https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?23952-title The largest classic literature discussion forum on the Internet. Read Write Teach Share. en Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:17:17 GMT vBulletin 10 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?23952-title https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?6257-a-sonnet! Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:14:46 GMT Unfathomed shape treading a misty trail, bloodhound that makes no sound following souls, with icicled hood, at each step, full sail, the reaper... Unfathomed shape treading a misty trail,
bloodhound that makes no sound following souls,
with icicled hood, at each step, full sail,
the reaper stiffens victims, filling holes.
His scythe, winter’s slicing metallic vein,
rattles as it falls still limbs white with snow,
scattering the cold interwoven skein
from boughs rankled as their raw fibers show.
Grim advocate for what is seldom known,
that life's form is like a spiral seashell,
a tunnel in which crystal clouds are blown
as faint memories of a rhythmic knell
to land, dissolve in dust, and sprout anew
warmth in colors from a petal outgrew. ]]> Il Penseroso https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?6257-a-sonnet! https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?5088-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:31:30 GMT an essay for my application to teacher ed. My Philosophy of Teaching As a secondary education English teacher, I would like to guide... an essay for my application to teacher ed.


My Philosophy of Teaching


As a secondary education English teacher, I would like to guide students to become motivated readers and writers who are capable of critical thought toward both ideas presented by others and those they hold themselves. An education in the literary arts provides students with essential skills to enrich both their everyday lives as individuals and their ability to perform in a competitive job market. I hope to guide students to become lifelong learners by instilling in them a sense of self-efficacy and the benefits of persistent effort.


Literary studies is a broad field that can be linked to an assorted range of subjects including psychology, sociology, science, and history. Literature can be the vehicle through which students learn about ideas prevalent through different historical and cultural contexts. For example, teaching either Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter or The Crucible by Arthur Miller can give students a better understanding of how individuals have responded to their current society and its relationship to the past. The human effect can be felt through identifying oneself with characters created with emotional relevance, thereby adding weight to an outlined dates-and-facts study of history. In this fashion, I plan to urge students to think beyond their individual horizons to process thoughts through a multicultural perspective.


I believe that the development of an ability to write clearly and effectively goes hand-in-hand with the ability to think logically and creatively. Language is not merely a communication tool, through writing students explore and expand on their ideas as they are put together in an orderly fashion. Developing student awareness of their production strategies and providing scaffolding techniques to improve these strategies, rather than concentrating singularly on output, should be foremost amongst an instructor’s goals. This can help motivate young learners. Students should be pressed to improve the content and structure of written assignments as well as the overall flow and grammatical accuracy of this work.


By giving students an opportunity to voice their opinions in an organized, open-ended structure, I hope to foster a sense of involvement that will translate to student interest and self-motivated responsibility. Through this integrative classroom atmosphere, I hope to reflect the importance of individual student thought and respectful tolerance toward others’ beliefs and contributions. The English classroom should provide students with a safe environment for them to receive feedback on their own original thought through classroom discussions.


A literature classroom can be ideal for accommodating students of varying ability and cultural and economic backgrounds. Peer interactions and active learning can be made an integral part of the classroom to enrich individual learning. Also, with the wide range of involvement capable of being covered through a study in literature, at-risk students may be reached by channeling their unique interests in the classroom.


I hope to learn from students as well as teach the principles of reading and writing that I feel will benefit them. My sense of learning is that it is a life-long process and adults as well as children and teenagers are constantly expanding their perspective on the world. By engaging myself with students I will better my understanding of the unique needs, emotions, and beliefs students may have. ]]> Il Penseroso https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?5088-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4875-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:44:06 GMT I'm currently planning a lesson to do with 4th-6th graders as part of a practicum in my Education program at university. I was hoping to select a poem that is very descritive to read to the kids as they draw what they see through the words. My initial idea was to use Coleridge's "Kubla Kahn," but I've since decided that this will probably be too difficult a poem for 4th-6th graders (based on experience I've had with 'em).

I'm looking for something that won't be too easy, preferably something with metaphors so that I may seque to brief instruction on those. I want to make the activity somewhat challenging, and one of my ideas is to mandate that I will only read the poem perhaps three times and they must come to agreement on when those three repetitions can be used.

Any recommendations? ]]> Il Penseroso https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4875-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4804-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:34:06 GMT Thick black floating orbs, stretching in swift rotation the garden routine, to doze in petalled beauty having their fill of nectar. What... Thick black floating orbs,
stretching in swift rotation
the garden routine,
to doze in petalled beauty
having their fill of nectar.

What delight to be
draggling in odorous bliss,
alike to the wind
in a wayfaring circuit
abreast a personal whim.

Do these creatures know
the envy their motion stirs,
or that their feeding
burdens my listless brow
with a penitent emotion?

So unlike their arc
my accustomed position
holds fast to shadow
and the cool interior
of a slumberless dark. ]]> Il Penseroso https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4804-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4738-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:40:24 GMT Shaded Reflection A semblance play of myself this shadow sprung from the slanted sun, the grey sidelong profile stretched across the grassy... Shaded Reflection

A semblance play of myself
this shadow sprung from the slanted sun,
the grey sidelong profile
stretched across the grassy stage,
leaning aside by leaden rays.

Eclipse of my shape that dims the ground,
accident of the angular beams
conformed by the orient sky,
an ornament of the earthen reply,
the dusky reflection that opens the void,
the double print impalpable.

Is this the shape my future stores?
This blurred copy of my form,
no custom figured, just the grey expanse?
Each color dropped by poorer light,
my existence fled to shadow?

Skimming the serrated surface
the hollow twin grafted like a stone
to tragic end, silent repose,
grades the inclination to sustain,
a reflection made too true. ]]> Il Penseroso https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4738-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4737-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:37:31 GMT Her ankles move like tufts of string, a rhythm unravels in the smooth skipping of her feet. The dress defies its frame of threads, a gown... Her ankles move
like tufts of string,
a rhythm unravels
in the smooth
skipping of her feet.

The dress defies
its frame of threads,
a gown painted,
chromatic shards
drip beauty like
a morning petal.

And her fingers
dissolve the colors,
sweep each ray
in curling waves
across the darkened
pupil of night. ]]> Il Penseroso https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4737-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4736-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:34:59 GMT A corpulent phrase recedes in ears, stepping lightly through spiral folds. Crestless ripples sink along deserted banks of sand worn by tired... A corpulent phrase recedes in ears,
stepping lightly through spiral folds.
Crestless ripples sink along
deserted banks of sand
worn by tired waves,
like seashell sounds
stilled to sleep,
needing
rest. ]]> Il Penseroso https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?4736-Il-Penseroso-s-Blog