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Poem Alzheimers
Poem: Alzheimer’s
Kelly Cherry is a popular writer and poet of many books besides being a renowned publisher. Most of her books are based on poetry and have a collection of many poems altogether. The poem, ‘Alzheimer’s’ is based on her real life experience with her parents. Research and interviews of her have revealed the fact that one of her parents was a victim of the illness. She bases the contents of the poem from the situation she underwent. Her talent is believed to have been drawn from experiences and inspiration from her musical parents, which is related to the art of poetry. From the title of the poem, the poet clearly gives away the intention or content to the reader. However, she still manages to capture the interest of the reader that will enable them to read to the end. Use of literary styles and metaphor are evident in enhancing the main idea of the point. This paper is aimed at exploring the concepts picked from the poem and the picture that the poet manages to create in the head of the readers. It clearly is restricted to a specific field but on the other hand, generates a number of ideas and interpretations. This is achievable because of the many ideas that have been intertwined to bring out the whole idea of Alzheimer.
Basically, the poem is about an old person who has undergone treatment as a result of Alzheimer’s, the disease described in the poem. The poet (Cherry, 1997) describes how the man who is depicted as quite old happens to be trying to find his way home after what is probably a long time away. We realize that the disease in question occurs mostly during middle ages and old age. The poet also describes the lady meeting the man as white haired, thus, justifies the conclusion of the man being old. The weather and surrounding is described as sufficient and welcoming since it did not seem to be a bother to the old man mentioned. Similarly, the man/patient must be attached to the book he keeps holding though does not necessarily refer to it for anything. As he approaches his destination, he is quite familiar with some of the staff around him. He relates to them as some of those he had put up when he was well. This gives him a memory of the ‘good old days’ where he did what he had a passion for, in this case music. He however comes back to reality upon realizing that as his past and that he needed to focus on matters at hand with the seriousness they deserved. Too much remembrance of the past would not do him any good where there were pending problems and issues that needed sorting out. Finally, we get the imagery of a man who does not know what exactly he is getting himself into since he cannot clearly place the lady receiving him with open arms.
Reaction to the Poem
The poem generally, creates room for broad thinking in the reader’s mind. It is challenging from the wider perspective of life where the future cannot have a guarantee for anyone. As clearly seen, the patient who was an old man had a life at one point where everything went as he had planned. The poet, (Cherry, 1997) indicates his love for music which he remembered. It is clearly brought out that one should live for the day and not put so much emphasis on the future since it is undoubtedly unpredictable. It has also been empirically proved that the beauty of the world and basically life lies with the little things that one does in life. Thus, we feel the excitement of the main character where he can remember the music he once loved and the constructions he had put up as he entered the compound. It is also worth noting the use of metaphor by the poet to elaborate the main point. For instance, Cherry, (1997) states that, “his mind rattling like the suitcase, swinging from his hand.” This clearly indicated that he had thoughts all over and was trying to put his views in place by trying to settle down his mind.
Explication of the Poem
With a detailed analysis, there is more than comes to the eye when one follows up the contents of the poem. First, we realize that the poet shows that there is much hope for the character despite the illness that he had had to deal with. When he nears his home, there is a clear indication of a great weather with the sun clear and roses in the garden around his place (Cherry, 1997). Thus, this is a clear use of metaphor that shows possibility and expectations of a better future. Similarly, the receiving lady in a smile shows that he is heading to a better place with much more loving and caring people.
Secondly, the line that mentions that he has to figure out the identity of the lady welcoming him shows that much was lost during his illness. With the thought on music and having to remember, we realize that the character does not have memory of most things that happened before. It has been medically proven that Alzheimer’s disease makes patients lose a large percentage of their memory depending on how much the damage on the brain has been. In most cases especially in old age, the victims forget a greater percentage of their lives than would be with younger people. Thus, the poet uses the indication on the last line to emphasize on the loss of memory; however, not all since he could figure out the surrounding he had helped build up.
Feelings Drawn from the Poem
Undoubtedly, the poem makes the reader feel pity especially on the main character who in this case happens to be the patient as well. It is clear from the description of his music ability that he used to be energetic. The poet also leads the reader to believe that the patient had placed so energy and time on music which was his passion. In the present state, he can only have memories and focus his energy on other things such as recovering his memory. It is therefore pitiful that he did not do what he wanted till his last day. It would have been much satisfactory and contenting had he left music out of free will and choice to resign. However, having to quit because of lack of option and being forced to focus on things unplanned for makes the whole situation pitiful. However, a reader can also feel the strength of the character because instead of lamenting and having self pity, he focuses on the matters at hand at the time.
Relation to Real Life
From the poem, a reader can relate to real life especially in terms of making use of an opportunity while it lasts. People need to develop a habit of appreciating the basic things in life when they can. Procrastinating should not be an option provided all that is needed at the particular time is available. For instance, in a case where the character had not been fully involved in music which was his passion, he would have lost the opportunity completely due to his condition. We realize that he had put all his energy into developing music as a career while he still could. This should be the same in real life. Everything should be treated with the seriousness it requires to avoid future regrets. Similarly, we realize the unpredictability of life and the need to be safe where one can. The illness was definitely not planned and this took a totally different turn for the victim. Besides taking advantage of opportunities that are around, appreciation of the same is also key. This, as mentioned above, will eliminate chances of having regrets in future that a person can probably do nothing about by the time they realize the necessity.
Relation to Human Condition
This is more or less similar to the relationship it has with the real life of humans. However, it is more focussed on the physical state and conditions of human beings. From what the poet (Cherry, 1997) describes, people cannot be young forever, thus what is done at some point has to end one way or another. Thus, the music career of the character in question had to come to an end. However, it is not always that it ends as an option. As mentioned above, it reaches a point where the condition of a person forces them out of what they do. For instance, the human creature is very sensitive and can be vulnerable to some factors in the environment such as illnesses. The poem shows clearly how this happens and is basically the most important argument in the poem. Thus, it is necessary that people prevent avoidable situation and in cases where it is unavoidable, they make use of the available opportunity. This is because the human condition cannot be planned in advance.
Works Cited:
Cherry, Kelly. Alzheimer’s. 1997. Print.
Poe no Ichizoku, Question for the audience Does not this look like the perfect family
Poe no Ichizoku, Question for the audience: Doesn’t this look like the perfect family?
The first picture of the family entering a restaurant in London oozes class in a society that identifies with class. The elegance of the Portsnell family is clearly depicted within the picture, with their ability to capture attention and imagination clearly visible. The photograph masks a number of imperfections, key to which is the fact that the Portsnells are vampires. The innocent look the Portsnells have, sees them smoothly integrate into life away from London, and forms the first of many deceptions the Portsnell family engages in to hide their true identities. Further, the picture also denotes the first time Dr. Clifford and Mrs. Portsnell meet for the first time, a time at which a ploy to take the doctor’s Blood is hatched.
The second picture captures the other side of what living a double life means. All the Portsnells’ are fighting a conflict within themselves in one way or another. The conflicts affect the family itself as well as their interactions with others. For instance, Marybell finds her relationship with Allan getting very complicated due to the love they share, a complication that is further compounded by Allan’s proposal to her. Marybell is aware that she is not a normal child and cannot, therefore, live a normal life, as in the few years Allan expects them to get married she will still be the same age. These conflicts are increasingly resulting in states of despair for the Portsnell family. The fact that they are vampires not only forces them to lead double lives, but it is making them lack proper social interactions
Podcasting & social information share
Podcasting & social information share
Podcasting
Podcasting refers to the action of subscribing to a feed or a set of feeds containing content provided by syndicated internet sites. This content is what is refers to as a podcast. The word podcast popularized from the innovation of portable media players such as iPod is a derivation of the two words “broadcast” and “pod” (Geoghegan & Klass, 2005). A podcast figuratively is a form of digital media file comprising of a set of episodes of relatively different in context of a subject and may vary in the form of the digital file provided by the web syndicate to include versions such as audio, video, and PDF. Theses digital files are readily available to their audience by giving users the option to either download the file or stream the content of the digital file live from the web syndicated on their mobile devices or desktop computers.
Podcasting has similar characteristic to the popular RSS feed technology that allows users subscribe to a their choice of a web content from syndicated websites but podcasting unlike RSS offers the user the ability to subscribe to direct download of predefined content of video or audio format from a website. RSS feed provides the user with a description of new content when it becomes available in text form and may feature a button for video or audio viewing. Podcast and webcasting follow the same principle of broadcasting media but the two differ in their delivery method where podcasts offer the users the privilege of viewing digital media offline after downloading the file while webcasting employs streaming media technology to convey content of digital media.
Podcasts usually of video or audio type depending on the website offering the service occur in a detailed list of varying content with a title that identifies the context of each file. Through software dedicated for viewership of the file referred to as podcatcher such as iTunes or gPodder, a user has the capability to view, listen or download the audio or video files directly from the web feed (Geoghegan & Klass, 2005). The podcatcher that is an application software links to the web feed providing the data and through their interaction, the software checks for any new content and depending on the user subscription specification, it can directly download the content or update the user of the new development.
“NPR” web feed provides this form of podcasting that does not have a live feed on the content ergo does not support webcasting but rather provides a link that the user can use on their podcatcher to view content of the file. “NPR” website offers versatility content for user preference each group providing information denoted the group title. The group “car talk” is a series of podcasts that features mechanics from around the U.S taking calls from car owners to discuss episodes of a humorous nature that involve their cars. The podcasts are audio recordings of a radio show hosted by two mechanics Tom and Ray. In one of the podcast under the “cat talk” group titled “The Cavalier That Wouldn’t Die”, the two mechanics handle a case from Kate who determined to get rid of their beat-up Chevy Cavalier but has to overcome her husband intention to hold on to the car for another 150000 miles. The podcast also features Sofia who has deal with a disapproving mechanic insisting that sounds she hears from her Civic are only figments of her imagination.
Webcasting with the popularity of streaming media has manifested quickly in most podcasting web feeds from its efficiency to severe various users simultaneously through the internet. Most of the podcasting websites that I have analyzed feature this capability. In the website “This Week in Tech”, the website offers users the capability to download, stream and listen to different episodes. The website “TWiT” largely covers developing news on the evolution and application of technologic aspects. An example of a Podcast from “TWiT” titled “preloaded with love” is a show hosted by four counterparts who discuss on topics that standout in recent news and captivate their audience by employing a humorous discourse to their delivery method. This particular show focuses on the work of a hacker under an anonymous alias retrieving a phone call conversation between the F.B.I and U.K police detailing on the plan of the two organizations to arrest a group of hackers but ironically included in the list is the anonymous hacker that leaked the phone conversation. The clip also covers a story of a dispute between Motorola and Apple over infringement of Motorola patent serving synchronization of emails conflicting with iCloud provided by Apple in Germany. In the website “languagepod101”, a user subscribes to a language of their choice displayed in the website cover for lessons that feature different themes on the language such as a podcast from the website “frenchpod101” that comprises a video clip of the language basics. Dungeons and dragons is one of the most popular role playing games in the U.S and the website “wizard.com” embodies the fun of the game by offering users with an avalanche of audio podcasts that features different people playing the game such as the “Penny Arcade/ PvP Series 2 EP1” podcast. “TED Talks” is one of the most respected websites for innovative podcasts by their ability to make users observe a deeper meaning to even the simplest of concepts. The podcast “The LXD: In the internet age, dance evolves…” features dancers pulled from different video postings on the web showing the new generation of dancers and the quickly growing street dance culture in a deeper perspective.
Another social information share
Founded the year 2002 in December and released to the public the following year in the month of May, LinkedIn is now one of the most popular social media websites of the 21st century and is centrally dedicated for professional users where people use the platform to advertise on their expertise. The global appeal of the website has managed to enable it gunner a whopping 259 million subscribers as at 2013 in an aggregate 200 countries (Muccio, 2013). The website reported that from 2009, they were attracting more than one million users for every two weeks. The site popularity mostly is a reference of the site complementing features considering it allows users of different localities easily interact seemingly through the over 20 versatile languages available to the site. A few of the languages included in the site resume include English, French, German and Russian. The survey group Quantacast announced that the company has over 65.6 million people visiting the site in the U.S only and another 178.4 million visitors around the world as at 2013 survey statistics essentially overtaking popular social media sites such as MySpace (Muccio, 2013).
The site identified under the social networking paradigm embodies a different perspective to the discourse as compared to most social media websites that offer subscribers convention social interaction. LinkedIn rather attracts the business community with the objective of allowing registered members form networks of profession entices with members they trust professionally or have an arterial motif they hope to accomplish by connecting to a certain member. LinkedIn has an aggregate 170 cosigned industries of which 27% are potential recruiters (Muccio, 2013). The site features members’ profiles encompassing on their educational background, their employment status and prior history of employment, comprehensive news updates and network feeds detailing different agendas relevant to members of a group or individual members.
LinkedIn membership is free to all users but unlike other social media such as Facebook that allow somewhat freedom to form relationship with any member of the network, LinkedIn requires that members of the network known as “connections” have prior relationship before authorizing a connection. Some of the clauses that facilitate connection of members include members’ prior relationship with a person as a coworker or members sharing an education background such as the same school. Members connection threshold is measured with the use of degrees where member in the network that have a connection less than or up to three degrees have communication capabilities between each other but is limited to authorization where an introduction to the context of a message is required of the sender before the receiver can authorize the connection. The site also offers a subsidiary service for premium members who pay to have a more access to the LinkedIn site allowing them greater access to members of the database.
Despite the site offering a direct access to potential recruiters and professionals of different fields, a person effectiveness to reap from the website services requires largely depends on their professionalism in detailing their profile. The site is also used by a variety of businesses with the objective of promoting their products and services, and update members of emerging news concerning different agendas. Considering that, the site is the leading social media for professional services, it is therefore essential that any business have a company page detailing their business discourse for comprehensive business-to– business and business-to-customer relationship. Despite Facebook portrayal as the best business-to-consumer social media platform, the essence of LinkedIn majorly featuring professionals and considering that professionals also are consumers compels the case for using the site as a business-to-consumer platform just as much and more than any social media platform.
Reference
“Penny Arcade/PvP Series 2 HYPERLINK “http://www.wizards.com” Wizards of the Coast.” (2009, February 18). Wizards of the coast. Podcast retrieved from http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4pod/20090218
Lane, HYPERLINK “http://www.sarahlane.com” S., Akhtar, HYPERLINK “http://www.thisoldnerd.com” I., & Howell, HYPERLINK “http://www.jasonhowell.net” J.( 2012, February 3). Preloaded With Love. TWiT. Podcast retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://twit.tv/tnt430” http://twit.tv/tnt430
“Car Talk Podcast November”. (2013, November 16,). NPR. Podcast retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=9911203” http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=9911203
Chu, J. (producer). (2010, March) The LXD: In the Internet age, dance evolves. TED ideas worth spreading. Podcast retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/the_lxd_in_the_internet_age_dance_evolves.html
Posted
“Frenchpod 101.com”. (N.D). Language Pod 101. podcast retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.frenchpod101.com/” http://www.frenchpod101.com/
Muccio, C. (2013). 42 rules for 24-hour success on linkedin: Learning to generate results using. S.l.: Super Star Press.
Geoghegan, M. W., & Klass, D. (2005). Podcast solutions: The complete guide to podcasting. Berkeley, Calif: Friends of ED.