Assignment 0

I am first year and so I haven't declared my major yet, but at this point I am planning on being an English major with an Education and French minor. I love working with kids and have always enjoyed my classes in school, and therefore I think that teaching would be a good profession for me. I am leaning towards studying English in the hopes of someday becoming an English teacher because it has always been the subject that I have enjoyed most in school. I love reading and writing, and I really enjoy analyzing and discussing literature. I decided on adding a minor in French, because I have taken almost 8 years of French and would really like to do a semester abroad in France. I am hoping to someday become fluent.

I am from North Sutton, New Hampshire. It's a small, country town with one general store that has wood floors and at least one, dust-covered can of any food you might ever want to buy. Although its very rural, we're not too far from a lot of ski mountains, and Concord is only 30 min away, so there are always things to do. It's one of those towns where everybody knows everyone, but as for me, I think thats kind of nice. 

Aside from writing, I enjoy being active, going outdoors, and running. I am currently on the field hockey team here at St. Lawrence. I also love to knit, read, and hang out with friends in my spare time.

So far I feel like I have had rather good feedback on my work. My teachers have been generally supportive and offered positive feedback for my analytical or creative essays. I generally tend to be pretty shy about sharing my work with my classmates so to be honest I don't know very much about their responses to it.  

I wouldn't say at this point I have had a very strong influence on my writing from any particular poet as I haven't really attempted to write very many poems before. However, some of my favorite poets that I have read have been Lucille Clifton and Robert Frost. I haven't read much of Clifton's work, but I really liked her poem Blessing the Boats. I am not particularly sure why it stood out so much for me, but I guess I felt like it was relatable and applicable to almost anyone at any turning point in their life, and somehow it just stuck with me. We read it in one of my high school english classes and it has been one of my favorite poems ever since.  

Personally, I think poetry is good because most often its not what you see at first glance. I like the way a short number of lines can surprise you with unexpected meaning and depth. I like that it has so many components, the rhythm, the sound of the words, the description, and images, but beneath the basics there is always something deeper to be found. You can read a poem ten times and not quite understand what the author was intending to say, but once it clicks you are left with a good feeling, and an appreciation for both the poem and the author. 

I have loved reading poetry in all of my other English classes and it is something that I have always wanted to be able to do, yet I feel like it is something I have never honestly or earnestly attempted to do. I've never really written many poems and so in this class I am hoping to give myself a chance. Alongside learning about other poets and their poems, I am hoping to find a starting place and a direction in writing some of my own.