Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - Robert Frost (1923)

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and a frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He give his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

"What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers." - Logan Pearsall Smith

What I feel that Logan Pearsall Smith is speaking of the underlying message, which is more important in writing. It is not the details that are blatantly stated, but things that you have to listen closely to comprehend. This is what makes writers truly great writers, what they don't have to say and people will still understand.

Edgar Allen Poe

I do not have a specific, favorite short story; I have more of a favorite short story author. My favorite author by far has to be Edgar Allen Poe. He writes very cryptic stories that keep you guessing around every turn. My favorite short stories by him are the Raven and the Tell Tale Heart. He has some of the most descriptive writing that  I have ever seen. He is an amazing author and I like to read any short story by him.

Do you think that young people today value their education as much as Sara Smolinsky does? Why or why not?

I think that young people do not value their education nearly as much Sara Smolinsky does. Kids today don't see their schooling as such a high priority. However today kids do value their education more than a couple of decades especially in Sara's time. It is amazing that in a time where most women and men don't complete high school that Sara, a women, is going to college. It is remarkable that she is able to overcome such great obstacles and achieve what she sets out to do. People today do value their education, but for the time period that Sara is in and what she has accomplished eclipses most young people's ambition. What Sara is doing is kind of like getting a doctorate in today's day and age and most young people do not continue their schooling for that long. That is why I believe that young people do not value their education nearly as much as Sara.

Bread Givers

Although this is story is based around a very important time and topic; I can just not seem to really begin to enjoy this book. I guess it could possibly be because I have a hard time relating to the main character. I can't relate with how she feels because I have never gone through anything she has done. I feel that my parents are pretty conservative people, however they would be considered pretty liberal if compared to Sara's father. I feel I would enjoy this book much more if I could put myself in her shoes a little bit more, and that is what I will continue to try and do. Maybe as the book continues to progress I will feel more of a connection between myself and Sara. If that happens I truly will be able to enjoy the novel.

"There's nothing hard about writing. All you have to do is sit down and open up a vein." - Walter "Red" Smith

I do agree with this very sarcastic quote; writing is a very difficult thing to do. I find that I can just write about anything, but that does not necessarily make it good writing. To be able to write well I have to have a topic that I am very interested in or else it just does not seem to come out right. I seem to like a couple of the writing tasks, so the outlook for this marking period is pretty good.