Management of Greif

In the thoughts of Judith Templeton...Judith Templeton comes in near the start of the story, when all are grieving. Templeton is an appointee of the provincial government. She calls Shalia to ask her if she can come and talk to her. This is the scene that I am going to write as Judith Templeton, and her thoughts arriving at the house..."I was nervous before I entered the house. I was really unsure what to expect. I sat in my car at the corner of the road for a couple of minutes, starring at the house that I would soon enter full of grieving Indian widows and widowers. Although, I was not afraid of how they would react really. Their reaction is expected. All their family members had just died in a terrible plane crash, and they had the right to be grieving. I knew what I was going into; I knew what emotions were supposed to be like. This was my job; I deal with this sort of thing professionally. However, the thing that made me hesitate the most was I. I had never dealt with an accident of such tragedy ever, and I was unsure of myself in the situation. I had no idea how I was going to act as I walk into the house of grievers. And their reaction to me? A strange woman coming in and asking questions? They most definitely not going to be pleased.Finally, I stopped worrying and imagining of things that could happen, and I took action. I decided to call Shalia, just for reassurance to know if she was ready. I asked her if she was okay, and if she needed anything before hand. She asked me what I wanted to know, being multiculturalism. I did not know how to answer that directly. Of course, that was much of the issue, but there was more than that. I needed her help. I pulled into the drive way and entered the house. As I entered I felt a little more relaxed. I had seen that she had started to put on water for tea, and I felt a little more invited that I had initially felt. She directed me towards my seat and I sat down, clenching my brief case across my lap. It had been a very silent entry. Not much but a glance of welcome was exchanged. As Shalia fiddled by the kitchen, I looked around. Through other rooms I could see other women sitting down. All was silent; however I noticed that not many had the same expression as Shalia. On the other women’s faces, you could see the pain, the heart wrench, and the sadness. However as I glanced toward Shalia, I saw a completely different expression. Her expression was... expressionless. There was something about her face that made me think it was all going to be okay. She removed the panic and uncertainty given to me from the other women, and made me feel assured. She had a clam face, a warm dead, expression, and I knew she must help me."

Response to "An Ounce of Cure"

"An Ounce of prevention is worth a pound a cure." This quotation means that it is better to try and prevent problems before they occur, rather than fixing them after. A small effort of preventing problems is worth having not to fix them once they had already happened, because the prevention has already cured it. The title could have many possible hidden meanings. It could be sadistic, it could be literal, and it could be a play on words. But when reading the story, one is able to look for the deeper meaning. Her problem was, she was madly and deeply in love with Martin Collingwood. It had taken over her life, and she obsessed over it to the point of recklessness. Someone can usually get their mind off of something by focusing on something else, or by things the person likes to do. However, everything she did reminded her or Martin Collingwood. She needed to find a way out of the deep sickening addiction. This phrase "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" does not directly relate to the main characters story line. She does not prevent her problem. Her problem is Martin Collingwood and everything about him that consumes her mind. This was not preventable, because heartbreak isn’t exactly something that you can predict. Once she had her problem however, she tried to cure her problem. She tried to cure it in any way possible, but it was a battle of her mind vs. mind. Nothing seemed to be correcting her problem. However, in the end result, she cured her problem by creating a more severe problem. She had been so affected by her actions of drinking that one night while babysitting, and the repercussions were so grave that it gave her something else to obsess and worry over. There for, she prevented nothing. She simply created more problems and worries to take over her mind. This story showed that a pound of problems, would eventually in turn, create an ounce of cure. This could also have a literal meaning/ a play on words. During the climax of the story when she is making the decision to drink, she takes shot glasses and mixes alcohol together. Usually, shot glasses are about an ounce. This could relate to the title "an ounce of cure" because it simply took one small mistake of being under the influence that allowed her to be liberated of her own thoughts. " But there was a positive and splendidly, unexpected, result of this affair: I got completely lover Martin Collingwood..."What was it that brought me back into the world again? It was the terrible and fascinating reality of my disaster; it was the way things happened.... "But the development of events that happened on that Saturday night- that fascinated me." These three lines near the conclusions of the story were what made everything click. Because of the significance of her experience, it made her realize that things aren’t as a big deal as they seem. To her, not being with Martin Collingwood felt like the end of the world. However by experiencing more dramatic events, it made her able to put things in perspective. Martin Collingwood was her "ounce of cure." A small thing, that really wasn’t all that important in the first place. The drinking on that Saturday night was her “pound of problem" The small ounce of cure made her finally capable of realizing the importance of things and putting it in perspective.

Response to "Happy Endings"

I believe that this story is written to some what make fun of the classic "boy meets girl" scenario. However, I do not think that it was triggered toward making fun of romantic plots. Although when talking about John and Mary and their love interests, the reader is able to detect a statistic tone in the writing style. The point Atwood is trying to make is that the ending of a story is not what makes it, nor is the beginning; however, the beginning is what captures the readers attention. I think what Attwood is saying is there are so many options and available from one simple starting phrase. Commonly, writers stick to the basic love story, of two common variations. Either that boy meets girl, fall in love, live happily ever after, or boy and girl boy or girl ends with broken heart. However, Attwood added in many different variations to prove how important plot is. As said in the y last paragraph, It is not only important to distinguish the 'what' in a story, but also the 'how' and 'why' to add intrigue. Characters also have a very significant role in this story. Atwood shows that the plot may be interesting or bland, but it is the characters insight that had emotion and feeling to the story. The skill of authors is shown by the twists and turns in between the start and end. When endings are pre determined by the plot, the story is not as good. That’s why the several endings of happy endings keeps readers interested. When Atwood says the only authentic ending is John and Mary die, I believe she has reason. Although this could mean many different things, I think that she means that that ending is the only ending set in stone. It means that there are so many possible endings, to write, and and ending is never really an ending. So much more can happen, and there are always the continuing "what" and the questions of "how or why".

Contemporary Poetry

Creative City

to look, and not avert one's gaze;
that is where all the art is, the passion
and the city. people who do not look,
cannot see canvas, or poems or

notes for
happiness

art does not begin with art,
but in the eyes. the eyes are everything
when you look up at another,
and look away without a smile,

you have killed
everything you want to
bring home, oh citizen


I enjoyed this poem because it was very misleading. When i first read it, I did not like it. I thought it was a sensless poem, with no meaning. However the reason I did like it, is because it is open for interpretation. This poem forces you to read it several times and look for a deeper meaning, finding out what it truely means to you. After I read the poem a couple of times, I started to understand it. To me, it means that people do not look for the truer meaning in life. There are so many things that we just past by day to day, and never really study or take the time to appreciate. You are able to see something for what it really is when you take the time to look at it. I think that it means that everything in the world can be seen as art, and we have to be able to smile and appreciate it for what it is, no matter our perspective.
I like contemporary style of poetry. I like it because it is somewhat grammatically incorrect. I think that it adds a bit of spunk to it. Also, I like the fact that the poem is short. It sends a message but it doesnt drag on. It also has the ability to make you think.

The Lake by Alex Kupchak


Walking along the big, blue lake
I kindly see a small white snowflake
The sound of the water, sailing up to the rocks
Canadian Geese flying in flocks
The smell of the cold, fresh clean air
Blowing into my face, oh so bare
Icebergs falling from the cliff
People escaping but imagine if...
Footsteps of exploration trenching through
I look to the lake and it's bavarian blue
I touch the snow, my body shivers
Before we cross the short frozen river
The fun may be over but i won't forget
The memories that come which i shall never regret


I chose to reflect on this poem because it is very simple, but I liek the effect and the description. It has a basic ryhme scheme of AA BB and is very easy to follow. This relates to my exeperience of being at the lake because it paints an image in your head. My favourtie parts are when he describes the cold air. To me , the air on a cold day is the first thing you notice it is something that seeps through you right away, and I like how he used to word 'bare' to descrie it, because I thought that was very appropriate.I also like the part when he says "imagine if.." This allows the reader to be creative, and it allows their mind to wander with the situation. Because of this a vivid image is pictured because of the description. Overall I enjoyed the poem and I thought it represented the five senses well.

Sensory Experience Poem

Chilling, sunny, wintry, raw and natural day
Treading heavy footed along the frosted unbreakable ground
The land is a frozen statue, silent and aloof like an ice queen
Fresh spearmint wind blowing through my nose and filling my lungs
And tasting like a snow popsicle, but never melting in my mouth
Brave geese are the only other voyagers sharing this moment
Anchored in the icy water, exactly content
A gander breaks the silence with a honk, honk, honk
I feel small in the giant sky that surrounds me
Yet powerful and strong from the electric energy of the cold

Poem With Meter

anapest trimeter-

Brussel sprouts and cabage
Are things I dont adore,
Rather see the dentist
My tooth is oh so sore!

Mother says these veggies
Are good for growing tall,
I dont care if she's right
I'm perfect staying small!