Premium Essay

Reading Signs Poem Summary

Submitted By
Words 456
Pages 2
Upon first reading of Reading Signs it evokes strange imagery of a peculiar man licking stones for some unfathomable reason. But it soon becomes clear the “he” is a gull. Specifically a juvenile gull.
Herring gulls will pick up stones, carry them into the air, then drop them and swoop to catch them before they hit the water. Gulls also regularly pick up shells and drop them from a height in order to break them open to look for food. If a gull is doing this with stones it most likely means it is a juvenile gull learning how to do this practice with stones.
Once you become aware of what the poem is about it evokes truly sad images of a small bird trying to learn how to gather food but unable to do so because the stones on the beach are covered

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The White Man's Burden

...“’The White Man’s Burden,’ published in 1899 in McClure’s magazine, is one of Kipling’s most infamous poems” (Gradesaver.com). This seven-stanza poem was originally composed for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, which was a celebration held to mark her 60-year reign. As the time approached, he presented an entirely different poem and used this poem, The White Man’s Burden, to send to Theodore Roosevelt, who was governor of New York at the time. He sent this poem after spotting many different events across the Atlantic in the Spanish-American War. Kipling thought that sending this poem would help Roosevelt become aware of maybe losing power and an empire. All seven stanzas of this poem start with the same line “Take up the White Man’s burden—“ that goes into the second line that explains a different aspect of what should be done to help different uncivilized places by ending hunger, disease, and more for the natives, who are described as “half devil and half child.” It helped create an idea of the different responsibilities a white man should take care of with the education and possessions they have. With all this help, it was thought that it would help the Americans to develop and advance to a superior state of civilization. Generally meaning that white people have...

Words: 817 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Mytholgoy

...Novel Project Choices Choose two, and make a binder or other container for them. Make sure your project has a table of contents. Cut and paste the instructions for each project at the beginning of that project. See rubric for grading procedures. 1. Character astrology signs. After reading brief descriptions of astrology or sun signs, figure out which signs you think three of the main characters/people from the book were born under. Tell who the three characters/people are, a brief summary of what they do in the book, and the sign that you think fits them. Write an explanation of why you think they fit the sign. As you are explaining why they fit that sign, be sure to recap events from the book to support your thinking—drawing on their actions, attitudes, and thoughts from the book. Here are a couple of links to websites you might want to use as you research different astrology signs: 
                                                         http://www.starlightastrology.com/signsindex.htm
                                                         http://www.astrology-online.com/persn.htm     2. Heroes and superheroes. Pick a character/person from the book you read. First, describe the character/person--who is she, what did she do in the book, what are her beliefs, etc. Then, select two or three people your character/person would think of as a hero or superhero. Describe the characteristics of that hero or superhero and why those characteristics would be important to...

Words: 5264 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

Parental Involvement in Reading: Effect on Early Reading Achievement

...National Reading Strategy February 2008 All rights reserved. You may copy material from this publication for use in non-profit education programmes if you acknowledge the source. For use in publications, please get the written permission of the Department of Education. Department of Education Sol Plaatje House 123 Schoeman Street PRETORIA Private Bag X895 PRETORIA 0001 ISBN 177018-062-1 1 Acknowledgements The Department of Education (DoE) wishes to acknowledge the following individuals and organization who contributed in the development of National Reading Strategy: 2 Contents Page numbers 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2. Why improve reading? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3. The situation in South Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4. Specific challenges in implementing the National Reading Strategy . . . . . 8 i) Teacher competency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 ii) Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 iii) Teaching conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 iv) Print environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 v) Language issues ...

Words: 7959 - Pages: 32

Free Essay

Literacy Portfolio Ece 231

...By Jane Yolen • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, by Bill Martin Jr. • The Shape of Me & Other Stuff, by Dr. Seuss • The Wind Blew, by Pat Hutchins 5) NON-FICTION • Black? White? Day? Night! A Book of Opposites, by Laura Vaccaro Seeger • Apples Here! By Will Hubbell • Clothing Around the World, by Kelly Doundra • We Are All Alike, We Are All Different, by the Cheltenham Elementary school Kindergarteners • Little Bear Brushes His Teeth, by Jetta Langreuter SONG & DANCE LITERACY THEMES [pic] Title: A House for Hermit Crab Author: Eric Carle Illustrator: Eric Carle Publisher: Simon and Schuster children’s books Age Level: 4 – 6 Summary – A hermit crab wanders the ocean floor looking for the perfect home. Extension Activity – “The Hermit Crab Cha, Cha, Cha”. Objective – Story recall, large motor development and music appreciation. Materials needed – Singing...

Words: 4945 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Poetry - Pablo Neruda

...justice, and in the crystal hour, in the fastness of solitary stars, I crossed cities, forests, small farms and seaports, from the door of one human being to another, from the hand of one being to another being, and another, Solemn’s the night, but man has disposed his fraternal signs, and groping my way along roads and shadows I reached the lit doorway, the little point of star that was mine, the bread crumb that the wolves from the forest had not devoured. Once in the countryside, at night, I reached a house, where I’d never seen anyone that night or even imagined those lives. Whatever they did, their hours were new in my consciousness. I entered, they were a family of five: all had arisen as on the night of a fire. I shook hand after hand, saw face after face, that said nothing to me: they were doors that I did not see before in the street, eyes that did not know my face, and in the dead of night, after welcoming me, I succumbed to fatigue, to sleep my country’s anguish… “A poem is the perfect form of expression.” Discuss this statement using reviews of at least one poem and a number of articles, which discuss the poet’s work. Poet ~ Pablo Neruda Poem ~ Poema 20, Canto 10 – The Fugitive Introduction Why poetry? One argument dates back to Aristotle, to the famous distinction between history and poetry: history reports what happened and is therefore subject to all the constraints and imperfections of actual life; poetry by...

Words: 1729 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Spm English

...SPM ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1119 SMART MODULE 2 2011 [pic] SPM ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1119 SMART MODULE 2 2011 Patron En. Mansor bin Lat Director of Kedah Education Department Advisor Tn. Hj. Asmee bin Haji Tajuddin Head of the Academic Sector Coordinator Pn. Hjh. Zaliha bt Ahmad The Principal Assistant Director (English Language) Committee Members Pn. Wan Aisyah bt Haris (Assistant District Language Officer for Language, Kota Setar) Pn. Hjh. Fadzillah bt Selamat (Assistant District Language Officer for Languages, Kubang Pasu) En. Yong Kooi Hin (Assistant District Language Officer for Languages, Baling Sik) En. Nordin bin Mohd. Noor (Assistant District Language Officer for Languages, Padang Terap) En. Azmi bin Othman (Assistant District Language Officer for Languages, Kuala Muda Yan) En. Nagaiah Velu (Assistant District Language Officer for Languages, Langkawi) En. Md. Zahir bin Husin (Assistant District Language Officer for Languages, Kulim Bandar Baharu) Pn. Nadia Normala Vimala bt Abdullah (Assistant District Language Officer for Languages, Pendang) Cik Farha bt Sobry (Assistant District Language Officer for English (Secondary), Kuala Muda Yan En. Oslan bin Yum (Assistant District Language Officer for English (Secondary), Kubang Pasu Panel of Smart Module 2 2011 (SPM 1119) 1. Pn. Farah Ikhmar bt Jafri (SMK Sik) 2. En. Lim Swee Teong (SMK Simpang Kuala) ...

Words: 34178 - Pages: 137

Free Essay

Literature

...Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction ‘Jonathan Culler has always been about the best person around at explaining literary theory without oversimplifying it or treating it with polemical bias. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction is an exemplary work in this genre.’ J. Hillis Miller, University of California, Irvine ‘An impressive and engaging feat of condensation . . . the avoidance of the usual plod through schools and approaches allows the reader to get straight to the heart of the crucial issue for many students, which is: why are they studying literary theory in the first place? . . . an engaging and lively book.’ Patricia Waugh, University of Durham Jonathan Culler LITERARY THEORY A Very Short Introduction 1 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford o x2 6 d p Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogotá Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw with associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © Jonathan Culler 1997 The moral rights...

Words: 44695 - Pages: 179

Free Essay

Literary Theory

...Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction ‘Jonathan Culler has always been about the best person around at explaining literary theory without oversimplifying it or treating it with polemical bias. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction is an exemplary work in this genre.’ J. Hillis Miller, University of California, Irvine ‘An impressive and engaging feat of condensation . . . the avoidance of the usual plod through schools and approaches allows the reader to get straight to the heart of the crucial issue for many students, which is: why are they studying literary theory in the first place? . . . an engaging and lively book.’ Patricia Waugh, University of Durham Very Short Introductions are for anyone wanting a stimulating and accessible way in to a new subject. They are written by experts, and have been published in 15 languages worldwide. Very Short Introductions available from Oxford Paperbacks: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY Julia Annas THE ANGLO-SAXON AGE John Blair ARCHAEOLOGY Paul Bahn ARISTOTLE Jonathan Barnes Augustine Henry Chadwick THE BIBLE John Riches Buddha Michael Carrithers BUDDHISM Damien Keown CLASSICS Mary Beard and John Henderson Continental Philosophy Simon Critchley Darwin Jonathan Howard DESCARTES Tom Sorell EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN Paul Langford The European Union John Pinder Freud Anthony Storr Galileo Stillman Drake Gandhi Bhikhu Parekh HEIDEGGER Michael Inwood HINDUISM Kim Knott HISTORY John H. Arnold HUME A. J...

Words: 45107 - Pages: 181

Free Essay

Research Paper

...well-defined topic and a precisely formulated argument. • Your approach should be recognizably systematic. • Your argument should remain relevant and clear-cut, consistent and coherent throughout. • Your secondary material should be discussed critically and documented accurately. • Writing is a process; you should constantly revisit and revise. DON’T FORGET TO PRINT, SIGN AND ATTACH THE “PLAGIATSHINWEIS”! First steps Many students neglect the preliminary work of the writing process, but if you give it sufficient attention the actual writing of your paper will be faster and more organized than if you just start writing. The most important thing is to be systematic in your approach. 1. Finding a topic Perhaps the most difficult part of any research paper is finding an adequate topic, formulating a title and making a coherent argument. Once you have decided on a topic or a title, which in literary studies will most likely involve a certain text, rephrase it as a question to guide your research. You should also think about the methodology you intend to apply to your analysis. • • • • 1 Start by reading your primary text closely. If you have access to an annotated edition of your chosen text, make good use of the materials this offers you. Read both the text itself and the additional material carefully whilst taking notes. This will be the basis for your subsequent research. Try to summarize and organize your findings systematically. Figure out which...

Words: 3119 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Life Sketch

...W.B. Yeats's "The Second Coming" W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" was written in 1919, just one year after WWI ended. The beginning of this poem reflects on how evil has taken over the minds of good Christians, and the world has turned into chaos. It is apparent that Yeats believes that a Second Coming is at hand, and he spends the last half of the poem discussing what that Second Coming could look like. Turning and turning in the widening gyre (line 1) Yeats imagines the world in a cyclical sphere known a gyre (shape of a cone). In Yeats' note on the text, he states that "the end of an age, which always receives the revelation of the character of the next age, is represented by the coming of one gyre to its place of greatest expansion and of the other to that of its greatest contraction" (2036). Yeats believes that the two thousand years of Christianity will be coming to an end, and after a violent reversal a new age will take its place. The widening part of the gyre is supposed to connote anarchy, evil, and the loss of innocence. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; (2) The falconer in this analogy is most likely God (or Jesus), and the falcon is the follower (or devotee). Humanity can no longer hear the word of God, because it is drowned out by all of chaos of the widening gyre. A wild falcon can symbolize an unconverted Gentile; someone who has sinful thoughts, and does sinful things. A tame falcon (one who listens to the word of God) is a Christian convert. In the...

Words: 23171 - Pages: 93

Premium Essay

Colredige

...The Lake Poets The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge hone his craft. Troubled by debt, though, he left Cambridge in 1793 and enlisted in the 15th Dragoons, a British army regiment, under the alias Silas Tomkyn Comberbache. After being rescued by his brothers, Coleridge returned to Cambridge, but he left again, in 1794, without having earned a degree. That year, Coleridge met the author Robert Southey, and together they dreamed about establishing a utopian community in the Pennsylvania wilderness of America. Southey, however, backed out of the project, and their dream was never realized. notable quote “No man was ever yet a great poet, without being at the same time a profound philosopher.” fyi Did you know that Samuel Taylor Coleridge . . . • developed a fascination with the supernatural at age five? • was known as a brilliant and captivating conversationalist? • was the most influential literary critic of his day? • liked to write poetry while walking? Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772–1834 Samuel Taylor Coleridge is famous for composing “Kubla Khan” and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” considered two of the greatest English poems. As a critic and philosopher, he may have done more than any other writer to spread the ideas of the English romantic movement. Precocious Reader The youngest of ten For more on Samuel Taylor Coleridge, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com. children, Coleridge grew up feeling rejected by his...

Words: 9889 - Pages: 40

Free Essay

Edrhodg

..._______________________________________________________________________ TEACHING LANGUAGE IN A MULTICULTURAL CONTEXT 13 2.1 INTRODUCTION 14 2.2 MULTILINGUALISM 14 2.3 HOME LANGUAGE, FIRST AND SECOND ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES 15 2.4 SWITCHING AND MIXING CODES 16 2.5 LANGUAGE TEACHING IN A MULTICULTURAL CONTEXT 18 2.6 CULTURE AND LANGUAGE TEACHING 19 iii 2.7 LANGUAGES WITH HIGH AND LOW STATUS IN SOUTH AFRICA 21 2.8 OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY UNIT 23 2.9 CONCLUSION 24 STUDY UNIT 3 _______________________________________________________________________ IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES OF LANGUAGE TEACHING 25 3.1 INTRODUCTION 28 3.2 PRINCIPLE 1: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING,...

Words: 117690 - Pages: 471

Premium Essay

Learning Theory

...studies - 11 Stop and think - 11 Ten tenets of liberal humanism - 16 Literary theorising from Aristotle to Leavis some key moments - 21 Liberal humanism in practice - 31 The transition to 'theory' - 32 Some recurrent ideas in critical theory - 34 Selected reading - 36 2 Structuralism - 39 Structuralist chickens and liberal humanist eggs Signs of the fathers - Saussure - 41 Stop and think - 45 The scope of structuralism - 46 What structuralist critics do - 49 Structuralist criticism: examples - 50 Stop and think - 53 Stop and think - 55 39 Stop and think - 57 Selected reading - 60 3 Post-structuralism and deconstruction - 61 Some theoretical differences between structuralism and post-structuralism - 61 Post-structuralism - life on a decentred planet - 65 Stop and think - 68 Structuralism and post-structuralism - some practical differences - 70 What post-structuralist critics do - 73 Deconstruction: an example - 73 Selected reading - 79 4 Postmodernism - 81 What is postmodernism? What was modernism? - 81 'Landmarks' in postmodernism: Habermas, Lyotard and Baudrillard - 85 Stop and think - 90 What postmodernist critics do - 91 Postmodernist criticism: an example - 91 Selected reading - 94 5 Psychoanalytic criticism - 96 Introduction - 96 How Freudian interpretation works - 98 Stop and think - 101 Freud and evidence - 102 What Freudian psychoanalytic critics do - 105 Freudian...

Words: 98252 - Pages: 394

Free Essay

Publications of Nigerian Football in Vanguard Nwespapers

...activities of the government nearer to the people, newspapers are now very popular and common with adults and young alike. Newspapers are veritable tools for promoting literacy through reading, writing and dialogues (among readers and critics), which are the hallmarks of effective and efficient use of language. Newspapers have a built-in capacity to motivate readers. As a result, it is the common practice in most parts of the country to have people congregate around newspapers stands and vendors every morning reading and discussing the contents of the newspapers. Newspapers can thus promote critical thinking, retention of information, problem solving and questioning of information source. This paper is an account of an on-going study regarding the effectiveness and noneffectiveness of English medium newspapers for facilitating literacy empowerment. Given the need to exploit the enormous resources of newspapers, as vehicles for facilitating literacy empowerment among literate communities, this paper suggests steps that can be taken by newspaper publishers, members of the Nigerian education orchestra and the Nigerian polity in appropriating the catalytic role of the newspaper as an instrument for promoting literate communities in Nigeria. Our experience in using newspapers to enhance integrative writing and reading in language arts, social studies, science and mathematics in the formal set-ups in our communities will be shared in the paper. Keywords:...

Words: 3558 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

Extensive Reading

...Making Use of English Subtitled K-Pop MV in Exploring Students’ Extensive Reading Comprehension YUNINGSIH Telkom University, Indonesia yuningsihlegiman@gmail.com ABSTRACT Studies on captions and subtitles in EFL learning gave positive effects on comprehension and vocabulary acquisition (Chung, 1996, Neurnan & Koskinen, 1992; Price, 1983; Vanderplank, 1988, 1993). Using song in ELT was highly impressive and motivating (Murphey, 1992; Lied, 2000). This study was designed to investigate the use of English-subtitled K-Pop MV in exploring students’ extensive reading ability. In this case study, five students, four girls and one boy, were selected. To collect the data, document analysis and an in-depth interview were conducted. The findings showed in comprehending the song, the students’ interpretations were still shallow and relying heavily on summary of narrative with very low-level inference. Meanwhile in vocabulary acquisition, it helped their better understanding wider range vocabulary, either in English or Korean. In addition, using K-Pop for learning English was more interesting and enjoyable, it is also motivating. Overall, using English-subtitle on K-Pop can be used as an alternative way to enliven extensive reading. Keywords: Subtitle, comprehension, extensive reading, interpretation, inference. INTRODUCTION The Korean wave—”hallyu” in Korean—refers to a surge in the international visibility of Korean culture, beginning in East Asia in the 1990s and continuing...

Words: 3460 - Pages: 14