Favourite poet

William Blake



I must create a system, or be enslav’d by another man’s. I will not reason and compare: my business is to create—Jerusalem


William Blake, English artist, mystic and poet, was born in London on November 28, 1757. From early childhood, Blake spoke of having visions—at four he saw God "put his head to the window"; around age nine, while walking through the countryside, he saw a tree filled with angels. Blake learned to read and write at home. At age ten, Blake expressed a wish to become a painter, so his parents sent him to drawing school. Two years later, Blake began writing poetry.


Blake wrote the Songs of Innocence (1789): a poetry collection written from the child’s point of view, of innocent wonderment and spontaneity in natural settings which includes “Little Boy Lost”, “Little Boy Found” and “The Lamb”. He also wrote Songs of Experience (1794), which contains many poems in response to ones from Innocence, suggesting ironic contrasts as the child matures and learns of such concepts as fear and envy.


Poetry Books
Songs of Innocence and Experience

Poetry
A Poison Tree
Auguries of Innocence
Holy Thursday
I Heard an Angel
Infant Sorrow
Introduction to Songs of Innocence
Jerusalem
London
Love's Secret
Songs of Experience-My Pretty Rose-Tree
Songs of Experience-The Fly
Songs of Experience-The Sunflower
Songs of Innocence-Night
Songs of Innocence-The Chimney Sweeper
Songs of Innocence-The Little Black Boy
Songs of Innocence-The Schoolboy
Songs of Innocence-The Shepherd
The Chimney Sweeper
The Clod and the Pebble
The Garden of Love
The Lamb
The Land of Dreams
The Sick Rose
The Tyger


The Lamb
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I'll tell thee;
Little lamb, I'll tell thee:
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild,
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little lamb, God bless thee!
Little lamb, God bless thee!


The Tyger
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?


The Poison Tree
I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears
Night and morning with my tears,
And I sunned it with smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,--

And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning, glad, I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.


References:
http://poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/116
http://www.online-literature.com/blake/

Figurative language

The poem I liked is A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

In this poem, the figurative language used are...

-Yet if hope has flown away

This line makes use of personification to show that there was no hope.

-I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore

This line also makes use of personification to emphasize on the shore.

-How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep

Personification was used again in this line to show how the sand went through the poet's fingers.

-One from the pitiless wave?

This line makes use of personification to emphasize on the wave.


I liked this poem as it makes use of good personification, one of my favourite figurative language, to emphasize on the shore and wave. It lets the reader picture what the poet is trying to tell in their minds easily. I espeicially liked the last versa:

O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

As it shows us the helplessness of mankind and how they always rely on God to give tham an answer.

Assignment blog entry 5

Assignment blog entry 5 - Confessions of a Hwa Chong student

Although studying in an elite school is an honour, it is very stressful. There are a lot of homework and CCA hours are long. Studying in Hwa Chong is really stressful.

Firstly, the lessons were fast-paced. Our teachers teach very fast and sometimes we cannot catch up. Luckily, we have a peer tutoring program organised by the CMC (class management community).

Secondly, there are alot of projects such as ACE assignments and the Projects' Day competition. They take up alot of our free time, thus, we do not have time to relax and play. This builds up more stress.

Lastly, we have very long CCA hours. By the time we reach home after our CCAs, it is already dinner time, so there isn't enough time for us to finish the homework. This adds up to the pressure.

Studying in Hwa Chong may be very stressful, but still, it is an honour studying in it.

Assignment blog entry 4

Assignment blog entry 4 - Is progress necessarily beneficial for society

In my opinion, I feel that progress it not necessarily beneficial for the society. Although it is still beneficial for the society, there are alot of disadvantages.

Advantages of Progress
The construction of new public transport like the new circle-line MRT will allow an ease of access around Singapore. This will provide convenience to the human life. The casino that is going to be built in Singapore will boost tourism and Singapore's economy will progress. This will mean more money for new technology, providing more convienience to our lives.

Disadvantages of Progress
With all the convienience, people would not be able to endure hardships. The standards of living will also be higher, resulting in more taxes and GST. The construction of new factories will bring harm to the environment, causing global warming. Also new technologies will cause people to lose their jobs and home.

For example, in Village by the Sea, factories were built in Thul, the villagers' home. The villagers were worried that they would lose their jobs (fisherman)and not be able to find another in the factories as the people of Bombay did not want untrained people to work in them. The factories that will be built will also take up space, driving the villagers of Thul away from their homes.

In conclusion, progress is not necessarily beneficial for the society due to its disadvantages and will only bring harm to the people and its environment.

Assignment blog entry 3

Assignment blog entry 3 - Who is my least favourite character in Village by the Sea

My least favourite character in Village by the Sea is of course Hari's father. Although he turned over a new leaf at the end of the story, all the fear and hardships Hari, Lila and their sisters faced are all caused by him, directly or indirectly.

He was a good for nothing. He drinks toddy all day and totally disregards the role of a father, leaving Hari to take over his rightful duties. Hari's father is also a violent person, bringing fear and hatred to Lila, Hari and their sisters. They hated him so much that they even want him dead.

Also, Hari's father had debts, which resulted in the Khanekar brothers killing Pinto the dog. This saddened the family alot and also led to Hari leaving for Bombay.

Even though he turned over a new leaf and felt sorry for what he did, it still does not account for what he had done to the family, making them suffer. So with the above reasons, Hari's father is my least favourite character in Village by the Sea.

Assignment blog entry 2

Assignment blog entry 2 - Which part of Village by the Sea do I like best

The part where I liked best in Village by the Sea is the conclusion, where Hari's father turned over a new leaf and his mother was healthy and able to take the role of a mother again.

This is the part where the originally dysfunctional family of Hari's returned to a normal one and everyone was happy, which was a happy ending.

Hari's father used to be a drunkard, but now, he feels remorseful and stopped drinking to support the family. Hari's mother was very sick that she could not even leave the bed but after going to the hospital, she was healthy again and can fulfil her duties as a mother again. Hari returned to Bombay with a new skill and is able to support the family and Lila was glad that all was well.

After all the hardships and ordeals that they went through, Hari's family can celebrate Diwali like a normal family, happily and without any stress.

Assignment blog entry 1

Assignment blog entry 1 - I rather be the city rat than the country rat

A city rat refers to someone who lives in the city. These people get to enjoy advanced technologies and live in luxury. A country rat, on the contrary, lives in a rural area with only basic technologies, and have to rely on agriculture to make a living.

Living in a city has many advantages. For example, people living in the city can use the computer to access information on the Internet. They can also get to enjoy a cooling atmosphere just by pressing a button to turn on the air-conditioner. However, living in the city also has its disadvantages. The carbon monoxide released from cars pollutes the air, causing people to be sick easily. Stress in the city also results in many people being depressed and even commit suicide.

Living in an rural area is very hard to cope. You have to know how to farm and also do not get to enjoy luxury. Rural areas are also prone to mosquitoes and many other insects, which may be dangerous. Health is also an issue in rural areas as they do not have enough money to go to a hospital when ill.

In conclusion, I feel that city life is more suitable for me and so I would definitely be the city rat rather than the country rat.