Flood of 09

Reality did not hit me until Friday when I drove over Veteran's Memorial Bridge on 10. You could never see any water when driving over it before and that night I started to cry, the water was to the sides of the bridge. Oh My God kept going through my mind and I immediately started to pray. I went to the hotel that night to relax and warm up in the hot tub after sandbagging that night with a friend that was also helping. I did not realize the hotel was right next to a land built dike, I then began to freak out "why am I here why am I here." I am glad that I went though if I never would have seen that river I would still probably be in denial. Seeing all the people that come out to sandbag was incredible, people from the cities who have no family or friends around here still came because they really wanted to help. Seeing the outreach is amazing. Even though the river is going down we still have a lot of work ahead of us. The clean up has not even begun and will take months to do. People will need to find new homes because theirs have been completely damaged or need new construction to rebuild their home. In these times some people may not have the money to fix their home. We all need to stay strong and keep helping others. I hope everybody stays safe and strong. I can not wait to start discussing stories again and win this fight.

The Flood

When I first heard about the flood coming and the predictions i wasn't too worried about it. I figured that it would just be little and there would be no need to worry. I started reading the papers and watching the news and saw some of the footage of the flood and how bad it really was. The papers were mentioning evacuation and i was mostly just concerned about the people who were close to the river. I feel such sincerity for them i wish there was more that we could do. I have great respect for those people who have been sandbagging consistantly!! This takes much effort. I didn't begin to worry until i heard that the dam may not hold up, which means the water could reach all the way to west acres shopping center!! I can't believe this is happening again its a reoccurance of 1997 but only WORSE!! How could this be?? I pray that these families who are suffering from the flood are able to be safe and get help and i pray that things don't get as bad as they are predicting. I am thankful to God that our home has not been affected. I hope people remember to be safe and considerate to others by offering help to those who need it.

Fargo Flood 2009

Wow. It's very frightening what is going on here. From a distance many could see that this winter was going to lead to flooding, but not of this magnitude. I myself am shocked at how bad things have gotten. Family members are calling and saying they are being evacuated and it's just sad to hear. I went sandbagging the other day and it was good to see how many people were there. I started at the dome and the place was packed with people coming and going. It really was an inspiring sight. I really hope that we can keep up with all of the flooding. This whole situation has really left me feeling just awstruck. I never thought that stuff like this would happen here, so close to home. I remember Grand Forks in 1997, but never really thought it would happen again. I just can't believe the magnitude of this flood. Everyone I know is being affected by this disaster, whether it be school, work, or other things. It's just really sad that this is happening and causing so many problems for people. I really hope it gets under control soon, and does as little damage as possible at this point.

Fargo/Moorhead Flood 09'

Its the time of season that is thought about often through out the year, and now we are faced once again with mother natures mad waters. Personally this is the first time I have ever had to worry about the flooding problem in the Fargo/Moorhead area. I grew up by the lakes not having to worry about them overflowing. During this past week I have come to realize a little bit more in depth of how these people feel to have there homes and memory's in jeopardy. The amount of community involvement and physical motivation needed has been nothing short of amazing. The aches that are gained from knowing you have helped others in a time of crisis is priceless.

F-M Flood

The past few days have been quite trying for people in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Having grown up in the western part of North Dakota where it is usually dry and droughts are more common, the flooding here is a new experience. Monday night, a couple friends and I went and sandbagged in North Fargo in the rain and mud. The people there were in good spirits and making jokes and having a fairly good time considering the conditions. The homeowners were very friendly and offered the volunteers chili, hot dish, and apple cider. They also mentioned that college students made the difference in the 1997 flood and would have the same influence for this one. Tuesday night at the FargoDome filling sandbags was also an amazing experience to see all the people working together. Watching all the trucks, bobcats, and forklifts moving around amongst the people was quite the sight. This week has certainly been an inspiration and example of a community coming together as one against a great threat.

Flood 09'

The reality of what is coming has hit the residents of the Fargo/Moorhead area. This area knows what its like for raging waters to come rushing in and threaten life as we know it, but every time the waters rise people are filled with fear. Families have made their homes and memories here, and this flood threatens to take it all away. With every volunteer that comes out it gives residents hope of saving all that they have. Some volunteers may be family and friends, but most are absolute strangers. The best thing about this whole situation is people helping people. It doesn't matter if you know anyone or not. It is the fact that one person can help make a difference. The aches and pains from sandbagging are only temporary but the memories of doing a good deed will last for a life time. Whether the waters do rush in or not, at least the cities of Fargo and Moorhead can say everyone gave it their best shot.

More to it Than Shown

The flood gets very little coverage of the people underneath. It doesn't just compose sandbaggers, but the people who bring them refreshment, the people who drive the trucks, and those that sort through the droves coming in. The face of the flood is not a huge house in Rose Creek getting sandbagged like crazy, but the families that rebuilt after 1997 to create new memories who are now seeing them washed away again. It's the people that were safe before but now face eminent water with the crest nearly 6 feet higher. The fight belongs to the woman with brittle bones disease (osteogenesis imperfecta) who can't lift a sandbag, but is doing everything she can to help by making food and signing people in/out. It has the face of the elderly couple who pontoon their neighbors over the river so they can get groceries and their mail but don't ask for compensation. They are the people that are not pictured in the papers because they seem to be singular, whereas the lines of hundreds of sandbaggers make more of a headline, more of a sensational impact. The news seems to have forgotten about these smaller contributions of miracles, and instead is focusing on an important, but much known, topic.

Flood 2009

This is my first flood. I have lived in moorhead for a year and before that I lived in a flood free area. I have heard the phrase, "the flood of 97", and many stories to go along with it. Until you live within a community that is going through a crisis, in this case flooding, you cannot completely understand the situation. This week I have learned so much about flooding and the art of sandbagging. Before I thought a sandbag weighed about 50 pounds and was large like a bag of salt for a water softner. I also thought that when a house was sandbagged they built a super tall wall, like 8 feet tall. I know different, now. On monday I was able to volunteer a few hours of my time to make sandbags at MSCTC. It was enduring work, ecspecially due to the weather. But, it is worth it to know that the effort put in will help a family or more, somewhere. I hope and pray that I will be able to volunteer again before this is over. It is such an amazing feeling to be part of an operation that is so huge. The radio is constantly reporting everything in regards to the flood but today when I drove into an area close to the red river, it blew my mind. I work for a home health care agency and today I had a client that lived out of town. I drove out on University to Wall Street or County Road 20. At first I saw alot of commotion up ahead, and then the river. The river was massive! It was beyond what I imagined and knowing it will raise alot higher is crazy. Driving into these neighborhoods was mindblowing. There were trucks, buses, and military vehicles along the roads for miles. There were piles of sand in the middle of the highway. It is a relief, in this world, that people come together as they do to get through disasters, like these.

The floording in Fargo/Moorhead

The past few days has reviewed the patriotic spirit in Americans to me and i will say, it is just amazing. People in these states are willing to help regardless of their age or status, i went down to one of these sandbagging sites to volunteer and what i saw there was just shocking. I saw over 500 hundred people out there including children helping with the sand bagging and the most surprising one was that i saw the executive director of my working place holding a shovel. Though the flood is not a good thing but i think it is actually bringing some sort of unity and friendship among the residents in these states. I made some friends who were also students from other colleges and universities. One thing i hope for is that, all the other African brothers and sisters who are here will learn something from this altitude and try to educate the people back home about unity and patriotism. It will be very had to get people to participate in a work like this for free in Africa without expecting any form of payment. To every one who help with this flooding in any way i will say bravo and keep the good work up.

Blog entries 1-4...

...are below and have been graded

Barbie Doll

In poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy it starts out describing a young girls childhood. The first paragraph describes the barbie doll that the girlchild plays with and that is what shapes a girls image of a perfect looking female. As the girlchild gets older she becomes more self concious and begins to notice that she does resemble that perfect female image. As the girlchild got older the other kids began to tease her about her appearance, so she became so uncomfortable with her body she tried to morph it into what she believed was beautiful. The girl then died of old age and was made up to look like a barbie doll in her casket.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud"

In the poem, "I wandered lonely as a cloud", William Wordsworth uses connotative language. In line 3, the word "crowd" is used to describe a large collection of daffodils. The denotation of "crowd" would more commonly be a collection of people that have no relation to one another. In line 6, the daffodils are said to be "Fluttering and dancing in the breeze." The word "dancing" is usually saved for the activity performed by people. Wordsworth uses words such as "crowd" and "dancing" to personify the daffodils. In line 18, the word "wealth" is used to describe the collection of visuals obtained by the narrator. The denotation of "wealth" would be more of monetary gains. Wordsworth's writing style in this poem also uses rhyme at the end of several of the lines of the poem. Wordsworth also uses many words that give the reader a visual imagery of the poem. Words such as golden, shine, twinkle, ten thousand, and sparkling give the reader a good visual picture. Throughout the poem, starting with the title itself, I noticed the alliteration of the "l" sound in nearly every line and often more than once in the same line.

"We Real Cool"

The word choice in the poem "We Real Cool" is very significant to how the reader perceives the people the speaker is talking about. Gwendolyn Brooks uses short phrases in order to emphasize the groups illiteracy. The group talked about in the poem think they are cool because they break the rules in their society. Brooks uses words like lurk, sin, and gin which all imply the wild life the group is partaking in. The word we is very important in this story. If this had been about just one person maybe they wouldn't have decided to do all the things the group does. The word we symbolizes the strong bond within the group. They are having so much fun breaking all the rules but in the end their lives will stop. In the last stanza Brooks says "We Die soon." (Brooks l. 7-8) The speaker leaves readers to wonder as to whether the group physically dies or if their partying life comes to an end.

Breaking Barbie

In the poem "Barbie Doll," in the first line they call her girlchild. The word girlchild is used as negative connotation in that it not only meant she was a female child but that she was a big female for being a young child. They use some literal denotations when they talk about the toys. Those toys are just that, toys for a child. "Then in the magic of puberty," is used in line 5. This is a connotation because it is not literal. Puberty is not a magic act. She just means it is a special time in a child life were their are changes. The second stanza is all really literal, just telling about her mental and physical attributes and how she trys to apologize. Stanza 3 she is "advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle." All denotations, playing coy is to be reserved and not attract attention. Exhorted to come on hearty is a denotation to come on to people in a warm way. Her good nature wore out. Just a literal line saying the goodness in her is tired and worn out. But they say "her good nature wore out like a fan belt" Like a fan belt is a connotation saying that her good nature didn't fray or snap like a belt but it just wore out emotionally and she stopped trying. "So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up." This is a denotation because she literaly did cut them off with a knife or something sharp. Reasoning for this is because their is an undertaker who painted cosmetics on. painting being a connotation because he didn't paint them on with a paint brush or roller. He just put her makeup on her quite thick. He also turned-up a putty nose meaning he had to put a putty nose on her. That is how we know she cut her nose of literally. "Dressed in a pink and white nightie. Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said." Their is no connotations in that. "Consummation at last." Denotation meaning literal fulfillment. The last line is the hardest one to determine what it means. "To very woman a happy ending" This is a connotation meaning although their is this bad look at women when they are young, where some get picked on for being ugly, fat, nonathletic, or anything else your peers can find in you to make fun of you for, their is always a light at the end of the tunnel, or a happy ending whether it be getting away from those people, growing out of your ugly stage, surgery, or even death, their is always a happy ending. This is not always true ex specially because death is sometimes the option some take. That in most cases is not something happy.

I wandered lonely as a cloud

The poem, I wandered lonely as a cloud, written by William Wordsworth is full of imagery. The use of imagery and figures of speech complete this poem. The first line of the poem, "I wandered lonely as a cloud" (878), is a simile. The author is comparing the narrator with a lonely cloud in the sky. After finishing the poem and looking back to the first line, I see a man surrounded by nature, alone. Trees, hills, water, foilage, flowers, sky all surround him. Everywhere you look, beautiful landscape, and no other human being in sight. To me, this signifies peacefulness. The first time I read the poem, tho, I took the word lonely as alone, miserable, seeking company of others, needing comfort, being lost in mind. But, as I look back now, I don't believe that is what the word lonely means at all in this poem. A cloud floats around in the sky, able to see things that some never will. Another simile in this poem is in the second stanza in the first line, "Continuous as the stars that shine" (879). This comparison is of the golden daffodils. The word used to describe the amount of daffodils before this comparison were, "a crowd" (878). I do not think this summed up the amount of beautiful dancing flowers by far. Wordsworth wanted the imagination to stretch and compare them to the amount of stars in sky, when you look up into the sky on a clear night. After the simile the author goes on to explain, "Ten thousand saw I at a glance" (879). I imagine a sea of daffodils and if you walk into them being completly surrounded as far as the eye can see. The use of the figures of speech in this poem not only put you past the literal meaning of a word but bring out the imagery that is so intense throughout this poem. I can put myself in the place this poem speaks of, by sense of sight.

We Real Cool

I thought We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks was a very well thought out poem, and can be related to any teenage person out there. The author talks about how they're a group of friends who have their own 'clique', and think they are the coolest kids in school or where ever, and think that everyone wants to be like them. When in reality high school is like that. Everyone is high school always has the 'clique' or friend they follow and want to be like. If your not with the "cool" crowd your a nobody, and that's what this poem is kind of addressing. I feel that this poem pretty much sums up a day by day of a high school life, and it will keep being like that forever.

"Work of Artifice"

In Marge Piercys poem called "Work of Artifice" it starts off using bonsai tree as a metaphor for women using imagery to create the issue has a whole. When Piercy said "its your nature" this meant that it was a women's job to be beautiful.  Women had the potential to grow as tall and reach out with open arms just like he Bunsai tree, but the men seemed to be holding them back by "pruning" them meaning the guys sculpted and shaped the women how ever they wanted to. It seemed like they were stripped from anything they could and wanted to accomplish. Women could of went out and worked or even voted but it was unseen or heard of for a women to do these kinds of things. I never went through these times, but it plays a great interest to me, on how things use to be. When Piercy said "domestic and weak" these were the words that was referred to women and still is. I think this story still kind of exists in today's society, when some men still expect the women to stay home and do chores around the house. Although most women are now growing freely there is still that percent out there that are living how things use to be back in the past.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Out of all the stories that were supposed to be read today, I wandered as a cloud was my favorite. I liked how the author used metaphors at similes to create imagery. The image of the cloud brings out how carefree wandering is. The plot is extremely simple and easy to understand what is happening. The speaker is compared to a cloud. I think the reason the author did this was because clouds are so far away from everything and that is how they character felt in this story, lonely. Then the character discovers of a field of daffodils by a lake. The daffodils seem to comfort him when he is lonely and cheer him up. The imagery that the speaker used made me picture the daffodils in my head. Overall, I think this story was peaceful and makes you relax. Nature in this poem seemed to calm the character down and make him feel that he is not so alone.

"Barbie Doll"

In the peom "Barbie Doll" the author Marge Piercy used good word choice to make the reader believe whatever they wanted to believe happened to the girl. In the beginning of the poem the girlchild as Piercy called her was subjected to all things that a little girl is suppose to play with or what society believes they should play with like dolls and make-up. This girlchild was smart, but it really didn't matter because the words decribe her as being a girl with strong arms and legs and a big nose and fat legs. These words decribed would make the reader believe that this girlchild didn't look like the barbie dolls that she played with but that she was a little bigger then normal size girl. This poem makes alot of readers go back to their childhood and think about all the times that they were teased for not looking like a barbie doll persay. Childhood and teenage years are hard on alot of young years these days, because there is a push to look a certain way or you won't be accepted. Piercy wanted to show readers the extreme of what could happen to someone that is not accepting of their body and wanted the readers to know that this does happen and people do kill themselves or even harm themselves because they feel so lonely inside. Some readers might have not believed that the girlchild really chopped off her legs and nose but that is what is so great about Piercy's word choice it can make the reader believe either way. Piercy does make clear is that this girlchild did die at the end and she left the reader to wonder was it because she cut her nose and legs off?

Photograph of My Father in his Twenty-Second Year

Was Carver's poem about disappointment and a confession about alcohol? Or was he just angry about not being able to go fishing with his father. This poem has given a person who reads it a picture in one's mind of the father and his display of a day away from his son. The father wanted to be bold and act strong for his family, never giving in which is a sign of weakness. This poem compares to my father who is a bold man never showing emotion except anger. Like the picture of the man, shows a man who uses their hands to make a living, worn and strong hands. Many eyes may have not shown love, they maybe had shown do as I say kind of thing. His eyes were they bloodshot from drinking too much beer? What was the photo trying to say? Alcohol changes lives it separates families and friends. Wonder if the boy even got to go fishing didn't sound like it to me. In the last line Carver wrote that the boy "don't even know the places of fish?"(Line15) An opportunity to spend time together whether on shore or in a boat fishing is a great time to talk or just listen to nature.

"Digging"

The young person watching his father from the upstairs window thinks very highly of his father and what his father has done in great excellence. The young person know that digging up the ground is not really for him but in a way wished they could follow in their father's and grandfather's footsteps of having this special talent. The father and grandfather yearned for the soil and loved to see the growth of the potatoes and the beauty of the new turf under their feet. The young person is upstairs writing, that is what makes them happy. Their male figuers show their work outside but this young person shows it through their writings.

"We Real Cool"

In his poem "We Real Cool" Gwendolyn Brooks uses the denotation "we" in an alliterative form throughout the poem. The speaker uses this denotation"we" to signify a group of friends or gang of students. Indicated from the begining of the poem "We real cool/We left school" (Brooks l. 1-2), shows the literal meaning of "we" and the repetition of that sound. In the first stanza, the speaker uses "We real cool"in a connotative way because considering the literal meaning of the word "cool" it signifies something good, calm or pleasant, but in this case, the word referred to the reckless life of teenagers without thinking about the outcome of such lifestyles. For instance, the second stanza of the poem "We Left School" indicates how careless teenagers could be, forgoing their education and leaving school with their friends chilling around without considering the foundation they are laying for themselves. Also, the speaker used the last stanza"We Die soon" in a connotative way to signify how their behavior will affect them individually, but not the literal meaning of dieing soon. Sometimes one might think that, if a group of people do something wrong, they all pay for it or it affects them in similar manner. This is not always the case, some of these people can change and go back to school and some will remain drop outs for life. One can even get pregnant and become a mother or a father unprepared which can shatter their dreams for life. some of these teens even loos their lives through drink driving and all sorts of indecent behaviors. Brooks used this poem to show where groups, gangs and friends can lead us to.

Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year

The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is one of my favorite quotes. And it relates very well to the poem "Photograph of My Father in HIs Twenty-Second Year" by Raymond Carver. In this story a young man describes his father and how his personality shines through even in a photograph. The poen is a great example of how a author's use of language can give a reader great imagery. Carver uses such descriptive language that you can "see" for yourself what the picture may look like. The young man notices how his father had this "emabarassed" look on his face while holding his fish in one hand and a beer in the other. The author describes every detail so that the reader feels like they are there with the young man looking at his father photo.

We Real Cool

Out of the many poems we were supposed to read today, I like We Real Cool the best. Not only is it short and easy to understand, but it also has some meaning behind each word. As I read this poem, I couldn't help but notice that 'we' is at the end of every sentence except the last one. I thought this was unique because I believe it to be a story about guys being guys, and most of the time, guys will be guys around other guys. The only sentence that does not end in 'we' is the last sentence. I believe this is so because when you die, you die alone. Also, because I think this poem is about guys being guys, I believe "Die soon" doesn't end in 'we' because it could possibly represent what will happen if you go down the wrong path. The only person you will hurt is yourself.

Another thing I thought about while reading this poem is whether or not it goes in chronological order, starting with dropping out of school. It's almost like a timeline of a guy who is mixed up. Also, I thought it was interesting how each word was one syllable. Not only does it make it easy to read, but it makes you think about why the author made it so simple in an English sense. I almost felt like I was reading a elementary school poem because of the fact every word is so simple. I kind of thought a little less of the author because I think even I could write a poem like this. It made me wonder why this poem was so special and got published. All in all, "We Real Cool" was a simple, good read. Although I didn't really understand its simple nature, I accepted the fact that it has an underlying message.

"We"

"We Real Cool" is a testament to the teenage psyche- "If I do it with my friends, my actions are justified, and it makes what I am doing less bad." The 'we' emphasis is important to the poem's structure: each line ends with we, so that it feels as though the beginning and end of each sentence is "We real cool We." This is an example of the narrator justifying dropping out of school and drinking because his peers are doing it as well. The ending is also important though because two things happen. One is that the poet's voice seems to switch in- there is no 'we' at the end of the last line, just "Die soon." This acts as a warning to their rebellion and their form of friendship- not only is it short term and frivolous, they will find that if they keep up their behavior, they will find themselves alone and possibly dead from their indulgences. Number two is that that narrator’s and poet’s voice seem to strike harmony, as if the narrator has suddenly grown up as they realize the depth and harm of their actions.