Gerald Lebrilla: 5. What does the story signify about life?

"Little League Haiku" 
      The actions of the football player in the story, "Little League Haiku," is a morale about taking chances and making a difference.  The football team ran through the same plays for every practice.  The boy wanted to change it up by reciting a poem he had learned at school: a haiku.  As he called to run through this play, he began to recite the poem. "The wind brings dry leaves enough to build a fire."  No one had liked the change or that play.  They looked at him as if he was someone out of this world and thus, causing him to want to go back to the original plays.  The boy was someone who felt the need for a change. People in this world lack the confidence he pertained. The story portrays that change can take time. Although, people are driven to wanting to make a change, it always takes the effort first.

Running After Antelope: Little League Haiku

1. Why did the boy choose to set up a haiku?
2. What does the haiku symbolize?
3. What is the significance of reciting the haiku?
4. What is the importance behind the imagery to nature?
5. What does the poem say about life?
6. What does it mean when the boy says, "I was conscious of being inside a shell"?
7. Why do you think the boy wanted to make a change?
8. In the haiku, what does it mean for the wind to bring the dry leaves and build a fire?
9. What does this action say about the boy's character?
10. In the last line, what does the phrase "I'm ready to move on if you are" signify?

Full Moon

I pitied this side of town.  "Oildale? What's that?"  Not much to see, not much to say.  Any side of Bakersfield I would be fine with, but why here? It's an arid, dry piece of fruit; no juice and no flavor. Inside my room, my sister and I were listening to the radio. Stevie Wonder's song, "Isn't She Lovely" was being played by the DJ.  I looked out my window and past the oil fields I saw the moon.  I unlocked my window sill, stuck my arm out, and tried to reach for her.  She seemed so near as if she were to whisper some secret right into my ear.  I wanted to tell her to take me away but we were both miles apart.  She shined so bright on this town that it suddenly struck out to be something so stunning.  Oildale was being suffocated; and  the moon, she gave it air. I couldn't stop staring at her.  My eyes were relaxed just by the sight of her. If Stevie were with me we'd both wonder, telling each other, "Isn't She Lovely?"

A Winter Walk

        It was a day where the river was sleeping, the trees questioned thier existence, and the sky drained any sight or source of color.  The atmosphere was a cemetary; dead and weary.  The snow danced around me wanting to lick my skin.  The forest forshadowed a kind of natural disaster.  A snowstorm, maybe.  They told us to wear these cloaks to avoid any false distractions. We started to head North for wanted protection and habitation.  I could see the various footprints left behind mostly by the draggy old man in front of me. I followed his path towards a new environment tht everyone was talking about.  "Where are we going?" I asked him.  He replied, "Somewhere where the cats were barking and the trees grew from the sky." From then on I thought, "This old man is crazy. That 'somewhere' is bizarre." But as we walked further down this path, It lead to .. nowhere. Our destination was a continuous walk through this sacred forest.We're stuck.

Song Lyrics

"Purify Me"
India Arie

[Verse 1:]
Easy like Sunday morning
Like an angel calling
He taking me all in
I'm embracing him with my skin
Like a glimmer of light
Like a vision of life
And he's so perfect I couldn't picture him if I tried

[Bridge 1:]
See some may come
Some may go
But I'll follow you wherever you're the perfect mate for my soul
And I know why I lose control whenever I'm around you cause you given me

[Chorus:]
Your hand
And that's more than enough
Your glance
Is like jumping in the river of
Jordan
Purify me baby [x2]

[verse 2:]
It's like summertime always
Like it's sunny out all day
Whenever you smile
Sweeter than momma's homemade
And I thought every man was made the same way
But a world of smoke and ashes boy your are milk and honey

[Bridge 2:]
See some may come
Some may go
But fill me up with your love
You're nourishment to my soul
And I know why I lose control
Whenever I'm around you
Cuz you given me

[Chorus]

Poem for Anthology

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

I chose this poem because I can relate to it.  This poem is a message of hope and redemption.  It gives a message of never giving up and always keeping your head held up high.  Despite the people or things that hold you back, keep going.  Don't let anything bring you down.

I have been...

A: -Heartbreak is an errupting volcano.

B: -I have been Berenger when I had gotten bad grades during my junior year in high school.  I started to feel like I couldnt get far.  Like it was the end of a great future.  I felt like giving up on everything.  My parents were disappointed and It was hard for me to take that.  I put myself down, including the people/things around me. However, my grades during my senior year made up for that.  I ended with my best GPA so far.  I had thought having those bad grades my junior year would bring me down, but it just made me pursue better, to try even harder.