English 12 Sitting on a Story Sarah Ganton
1. A friend of mine, Sheldon, suggested we take a jaunt around North Vancouver since he doesn't live around here. I thought it was a good time to find my bench while I was with this boy, who graduated with an A in English 12. We walked down Lonsdale and I retold my adventurous tales to Sheldon about Victoria Park, well, the only tale I have of this park. That tale will be kept a secret for now until I look back at it in a couple years. I am keeping it a secret for my own sake and that will be all. We walked into the park and I chose my, the bench. I chose this quaint bench because of the one memory I have and the ones I can create. I love being able to see the cityscape and water from my bench. Looking out over the water and into the distance gives me a sense of calming. The bench is wood, the planks are close together and two of them are splintering. I wonder who sat on it to make it splinter...The arm rests are rot iron and twirl in a design of vine looking shapes.
2. The setting around me is grassy and To the right of me are apartment buildings, the one to the left has over 15 floors and it is pinkish in colour. The one to the right is 3 floors and is brown and an off-white. The taller building looks to be pricey while the other looks like it isn't taken care of that well. In between the two buildings there is a large maple tree but all the leaves are missing and past it I can see the cityscape of downtown Vancouver. It’s all lit up because of the early hours of the sunset in the winter. In front of me there is a statue to do with vimy ridge, which is a little depressing if you think if why it is standing there. There are also some paths, other benches and a picnic table in the distance. To my left past my Blue-eyed, bearded friend is more apartment buildings all with around 5 floors or more. Behind me there is Lonsdale Road, buses zoom past very half hour or so, predicting when the seabus is coming and going. Sitting here, I feel calm, comfortable, relaxed and maybe a little cold. I left my sweater at school; I didn’t anticipate it to be this cold. I thought my jacket would suffice but with this shaking, I don’t think so. Although that’s why I brought someone with me, a natural heater. As I am sitting here I am thinking about a lot, besides how cold I am. I feel free at this moment, sitting without technology and nowhere to be. Two people sitting in each other's company without having to talk, it’s really nice. It makes me think about my future career and future relationships with people. I think about how I will lose people but I will also gain people in my life as I grow. Some high school friendships will fall out, some will last for many more years to come. Meeting new people is something I love to do, so I am excited to see who I meet in my future. Most of our relationships in life shape us, and from there we make choices that affect our life. For example if my friend hadn’t sent me link to a song, I would have never discovered the music I live for to this day. Music has influenced me a lot since then in 2008/2009 and through that I have met my lovely friend Sheldon here and many other people. In fact, I am listening to music right now, as I have written all of these words I have been listening to music. It Helps me concentrate and opens my mind. I wish this assignment had been, “Sit on a bench and choose a song.” I would have had 500 words just about the song and what it meant to me. Here I am going off on a tangent of if it was about that anyway. I appreciate the fact of how Poetry plays into this assignment though as it is essentially the same as music. I guess I could have used a song for my poem but I like to discover and try new things, so I'm doing just that.
3. If I had a bench dedicated to me I would want people to look at it and take a moment to think about why this is here. The other benches have dedications but this one doesn't seem to. I wonder why that is. Have they yet to put the dedication on it? Maybe I chose this bench for a reason. What if it was because I don’t like to think that a bench I’m sitting on is dedicated to a stranger who passed away. Sometimes I do feel disrespectful sitting on a bench and not thinking about the person it is meant to remember.
Anyway, if I had a bench dedicated to me, I would want it overlooking the water. So when someone sat on it their minds would escape from reality, just as mine did. As they sit there they would think, learn and grow. I hope the bench would serve as much meaning as mine did for me. I also would want the bench to be something special for my friends and family. Somewhere for them to go and still be with me and feel connected to me. The bench would be pained purple with black rot-iron arm rests. Purple because it is my favourite colour. The arm rests would twirl around with design and have little butterflies hand painted on it. The butterflies symbolize my part of other peoples life. I have this symbol because once my neighbor told me I was a butterfly fluttering around my cousin. Dedication Plates aren’t long so I would like mine to say “Sarah Ganton, Still listening to you and always here for you.”
4. If I were to dedicate a bench, it would be to my cousin first of all. She passed away in 2010 but made a huge impact on everyone she knew. I guess it would be in Jamaica, since she loved it there. I may not get to see the bench but that is where it would belong. The bench would be simple and made of their local wood. It might look a bit rough on the outside but it would be sturdy seat. The bench would completely symbolize my cousin, for everything she was and still is. She was a strong but troubled individual, living in a paradise at peace when she was in Jamaica. he bench’s sturdy structure and old style look would be a symbol of just that.
If Tracy (my cousin) knew I talked of her so fondly and that I would do this for her, I think she would appreciate it. She did so much for me as I was kid so she deserves every ounce of appreciation and nothing but. I almost feel like she is still watching and knows what I am doing for her and how much I am thinking about her. I miss her dearly but I am happy she is in a better place. Now that I think about this all, maybe I really will get a bench for her. I will have to look into how to do that.
5. Journal
I visited a bench with my friend, so i could write around 2000 words for Mr. Hallam’s English 12 class. It was a very cold day to be doing so, but what I am really thankful for, is that it hadn’t snowed yet. Visiting the bench was nice though, I have to say. I haven’t had time lately to go for a walk, which I normally do to think and clear my mind. It has been too cold to do so, but the sit on the bench was quite nice. Other times my friend Melissa and I go for walks to talk rather than just think. I should bring her to the bench I suppose, so I can share it with her. For the summer I will sit at my bench but in the winter I think I will sit by the fire and think instead.
Visiting the bench helped me out a lot. I was able to relieve stress by relaxing and trying not to think about the future. Though I did think about the future a lot, but since I was in a calm, relaxed state I thought of it quite positively. It was easy to let my mind wander from, where I will live to what school I will go to. I am afraid I won’t make it into school, that I won’t like my courses. More then anything I am afraid of the money issues I will face as a thriving student. I hate that in our world now, that this is a constant problem. We shouldn't have to worry about money while trying to get an education so we can get a job. On a positive note, I am excited to start studying things I am actually interested in. I can’t wait to get out of my house and try new things. I don’t like being held back by my parents. I want to make mistakes and make good choices too.
6. LINES COMPOSED IN A WOOD ON A WINDY DAY
by: Anne Bronte (1820-1849)
My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring
And carried aloft on the wings of the breeze;
For above and around me the wild wind is roaring,
Arousing to rapture the earth and the seas.
The long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing,
The bare trees are tossing their branches on high;
The dead leaves beneath them are merrily dancing,
The white clouds are scudding across the blue sky
I wish I could see how the ocean is lashing
The foam of its billows to whirlwinds of spray;
I wish I could see how its proud waves are dashing,
And hear the wild roar of their thunder to-day!
I chose this poem because it speaks to me and how I was thinking. Though it is about nature that doesn't mean it has to be interpreted that way. I like the personification that is used in this poem, that is what speaks to me the most. As I sat upon my bench I felt like “My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring” just as the poem says in the first line. The entire poem expresses feeling through nature and it almost shows my emotion while sitting on the bench. While I went on thinking about different things my emotions and thinking changed. Also sitting on the bench I was noticing what was around me, the nature and the urban environment. I noticed how I was in quite a busy area but at my bench in the park it felt so calm and quiet. In the last stanza it is about wishing to see the affects of actions. When thinking about the future it is something we all wonder about. Wonder if I do this how will it affect me in the future. I wish i could know how my future will turn out but this is where I differ from the poem. Life is full of surprises and it is fun to wonder so I don't actually want to know what will happen, I just like thinking about it.
7. My outlook on life is very much about how sh*t happens and you just have to deal with it as it hits you. That may be a bad way to word it though, you can strive to get things you want but if you don’t you need to know how to deal with that. That is what is most important.The Poem Lines Composed In A Wood On A Windy Day is a bit similar to my philosophy on life in that it is a poem of emotion and mentality. It is hard to talk about this since the poem is so based in nature but I really like it. “For above and around me the wild wind is roaring” Life can seem like it is roaring around you but you can’t change that. You have to deal with yourself, either join in at full speed or take a step in your own direction. It is all up to you and nobody else.
8. Park are very important in the new world today. Try and imagine Vancouver with out any parks, imagine us in a concrete jungle. Who could do that? Even New York has a park and it is vital for us to be able to think and free our minds, to take time for ourselves. Parks are not only good for us in that way but they hold a little bit of wildlife and seeing the animals gives people a sense of calming. The simplicity of the seeing how the animals live, is helpful to me at least. Park are also a symbol for children and any other age. Parks symbolize the seasons, when the trees loose their leaves and when the bushes grow flower buds. Children are free spirits they could run around in a park for hours, I think, though they may not realize it, this is a way for them to do the same thing as me sitting on the bench. It is a way for them to escape from reality and release their soul. This is the very reason parks and nature is so important.
9. My Thinking Spot
Written by Sarah
Seventeen, an age of new experiences
I visit a bench
Looking far into my future, thinking
Weighing my options
Twenty-Seven, an age of reflection
I visit my bench
Looking back on my past mistakes
But not regretting all the wisdom i gained
Thirty-Seven, an age of acceptance
I visit my bench
Looking at the life I have created
Thankful for the person I have become
Forty-Seven, an age of change
I visit the bench
Looking at what is around me
Thinking of the good and bad changes of atmosphere
Fifty-Seven, an age of Sharing
I visit the bench
It’s time to share my bench
But it will always hold its memory for me
English 12 Sitting on a Story Sarah Ganton
1. A friend of mine, Sheldon, suggested we take a jaunt around North Vancouver since he doesn't live around here. I thought it was a good time to find my bench while I was with this boy, who graduated with an A in English 12. We walked down Lonsdale and I retold my adventurous tales to Sheldon about Victoria Park, well, the only tale I have of this park. That tale will be kept a secret for now until I look back at it in a couple years. I am keeping it a secret for my own sake and that will be all. We walked into the park and I chose my, the bench. I chose this quaint bench because of the one memory I have and the ones I can create. I love being able to see the cityscape and water from my bench. Looking out over the water and into the distance gives me a sense of calming. The bench is wood, the planks are close together and two of them are splintering. I wonder who sat on it to make it splinter...The arm rests are rot iron and twirl in a design of vine looking shapes.
2. The setting around me is grassy and To the right of me are apartment buildings, the one to the left has over 15 floors and it is pinkish in colour. The one to the right is 3 floors and is brown and an off-white. The taller building looks to be pricey while the other looks like it isn't taken care of that well. In between the two buildings there is a large maple tree but all the leaves are missing and past it I can see the cityscape of downtown Vancouver. It’s all lit up because of the early hours of the sunset in the winter. In front of me there is a statue to do with vimy ridge, which is a little depressing if you think if why it is standing there. There are also some paths, other benches and a picnic table in the distance. To my left past my Blue-eyed, bearded friend is more apartment buildings all with around 5 floors or more. Behind me there is Lonsdale Road, buses zoom past very half hour or so, predicting when the seabus is coming and going. Sitting here, I feel calm, comfortable, relaxed and maybe a little cold. I left my sweater at school; I didn’t anticipate it to be this cold. I thought my jacket would suffice but with this shaking, I don’t think so. Although that’s why I brought someone with me, a natural heater. As I am sitting here I am thinking about a lot, besides how cold I am. I feel free at this moment, sitting without technology and nowhere to be. Two people sitting in each other's company without having to talk, it’s really nice. It makes me think about my future career and future relationships with people. I think about how I will lose people but I will also gain people in my life as I grow. Some high school friendships will fall out, some will last for many more years to come. Meeting new people is something I love to do, so I am excited to see who I meet in my future. Most of our relationships in life shape us, and from there we make choices that affect our life. For example if my friend hadn’t sent me link to a song, I would have never discovered the music I live for to this day. Music has influenced me a lot since then in 2008/2009 and through that I have met my lovely friend Sheldon here and many other people. In fact, I am listening to music right now, as I have written all of these words I have been listening to music. It Helps me concentrate and opens my mind. I wish this assignment had been, “Sit on a bench and choose a song.” I would have had 500 words just about the song and what it meant to me. Here I am going off on a tangent of if it was about that anyway. I appreciate the fact of how Poetry plays into this assignment though as it is essentially the same as music. I guess I could have used a song for my poem but I like to discover and try new things, so I'm doing just that.
3. If I had a bench dedicated to me I would want people to look at it and take a moment to think about why this is here. The other benches have dedications but this one doesn't seem to. I wonder why that is. Have they yet to put the dedication on it? Maybe I chose this bench for a reason. What if it was because I don’t like to think that a bench I’m sitting on is dedicated to a stranger who passed away. Sometimes I do feel disrespectful sitting on a bench and not thinking about the person it is meant to remember.
Anyway, if I had a bench dedicated to me, I would want it overlooking the water. So when someone sat on it their minds would escape from reality, just as mine did. As they sit there they would think, learn and grow. I hope the bench would serve as much meaning as mine did for me. I also would want the bench to be something special for my friends and family. Somewhere for them to go and still be with me and feel connected to me. The bench would be pained purple with black rot-iron arm rests. Purple because it is my favourite colour. The arm rests would twirl around with design and have little butterflies hand painted on it. The butterflies symbolize my part of other peoples life. I have this symbol because once my neighbor told me I was a butterfly fluttering around my cousin. Dedication Plates aren’t long so I would like mine to say “Sarah Ganton, Still listening to you and always here for you.”
4. If I were to dedicate a bench, it would be to my cousin first of all. She passed away in 2010 but made a huge impact on everyone she knew. I guess it would be in Jamaica, since she loved it there. I may not get to see the bench but that is where it would belong. The bench would be simple and made of their local wood. It might look a bit rough on the outside but it would be sturdy seat. The bench would completely symbolize my cousin, for everything she was and still is. She was a strong but troubled individual, living in a paradise at peace when she was in Jamaica. he bench’s sturdy structure and old style look would be a symbol of just that.
If Tracy (my cousin) knew I talked of her so fondly and that I would do this for her, I think she would appreciate it. She did so much for me as I was kid so she deserves every ounce of appreciation and nothing but. I almost feel like she is still watching and knows what I am doing for her and how much I am thinking about her. I miss her dearly but I am happy she is in a better place. Now that I think about this all, maybe I really will get a bench for her. I will have to look into how to do that.
5. Journal
I visited a bench with my friend, so i could write around 2000 words for Mr. Hallam’s English 12 class. It was a very cold day to be doing so, but what I am really thankful for, is that it hadn’t snowed yet. Visiting the bench was nice though, I have to say. I haven’t had time lately to go for a walk, which I normally do to think and clear my mind. It has been too cold to do so, but the sit on the bench was quite nice. Other times my friend Melissa and I go for walks to talk rather than just think. I should bring her to the bench I suppose, so I can share it with her. For the summer I will sit at my bench but in the winter I think I will sit by the fire and think instead.
Visiting the bench helped me out a lot. I was able to relieve stress by relaxing and trying not to think about the future. Though I did think about the future a lot, but since I was in a calm, relaxed state I thought of it quite positively. It was easy to let my mind wander from, where I will live to what school I will go to. I am afraid I won’t make it into school, that I won’t like my courses. More then anything I am afraid of the money issues I will face as a thriving student. I hate that in our world now, that this is a constant problem. We shouldn't have to worry about money while trying to get an education so we can get a job. On a positive note, I am excited to start studying things I am actually interested in. I can’t wait to get out of my house and try new things. I don’t like being held back by my parents. I want to make mistakes and make good choices too.
6. LINES COMPOSED IN A WOOD ON A WINDY DAY
by: Anne Bronte (1820-1849)
My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring
And carried aloft on the wings of the breeze;
For above and around me the wild wind is roaring,
Arousing to rapture the earth and the seas.
The long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing,
The bare trees are tossing their branches on high;
The dead leaves beneath them are merrily dancing,
The white clouds are scudding across the blue sky
I wish I could see how the ocean is lashing
The foam of its billows to whirlwinds of spray;
I wish I could see how its proud waves are dashing,
And hear the wild roar of their thunder to-day!
I chose this poem because it speaks to me and how I was thinking. Though it is about nature that doesn't mean it has to be interpreted that way. I like the personification that is used in this poem, that is what speaks to me the most. As I sat upon my bench I felt like “My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring” just as the poem says in the first line. The entire poem expresses feeling through nature and it almost shows my emotion while sitting on the bench. While I went on thinking about different things my emotions and thinking changed. Also sitting on the bench I was noticing what was around me, the nature and the urban environment. I noticed how I was in quite a busy area but at my bench in the park it felt so calm and quiet. In the last stanza it is about wishing to see the affects of actions. When thinking about the future it is something we all wonder about. Wonder if I do this how will it affect me in the future. I wish i could know how my future will turn out but this is where I differ from the poem. Life is full of surprises and it is fun to wonder so I don't actually want to know what will happen, I just like thinking about it.
7. My outlook on life is very much about how sh*t happens and you just have to deal with it as it hits you. That may be a bad way to word it though, you can strive to get things you want but if you don’t you need to know how to deal with that. That is what is most important.The Poem Lines Composed In A Wood On A Windy Day is a bit similar to my philosophy on life in that it is a poem of emotion and mentality. It is hard to talk about this since the poem is so based in nature but I really like it. “For above and around me the wild wind is roaring” Life can seem like it is roaring around you but you can’t change that. You have to deal with yourself, either join in at full speed or take a step in your own direction. It is all up to you and nobody else.
8. Park are very important in the new world today. Try and imagine Vancouver with out any parks, imagine us in a concrete jungle. Who could do that? Even New York has a park and it is vital for us to be able to think and free our minds, to take time for ourselves. Parks are not only good for us in that way but they hold a little bit of wildlife and seeing the animals gives people a sense of calming. The simplicity of the seeing how the animals live, is helpful to me at least. Park are also a symbol for children and any other age. Parks symbolize the seasons, when the trees loose their leaves and when the bushes grow flower buds. Children are free spirits they could run around in a park for hours, I think, though they may not realize it, this is a way for them to do the same thing as me sitting on the bench. It is a way for them to escape from reality and release their soul. This is the very reason parks and nature is so important.
9. My Thinking Spot
Written by Sarah
Seventeen, an age of new experiences
I visit a bench
Looking far into my future, thinking
Weighing my options
Twenty-Seven, an age of reflection
I visit my bench
Looking back on my past mistakes
But not regretting all the wisdom i gained
Thirty-Seven, an age of acceptance
I visit my bench
Looking at the life I have created
Thankful for the person I have become
Forty-Seven, an age of change
I visit the bench
Looking at what is around me
Thinking of the good and bad changes of atmosphere
Fifty-Seven, an age of Sharing
I visit the bench
It’s time to share my bench
But it will always hold its memory for me
English 12 Sitting on a Story Sarah Ganton
1. A friend of mine, Sheldon, suggested we take a jaunt around North Vancouver since he doesn't live around here. I thought it was a good time to find my bench while I was with this boy, who graduated with an A in English 12. We walked down Lonsdale and I retold my adventurous tales to Sheldon about Victoria Park, well, the only tale I have of this park. That tale will be kept a secret for now until I look back at it in a couple years. I am keeping it a secret for my own sake and that will be all. We walked into the park and I chose my, the bench. I chose this quaint bench because of the one memory I have and the ones I can create. I love being able to see the cityscape and water from my bench. Looking out over the water and into the distance gives me a sense of calming. The bench is wood, the planks are close together and two of them are splintering. I wonder who sat on it to make it splinter...The arm rests are rot iron and twirl in a design of vine looking shapes.
2. The setting around me is grassy and To the right of me are apartment buildings, the one to the left has over 15 floors and it is pinkish in colour. The one to the right is 3 floors and is brown and an off-white. The taller building looks to be pricey while the other looks like it isn't taken care of that well. In between the two buildings there is a large maple tree but all the leaves are missing and past it I can see the cityscape of downtown Vancouver. It’s all lit up because of the early hours of the sunset in the winter. In front of me there is a statue to do with vimy ridge, which is a little depressing if you think if why it is standing there. There are also some paths, other benches and a picnic table in the distance. To my left past my Blue-eyed, bearded friend is more apartment buildings all with around 5 floors or more. Behind me there is Lonsdale Road, buses zoom past very half hour or so, predicting when the seabus is coming and going. Sitting here, I feel calm, comfortable, relaxed and maybe a little cold. I left my sweater at school; I didn’t anticipate it to be this cold. I thought my jacket would suffice but with this shaking, I don’t think so. Although that’s why I brought someone with me, a natural heater. As I am sitting here I am thinking about a lot, besides how cold I am. I feel free at this moment, sitting without technology and nowhere to be. Two people sitting in each other's company without having to talk, it’s really nice. It makes me think about my future career and future relationships with people. I think about how I will lose people but I will also gain people in my life as I grow. Some high school friendships will fall out, some will last for many more years to come. Meeting new people is something I love to do, so I am excited to see who I meet in my future. Most of our relationships in life shape us, and from there we make choices that affect our life. For example if my friend hadn’t sent me link to a song, I would have never discovered the music I live for to this day. Music has influenced me a lot since then in 2008/2009 and through that I have met my lovely friend Sheldon here and many other people. In fact, I am listening to music right now, as I have written all of these words I have been listening to music. It Helps me concentrate and opens my mind. I wish this assignment had been, “Sit on a bench and choose a song.” I would have had 500 words just about the song and what it meant to me. Here I am going off on a tangent of if it was about that anyway. I appreciate the fact of how Poetry plays into this assignment though as it is essentially the same as music. I guess I could have used a song for my poem but I like to discover and try new things, so I'm doing just that.
3. If I had a bench dedicated to me I would want people to look at it and take a moment to think about why this is here. The other benches have dedications but this one doesn't seem to. I wonder why that is. Have they yet to put the dedication on it? Maybe I chose this bench for a reason. What if it was because I don’t like to think that a bench I’m sitting on is dedicated to a stranger who passed away. Sometimes I do feel disrespectful sitting on a bench and not thinking about the person it is meant to remember.
Anyway, if I had a bench dedicated to me, I would want it overlooking the water. So when someone sat on it their minds would escape from reality, just as mine did. As they sit there they would think, learn and grow. I hope the bench would serve as much meaning as mine did for me. I also would want the bench to be something special for my friends and family. Somewhere for them to go and still be with me and feel connected to me. The bench would be pained purple with black rot-iron arm rests. Purple because it is my favourite colour. The arm rests would twirl around with design and have little butterflies hand painted on it. The butterflies symbolize my part of other peoples life. I have this symbol because once my neighbor told me I was a butterfly fluttering around my cousin. Dedication Plates aren’t long so I would like mine to say “Sarah Ganton, Still listening to you and always here for you.”
4. If I were to dedicate a bench, it would be to my cousin first of all. She passed away in 2010 but made a huge impact on everyone she knew. I guess it would be in Jamaica, since she loved it there. I may not get to see the bench but that is where it would belong. The bench would be simple and made of their local wood. It might look a bit rough on the outside but it would be sturdy seat. The bench would completely symbolize my cousin, for everything she was and still is. She was a strong but troubled individual, living in a paradise at peace when she was in Jamaica. he bench’s sturdy structure and old style look would be a symbol of just that.
If Tracy (my cousin) knew I talked of her so fondly and that I would do this for her, I think she would appreciate it. She did so much for me as I was kid so she deserves every ounce of appreciation and nothing but. I almost feel like she is still watching and knows what I am doing for her and how much I am thinking about her. I miss her dearly but I am happy she is in a better place. Now that I think about this all, maybe I really will get a bench for her. I will have to look into how to do that.
5. Journal
I visited a bench with my friend, so i could write around 2000 words for Mr. Hallam’s English 12 class. It was a very cold day to be doing so, but what I am really thankful for, is that it hadn’t snowed yet. Visiting the bench was nice though, I have to say. I haven’t had time lately to go for a walk, which I normally do to think and clear my mind. It has been too cold to do so, but the sit on the bench was quite nice. Other times my friend Melissa and I go for walks to talk rather than just think. I should bring her to the bench I suppose, so I can share it with her. For the summer I will sit at my bench but in the winter I think I will sit by the fire and think instead.
Visiting the bench helped me out a lot. I was able to relieve stress by relaxing and trying not to think about the future. Though I did think about the future a lot, but since I was in a calm, relaxed state I thought of it quite positively. It was easy to let my mind wander from, where I will live to what school I will go to. I am afraid I won’t make it into school, that I won’t like my courses. More then anything I am afraid of the money issues I will face as a thriving student. I hate that in our world now, that this is a constant problem. We shouldn't have to worry about money while trying to get an education so we can get a job. On a positive note, I am excited to start studying things I am actually interested in. I can’t wait to get out of my house and try new things. I don’t like being held back by my parents. I want to make mistakes and make good choices too.
6. LINES COMPOSED IN A WOOD ON A WINDY DAY
by: Anne Bronte (1820-1849)
My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring
And carried aloft on the wings of the breeze;
For above and around me the wild wind is roaring,
Arousing to rapture the earth and the seas.
The long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing,
The bare trees are tossing their branches on high;
The dead leaves beneath them are merrily dancing,
The white clouds are scudding across the blue sky
I wish I could see how the ocean is lashing
The foam of its billows to whirlwinds of spray;
I wish I could see how its proud waves are dashing,
And hear the wild roar of their thunder to-day!
I chose this poem because it speaks to me and how I was thinking. Though it is about nature that doesn't mean it has to be interpreted that way. I like the personification that is used in this poem, that is what speaks to me the most. As I sat upon my bench I felt like “My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring” just as the poem says in the first line. The entire poem expresses feeling through nature and it almost shows my emotion while sitting on the bench. While I went on thinking about different things my emotions and thinking changed. Also sitting on the bench I was noticing what was around me, the nature and the urban environment. I noticed how I was in quite a busy area but at my bench in the park it felt so calm and quiet. In the last stanza it is about wishing to see the affects of actions. When thinking about the future it is something we all wonder about. Wonder if I do this how will it affect me in the future. I wish i could know how my future will turn out but this is where I differ from the poem. Life is full of surprises and it is fun to wonder so I don't actually want to know what will happen, I just like thinking about it.
7. My outlook on life is very much about how sh*t happens and you just have to deal with it as it hits you. That may be a bad way to word it though, you can strive to get things you want but if you don’t you need to know how to deal with that. That is what is most important.The Poem Lines Composed In A Wood On A Windy Day is a bit similar to my philosophy on life in that it is a poem of emotion and mentality. It is hard to talk about this since the poem is so based in nature but I really like it. “For above and around me the wild wind is roaring” Life can seem like it is roaring around you but you can’t change that. You have to deal with yourself, either join in at full speed or take a step in your own direction. It is all up to you and nobody else.
8. Park are very important in the new world today. Try and imagine Vancouver with out any parks, imagine us in a concrete jungle. Who could do that? Even New York has a park and it is vital for us to be able to think and free our minds, to take time for ourselves. Parks are not only good for us in that way but they hold a little bit of wildlife and seeing the animals gives people a sense of calming. The simplicity of the seeing how the animals live, is helpful to me at least. Park are also a symbol for children and any other age. Parks symbolize the seasons, when the trees loose their leaves and when the bushes grow flower buds. Children are free spirits they could run around in a park for hours, I think, though they may not realize it, this is a way for them to do the same thing as me sitting on the bench. It is a way for them to escape from reality and release their soul. This is the very reason parks and nature is so important.
9. My Thinking Spot
Written by Sarah
Seventeen, an age of new experiences
I visit a bench
Looking far into my future, thinking
Weighing my options
Twenty-Seven, an age of reflection
I visit my bench
Looking back on my past mistakes
But not regretting all the wisdom i gained
Thirty-Seven, an age of acceptance
I visit my bench
Looking at the life I have created
Thankful for the person I have become
Forty-Seven, an age of change
I visit the bench
Looking at what is around me
Thinking of the good and bad changes of atmosphere
Fifty-Seven, an age of Sharing
I visit the bench
It’s time to share my bench
But it will always hold its memory for me
English 12 Sitting on a Story Sarah Ganton
1. A friend of mine, Sheldon, suggested we take a jaunt around North Vancouver since he doesn't live around here. I thought it was a good time to find my bench while I was with this boy, who graduated with an A in English 12. We walked down Lonsdale and I retold my adventurous tales to Sheldon about Victoria Park, well, the only tale I have of this park. That tale will be kept a secret for now until I look back at it in a couple years. I am keeping it a secret for my own sake and that will be all. We walked into the park and I chose my, the bench. I chose this quaint bench because of the one memory I have and the ones I can create. I love being able to see the cityscape and water from my bench. Looking out over the water and into the distance gives me a sense of calming. The bench is wood, the planks are close together and two of them are splintering. I wonder who sat on it to make it splinter...The arm rests are rot iron and twirl in a design of vine looking shapes.
2. The setting around me is grassy and To the right of me are apartment buildings, the one to the left has over 15 floors and it is pinkish in colour. The one to the right is 3 floors and is brown and an off-white. The taller building looks to be pricey while the other looks like it isn't taken care of that well. In between the two buildings there is a large maple tree but all the leaves are missing and past it I can see the cityscape of downtown Vancouver. It’s all lit up because of the early hours of the sunset in the winter. In front of me there is a statue to do with vimy ridge, which is a little depressing if you think if why it is standing there. There are also some paths, other benches and a picnic table in the distance. To my left past my Blue-eyed, bearded friend is more apartment buildings all with around 5 floors or more. Behind me there is Lonsdale Road, buses zoom past very half hour or so, predicting when the seabus is coming and going. Sitting here, I feel calm, comfortable, relaxed and maybe a little cold. I left my sweater at school; I didn’t anticipate it to be this cold. I thought my jacket would suffice but with this shaking, I don’t think so. Although that’s why I brought someone with me, a natural heater. As I am sitting here I am thinking about a lot, besides how cold I am. I feel free at this moment, sitting without technology and nowhere to be. Two people sitting in each other's company without having to talk, it’s really nice. It makes me think about my future career and future relationships with people. I think about how I will lose people but I will also gain people in my life as I grow. Some high school friendships will fall out, some will last for many more years to come. Meeting new people is something I love to do, so I am excited to see who I meet in my future. Most of our relationships in life shape us, and from there we make choices that affect our life. For example if my friend hadn’t sent me link to a song, I would have never discovered the music I live for to this day. Music has influenced me a lot since then in 2008/2009 and through that I have met my lovely friend Sheldon here and many other people. In fact, I am listening to music right now, as I have written all of these words I have been listening to music. It Helps me concentrate and opens my mind. I wish this assignment had been, “Sit on a bench and choose a song.” I would have had 500 words just about the song and what it meant to me. Here I am going off on a tangent of if it was about that anyway. I appreciate the fact of how Poetry plays into this assignment though as it is essentially the same as music. I guess I could have used a song for my poem but I like to discover and try new things, so I'm doing just that.
3. If I had a bench dedicated to me I would want people to look at it and take a moment to think about why this is here. The other benches have dedications but this one doesn't seem to. I wonder why that is. Have they yet to put the dedication on it? Maybe I chose this bench for a reason. What if it was because I don’t like to think that a bench I’m sitting on is dedicated to a stranger who passed away. Sometimes I do feel disrespectful sitting on a bench and not thinking about the person it is meant to remember.
Anyway, if I had a bench dedicated to me, I would want it overlooking the water. So when someone sat on it their minds would escape from reality, just as mine did. As they sit there they would think, learn and grow. I hope the bench would serve as much meaning as mine did for me. I also would want the bench to be something special for my friends and family. Somewhere for them to go and still be with me and feel connected to me. The bench would be pained purple with black rot-iron arm rests. Purple because it is my favourite colour. The arm rests would twirl around with design and have little butterflies hand painted on it. The butterflies symbolize my part of other peoples life. I have this symbol because once my neighbor told me I was a butterfly fluttering around my cousin. Dedication Plates aren’t long so I would like mine to say “Sarah Ganton, Still listening to you and always here for you.”
4. If I were to dedicate a bench, it would be to my cousin first of all. She passed away in 2010 but made a huge impact on everyone she knew. I guess it would be in Jamaica, since she loved it there. I may not get to see the bench but that is where it would belong. The bench would be simple and made of their local wood. It might look a bit rough on the outside but it would be sturdy seat. The bench would completely symbolize my cousin, for everything she was and still is. She was a strong but troubled individual, living in a paradise at peace when she was in Jamaica. he bench’s sturdy structure and old style look would be a symbol of just that.
If Tracy (my cousin) knew I talked of her so fondly and that I would do this for her, I think she would appreciate it. She did so much for me as I was kid so she deserves every ounce of appreciation and nothing but. I almost feel like she is still watching and knows what I am doing for her and how much I am thinking about her. I miss her dearly but I am happy she is in a better place. Now that I think about this all, maybe I really will get a bench for her. I will have to look into how to do that.
5. Journal
I visited a bench with my friend, so i could write around 2000 words for Mr. Hallam’s English 12 class. It was a very cold day to be doing so, but what I am really thankful for, is that it hadn’t snowed yet. Visiting the bench was nice though, I have to say. I haven’t had time lately to go for a walk, which I normally do to think and clear my mind. It has been too cold to do so, but the sit on the bench was quite nice. Other times my friend Melissa and I go for walks to talk rather than just think. I should bring her to the bench I suppose, so I can share it with her. For the summer I will sit at my bench but in the winter I think I will sit by the fire and think instead.
Visiting the bench helped me out a lot. I was able to relieve stress by relaxing and trying not to think about the future. Though I did think about the future a lot, but since I was in a calm, relaxed state I thought of it quite positively. It was easy to let my mind wander from, where I will live to what school I will go to. I am afraid I won’t make it into school, that I won’t like my courses. More then anything I am afraid of the money issues I will face as a thriving student. I hate that in our world now, that this is a constant problem. We shouldn't have to worry about money while trying to get an education so we can get a job. On a positive note, I am excited to start studying things I am actually interested in. I can’t wait to get out of my house and try new things. I don’t like being held back by my parents. I want to make mistakes and make good choices too.
6. LINES COMPOSED IN A WOOD ON A WINDY DAY
by: Anne Bronte (1820-1849)
My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring
And carried aloft on the wings of the breeze;
For above and around me the wild wind is roaring,
Arousing to rapture the earth and the seas.
The long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing,
The bare trees are tossing their branches on high;
The dead leaves beneath them are merrily dancing,
The white clouds are scudding across the blue sky
I wish I could see how the ocean is lashing
The foam of its billows to whirlwinds of spray;
I wish I could see how its proud waves are dashing,
And hear the wild roar of their thunder to-day!
I chose this poem because it speaks to me and how I was thinking. Though it is about nature that doesn't mean it has to be interpreted that way. I like the personification that is used in this poem, that is what speaks to me the most. As I sat upon my bench I felt like “My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring” just as the poem says in the first line. The entire poem expresses feeling through nature and it almost shows my emotion while sitting on the bench. While I went on thinking about different things my emotions and thinking changed. Also sitting on the bench I was noticing what was around me, the nature and the urban environment. I noticed how I was in quite a busy area but at my bench in the park it felt so calm and quiet. In the last stanza it is about wishing to see the affects of actions. When thinking about the future it is something we all wonder about. Wonder if I do this how will it affect me in the future. I wish i could know how my future will turn out but this is where I differ from the poem. Life is full of surprises and it is fun to wonder so I don't actually want to know what will happen, I just like thinking about it.
7. My outlook on life is very much about how sh*t happens and you just have to deal with it as it hits you. That may be a bad way to word it though, you can strive to get things you want but if you don’t you need to know how to deal with that. That is what is most important.The Poem Lines Composed In A Wood On A Windy Day is a bit similar to my philosophy on life in that it is a poem of emotion and mentality. It is hard to talk about this since the poem is so based in nature but I really like it. “For above and around me the wild wind is roaring” Life can seem like it is roaring around you but you can’t change that. You have to deal with yourself, either join in at full speed or take a step in your own direction. It is all up to you and nobody else.
8. Park are very important in the new world today. Try and imagine Vancouver with out any parks, imagine us in a concrete jungle. Who could do that? Even New York has a park and it is vital for us to be able to think and free our minds, to take time for ourselves. Parks are not only good for us in that way but they hold a little bit of wildlife and seeing the animals gives people a sense of calming. The simplicity of the seeing how the animals live, is helpful to me at least. Park are also a symbol for children and any other age. Parks symbolize the seasons, when the trees loose their leaves and when the bushes grow flower buds. Children are free spirits they could run around in a park for hours, I think, though they may not realize it, this is a way for them to do the same thing as me sitting on the bench. It is a way for them to escape from reality and release their soul. This is the very reason parks and nature is so important.
9. My Thinking Spot
Written by Sarah
Seventeen, an age of new experiences
I visit a bench
Looking far into my future, thinking
Weighing my options
Twenty-Seven, an age of reflection
I visit my bench
Looking back on my past mistakes
But not regretting all the wisdom i gained
Thirty-Seven, an age of acceptance
I visit my bench
Looking at the life I have created
Thankful for the person I have become
Forty-Seven, an age of change
I visit the bench
Looking at what is around me
Thinking of the good and bad changes of atmosphere
Fifty-Seven, an age of Sharing
I visit the bench
It’s time to share my bench
But it will always hold its memory for me
