PJ- Haikus

Hai*ku (noun)- a form of Japanese poetry with 17 syllables in three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, often describing nature or a season.

Here are some I've come up with:

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Once upon a time,
there was an ugly midget.
A fat man ate him

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Ms. Chiang teaches class.
She has great lesson ideas.
We blog and email.

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In one's private heart
things go on that can not be
put down on paper

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Because you are fat
Aliens will abduct you
to make themselves fat.

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Haikus are silly.
It's hard to write seriously
with only 3 lines.

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Seven, a number.
Above 6 and below 8.
Counting: 6,7,8.

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I have to say this:
I really, really do want...
You know, nevermind.

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After a quiet night,
during which no life did stir,
a vibrant morning.

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Thirty years after,
people will still be mourning
for those lost today.

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I am hoping that
years later, when I see these
I'll like what I did.

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As the music plays
children are born and old folks
find a better place.

Romeo & Juliet Assignments


We've done a bunch of things for Romeo and Juliet. We spent weeks and weeks reading it, and watching the movies. There were several quizzes on different acts and scenes that we were supposed to read for homework. We would have written a letter from the perspective of Friar Lawrence, advising Romeo of the plan, but something odd happened and that was never assigned. We were also taught about rhyme scheme and we learned about monologues, soliloquies, similes, metaphors, paradoxes, and motifs.

I disliked reading as a class. To be blunt, the majority of the class couldn't make their part interesting to save their lives. There was no emotion or character at all. Then throw in the constant stumbles, stutters, and pauses, and out loud reading became unbearable. I'm not saying I was perfect, in fact I think I did a rather poor job reading, but I see that I was only one of many.

I enjoyed listening to the play a lot more. The characters in the tape already knew the part and would yell, cry, fight, make odd kissing (plunger) noises that made the play more interesting. In addition, the sound effects (swords, carts, horses, etc.) made it easier to envisage the busy market or crowded street.

Through the reading, we would have quizzes on what was covered in homework the night before. I disliked the quizzes, although that's probably just because I'm a student who had to take them. I did not enjoy working to show that I had read the material, however, they did help me reflect on what had happened. The only problem was when I read the scene, had no earthly idea of what was going on, and then took a quiz on it the next day.