figtree.  Even when it didn't fit, he'd stick it in. Once Joha was walking down the road and he saw a fig tree.  Or, he tied his camel to a fig tree and went to sleep. Or, later when they caught and arrested him, his pockets were full of figs. Analysis: Father is obsessed with figs. Cherry trees (are symbolic to American culture) He does not care for any other type of fruits or vegetables. He is a very good story teller. He puts a fig tree in every story he tells. One story he says zgets arrested for possibly stealing figs from a tree. The figs are a important symbol that make connections with his culture and identity. At age six I ate a dried fig and shrugged. "Tha...

Naomi Shihab Nye Father-- Palestinian Mother-- American Grandmother- still living in Palestine Contemporary American women poet No rhyme scheme, no meter/structure ---> Free Verse Narrative-- tells a story Autobiographical Family/people World not always a positive/good place Nature--> Peace Historical time period ---> 9/11, Israel - Palestinian conflict Title---> Blood : Red, pain, death, race/family/relation  Repetition of the phrase  " True Arab" -- pure, knowing, culture, not of extremist beliefs “A true Arab knows how to catch a fly in his hands,” -- Patience, fast, precise After 9/11 ---> stereotypes about Arabs/Muslims (Islamophobia) Once I said, “When we die, we give it back?”  He said that’s what a true Arab would say.   ---> This shows that True Arabs return what they borrow and are kind people

“The language of a poem is often that of one thing compared to another.” In the work of at least  two poets you have studied, explore how poets have made their subjects come alive through different means of comparing them.      In poetry language is alive. Utilizing language can demonstrate the poet's ability to make certain elements jump of the page and grab readers. Language can also give inanimate objects a sense of liveliness. In many pieces of Emily Dickinson's poetry, we see her time and time again use personification to give the reader a better understanding of what she is trying to portray.       " Wild nights - Wild nights!"      " Futile - the winds -"    These two examples from her poem Wild Nights creates  vivid images in my head. I get the sense of the nighttime being frantic, exciting, dangerous, and possibly fun, and when thinking of futile winds, ...