TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 2: 1.Ilustrate poem. 1.1.Form. 1.2.Plot. 1.3.Arguments. Page 3: 1.4.Biography. Page 4: 2.Song. Page 5: 2.1. Picture. 2.2. Plot. 2.4. Arguments. Page 6: 2.5. Biography. Page 7: 3.Bibliographical references.
1.“THIS IS JUST TO SAY” BY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox
4 2 3 3
and which 2 you were probably 5 saving 2 for breakfast 3 Forgive me 3 they were delicious5 so sweet 2 and so cold 3
1.1. FORM There are three stanzas in the poem, each one has four verses. The first verse has four syllables, the second one has two. The following two have three syllables. In the second stanza the first verse has two syllables, the next one five, the third two and the last verse has three syllables. And in the last stanza the first verse has three syllables, the second one has five, the next one has two syllables and the fourth has three syllables. There aren’t any rhyme in this poem. I don’t find any general images in this poem, except the images that I explain below.
1.2. PLOT I think that the poem narrates the story of two friends. One has a girlfriend and he loves her a lot, he protects her, because she is very special for him. But the other friend is in love with the girl too and they have an affair. He is sorry, but he tries to excuse himself by saying that she is very good, very sweet and he loves her.
1.3. ARGUMENTS I think that the poem is narrated by the unfaithful frien I understood the poem this way, because in the first stanza he says that he ate the plums that there were in his friend’s icebox. He uses this as a metaphor and it means that they are his friend’s. In the second stanza he says that he saved them for breakfast , I think that it means that he takes care of her and he protects her, in this case the author uses another metaphor. In the last stanza he says that he ate it because the plums are very sweet and delicious, and I think that he tries to explain it to him, and he is sorry, but he isn’t repentant.
1.4. BIOGRAPHY The author is William Carlos Williams, he was born in Rutherford (1883) and he lived almost all his life in this town. His grandmother was a lover of theatre and his mother painted. He studied in Switzerland and he lived for a short time. Finally he studied Medicine in Pennsylvania. He got married in 1912. He published two books in those times but they went unnoticed. He was an innovator in the American poetry in his time. In contrast to the other authors, who sought new places, William lived an ordinary life and he based in it to do their poems. His fame became in the end of his life. Finally he died in his native city (1962).
2.“GIRL ON FIRE� BY ALICIA KEYS She's just a girl, and she's on fire Hotter than a fantasy, longer like a highway She's living in a world, and it's on fire Feeling the catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away Oh, she got both feet on the ground And she's burning it down Oh, she got her head in the clouds And she's not backing down This girl is on fire This girl is on fire She's walking on fire This girl is on fire Looks like a girl, but she's a flame So bright, she can burn your eyes Better look the other way You can try but you'll never forget her name She's on top of the world Hottest of the hottest girls say Oh, we got our feet on the ground And we're burning it down Oh, got our head in the clouds And we're not coming down This girl is on fire This girl is on fire She's walking on fire This girl is on fire Everybody stands, as she goes by Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes Watch her when she's lighting up the night Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl And it's a lonely world But she gon' let it burn, baby, burn, baby This girl is on fire This girl is on fire She's walking on fire This girl is on fire Oh, oh, oh... She's just a girl, and she's on fire
2.1. PICTURE
2.2. PLOT I think that the song is about a girl who is a good fighter, and she battles for her dreams. She lives in a very hard world, in bad conditions and she has to fight if she wants get her objectives. She doesn’t care what people think, her only preoccupation is herself. She is young but he lived a lot of experiences, but there were more bad adventures than good ones and she has practise and maturity.
2.3. ARGUMENTS The song is narrated by an external narrator. I interpret the lyric like this because it says “this girl is on fire”, and this is a metaphor to say that she is determined. Then, in the same stanza it says “the world is on fire” too, and there is a catastrophe, it means that she is living in a miserable world. And in the end of the first stanza the author says that “she knows she can fly away”, she can go away, and to fight for a better life. In the second stanza the author says ”she got both feet on the ground”, and it means that she is conscious, but then he tells: “she got her head in the clouds”,it means that she is in her world, and it isn’t important for her what the other people think or say about her. In the fourth stanza he says “she looks like a girl but she is a flame”, it means that she is young physically, but mentally she is like an adult. Next he says “she can burn your eyes”, I think that it symbolizes that if someone stays in the way of her dreams she puts someone aside. He also says, “better look the other way” it signifies that it’s better that nobody disturbs her. At the last verse of the stanza the author says “you can try but you'll never forget her name”, this is like to say that she is going to place a milestone in the other people‘s life. And in the last stanza the author says that when all people give up she continues flighting.
2.4.BIOGRAPHY The author of this song is Alicia Keys, she was born in New York (1981) and when she was seven years old she began taking piano lessons. She was always a very good student and a child prodigy. She studied in the Professional Performance Arts School of Manhattan. She launched her debut album with J Records. This album won five Grammy, and she won other prizes too. She acted in some tv series and in some movies.
3. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES William Carlos Williams: •
Juan Miguel López Merino, Revista Electrónica de Estudios Filológicos “Tonos”,11 de julio del 2006, <http://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum11/estudios/14-williams.htm> (28/02/2013).
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Poetry Fundation, 2013, <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/william-carlos-williams> (28/02/2013).
Alicia Keys: • •
IMDb, 2013, <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1006024/bio>, (28/02/2013). Lyrics Freak, 2013, <http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/alicia+keys/biography.html> (28/02/2013).
Images taken from: •
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First image: <http://www.elconfidencial.com/fotos/noticias_2011/2011100672infidelidad_int.jpg > (28/02/2013) Second image: < http://eyeonmarketingsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/DontGiveUp.jpg > (28/02/2013)