God's Children Reflection

This documentary "God's Children" shows people in the lowest levels of poverty fighting to survive; taking the most desperate measures. Before the landslide that killed thousands living on the garbage dump, the Smokey Mountain dump used to be a place of refuge where people can escape to once they're found out that they can't make a living in the cities. But after the typhoon loosened the ground on which the massive garbage mountains stood on and collapsed it to a heap, it ended and destroyed many people's lives. After that, the government thought it was too dangerous for people to be living there. Not able to physically force people out of their little shacks they called homes, the government issued an order to shut down the dump; garbage was not to be sent there any more.

Not only did it take away the garbage, but also the reason for people to be staying there. The government, however, didn't bother to think about where these people would go if they had to evacuate the dump. The many that remained on the garbage dump had to scavenge even harder for scrap that was lessening each day. Many large families went days without food because they had no money. When they did who says is was clean? It is very easy to fall sick with the lack of hygiene and the families have no money to afford clean and proper food, let alone medicine.

There is a scene where the refugees try to protest to the Philippine parliament to re-open the garbage dump. You see here that even though they already have nothing, they still have hope to go up to the authorities and ask what is rightly theirs. Even pregnant women traveled from the dump all the way to the city's government office to protest. They need this dump. To us, we might shield away from the very thought of living in a dump site, but these people are desperate to get it back.

The documentary features a family of 5 children, with the oldest of 12. Fighting to survive, the oldest child took on the burden of hard labour like the parents and helps support her large family. Before, they used to live in the city and she used to go to school. But once their family started loosing money, she had to give up education for hard manual labour. Education in these times was a privilege. One 50 year old man with a sick child and two other children told interviewers that the only education he got was from 1st grade of elementary school. He didn't get a math education and he's illiterate. The only thing he know how to write is his name.

I think that this documentary is very touching and it makes you realize how lucky you are. In other documentaries about animal cruelty and global warming, the directors like to show the lowest levels of these problems. In this documentary, the director didn't have to; it had been already done by him. He could have taken a simple video camera and taped a walk-through of the whole garbage dump and already it would have been disturbing for others. It's is very important to cherish what you have already because if you think that you have it bad because you're failing a class or your parents argue with you, one must always remember that someone else in this world-- maybe even at your age-- has it even worse.

Aphorism Blog #5

Be hopeful but not foolishly hopeful.

When put under pressure or when under stress, humans tend to find a little spark of hope to look forward too. This is important in life because then what is there to live for or to push on for? This aphorism tells us that we have to look for that little hope in times of pain or sadness, but we cannot be hopeful for something you know deep down inside will never happen.
Why should anyone hope for something when you know it's never going to happen? Why should you waste your time on someone that you know will only disappoint you. That's being foolishly hopeful. Sometimes its just simple and easier to just give up when you know something won't happen (or will happen) or when you're waiting for someone you know just won't show up. When you know you shouldn't fall for someone who will never fall for you. That's when you should just give up because you don't want to waste your time and energy into something that has a lower chance of happening than global warming stopping.

Aphorism Blog #4

"When you are utterly frustrated or angry, express these feelings. You don't have to be nice all the time-- just most of the time."

Bottling it up is never good. Some people see these type of 
stoic
 people as nice people because they don't complain all the time. The truth is, not everyone's perfect. We all explode after a while if we keep it all in. So let it out. It's okay to complain and whine about something because life is full of disappointments. People who tell you to just deal with it should take a good look at themselves because they don't want you to let it out. They want the attention so don't give it to them. It's not a crime to express your feelings. Sure you can keep it all in and bottle it up but its healthy to let the emotions out once in the while so you won't explode-- exploding is never good. Like the aphorism says, you don't have to be nice all the time-- just most of the time. This means that you can let it all out in a swear word frenzy every once in a while.

Aphorism Blog # 3

"Don't assume that it's too late to be involved in something..."

It's never to late to do something. Many of us think that once the deadline hits on a project or assignment or even a chance that's its gone forever. What we don't realize that the only thing that can be gone forever is time. The chance might not come again but it doesn't mean that you have to completely give up on it.

Morrie loved his life and lived it to fullest even before he knew he was going to die. When he found out, he didn't get angry about it and think "oh it's too late for me to go dancing one last time" or "its too late for me to experience the youth life because I'm too old".

When Mitch see his old professor on TV, he tries to push himself to contact Morrie. At first he thinks that it's too late to contact him then because either way, Morrie was going to die. But if he had not called Morrie up anyway, he would have never been able to spend time with his old teacher and he would have never started to think about what the meaning of life is from someone who knows how they're leaving. It wasn't too late for Mitch so never assume that it's too late for you, too.

Aphorism Blog #2

"Learn how to die and you learn how to live"

Morrie lives life at his fullest even before he knew how his was going to die. Even as an old man, he went clubbing and dancing and ate his heart out because he loved life. When his body showed signs that he was going to die and when he finally got his death sentence, his first reaction is proactive and he wonders how he's going to live the rest of his life. He doesn't complain and sulk and think that the whole world should sulk with him because he's going to die. His reaction is calm and positive.

I think that everyone should react to life this way. Then again, not all of us know how we're going to leave this world but it is true that once you know when you're going to die, you start to think of how you're going to live. That is probably why we can't live the way Morrie did before he died. We all know that death is coming but though we don't realize it, we don't want to believe that it's coming.

A Life Without Electricity

What would a day in your life be like without electricity?

Well, let's try and see what I use in a day that requires electricity?

• Cellphone (as an alarm to wake me up, a communicating device...etc,.)
• Laptop (used for leisure and for homework, to find out little answers to the little questions that pop up in my head)
• AC (I'm a stay cool person, I don't like to perspire because it's gross-- healthy, but gross)
• Lights (keeping my room bright, it helps me see things for the way they really are...)
• Internet (no comment... )
  

Without my cellphone, I would not be able to wake up when I would like to. My body wants me to sleep-in, so I do. I would have gotten out of bed at 'round 11. The lights in my bathroom would not work so my bathroom would be all dark and I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror and see how messed up my hair became when I went to bed. The AC would not be working, so the fans in the vents would not work either. The air in the house would be still and by this time I would get pretty frustrated. My patience has always been low and I can't tolerate "still" and stuffy air. Now I would probably open a window and get even more frustrated as all the dust and bugs from the construction site fly into my house.
Breakfast, the most important meal in a day. I usually skip this meal on school days because my tastes buds don't work unless I'm "alive, awake, alert, and a wee-bit enthusiastic". I take cereal but since there's no electricity, my fridge would not work and the milk would be all curdy. No cereal equals no breakfast equals to me being pissed. I like cold stuff. I need my chilled OJ or milk. I don't like water when it's room temperature. Already 30 minutes into my day without electricity and I'm already irritated.

Now since I do not have my cellphone, mp3, CD player, laptop, or television I would just have to resort to the ol' paperbacks. I like reading-- in a comfortable environment which would usually be on a beanbag in a room with AC, with random music on (it doesn't really matter, just as long as I don't hear my family's ruckus). My only choice would be to go to the roof, still on the ledge and read. Without music, reading for me is tricky, but I think I can handle the silence on my apartment roof.

I'd read until 1) I'm bored and/ done with the book, 2) I start getting hungry, or 3) I get pissed and irritated of the drilling noises from the construction site. I'd go back to my apartment. I can't go any where else because that would mean to climb 11 floors down the empty, scary staircase (no electricity = no elevator). My whole family would be a wreck. The modern culture has convinced my family (heck, everyone) that we need all these little things that need electricity to live life. Lights, ventilation, entertainment, etc,.. the list goes on and on.

By dinner time, I expect my family to have turned barbaric already-- like those prep guys in Lord of the Flies. If we are still standing it must be a miracle. I'd be reading, my little brother would have playing with his toy trains. My mom would be trying to keep the house clean, my little sister would be in her room drawing or doing some creative %$#%!@, while my dad reads the paper or takes a nap. My older sister (haha) would be walking around complaining about life without electricity since she basically lives on the modern technology and communication to keep her sane.

Bottom line: I, my family, would not be able to live life without electricity. A day is all I can handle. Culture has caused us to believed that "we need entertainment" or "we need cool air" or "we need cars and transportation to get around" and "we need our cell phones because snail mail is too slow". We have evolve into such a planned life and we can't get out of that habit unless we find the meaning of what life is. Electricity is a need in our life. It wasn't supposed to be-- but it is now.

A/N: If there was no electricity, there would no internet, therefore it would have been impossible to complete this homework blog post assignment.

Aphorism Blog #1

"Get as much help as you can when you need it"

This aphorism is taken from the book Tuesdays With Morrie. It's pretty straightforward, when you need help don't just take little bites, take as much as you can! It's almost like the French saying, "Croque la vie" which basically life life at the fullest.
I think that this is a great aphorism to live by. Say you need cash and you're offered about 5k from your parents, why would you take half of that when they are already offering a lot. One shouldn't be afraid to admit that they need help and they shouldn't be embarrassed to take it all. It's a blessing and once it's given to you, one should accept it with open arms.
Help from peers and family members or even random strangers are like little nudges to help yourself in life. Why take a little step when you can leap?

The Pearl: Moral

The Pearl is definitely an amazing story to read. The author John Steinbeck keeps it short and sweet. It shows how something that most people would think as a treasure could lead you to your downfall or maybe like in the book, it could bring evil to others too.
Kino found the Pearl of the World in the beginning of the story and the rising action is mainly what happens after he found the pearl, how all this neighbors are suddenly very interested in it, and how thieves are coming in the middle of the night to try and steal it.

Since the beginning, Juana, Kino’s wife has always knew of how the pearl would cause great evil upon their family. She was looking ahead and she knew that Kino would be overcome with greed once the pearl took up such a big part of his life that he wouldn’t notice the evil it came with. He didn’t know when to stop being so greedy because he merely thought that this was a great blessing from the gods.

How could Kino have been so blind? Not only has attackers been coming from the outside of his family, but he himself is the “attacker”. When Juana tried to throw the pearl back into the ocean, how could he have not listened to his wife and tell himself that the pearl was causing him to go insane. He was thinking too positively and wasn’t looking at the effects that the pearl has caused.

Nearing the climax of this parable, Kino tries to run away with his family to try and go to the city and sell the pearl for a good price. By doing this, he led his family into great danger. Trackers were sent to find him because he had killed a man that had tried to attack him and steal the pearl. After dodging the trackers for a while, Kino eventually tries to get rid of the,. He attacks them and kills them without second thought but because he had become so insane, he accidently killed his own son.

That is the point where Kino finally realizes what evil the pearl has caused him. When he goes back to his village with Juana and their dead son, he looks into the pearl. On the surface of the clear, precious stone, Kino sees all the evil that it has caused and finally throws it back into the ocean.

The moral of this story is to not to be overwhelmed by greed. It tells us to be careful of our blessings because they just might be a curse in disguise. Kino had to find out that the pearl was evil the hard way; the death of his own son while trying he was to protect his family and more importantly (to him) the pearl, which had become his soul. It also teaches us not to grow too attached to something because you never know when it can suddenly disappear or turn its back on you. That’s when it hurts the most...

Earth Day

On April 22nd, the world celebrated Earth Day, a whole day dedicated to appreciating the planet we live on. On this day, many of our classes didn't turn on the AC and even in French class, Kader didn't allow me to even charge my computer. We were very green-- just for that day though.
But being green is perhaps the only thing that is keep our future generations alive and happy. In a few more decades, many densely populated areas will be covered in water due to global warming. Our planet is dying as we speak. So how can we be more green? In school? Outside of school?

- Turning off the AC: In a classroom, the AC uses the most energy and electricity. We live in Hsinchu, the windy city, open a window or two if you feel uncomfortable in the heat.
- Don't charge your computer if you don't need it: If you're not using your computer, put it to sleep or shut the whole thing down
- Don't turn on all the lights: Our classroom's use fluorescent lights which saves more energy than normal lightbulbs, but this doesn't mean they still don't take up energy. It's summer! Open the blinds and let the natural light in!
- Carpool/Walk/Ride a Bike to school: Many of our teachers ride their bikes to school and a couple of students carpool. You don't need a personal car to get you to and from school. Why be a loner when you can call up a nearby friend to drive you?
- Don't use too many electrical devices: This may be pretty hard as most of us at least use our cellphones, mp3s, computers, etc.,
- Stop Cows & Sheep Farts: This is almost close to impossible but here are the facts: Cow and sheep farts produce more greenhouse gases then our car exhaust. This does not mean that we should nuke Wales and New Zealand...

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The Pearl Blog #1

1. How would you change if you had a lot of money? Would your personality be different?
I think I would. Of course I would spoil myself a little bit more due to the significant amount of money increase and my view of life would change but I don't want the people to treat me different or vice versa. I have no right to lower my respect of others just because I'm rich. But even though I know that is the wrong thing to do, I think I have no control against my self and would become a little bit snotty and my expectations will be raised, even though I will try not to.

2. Would you ever take a risk to reach a goal?
Knowing me, I don't really think too much before I take action. I guess that it depends on how big the goal is and what risks I have to take. If the risk is only self-inflicting, I would take it. But if it involved hurting others, I wouldn't take it. As said above it all depends on the goal and the risk I have to take to reach it.

3. Would you ever hurt member of your family just so you could be accepted by friends?
I really don't want to but I know that I always hurt my friends and family even if I don't realize it. If wanting to be accepting by my peers meant hurting my family and one's I love, then it's not worth it. If it meant protecting the ones I love in danger, I would take the risk but if it was only for my worth, it's not that important.

Reading Resonse Journal

Reading Journal: A River Runs Through It
Jen Quan

Journal 001: March 11th 2009
Quote #1: “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing”
Quote #2: “Although Paul was three years younger than I was, he was already far ahead of me in anything relating to fishing..”

I have two sisters and a little baby brother. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I’m almost better at everything artistic than my older sister. I find that maybe Paul at first was trying to hard to live up to his older brother that in the end he was better and didn’t need to feel better anymore because he brother didn’t care. It’s the same thing for me. When I was younger it seemed that my older sister was good at everything she did. I tried so hard to live up to her and find something I was good at and when I was finally better at her at something (art, being artistic) I realized that she didn’t care about beating me at something. I’m sure she’s proud at me for being better at something, but she will always be older than me and better at everything then me and now, finally, I accept that.

[No questions so far... :) ]

Journal 002: March 11th 2009
Quote #1: “She was a beautiful dancer as he was a fly caster”
Quote #2: “It is like a rattlesnake striking, with a good piece of his tail on the ground as something to strike from.”
Quote #3: “At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear”

Norman had to get up in the middle of the night to pick his brother and his brother’s girl from jail. Norman is like the person who picks up the mess that his brother leaves. I guess I could say that I can relate to both Paul and Norman. With Norman, I can say that I am sometimes left to deal with the mess that other people create. When I was reading the part where Norman picks up Paul and Paul’s Native American girl that I found it very coincidental because this reminds me-- and in a very exact way-- of my everyday life. I guess I could also say that I related to Paul because I usually leave a mess behind me as well, metaphorically...

What is the Indian girl’s real name? Because Norma gave her a name but it’s not her birth name...

Journal 003: March 13th 2009
Quote #1: ““Brother,” he would say, “there are no flying fish in Montana. Out here, you can’t catch fish with your flies in the air.””
Quote #2: “His flies were in the water at least twenty percent more of the time than mine”

At the part when the weather changed and many fish started jumping I can relate to how when the weather changed, someone else happens, especially my mood. There are many people out there that love it when it rains. I hate it. I hate being wet and when the sky is dark. I hate it when it’s snowing really hard too. I only like light flutters. For me, snow is frozen rain and rain is wet and I don’t like to be wet. When it rains or there’s a blizzard my mood changes almost immediately from content to sad and moody. Just like the fish suddenly jump out of the water when the weather changes, so does my mood.

Why is fly fishing so important to everyone?

Journal 004: March 16th 2009
Quote #1: “That's one trouble with hanging around a master–you pick up some of his stuff, like how to cast into a bush, but you use it just when the master is doing the opposite”
Quote #2: “In death it had its pattern, and we can only hope for as much”

The two brothers had buried their beer bottles in the stream to keep cool but couldn't find it later. I find this a connection to my life because I always live thing behind me. Not necessarily objects but ideas and feelings. Later on when I come back to them, I can't feel them again because I've lost it and have forgotten how it's like to have that emotion. I would resort to just having a feeling that is like the feeling I lost but it would never be the same. Just like the brothers having to drink stream water instead of beer to quench their thirst, anyone would have wanted the beer instead.

[Questions]


Journal 005: March 17th 2009
Quote #1: “It's like the auto-supply shop over town where they always say, 'Sorry, we just out of that part'”
Quote #2: “Whenever we had a family reunion, Mother and Paul were always the central attention”

Most of the school knows that my older sister had relationship problems. Most of the time when she cries, it's weird because she doesn't like me comforting her, yet allows my best friend to do it. It's like my best friends are more closer to my sister than I am. Just like my first quote, my sister doesn't accept help from me. Later, my friends would ask me, accusingly, why I'm not helping and comforting my sister. My friend and her sister and close and both sisters accept help from each other.
I guess my sister's ashamed of me because I'm not ashamed of myself. I'm not afraid of what people think of me because it's always my life to live. I want to live my last few months of freedom in this school with fun and with my friends- not sulking around because I'm moving. I guess you could say that I'm immature, but I don't want to be mature all the time because before long, you realize that you missed you chance of being a kid. I want to be a kid until I'm 27 because after that, life really starts calling you.

I would want to give help to my sister, but if she doesn't want it, and I shouldn't waste my time.

How can someone get burned from head to toe when they're wearing clothes?

Blog #6: My Favorite Place

Since I move around a lot I haven't really found my favorite place. For my family, we haven't stayed in a house for more than a year; always moving, house-to-house, country-to-country.
But so far I've found my favorite place to be wherever my family and friends are. That's where my real home is. There isn't a day that ends where I find myself wanting to run away from my favorite place.
My family and friends are what keep me sane. Wherever they are, I feel safe and free because they are the ones that make the atmosphere feel comfortable. I could do whatever I want around them. There are no physical walls around me. But my friends and family are the four walls that will move and change whenever.
With them, I there are no limits. If I wanted to suddenly play basketball, my friends and I could go to the basketball court and that would be where my favorite place is. I could be just hanging out with my friends in the student lounge and that would also be my favorite place.

The Sun Also Rises: Behind the Title

What does the title of the story mean?


Well to me, the title shows that everything is a cycle. Just like the sun rising is a constant cycle, so are the lives of characters like Jake and Brett. For Jake, his life is basically helping Brett with get another man and keep him, then saving Brett from herself and falling for her. For Brett her life is all about playing with men's hearts; She attract them like magnets, then she goes off with the guy, and then finally rejecting them. "The Sun Also Rises" shows that there is a cycle in life, just like the run rising and setting.

The "also" part of the title, however, makes me think that even though there's bumps along the way of the cycle, the sun will always rises and it will continue again. Lady Brett falls for someone then runs away with them or does something crazy. But in the end, she would always reject them. It's like she's just a trip, but not a vacation. However, "the sun" will also come up no matter what. Life goes on, it's crappy, but it goes on. C'est la vie...

Image Source: http://daskull.deviantart.com/art/The-start-of-the-sun-rise-27328966

Blog #5: Bull Fighting- Humane or Inhumane?

Do you think Bull fighting is a humane or an inhumane sport? Why do you feel that way? Please explain....

Bull fighting is a dangerous sport, true. There are many other sports that are dangerous like racing cars, or skateboarding, or gymnastics. But unlike those dangerous, I think that bull fighting is an inhumane sport. Bull fighting is in my opinion, a derivative from the gladiator fights in Ancient Rome. In the Gladiator fights, they put people in a "ring" to kill each other, just to see who is the strongest.
Bull fighting is similar except that they kill the bull at every fight. This is actually such a waste of bulls because nothing actually happens to the bull after it dies. Also, it is also not respecting animal rights because they bring a bull into a ring, anger it and kill it for entertainment. Would we consider it humane and a sport if bulls suddenly took over the world, use us in a fight? Waving a red cape in front of us, get us frustrated and angry and then eventually kill us while the herd of bulls celebrated around us? No. This is totally barbaric; playing with your food before ending its life.

Blog #4: The Clock of Life

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at a late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, Love, toil with a will. For the clock may soon be still." - Robert H. Smith

This quote basically tells us that you only have one life to live, therefore you have to life it as it's fullest.
The first line where it says "The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop at a late or early hour" is a metaphor. The clock symbolizes our life and no one knows when our life will end, whether you will die at a young age or live many decades. The second line, " Now is the only time you own. Live, Love, toil with a will," means that you have to do what you want in your life and take risks because now (meaning your life) is the only time you'll get to experience many things. The last sentence basically tells us why we should "Live, Love, and toil with a will," and that is because the clock will soon stop. This means that life is short and yours might soon end.

Blog #3: Mirror Image

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you think others see you as you see yourself?

I think I'm a bit conceited and arrogant at times- or most of the time. I know that others see me as a little selfish sometimes. But I know that I'm not a bad person. No one is born a bad person but becomes one through experiences and tough times when growing up.
Yeah sure, sometimes I annoy my sisters and friends by being so selfish. I know that I sometimes only want to do my homework first before I help others. At times I can be nice when I want to.

A lot of people say I'm easy. I don't know why and I don't think I'm that but they do... which is weird because I'm selfish...not easy..

Blog #2: An Effective Communicator

An effective communicator in my life is one of my friends Jean- and also Ariel. When explaining things I do not understand, both of them can easily explain it without using difficult words. I think they really possess this trait because they have the ability to communicate with me, even though English is their second language. They are also very good listeners because they understand pretty fast when others explain to them, too.
One example of them being effective communicator was one of the first SMASH days we had with Mrs. Smith's class. Both Ariel and Jean were in my group and we have to communicate to build something. Only Jean knew what the original piece looked like and only she could talk to Ariel without showing her the item. Ariel could not see the item but using the information Jean told her, she had to tell me (I was all the way across the room) and describe how the object looked like so that I could build a replica of it. This proves we shared effective communication as our replica was the exact same thing as the original object...

Blog #1: Effective Communicator

Being an effective communicator is not just being able to talk properly but also to listen. To effectively communicated with another is to be able to communicate and ideas and listen to others.
Communication also involves a lot of body language and being able to explain clearly.

Effective communication is very important. Without it, people won't be able to communicate and talk with one another. Ideas are not understood and words are not comprehended. The world will be living in confusion and so will classes. Heck, classes would not exist because the idea of "school' will not be understood!

To be an effective communicator, you have to be able to explain and idea or subject to another. Not just verbally, but through action and writing. If the person listening understands what you are trying to put out, this is effectively communicating. Listening is also effectively communicating because you need to break down what others are trying to say in the way that you understand and reply if you have to. Body language and the way you present yourself to others is also effectively communicating because the atmosphere will change to the theme of what you are trying to say. I find acting out a word or phrase easy to get through people who doesn't understand something. It's so easy because if you are trying to say to kick the ball to someone who only speaks Arabian, you can act out kicking a ball.

Current Events: Gas dispute leaves thousands freezing

Hundreds of thousands of families throughout central Europe and across the Balkans went through a freezing cold weekend as a deal between Russia and Ukraine of settling an argument stayed uncertain to follow through.
But now those families can turn their heaters back on as the Siberian gas flows through theirs and many other's houses as they go through the snow in. Many areas of eastern and southern Europe were covered in snow as one of the coldest weather in 10 years. Since the gas cutting off on Wednesday, panic was gone through parts of Bulgaria, Madeconia, Serbia, and Bosnia where they almost entirely depend on Russian gas for heating.
The gas begin cut off not only kept people freezing but also closed many companies, factories, schools, clinics and hospitals.
Because there isn't any gas, nay families revert back to the old fashion way of burning coal and wood and electric heaters, causing many people using the power systems. This surge in power threatened to break down the electricity under the strain.
All this trouble was just caused when the Russian gas leader, Gazprom, refused to send gas through the Ukraine pipelines to people in Europe. Gazprom claims that Ukraine was using the gas for its own use after not paying the Russian monopoly's gas price.

Article (link): EU says deal struck with Russia over gas supply
Ian Traynor, 9 January 2009
Guardian.co.uk

Hanging Fire - Poem Analysis

The poem Hanging Fire is about a boy being neglected and the troubles he faces. It can be about any boy, depending on the reader. It can be a boy living in New York and goes to school or in poverty in Africa. The poem is made to show that there are many perspectives of what kind of boy this is because its very vague.

The speaker is a boy. His identity shows that he faces many problems like having the wear braces, living in a dirty place, and not being picked for the Math team. He's afraid of having too little time and whether he was going to die very soon. With addition with all his worries and troubles, he is being neglected by his mother who is always "in the bedroom with the door closed".

The poem is written in stanzas and always ends with two lines:

"and momma's in the bedroom
with the door closed."

There are 11 lines in the first stanza and 12 lines in the second and third stanza.

This poem doesn't rhyme. There are no rhyming words in their whole poem. The two lines that end off every stanza (see above) sort of conclude each stanza, signifying that the paragraph has ended. The poem has a rhythm with those two lines at the end.

The poem has a lot of imagery -almost in every sentence. In lines 6 to 7, I can picture a young boy with dirty and ashy knees from living in the streets. I can also see a bedroom door closed whenever I read the last two lines of a stanza, showing the mom's door closed and keeping him from approaching her. He is still in an empty small room when I read line 14 and I also hear sad songs when I read line 15 to 16, like it was at his funeral. He's now wearing braces when I read line 30 and only having one set of clothes. As the poem dies out, I see the boy standing outside a door, supposedly to be the mother's bedroom door; as if she didn't want to care about him.