he silver trumpets rang across the Dome:
The people knelt upon the ground with awe:
And borne upon the necks of men I saw,
Like some great God, the Holy Lord of Rome.
Priest-like, he wore a robe more white than foam,
And, king-like, swathed himself in royal red,
Three crowns of gold rose high upon his head:
In splendour and in light the Pope passed home.
My heart stole back across wide wastes of years
To One who wandered by a lonely sea,
And sought in vain for any place of rest:
'Foxes have holes, and every bird its nest,
I, only I, must wander wearily,
And bruise my feet, and drink wine salt with tears.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXEaster Day - Oscar Wilde


You must be aware of the world. To be an intelligent writer, an intelligent thinker and a good college student, it's wise to take some knowledge along. You don't have to interrupt your busy day. Much. But watch the news a little. Five minutes in the morning ought to do it. And know who people are. Know what has happened in the world. Yesterday, the day before. Yes, even before you were born. "That's before my time," is idiotic at best. Don't say it. EVER. Music, Movies, Literature, Social Events, it just doesn't matter if you were born or not. If it did matter, you'd be banned from your church because Jesus was born 2000 years ago. You couldn't play baseball because that's from the 19th Century. You get the point.

I include this poem, why? Because it was Easter. Because the Pope died. Not Catholic? Sorry, it's still relevant. The Pope, alongside Ronald Reagan and Lech Walesa, nearly singlehandedly brought down communism. And Johnny Cochran died. Did you know that? You should. The point is simple. You need to know the world. You're young, you're going to influence it. You'll need to do so with responsibility.

This is not a sermon, by the way (okay it is), but in order to do your best on next month's AP exams, YOU GOTTA KNOW.

Assignment: Analyze the poem. 5W+H, POV, etc. In you journals for next time. Is it flattering? Is the poem a criticism? Poems are BIG, you decide. Try to take both sides.