State Of The Planet

I decided to take each part of this poem and sort of dissect the pieces I don't quite understand, so that I may understand what Robert Hass had to say a little better.
1. My first question for Hass is, why are you so intriqued for this girl? Is she just a girl that you have seen for the first time today or is this a girl that you like and have seen often? Or is the girl really a girl at all or is she just a representation of something?
2. " its natural idioms of ardor and revulsions, ... As the Latin of Lucretius," I have no idea what he meant by this entire sentence. So, I decided to look up a view words and look up who Lucretius may have been.
Its natural expressions of eagerness and disgust, so this makes a little more sense. Lucretius was a Roman philospher who tried to explain scientific explation of the universe.
3. Did an artist really ask to make glow and the dark dogs?!  I tried looking this up, but I couldn't find anything specific.
4. I think that this may be my favorite section for one reason, the reality of his words. Nature is so beautiful. From the bright colors of the flowers to the grey of the rocks. Us as humans take advantage of nature. We pigments for makeup and feathers for earrings but we never think twice about where they came from.
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6. Is he referring to evolution now, we he talks about cells being divided and then then the essential miracle?
7.It is crazy to think about all of the unseen creatures in this world. All of the beauty that people look over and don't stop to appericate. It's sad how we just don't care and let ourselves pollute as much as we do. " To the sureface where gouts of the oil that burns inside The engine of the car I'm driving oozes from the banks."
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10."What is to be done with our species? Because We know we're going to die, to be submitted to that tingling dance of atoms once again,"I don't know how I exactly feel about this line, but it sticks out to me more than the rest, I really like it.  In this last section, I learned that little girl really was only a girl, which I suppose I should have known. I just suppose I tried to make more out of something very simple.

Over all I really enjoyed this poem. There wasn't to much about this poem I didn't understand after analying it and serching up terms I didn't know. I am actually quite excited for the nature poetry and working more with this poem.

AFI

If I am being honest, I was very hesitant about this field trip. I was ashamed that I was so nervous. I was afraid it would be an uncomfortable experience. I thought I would have to fight to find things to say and i never thought that they would be so talkative and open to conversation. But it was exciting when they all wanted us to sit next to them and talk to them. It opened my eyes to see that these aren't abnormal people. They all have goals and dreams for their lives. They have things that they love to do, for example one of the woman I was talking to loved to sew and just wished she could do it everyday. There was another woman that just wanted to be married to the man that she loved. For us to deem these people as abnormal is very ignorant of us.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed myself. It just broke my heart how much some of this building needed done. Or, how they are very low on funding yet they keep their organization going strong.
I think that after reading The Boys Next Door, it informed me of what my AFI experience may have been like. While I didn't experience anyone specifically like Arnold or Lucien, nervous ticks or random conversations. However, all the men in this story have dreams for their lives, like Arnold wanting to go to Russia.
One thing that really kind of sparked in me, was I really wish we could do something for them. I am hoping that perhaps SEU can do something for them. Whether, it is just a day of volunteering. (painting, ect.) Or, even have a week of chapel where to offering goes to them so they can continue doing this.

The Spirit of God Hovered

"I cannot pretend to be a detached and impartial scholar scientifically researching a particular issue for presentations and publication." The only thought that came to mind when I first read this sentence was , what? It immediately made me want to stop reading because I almost felt like I wouldn't be able to understand this article at all. However, I continued. I have also noticed in my church that while we have a small ministry to the mentally and physically challenged, we don't put a great enough emphasis on it like we should. Which then begins causing the believers in the church to become ignorant and almost uneasy when it comes to that form of ministry.
To be honest I am not sure how I would feel if I had a child with a disability, granted I wouldn't love them any less than a normal child but, how would I feel. Would I question why God created them this way? Or would I accept it? For example my aunt has 3 young and handsome boys, all with Autism. I couldn't imagine being her, hoping for a "normal" child and receiving what society deems "abnormal". I have never talked to her about her thoughts when she found out with each son, but this article almost makes me want to call her.
I also would like to try and understand what goes through a disabled man or woman's mind on a daily basis. They are real people, which I think people tend to forget, who know in some ways they are different.  I liked the part in this article that  says if we viewed the disabled through the lens of Jesus, would the way they view themselves differently. Why should we as "normal" humans sit back and judge the "abnormal" when they truly are no different then us? They love one another, they want jobs, they get hungry, and yet we sit back and almost think of them as "aliens" or children because they may not think the same way they do.
I liked this article, it made me more excited for our field trip tomorrow because I realized that I to have say back and not put an emphasis on this ministry. I haven't just looked through Jesus' "glasses" if you will.

The Boys Next Door: Act 2

 So I am still not crazy about this play. Perhaps, I need to read it more throughly. Since I have to admit, I haven't read the play throughly. My first initial thought to the play was, Wow, I don't think I could ever do what Jack does.  I would never have the patience, which, to someone, may sound awful. Although, I really just don't think that I would be able to. I don't mean to sound harsh or judgemental but I think it takes  a lot for someone to work with the challenged.
However, the one thing that really stuck out and bothered me about this piece of literature was the part when Barry and Mr. Klemper have a conversation. The way Mr. Klemper acts towards his son, was so terrifingly real.  Some of the parents who have mentally challenged children, can't be bothered with their children. They don't want to take care of them, or are even disappointed that this happened. The children's parents lose their patience, becasue their children's minds are that of five year olds and aren't at the level they should be.  It just makes me very angry that they can't angle their angry towards something else. I'm not even sure that all made much sense.
This whole story is full of random conversations. I don't think I can take it, maybe if I read through the play a little more throughly. Overall, I am not quite sure I liked The Boys Next Door. However, I am open to studying it a little more.

The Boys Next Door

In the beginning on Act 1, I was confused. Arnold was a strange character. Not only was Arnold strange but also the actual story was making no sense. I was almost angry that this was a required piece of literature for this class. Arnold and Lucien’s conversation in the beginning made me angry. I couldn’t understand why he bought such random things at the super market. I also couldn’t take the annoying talk about a bunny. 

Then in the story we meet Jack and I immediately felt bad. I almost felt like I should have expected that this would have happened. However, I truly enjoyed the conversation between Barry and Mr. Hedges.  I found myself actually laughing out loud.  Then I got angry that the reason the manager took advantage of Arnold.

I will be honest I wasn’t able to read the entire assignment, so I don’t have much to say. Other than I enjoyed the parts I got to read.