My Favourite Poet

One of his poems - The Art of Drowning (1995), was a finalist for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. Another poem - Questions About Angels (1991), was selected for the National Poetry Series. It is no wonder that he - Billy Collins - is my favourite poet.
The poet Stephen Dunn said about Collins, "We seem to always know where we are in a Billy Collins poem, but not necessarily where he is going. I love to arrive with him at his arrivals. He doesn't hide things from us, as I think lesser poets do. He allows us to overhear, clearly, what he himself has discovered." I agree with Dunn's speech. Billy Collins is an interesting person. He reveals what he finds and does not hide things for us to deduce ourselves.
Here are three of his poems:

Some Days
Some days I put the people in their places at the table,
bend their legs at the knees,
if they come with that feature,
and fix them into the tiny wooden chairs.
All afternoon they face one another,
the man in the brown suit,
the woman in the blue dress,
perfectly motionless, perfectly behaved.
But other days, I am the one
who is lifted up by the ribs,
then lowered into the dining room of a dollhouse
to sit with the others at the long table.
Very funny,
but how would you like it
if you never knew from one day to the next
if you were going to spend it
striding around like a vivid god,
your shoulders in the clouds,
or sitting down there amidst the wallpaper,
staring straight ahead with your little plastic face?


Introduction to Poetry
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.


Litany
You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.
However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.
It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.
And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.
It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.
I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.
I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and—somehow—the wine.


After reading them, what do you feel about Collins' poems? I think that they are as interesting as Collins himself, becuase in the first poem he uses a doll's perspective, in the second poem as a place, and in the last poem he uses the perspective of objects/nature.
You still wonder why he is my favourite poet? Well, do go read his poems and you shall know!

Figurative Poems

There is another sky by Emily Dickinson

There is another sky,

Ever serene and fair,

And there is another sunshine,

Though it be darkness there;

Never mind faded forests, Austin,

Never mind silent fields -

Here is a little forest,

Whose leaf is ever green;

Here is a brighter garden,

Where not a frost has been;

In its unfading flowers

I hear the bright bee hum:

Prithee, my brother,

Into my garden come!

Liked this poem? It actually contains figurative speech, which basically means hyperboles, personification, similes, metaphors and symbolism. Figurative speech in this poem is used to explain a moral that life is not always bleak, and there is another path to happiness.

Now let us identify the figurative speeches in this poem (it is quite easy to spot; should not be very difficult) :

1. Look at the first two lines of the poem, they read: 'There is another sky,
   ever serene and fair.' In reality, there are no two skies at all. But this is figurative speech. Thus the line is used exaggeratedly, saying that there is always another choice to take towards achieving happiness or success.


2. Look at the second and third line: 'And there is another sunshine,
   though it be darkness there.' Actually, how can there be darkness in the sun? The actual meaning of the two lines is that in the alternative path to happiness or success, there will also be some problems or difficulties to face


3. In the rest of the poem, there are also many figurative speeches like: 'Here is a little forest, Whose leaf is ever green' and 'In its unfading flowers I hear the bright bee hum.' , also describing that there is always another choice to take towards achieving happiness or success.

Why do I say that I like this poem? Because, simply, the poem is positive and cheery. It describes life as a happy thing; always an alternative route to take if possible, "another sky,
ever serene and fair" and "a little forest, whose leaf is ever green".

Erak's Ransom - Book Review

This is another book in John Flanagan 's captivating Ranger Apprentice series. I read this novel while I was on holiday, and I finished the thick book within three days. Obviously, because I liked the book so much that I could not "un-stick" my eyes from the pages.
In this fantastic novel, it talks about Will, a Ranger's apprentice, in his final year of apprenticeship. A call for help by Svengal, the Skandian second-in-command, brings Will, his teacher Halt, his friends Horace and Gilan, as well as the Araluan princess Cassandra to the desert land of Arridi to secure the Skandian King, or Oberjarl's, freedom.
How did all these happen? It all started because Erak, the Oberjarl, felt bored and wanted to do some raiding in Arridi, so he went there by ship to raid the place. Unknown to him, he had been betrayed by one of his kin, so when Erak arrived with his men, they were ambushed and caught by the Arridi soldiers. Demanding a ransom, the Arridi people released only Svengal and the other men to gather a ransom in exchange for Erak's freedom.
Journeying through the perilous lands of Arridi, witness how Will and his friends finally rescue Erak and how Will earns his badge as a fully-fledged Ranger after his graduation.
Want to feel the excitement of this book? Don't regret it by not picking up this book from the nearest bookstore! The more you delve into this book, the more you will feel there is more meaning than you think there is.

Holidays

Finally! After the trying days preparing for the exams and the very exams themselves, we have finally entered the June Holidays. Time for a good rest, you think?
Nah, not really. The June Holidays is meant for us to rest, I agree, but it is also a great time for us to catch up on our work such as revision, doing ACE activities etc.
You must have read my most recent posts. Have you ever wondered why they are all book reviews? Mainly, because it is the holidays! I forgot to mention that holidays are always a good time for us to read more books as a form of relaxation, enjoyment and last but not least, to broaden our knowledge and give us a better grasp of the language. I must say, holidays are a really, really terrific time for us to read, read and read.

Ten things to do during the holidays:

1. Read, read and read more books.


2. Make sure you complete all your homework quick in order to relax more later (just make sure you do not just do it anyhow).


3. Revise your files, worksheets and notes given by your teachers, or even do research on your own.


4. Complete as much ACE assignments as possible. Make sure you enjoy what you are doing. There is totally no point in doing something you dislike.


5. Exercise or play sports. Remember, health is important. Doing so is also fun.


6. Go to the library often. Stock up at home by borrowing more books. You would not want to have no new books to read at all!


7. Spent some time with your family (e.g. playing board games, go out for a movie or exercise etc).


8. Draw or paint something or even play music. Do some form of art. It helps you relax better.


9. Blog. That is a great thing to do.


10. Organise trips to help the community (e.g. help out at the old folks' home, conduct a beach cleaning etc). This way everybody can enjoy their holidays.

The Switch - Book Review

The switch - what kind of a title is that? It can mean many things, for example: a story about a light switch, a story about a kidnapping case whereby the kidnapper switches the hostage for ransom money etc. That was what I thought before I read this book.
Once again I blog about a book by Anthony Horowitz, one of the best writers in history. Right, now back to the story. The book is actually about a rich boy, Tad Spencer, who wishes to be someone else. Guess what? His wish comes true! But it swiftly turns into a nightmare. He had switched bodies with a boy who lived with his not-too-good parents in a caravan! All his luxury had gone as he was no longer rich.
As he explores the perilous new world of his new host body, his fate soon became entwined with the murderous Finn, himself (the person who was now in his body) and his own parents (from his previous body). Find out how Tad discovers a dangerous truth and how everything is resolved in the end in this story spun by Horowitz.
Every tale has its own moral. In this book, we can see that wishing for something extra when we already have so much is never good. Also, how everything we know about someone or something is just a web of lies and deception.
Do read this book. It is really a good read.

Granny - Book Review

Grannies are always gentle, kind and caring, right? But not for Jordan Warden. Jordan, rather known as Joe, is a boy starring in the horribly funny book by Anthony Horowitz. He is unlucky enough to get uncaring parents, but worse still: a harsh, cunning and evil granny.
Through this humorous novel, Horowitz takes you through a string of events depicting how Joe escapes from the grasp of his evil granny, more evil grannies and last but not least: The Grannymatic Enzyme Extractor. What makes the book more entertaining is the funny quotes, actions or remarks Horowitz includes in his novel (e.g. Granny went to the drinks cabinet and grabbed a bottle of brandy. She pulled the cork out with her teeth [although she very nearly pulled her teeth out with the cork] and took a large swig.)
Character Analysis
Now I shall do a brief character analysis on the main characters Joe and Granny.
Joe
-Hates being treated like a child
-Clever; the only one who knows that Granny is evil
-Feels lonely because nobody believes him

Granny
-plain evil, horribly nasty
-plots to kill Joe in order to become young again
-deceiving; tricked Joe 's parents in believing that she means well for Joe
-cunning; plotted to kill Mrs Jinks (the nanny) and Mr Lampy (the gardener)

The Roar - Book Review

Hail all science-fiction enthusiasts! If you have watched George Lucas 's "Star Wars", seen Arnold Schwarzenegger star in "Terminator" or played the video game "Halo", you will definitely like this book.
In this magnificent new science-fiction novel, Emma Clayton concocts a story about the future, where everything is high-tech. In this future, there is said to be an animal plague, and humans are squeezed into England, behind a huge wall which was built to protect the poeple from the plague animals. Within the densely-populated area, it is divided into three parts: the Golden Turrets (the apartments where the ministers stay), the houses in the slums (for ordinary people), and finally the Shadows, where the extremely poor dwell. The ordinary and the poor could only afford Fab food, which was made up of mould and colouring. Only the people staying in the Golden Turrets could afford real food.
The story revolves around Mika, a twelve-year-old boy living in the "ordinary people zone". He had always been upset after his sister, Ellie, had supposedly gone missing and assumed dead. Mika did not believe that his sister was dead as he had dreams and feelings which told him that she was not dead. That was why he resolved to find her one day.
Through an perilous adventure and a desperate search for Ellie leads Mika to the truth - everything the people living behind the Wall had told was all lies.
After reading this book, I can see that one of the themes in this book is poverty. Mika's family and the other normal or poor people living in the slums or Shadows eating fake food is a sign of poverty. We should not take what we have now (living outside slums, eating real food instead of mould etc.) for granted as a similar situation like that in the novel might happen to us in the near future.
Well, I cannot tell you any more. If you want to satisfy your curiosity, do go to a bookstore or library to read this amazing book!