A
disease caused by protein deficiency, which originates from a local word in
Ghana. Symptoms of this disease include swellen belly and skinny legs.I like the sound of this word because it has
quiet a few rs. Due to its special pronunciation, I found myself remembering it
very easily when I learnt this word in Biology.
Hamachi
Hamachi
is a type of fish used in Japanese cuisine. I like this word because I really
like the fish itself, and also because of the fact that it is the first
Japanese word that I learnt when I first travelled to Japan.
Moisture
I
like the feeling of this word: a bit of moisture in the sizzling summer, like a
cool and damp wind in the hot weather. It also reminds me of the cool feeling
of water running down my throat, freshening up my mind. I also like how this
word sounds, with an o shape in the middle when you pronounce it.
The song is about how a military veteran came back from war and had been diagnosed with PTSD. His lover, whom he had been together with before he went away, tries to help him through the process of recovery and although it is progressing very slowly, she stays by his side and waits for him to come back to her.
My Spanish teacher introduced the song to me when we were back in year 7. He asked us to describe the story that the song was telling, in Spanish and since that was my very first year of learning the language and therefore I experienced some difficulties when doing the exercise, that made it especially memorable.
Lyrics: En Cambio No
Original Lyrics (In Spanish)
Quizás bastaba respirar, Solo respirar muy lento
Recuperar cada latido en mi
y no tienes sentido ahora que no estas,
ahora donde estas, porque yo no puedo acostumbrarme aun
diciembre ya llego, No estas aquí yo te esperare hasta el fin,
En cambio no, hoy no hay tiempo de explicarte
y preguntar si te ame lo suficiente
yo estoy aquí y quiero hablarte ahora, ahora.
Porque se rompen en mis dientes,
las cosas importantes,
esas palabras que nunca escucharas
y las sumerjo en un lamento haciéndolas salir
son todas para ti, una por una aquí.
Las sientes.. ya besan y se posaran entre nosotros dos,
si me faltas tú, no las puedo repetir, no las puedo pronunciar
En cambio no me llueven los recuerdos
de aquellos días que corríamos al viento
quiero soñar que puedo hablarte ahora, ahora
En cambio no, hoy no, hay tiempo de explicarte
También tenía ya mil cosas que contarte
y frente a mi, mil cosas que me arrastran junto a ti.
Quizás bastaba respirar,
solo respirar muy lento.
Hoy es parte, hoy en cambio, no.
English Translation:
Maybe it would have been enough just to breath, Just breath very slowly Recover every throb of me and it has no sense now that you're not here, wherever you are, because I can't get used to yet December has come, You are not here..I'll wait for you 'till the end,
But instead no, today I have no time to explain or ask if I loved you enough I am here and I want to talk to you right now, right now.
Because are breaking between my tooth , the important thoughts those words that you will never listen and I crowd them in a lamentation making them go out are all for you, one by one here You feel them...are already kissing and will be put between us Yes,I miss you, I can't repeat them, I can't pronounce them
Instead my memories do not take me to those days, when we were following the wind I want to dream that I can talk to you right now, right now
But instead no,today I have no time to explain you I already had a lot of things to tell you and in my face,a lot of things that are bringing me close to you
Maybe it would have been enough just to breath, Just breath very slowly Today is a part, today instead no...
I was introduced to this poem a few weeks ago at my school's poetry café, the friend who read it spoke with great excitement and slyness, which is one of the reasons I find this poem so interesting to read, it's sosatirique
Humanity i love you because you would rather black the boots of success than enquire whose soul dangles from his watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both
parties and because you unflinchingly applaud all songs containing the words country home and mother when sung at the old howard
Humanity i love you because when you’re hard up you pawn your intelligence to buy a drink and when you’re flush pride keeps
you from the pawn shop and because you are continually committing nuisances but more especially in your own house
Humanity i love you because you are perpetually putting the secret of life in your pants and forgetting it’s there and sitting down
on it and because you are forever making poems in the lap of death Humanity
Love Vigilantes, which is originally by New Order, but was covered by Iron and Wine, is a beautiful but sad song regarding how a soldier longs for home, and when he does go home, he finds out that he died during the war from a telegram his wife held as she cried. The first time I heard this song was when I was watching an episode from the TV show House, and this song began to play during the end of the episode. When I first heard it, I was quite taken by the lyrics and the beautiful way the guitar and voice accompanied one another, so I decided to look it up. I really enjoy how the song is emotional, but expresses it in a very simple way. The song is soft, and it carries quite a heavy story with it. It is a good song.
Link to: Lyrics
Link to Audio
Live Performance Video:
If by E E Cummings If freckles were lovely, and day was night, And measles were nice and a lie warn’t a lie, Life would be delight,— But things couldn’t go right For in such a sad plight I wouldn’t be I.
If earth was heaven and now was hence, And past was present, and false was true, There might be some sense But I’d be in suspense For on such a pretense You wouldn’t be you.
If fear was plucky, and globes were square, And dirt was cleanly and tears were glee Things would seem fair,— Yet they’d all despair, For if here was there We wouldn’t be we.
I like this poem, because I agree with the message it's giving. If all the bad things in life were good, then the world would be a better place, yet everything will change and we won't be ourselves anymore. It is very true, because if everything went right, then life would be really boring and there won't be any point in life.
Talk to me softly There's something in your eyes Don't hang your head in sorrow And please don't cry I know how you feel inside I've I've been there before Somethin's changin' inside you And don't you know
Don't you cry tonight I still love you baby Don't you cry tonight Don't you cry tonight There's a heaven above you baby And don't you cry tonight
Give me a whisper And give me a sigh Give me a kiss before you tell me goodbye Don't you take it so hard now And please don't take it so bad I'll still be thinkin' of you And the times we had...baby
And don't you cry tonight Don't you cry tonight Don't you cry tonight There's a heaven above you baby And don't you cry tonight
And please remember that I never lied And please remember how I felt inside now honey You gotta make it your own way But you'll be alright now sugar You'll feel better tomorrow Come the morning light now baby
And don't you cry tonight An don't you cry tonight An don't you cry tonight There's a heaven above you baby And don't you cry Don't you ever cry Don't you cry tonight Baby maybe someday Don't you cry Don't you ever cry Don't you cry Tonight
Don't Cry by Guns N' Roses is often considered as the first part to the "Illusion Trilogy", which came out in 1991. The song itself however, appeared as early as 1985. It depicts the story of a guy recalling his break up with his girlfriend, and the many emotional struggles that he has been facing since then. In the video, these emotional struggles are represented by demons that the main character Axl (the vocalist of the band) has been fighting for years. There was a scene that shows Axl driving a car and falling off the cliff with his girlfriend (who died). Axl continued to sing as he jumped off the car. Another scene shows Axl drowning in water, and being confronted by both the past and future version of himself. The grave that appeared at the end of the video represents the fact that Axl has finally got over with all the emotional struggles. The baby that appeared both at the end and start of the video symbolises rebirth.
When I first listened to the song, it was rather the music then the video that got me into it. I liked the sad and melancholic feeling of the song in particular, which gives makes me feel tranquil within. I would listen to this song when I am upset, to tell myself not to cry. Apart from the thoughtfulness demonstrated in the music video, I really enjoyed the harmony of this song, which always seemed to take me away to a remote place every time I listen to it. Even though this may not be one of the most famous songs of Guns N' Roses, it is my favourite rock song / slow rock.
Simon & Garfunkel's "Save the Life of My Child"is a story about how a boy was sitting on the ledge of a building looking like he was ready to commit suicide. People start converging underneath the building, and they all--including the cops--were sure that he would jump off the ledge, as the "kids these days"are becoming more and more disrespectful and don't value life as they should. The mother is "heard" throughout the song by her wail "save the life of my child", which also becomes the "catchphrase" in this piece of music. At the end of the tale, however, the boy surprises all by not jumping, and instead, he says "oh, my grace, I got no hiding place", and leaves the spotlight of attention.
Save the Life of My Child "Good God! Don't jump!" A boy sat on the ledge An old man who had fainted was revived And everyone agreed 'twould be a miracle indeed If the boy survived
"Save the life of my child!" Cried the desperate mother
The woman from the supermarket Ran to call the cops "He must be high on something" someone said Though it never made The New York Times In The Daily News, the caption read
"Save the life of my child!" Cried the desperate mother
(Hello darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again)
A patrol car passing by Halted to a stop Said officer MacDougal in dismay: "The force can't do a decent job 'Cause the kids got no respect For the law today (and blah blah blah)"
"Save the life of my child!" Cried the desperate mother
"Oh what's becoming of the children?" People asking each other
When darkness fell, excitement kissed the crowd And it made them wild In an atmosphere of freaky holiday When the spotlight hit the boy And the crowd began to cheer He flew away
I really like this poem because by only reading from the title, you would think that it is talking about wading out to the sea. However, as I read on, I realize that it is actually about how a type of person and in what way do they want to live. To E. E. Cummings, it is about spontaneity and living with the waves of nature. The lines of the poem are indented to resemble the shapes of waves, which adds to theme. There are a few oxymorons and visual effects in the lines: 'burning flowers' and 'sleeping curves'. I think that the poet is trying to reclaim himself in the process of this poem and I really enjoy reading it.
1. Procrastination - It's a really long word that sounds very technical, yet it just means to do things later. I like it because it sounds so formal when its not, and it's a bad habit that many people have, including me.
2. Abibliophobia - It means the fear of running out of reading material, which is a fear I will never have. It sounds really funny and strange, because of all the "bi"s. I didn't even know this type of phobia existed until I found this word.
3. Doozy - It means something outstanding and unique. It sounds like a silly word, because it has the "zy" sound.
My favorite poem is something that changes quite regularly, as I read more poetry and discover new poets. But currently, my favorite poem is Widow, by Sylvia Plath. The poem beautifully conveys the sense of weakness and sorrow that a woman who loses her husband feels. The poem also uses incredibly vivid imagery that emphasizes the emotion in the story.
-------------
Widow
by Sylvia Plath
Widow. The word consumes itself —- Body, a sheet of newsprint on the fire Levitating a numb minute in the updraft Over the scalding, red topography That will put her heart out like an only eye.
Widow. The dead syllable, with its shadow Of an echo, exposes the panel in the wall Behind which the secret passages lies—stale air, Fusty remembrances, the coiled-spring stair That opens at the top onto nothing at all….
Widow. The bitter spider sits And sits in the center of her loveless spokes. Death is the dress she wears, her hat and collar. The moth-face of her husband, moonwhite and ill, Circles her like a prey she'd love to kill
A second time, to have him near again —- A paper image to lay against her heart The way she laid his letters, till they grew warm And seemed to give her warmth, like a live skin. But it is she who is paper now, warmed by no one.
Widow: that great, vacant estate! The voice of God is full of draftiness, Promising simply the hard stars, the space Of immortal blankness between stars And no bodies, singing like arrows up to heaven.
Widow, the compassionate trees bend in, The trees of loneliness, the trees of mourning. They stand like shadows about the green landscape —- Or even like black holes cut out of it. A widow resembles them, a shadow-thing,
Hand folding hand, and nothing in between. A bodiless soul could pass another soul In this clear air and never notice it —- One soul pass through the other, frail as smoke And utterly ignorant of the way it took.
That is the fear she has—the fear His soul may beat and be beating at her dull sense Like Blue Mary's angel, dovelike against a pane Blinded to all but the grey, spiritless room It looks in on, and must go on looking in on.
My favourite piece of chinglish is by the Finnish communications company Nokia. In a store located in China, the sign say "connocting poopie" instead of "connecting people". I have no idea WHAT went wrong there.
This poem describes the poet's understanding of love, and the many forms that love can take. In the first stanza, where it states more seldom than a waves is west, more seldom may mean frequent or not seldom. I really like how the first stanza has the same structure as the third stanza, while the second stanza has the same structure as the fourth stanza, and how the poem is filled with contrasts and comparisons. Examples of such include the use of "more" in the first stanza and the use of " less in the third stanza, as well as "it is most mad and moonly" and "it is most sane and sunly". Here the poet compares the two types of love, one is more crazy, and might represent women's love (as indicated by the word "moonly") as well as the more sensible type of love (as indicated by the word "sunly"). However the poet believes that both types of love are really deep and strong. Hence in my opinion "Love is more thicker than forget" is an very interesting poem filled with wordplay that starts off describing the contrasts of love, but concludes that the nature of love is the same, which I think is very true.
in the rain- darkness, the sunset being sheathed i sit and think of you
the holy city which is your face your little cheeks the streets of smiles
your eyes half- thrush half-angel and your drowsy lips where float flowers of kiss
and there is the sweet shy pirouette your hair and then
your dancesong soul. rarely-beloved a single star is uttered,and i
think of you
The reason as to why I chose this poem is that I find this poem quite beautiful. It talks of a person thinking of another person whom they seem to be in love with. It mentions of quite lovely things such as the "sunset", "smiles", "angel", "flowers of kiss", "sweet shy pirouette", "dancesong soul" and "single star is uttered". The use of the words build up a beautiful imagery in the readers mind and though ambiguous, the poem itself is indeed quite charming.
Although many have viewed this song as a political anthem, the artist Michael Angelakos says that it's actually really about family. I understand why people perceived it in the wrong way, as the song's lyrics mentions disappearing pension funds, overdrawn accounts and "socialists and all their damn taxes" However each of the verses actually tell the story of a different family member of Michael's, more focused on the males within the family tree, and how they dealt with their finances and how they supported the family. Although Michael may have not meant to tell a story of how his family were a prey of capitalism and immigrants themselves, the story clearly focuses on those aspects of their lives.
“Everything on the record’s true, everything happened to me, I’m the one that made the mess and everyone else had to clean up around me. And the guilt and the pain that I felt throughout the record is definitely evident.
All these kinds of places
Make it seem like it's been ages
Tomorrow some new building will scrape the sky
I love this country dearly
I can feel the ladder clearly
But I never thought I'd be alone to try
Once I was outside Penn station
Selling red and white carnations
We were still alone,
My wife and I
Before we marry, save my money
Brought my dear wife over
Now I want to bring my family state side
But off the boat they stayed awhile
Then scattered across the coast
Once a year I'll see them for a week or so at most
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk, (oh-ah-ohhhh)
I take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (oh-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Practice isn't perfect
But the market cuts the loss
I remind myself that times could be much worse
My wife won't ask me questions
There's not so much to ask
And she'll never flaunt around an empty purse
Once my mother-in-law came
Just to stay a couple nights
Then decided she would stay the rest of her life
I watch my little children, play some board game in the kitchen
And I sit and pray they never feel my strife.
But then my partner called to say the pension funds were gone
He made some bad investments, now the accounts are overdrawn
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk, (oh-ah-ohhhh)
I take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (oh-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Honey it's your son I think I borrowed just too much
We had taxes, we had bills, we had a lifestyle of fun
And tonight I swear I'll come home and we'll make love like we're young
Then tomorrow you'll cook dinner for the neighbours and their kids
We can rip apart those socialists and all their damn taxes
But see I am no criminal
I'm down on both bad knees
I'm just too much a coward to admit when I'm in need
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk, (oh-ah-ohhhh)
I take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (oh-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh)
I take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk, (oh-ah-ohhhh)
I take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk (oh-ah-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell is a bildungsroman, telling the story of a year in the life of Jason Taylor, a thirteen year old boy living in a quaint Worcestershire village called Black Swan Green, and his adventures with gypsies, divorces, cousins and bullies.
The book is composed of a series of thirteen disparate episodes, each episode being the major occurrences and events in a month. The book has a rich story, full of interesting and interwoven themes that, when combined, had the potential to create a full, complete story. Yet the disparity of the episodes, and the awkward and clumsy transitions leave quite a few details out, taking away from the development of the themes and the characters. While constant themes, such as the divorce and the stammer, are well developed, other themes, like Jason's sudden drop in popularity and Dawn Madden's sudden transformation, remain quite ambiguous, leaving readers confused as how these conflicts and transformations came to be. Because of the lack of development, the story did not live up to what it could have been, taking away from the overall entertainment, and adding to the detriment of the story.
Explain yuself wha yu mean when yu say half-caste yu mean when picasso mix red an green is a half-caste canvas/ explain yuself wha u mean when yu say half-caste yu mean when light an shadow mix in de sky is a half-caste weather/ well in dat case england weather nearly always half-caste in fact some o dem cloud half-caste till dem overcast so spiteful dem dont want de sun pass ah rass/ explain yuself wha yu mean when yu say half-caste yu mean tchaikovsky sit down at dah piano an mix a black key wid a white key is a half-caste symphony/
Explain yuself wha yu mean Ah listening to yu wid de keen half of mih ear Ah looking at u wid de keen half of mih eye and when I'm introduced to yu I'm sure you'll understand why I offer yu half-a-hand an when I sleep at night I close half-a-eye consequently when I dream I dream half-a-dream an when moon begin to glow I half-caste human being cast half-a-shadow but yu come back tomorrow wid de whole of yu eye an de whole of yu ear and de whole of yu mind
an I will tell yu de other half of my story
"Halfe–Caste by John Agard, 11/06/05, The Lucas Journal." Halfe–Caste by John Agard, 11/06/05, The Lucas Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015.
I like this poem because the author John Agard was able to express his anger very successfully through the use of his breaking of conventionalities, which helps draw parallels between him breaking the chain of social conventions towards the racism and discrimination he experiences and his unconventional use of language. This poem calls for admiration for the author as he had the courage to speak up and criticize social discrimination and racism whereas most others would simply accept the inequality and prejudice.
Readability: 5
Entertainment: 6
Thought Provoking: 8
The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe is a convoluted and confusing short story of the death and resurrection of a man. Firstly, Edgar Allan Poe overuses an obscure and complex vocabulary that does not add to the story and the way the story is told, but does the exact opposite, and confuses readers, especially those who do not fully understand the words used. This may be also a result of the evolution of the English language and commonly used vocabulary, but for readers, this is not very easy to read, and the vocabulary can leave readers confused. Furthermore, this story is not particularly exciting, and is not the most enjoyable story to read. While the plot does indeed have some interesting factors, overall, the story is not the most entertaining. However, it must be noted that the themes that arise out of this story are undoubtably thought provoking. These ideas of cheating death and resurrection really do pose some very interesting discussions and questions that are interesting to ponder on a rainy day.
This song talks about how a young man wants to revenge on his father who abandoned him when he was 3 years old. His father only contributed to his life by naming him Sue (a female name) and resulted in harassments and bullying by everyone he meets. Sue grows up touch and mean and because of his name, he wants to find and revenge on his father. Later in the song, Sue locates his father in Tennessee during summer. They beat each other up and his father said that the name was given as an act of love because his father could not be there for him as this name would make him tough. They made peace and the song ends with Sue making a promise to name his son anything but Sue.
I like this song because it tells an interesting story.
The english language is full of quirky and unusual words, both in definition and sound. For this list, I have chosen some that fall into both categories. Without further ado- here are my top three words.
1.Boondoggle- A task or project which is ultimately a waste of time and money. This word was actually coined a 1935 New York Times article, where it was describing how the government had spent more than $3 million on recreational activities for the unemployed. Among these recreational activities were arts and crafts classes, where "boon doggles", which is basically a utilitarian "gadget"(no further explanation).
2. Phosphenes- The little glowing white patches you see sometimes when you close your eyes and rub them. Also, these are the trippy patches of color one expects to see after taking hallucinogenic drugs.
3. Schadenfreude- basically sadism. Your satisfaction of the misfortune of others. Derived from the german word (literally) harm-joy. Similar to the word "gloat".
One of my favorite pieces of Chinglish is the dish "exploded beef". This is a corruption of the dish “爆牛排”. The word "爆" in Chinese has a double meaning. It is more commonly used to mean "to explode", however it is also used as a cooking term, to quickly fry or boil something. I saw this term at a restaurant in Shanghai. Despite the bad translation, it tasted quite good.
Love is thicker than forget Love is more thicker than forgetmore thinner than recallmore seldom than a wave is wetmore frequent than to fail
It's most mad and moonlyand less it shall unbethan all the sea which onlyis deeper than the sea
Love is more always than to winless never than aliveless bigger than the least beginless litter than forgive
It's most sane and sunlyand more it cannot diethan all the sky which onlyis higher than the sky I like the way that he wrote this poem. He used verbs instead a noun and I think that the verb gives a deeper meaning to it and thus, it is a like an adjective but adding an action to it. When you are doing that action, you get a feeling and thus, I think that that is what e.e. cummings is trying to show. Therefore, I really like the writing style of this poem.
I really enjoyed reading this poem because it brings about the sense of spring and the coming of new life, as well as imagery of children ("eddieandbill") running outside to play in the sun instead of staying indoors playing a game of marbles. The repeated phrases talking about the balloonman whistling "far and wee" also provides an upbeat, nursery-rhyme feel to the poem. I do wonder about what the balloonman is supposed to represent (some online articles interpret him as Pan, or the greek god of fertility, and by drawing the children out with his pipe, he gives them sexuality), and what message in "In Just-", the title, is Cummings trying to convey.
