Entry 1_ Trần Thị Hiền

Entry 1

Item 1: Poem

Happiness (by Raymond Carver)

 

So early it’s still almost dark out.

I’m near the window with coffee,

and the usual early morning stuff

that passes for thought.

 

When I see the boy and his friend

walking up the road

to deliver the newspaper.

 

They wear caps and sweaters,

and one boy has a bag over his shoulder.

They are so happy

they aren’t saying anything, these boys.

 

I think if they could, they would take

each other’s arm.

It’s early in the morning,

and they are doing this thing together.

 

They come on, slowly.

The sky is taking on light,

though the moon still hangs pale over the water.

 

Such beauty that for a minute

death and ambition, even love,

doesn’t enter into this.

 

Happiness. It comes on

unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,

any early morning talk about it.

–       Rhetorical devices

Metaphor:

• ‘dark’, ‘moon’ (grief or sadness)
• ‘early morning’, ‘light’,  ‘happy’ ’boys’ (happiness)
• Two boy (friendship)

–       Message: Happiness comes on unexpectedly in every day of life.

 

Item 2:Story

The most important part

 

 

My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body.

Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.”

She said, “No. Many people are deaf.

But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.”

Several years passed before she asked me again.

Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.

So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.”

She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.”

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mother
asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No.

But you are getting smarter every year, my child.”

Then one year, my grandfather died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying.Even my father cried. I remember that especially because it was only the second
time I saw him cry.

My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to my Grandfather.

She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?”

I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me, “This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in your life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you were wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.”

She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.”

I asked, “Is it because it holds up my head?”

She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when
they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only
hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder
to cry on when you need it.”

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one.

It is sympathetic to the pain of others.

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did.

But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.

–       Rhetorical device:

Metaphor: Shoulder (sympathy, help)

Parallelism

–       Message: people will never forget how you made them feel.

Item 3: Cartoon

Nobel peace prize winner

 

 

–       Rhetorical devices:

Symbol:

Vulture: chim kền kền (death)

Obama: United states

Soldier: the war

Irony: Obama gained Nobel Prize for peace; however, he wants to take army to Syria.

–       Message: protecting world peace is what US resorts to attacking Syria

 

Source:

(1) http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/carver/7416

(2) http://bachdangshincollege.edu.vn/the-most-important-part-of-a-body/

(3) http://www.commonsenseevaluation.com/2013/08/31/cartoon-day-peace-prize-winner/