Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

     For my Poetry Out Loud selection, I chose, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," by Dylan Thomas. This poem compares the concept of death to "... that good night," and "...the dying of the light." Thomas, through the voice of "wise men" says that "...at their end, dark is right." This poem is similar to "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening," by Robert Frost, in that it portrays death as a welcome rest after what has been a long and tiring day. Where the themes of the two poems split is in the last stanza, where Thomas describes a father figure on his death bed, and says "...I pray, do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light." I understand this to mean that it can be easy to think of death as welcome rest when it isn't relevant to our own lives, but when death threatens someone we are close to, we pray they don't go gentle into that good night.
     When reading this poem aloud, I plan on using as much contrast as I can in my voice to convey meaning. I have been practicing using anger in my voice to convey the rage of the men on their death beds; additionally, I have been trying to incorporate a sorrowful tone of voice and facial expressions to convey the poems somber tone. I think it is important to portray the sadness and anger of those facing their inescapable demise, as well as the somber tone of the speaker as he addresses his dying father.

Extra Credit: Paragraphs

     Previously, I said that my biggest issues were embedding quotes, and using focused commentary. What did I do to fix this? Umm... I paid specific attention to the quotes in my paragraph in order to make sure that they were properly embedded within the text. As a result, the quotes in my second paragraph are much more skillfully embedded. It was rather hard not to focus the commentary within the paragraph, seeing as I was writing about something that was the same length as the paragraph. This second time, I paid more attention, and spent more time on the things that I struggled with last time, and the result is what I think is a better, more focused piece of writing.

Poetry Out Loud

Part One:
"Keeping Things Whole"
"Deliberate"
"Ozymandius"
"Cold Blooded Creatures"
"Prisoners"
"The Negro Speaks Of Rivers"
Part Two:
     Of the six poems listed above, I liked "Ozymandius," and "Cold Blooded Creatures." Typically, I enjoy poems, and literature in general that serves a purpose, and conveys a message, rather than simply exists to entertain. I like "Cold Blooded Creatures" because it has an underlying message, that maybe, we should be more aware of the world around us, and that we're not the only creatures on this earth. "Ozymandius" is an exception to my usual tastes; I enjoy it simply for the imagery it contains, rather than the message it contains. The rest of the poems, although not bad, simply didn't connect with me. For the competition, I am interested in reading "Cold Blooded Creatures."
Part Three:
     The easiest criteria for me to meet will be Voice And Articulation, as well as Physical Presence. I feel that especially if I have spent time practicing, I can project when speaking in front of a group, additionally, I don't  get nervous when I'm standing in front of a group, which helps with things such as articulation, and presence. The hardest two categories for me to meet will be Dramatic Appropriateness, and Level Of Difficulty. I always feel awkward when I start to use things like hand motions in front of a group, and it can be difficult to be "dramatic," as I can project, but I'm not a very dramatic person
Part Four:
"Writ On The Steps Of Puerto Rican Harlem"
My first thought was "damn, that guys good." This isn't a poem I would have chosen, for if I was reading it independently I would have had no connection to it, and yet, when it was read aloud, it suddenly gained a whole new level of  meaning.
"Forgetfulness"
I watched this video because it is one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets. The first thing I noticed was how awkward the speaker looked with his hands clasped together in front of him. The initial awkwardness disappeared when he began to speak. His voice, gestures, and expressions gave an already satirical poem a somber, and slightly cynical edge.
Part Five:
     One of the things that has annoyed me about Poetry Out Loud is the selection of poems. Presumably because they don't want to offend anyone, whoever picks out the poems has neglected to include anything slightly political. As I mentioned earlier, my favorite writing is that which serves a purpose, and delivers a message. I like books like Animal Farm for their political nature, and my favorite poems all include satire of something. It is sad that they would omit poems Just because they might offend someone. There is no point to literature if it doesn't offend someone.