Everything we do has a reason, with this, there are questions to what that reason is. In the poems asked to read by Walt Whitman, he begins with questions about life, but instead of actually answering them, he responds to them with more inquiries. This enforces the reader of the poem to maintain interested and alert to what is proceeding within the poem. Being a new student this year, I did not have the privilege of having Mr. Tangen as an english teacher last year. Instead, I had an extremely strict nun who happened to be teaching english honors. In her class, she taught us how to speak intelligently, and how to use grammar correctly. She also had us write many essays that were many times 5 or more pages. These essays would include rules; such as, no "to be" verbs, same tense throughout the whole paper, same person throughout the whole paper, and different sentence structures in the essay. This lady was a great teacher and helped me improve my english to a great extent; however, entering into Mr. Tangen's class was like entering a class which taught whole new and different language. Most of the class I was completely lost and had no idea how people would come up with the responses they shared in the class discussions. The rest of the time, I was trying to figure out the different technique he wanted us to use while writing our blogs and essays. Throughout the course, I had the privilege of sitting next to Daniel Toro and Pipe Reina. Pipe, being a new student from Miami last year, new exactly how i felt and how different and overwhelming the class was, so he was able to help explain to me when i was mostly confused. Daniel Toro, who is also incredibly smart, also helped me understand the techniques being asked of me. Mr. Tangen wanted us to learn the "if then so what" technique. This was the hardest for me because I was taught that you needed to end an essay with a conclusion and just finish the essay. With Mr. Tangen, I had to make my conclusion, finish the essay, and then see how i could instigate more as if i were going to continue another 5 pages in the essay. This was tough but the choice i made to stay in the class I am sure (hope) helped my english and will make me a better writer for the future.
In life, you make many choices; however, how do you know when you have made the right one? Personally, I dont believe that there is ever truly a dead right choice like in math or english that can be chosen when making life decisions. Instead of there being correct and incorrect, I believe there are only consequences and depending on them and the person, determines whether it was a good decision or a bad decision. Whatever led us to that particular decision is what can be determined as correct or incorrect. But there will never really be an answer as to why you do what you do. There will always be another question that can be asked.
The question in Walt's poem "What is the grass?"(6)allows us to enter into a whole new world of thoughts. Im sure that not everyone walks around, sees a piece of grass and ponders on what grass really is. With this poem, he enters a whole new philosophical meaning to the small leaf. He complicates and explains something most people would find so relatively small and simple. It's grass. Plain and simple plants that flow in the wind. Whitman explains and describes this plant in words that even young children would understand.
By repeating the words "Or I guess..."(6) He continues to show that there is no real answer. There is always another question that inquires further into the subconscious level of the mind. This occurs when you think of something too hard. When the answer is so simple that you question it further and further until you dont even know what the right answer is anymore. This disease of the mind can be great for writers, but personally, i think i shall stick with my simple answers. :) just kidding
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