Wednesday, February 1, 2012


Entry 1_Nguyen Thi Thanh

Item 1: Poem

Other People

Hell is other people.
—Jean-Paul Sartre

Hell is other people who
No matter what you do
Always find something to judge
They drag you through the sludge
And see through your thin disguise
As they shred you with their eyes
All their faults and lack
They place upon your back
Unable to see their own transgression
It becomes their only obsession
To find all of your flaws
And all your broken laws
And they won’t even let you live
Because they refuse to forgive

Heaven is other people who
No matter what you do
Choose to see the best
In you and forget the rest
They don’t dwell on your sin
Since they want all to win
They don’t create divisions
By their prideful derisions
Of those with whom they differ
For they know that the transfer
Of their own guilt to another
Will come back and smother
Their efforts to be free
And their search for unity
Rhetorical devices:
*    Antithesis: hell-heaven
*    Rhyme: who-do, judge-sludge, lack-back, transgression-obsession, flaws-laws, live-forgive, best-rest, sin-win,divisions-dirisions, differ-transfer, another-smother
Message: we are all related and connected, our thoughts, words, and actions have a very real effect on others. The extent to which we value and affirm ourselves and others is the extent to which we create heaven on earth. And the extent to which we emphasize the mistakes of ourselves and others is the extent to which we create hell on earth.

Item2: Meaningful story

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree.
A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday.
He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow...

He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time went by...the little boy had grown up,
And he no longer played around the tree every day.

One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.
"Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy.
"I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more"
The boy replied.
"I want toys. I need money to buy them."
"Sorry, but I do not have money...
But you can pick all my apples and sell them.
So, you will have money.
" The boy was so excited.
He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily.
The boy never came back after he picked the apples.
The tree was sad.

One day, the boy who now turned into a man returned
And the tree was excited "Come and play with me" the tree said.
"I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family.
We need a house for shelter.
Can you help me?
" Sorry”,
I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches
To build your house.
" So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.
The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then.
The tree was again lonely and sad.

One hot summer day,
The man returned and the tree was delighted.
"Come and play with me!" the tree said.
"I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself.
“Can you give me a boat?"
“Said the man”.
"Use my trunk to build your boat.
You can sail far away and be happy.
" So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat.
He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.

Finally, the man returned after many years.
"Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore.
No more apples for you...
" The tree said”.
"No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite
" The man replied.
"No more trunk for you to climb on"
"I am too old for that now" the man said.
"I really cannot give you anything...
The only thing left is my dying root,”
The tree said with tears.
"I do not need much now, just a place to rest.
I am tired after all these years" the man replied.
"Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest,
Come, come sit down with me and rest.
" The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears...
This is you and the tree is your parent. !!!!!
Rhetorical devices:           
*         Metaphor: the man-you, the tree-your parent
*         Climax: a kid-the man-the old man, apples-branches of the tree-truck-dying root
Messagewhether how you treat with your  parent, they always sacrifice anything for you and love you forever.


Item3: cartoon







Rhetorical devices:
*   Symbol: sphere-the earth, number-population in the world, speedometers run E- natural resources run out of.
Message: Population in the world is increasing rapidly, which causes all of natural resources on earth to be exhausted

3 comments:

  1. The item 2 "meaningful story" is really excellent one. The message that you gave is good but I have another message: Parents are the best gift for each of us, they always wait you, help you whenever you want and forgive all your fauls.

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  2. thank you for the meaningful poem you chose.
    It truly leaves in my head many deep thoughts about people around us. By the way, let me add something to your rhetorical devices. From my view point, the author also uses simile in "Hell is other people who...
    Heaven is other people who..." the author explains the abstract concepts of "hell" and "heaven" by the description of two types of people around us. in addition, in the sentence :"As they shred you with their eyes
    All their faults and lack" the author uses metaphor to describe the sharpness of the eyes like a knife to shred us into faults and lack.

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  3. your 1st item impresses me. it's very meaningful. I think there's important rhetorical device you haven't gave: it's METAPHOR (hell_the selfish people, heaven_the tolerant people). Moreover, you should shorten the message in 1 or 2 sentences like: "if you desire to live a happy and serene life, please choose tolerance instead of torment someone's faults"
    the second item is excellent. I'm nearlly moved to tears when i read it. your message is also good but i have another one: only your parent can give you everything without any condition. Even if you do not follow them, they still follow you for your entire life.
    In item 3, i think the antithesis is also rhetorical device of this picture (the huge number of the population while resource is getting exhausted)

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