The Problem of Describing Trees

The Problem of Describing Trees
by Robert Hass

The argument in the poem The Problem if Describing Trees is that there are not enough words to truly describe what trees do.  There can be several different ways to phrase what one sees, but to fully capture the beauty and movement in the nature of trees is impossible.  Hass starts his poem attempting to describe what the aspen is doing, but as the poem progresses the reader sees him stop himself and reassess what he's saying.  Finally, the poem ends with "The aspen doing something in the wind", demonstrating that Hass feels that he cannot describe the tree but instead one should experience it themselves since there are so many ways to see it.

"Dance with me, dancer. Oh, I will" 
The speaker of this line in the poem is the poet asking the reader to believe the words that he is saying.  He wants the reader to dance with him, meaning come along with him while attempting to find the right words to describe this tree.  Searching for the words is a dance of sorts because of the effort and movement dancing around the right words is.  The line before refers to poetry, so one can see that the speaker here wants the reader to entertain him for a minute while he tries to fully explain himself through words in poetry.

Lost.

My Four Letter Word

My four-letter word is "nest".  I find this word fascinating because it seems so simple but is much more than one originally thinks of it.  At first, someone might read it and initially associate it with a bird's nest; however theres so much more to it.  I am arguing that this word is a place of comfort in a time of chaos or troubles, much like home.

A Reading Relationship

What is your relationship with your reader?
(Referencing Billy Collin's The Flight of the Reader)

In general, I would say my reader is a like cricket.  It's not like I do not have a relationship with my reader, but usually the emotion does not run deep.  My reader is always there. He or she is consistent, always listening and waiting to see what I write next.  For school essays in particular, my reader observes and reads what I'm trying to convey, but usually the relationship stops there.  It isn't until I am passionately writing something that my reader morphs into a bluebird or a wild parrot.  More likely, my reader would be a "wild parrot digging your [its] claws into my loud shirt".  It could be when I'm writing about a cause that I feel strongly about or a letter I'm writing to someone important in my life.  If I write about something I care about, my reader is more likely to care about it too.  If my reader is more invested in what I'm writing, they become more active in it, not just simply reading what is on the page.  It isn't until I get emotional with my own writing that my reader becomes as well.  I want to be more connected with my reader rather than just preaching to a mundane choir but often it ends up being more of a platonic relationship with no strong feelings.

Visual Arguments

A picture is worth more than a thousand words when arguing a point.  While written arguments are one way of visually outlining an argument, actual images provide for a stronger connection between the person arguing the point and the witness.  The words may be missing but images provide much more.  The colors, lines, contrast, and sights bring out the witness's personal connections.  He or she has his or her own memories and thoughts to contribute to the argument that are felt as images appear.  While images allow more leeway for interpretation, the connection between the witness and the argument itself is something that cannot simply be done with words.

Lists

Boys:

• Dude
• Bro
• Man
• Thug
• Friend
• Pal
• Cheif
• Sir
• Scout
• Son
• Champ
• Buddy
• Mah Man

Girls:

• Chick
• Hoe
• Babe
• Bitch
• Mammi
• Mamasita
• Guurl
• Chicita
• Hunny
• Mama
• Lady
• Miss
• Madame
• Girl

Blog this: first thoughts

I keep thinking about my project 3, and I’m pretty sure my next [rhetorical] move will be to try and find a more smooth and coherent train of thought within my writing.  I think I came up with some good points of discussion, but I need to make it more fluid in order to make more sense.  Also I'd like to try to find more similes and other forms of words in order to make help with this too.