Be Thankful for Your Appearance
By Amelia Thyen
A short intro...
As Oprah once said "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." My poetry anthology intent is to teach the reader to be thankful for what we have. With every body feature comes a history. A story telling what we look like, how we act, and who we are. Although everyone has a body they're not the same. Everyone has variations of each one, showing individuality. My poem "Hair" by Orlando Ricardo Meñez talks about one girl's hair and how it tells family stories. Although this girl doesn't necessarily like her hair in the beginning, throughout the poem she likes it. Another of my poems, " Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face" by Jack Prelutsky tells us to be thankful for what where our Jose is on our body, because f it was anywhere else, life could be much worse. My other poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson tells that every person, matter what age, gender, or background, needs to speak up and left their voices to tell the world what they believe. My final poem "A Hand" by Jane H, tells us that a hand does more than what we give it credit for, and that we should be thankful for it. I hope that all the poems I chose will give you a good sense of belonging and thankfulness. So as all of my poems say; be thankful for the appearence that you have been given! |
“A hand is not four fingers and a thumb.” When I heard this line, I knew this poem was supposted to be part of this anthology. The message of this poem is to not underestimate the hand. Although it is just one small part of our body and life, it has a big impact on how we live. It is much more than what we give it credit for, and we should be thankful for it.
The figurative language included in this poem adds to the depth and meaning that the hand is much more useful then we think it is. The figurative language includes enjambment throught the poem, but especially in the 5th stanza. It left me with the word “cup” and wondering what the following lines would add to that idea. Another use of figurative language is imagery included in the 3rd stanza with the line “A hand is not a thicket thatch of lines.” This line made me think of a wrinkled hand that is useless and practically hanging onto the owner`s arm by a thread. The author added this description of a hand because she wanted to accept the opposite side of the argument that she is making, by including what many people think of when they think of a hand, but then countering it to prove her point even more. The next noticeable uses of figurative language include assonance and metaphor. There is assonance in the 1st and 3rd stanzas. The lines "four fingers" and "thich thatch" start with the same letters and are fun to say. There are metaphores hidden in every part of this poem. The author uses the main stanzas of the poem to explain what a hand is not. The ways that she describes the hand are all metaphores and similies. An example is in the line, "not a sponge of rising yeast bread." This poem belongs in my anthology becasuse the author`s purpose is to explain to the reader that "A hand is not four fingers and a thumb" and that we need to be thankful that we have it. |
“Be glad your noses on your face." When you think about this line, you think about the other possible places that you nose could be. The author`s purpose is to get your mind moving about what he will say next. Then, the rest of poem goes on to say that it could be in between your toes, in your ear, or even on your head! This makes the mood make the reader very grateful that their noses on their face.
The main use of figurative language in this poem is through imagery. Prelutsky uses all words to his disposal. The words he mainly uses include adjectives and adverbs to describe, in detail, the places that your nose could possibly be. In almost every stanza, there is the use of imagery. Because he uses adjectives and adverbs, the reader is able to imagine what he is talking about in their mind. Also, there is the use of enjambment and every stanza. This draws the reader to read the next line and see what the author has to say. Along with this, there is a rhythm in every stanza. Take the first stanza for example. The last words of each stanza are connected and sound good together. Because of the use of enjambment, there is able to be the use of rhythm in this poem. This is what makes it so interesting. This poem goes along with my topic because it's talking about how people use their five senses to their disposal. In this poem in particular, it talks about how we should be grateful for the nose that we have. Not matter what shape or size, it helps us do everyday things. Without it, or having them in a different spot would be very difficult and change our lives. |
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This poem, Hair, by Orlando Ricardo Mendez, talks about the use of our hair. This is the story of a young girl whose hair is big and fluffy. She goes to get it cut so that it`s not as big and annoying to her. But through this experience she learns that her hair is perfectly fine the way it is and that, ”Any hair is better than none”. This fits along with my theme of our appearences and how they make us who we are. This poem teaches us that even when we don`t seem to fit in, we should be grateful for the things we have because some people aren`t as lucky as us and that our hair, no matter how short, long, thick, thin, colorful, or colorless, it makes us who we are and we must accept that. In the first line, “Hair tells family secrets, like lips and skin,” the author starts off the poem by stating what he believes. He believes that hair should not be ridiculed but praised.
There is a great use of figurative language in this poem, Hair. Because the poem is about “chestnut curls and waves,” there are many great examples of imagery describing this girl`s hair. In the line, “chestnut curls and waves,” the alliteration in “chestnut curls” also gives a better idea of what the hair looks like. At the end of the 2nd stanza, there is rhythm and rhyme in the last word of each sentence “bush, brush, rush”. This makes it interesting to read and in a way, a tongue twister when you read it. In the third stanza the line, “and disinfect the house of ghost”, is a hyperbole, metaphor, and illusion. This is a hyperbole because there is no such thing as a "house of ghosts". This is a metaphor because it is comparing a girl`s hair to a house of ghosts. This is trying to say that her hair is very knotted and messy. It needs to be fixed very badly, so the girl and her mom go to get it cut. There is as illusion in "the house of ghosts" which is referring to the place where bad people go once they die. This poem fits into my anthology becasue it is the story of a girl who stars out hating her hair and wanting to get it cut, but throught her journey, learns to be thankful for it. |
Lift Every Voice and Sing
By: James Weldon Johnson
Lift ev'ry voice and sing, Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the list'ning skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won. Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chast'ning rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered. We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way; Thou who hast by Thy might, Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand, True to our God, True to our native land.
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This poem talks about the use of our voices. Although our you cant "see" your voice like you can "see" your appearance, it still tells a lot about who you are and gives you character so I considere it part of a person`s appearance. In this poem in particular, the author centers around the idea that we use our voices to pray and sing to God. He also states we can use it for other purposes. This goes along with the theme of my anthology, that our body parts can be used for many different things. Without our voice, we wouldn't be able to sing to God, communicate, or live our normal daily life. The author encourages the reader to use their voice and sing.
The author of this poem doesn`t use a ton of figurative language in this poem due to the fact that it is sung as a song, but there is still some figurative language. Throughout the poem, there is rhythm and syntax. The last word of each line is similar to the one before it. Also, there's a great use of metaphors and similes throughout the poem. This provokes the readers senses and makes them feel more connected with the poem. Also, it helps the reader to agree with what the author is saying. "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is sometimes referred to as "The African-American National Anthem". It is a song written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) in 1899 and set to music by his brother John Rosemond Johnson (1873–1954) in 1900. It was first a poem then transformed into a song that is currently sung at events in the US having to deal with African Americans and getting freedom. This is a video of the Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir performing it. In this video you can see all of the expression and heart that the author out into writing the lyrics and pride that the singers show throught the song. |
Thank you for taking the time to read and explore my poetry anthology. I made this anthology to encourage you, the reader, to be thankful for your appearence. Everyone looks different; it gives us individuality. If we were all the same, there would be hardly a point to life. I hope that by readeing my anthology you have learned to love the way you look, no matter what your appearence may be. You are special in your own way, as all of the poems I choose said, and you must embrace it!
Bibliography
Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir. "Lift Every Voice Adn Sing." Lift Every Voice and Sing. 2013. Youtube.com. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyS3HPInHtI.
Long Curly Blonde Hair From Back. 2013. Photograph. Pretty Pretty Pretty. 8 Dec. 2009. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://prettyprettypretty.com/2009/12/08/in-the-news-the-curly-hair-gene/>.
Nose. 2011. Photograph. Positively Good. Positively Good, 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://positivelygood.net/2011/08/19/most-nose-job-patients-suffer-mental-disorders/>.
Stock, Lindowyn. Hand. 2007. Photograph. Deviant Art. Lindowyn Stock, 2007. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://lindowyn-stock.deviantart.com/art/Hand-Stock-1-71285466>.
Be Thankful. 2012. Photograph. Gohemiantravellers. Gohemiantravellers. Gohemiantravellers, 22 Nov. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://gohemiantravellers.com/2012/11/22/happy-thanksgiving-world-so-lets-be-thankful/>.
Long Curly Blonde Hair From Back. 2013. Photograph. Pretty Pretty Pretty. 8 Dec. 2009. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://prettyprettypretty.com/2009/12/08/in-the-news-the-curly-hair-gene/>.
Nose. 2011. Photograph. Positively Good. Positively Good, 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://positivelygood.net/2011/08/19/most-nose-job-patients-suffer-mental-disorders/>.
Stock, Lindowyn. Hand. 2007. Photograph. Deviant Art. Lindowyn Stock, 2007. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://lindowyn-stock.deviantart.com/art/Hand-Stock-1-71285466>.
Be Thankful. 2012. Photograph. Gohemiantravellers. Gohemiantravellers. Gohemiantravellers, 22 Nov. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://gohemiantravellers.com/2012/11/22/happy-thanksgiving-world-so-lets-be-thankful/>.