Firetruck

The purpose of the poem "A Fire Truck by Richard Wilbur is a descriptive piece of writing. It is illustrating the experience of seeing a fire truck rushing down a street in response to an emergency. A fire truck racing down the street, is a sight that many people see, take notice of, and promptly forget. However, if you think about it, that fire truck is going somewhere to help someone through a traumatic event in their life. While the poem itself does not describe that particular event, it does take more note of the truck itself than people normally do, and give a sense of the hurried, tense, urgent situation that fire trucks represents.
I believe that "A Fire Truck" is a good piece of poetry. The use of descriptive adjectives such as "shocked", "uproarious", "heavy", and "phoenix- red" is something I quite enjoy . There are many intense verbs like "skittering", "purged", and "brooding". Wilbur's use of language in general is quite good, and it caused me to think about a fire truck in a way I don't normally look at it. Usually people associate the fire truck with fire and emergency and don't look beyond that. Wilbur looks at the physical aspects of the fire truck, the way it moves, and his reaction to it and this broad point of view creates a commendable poem.

Megacognition Number One

When I was participating in my socratic circle I found that my group in general was very abrupt about getting their opinions out. They all had a lot to say and wanted to say it quickly. I found it a little bit difficult to express my opinion at first because I didn't want to interrupt others, but was slightly frustrated when I did not get a chance to talk for what felt like half the circle- until others ran out of steam. Then, when I was able to get a chance to talk, some of the subjects that I wanted to discuss had already been acknowledged and passed over. Nontheless at this point I did manage to contribute to the conversation, and I began to enjoy the circle more than I did in the beginning. The discussion began to feel more casual with more even contribution from most members, but it was still focused. I enjoyed listening to other people's take on the paragraph, because at first I thought it was a good piece of writing but with other people's insights I discovered that there were a few more flaws with the paragraph than I had originally picked out. I would not have seen them without the circle. It was my first time doing a socratic circle, and I enjoyed it more than I normally enjoy group work, because of how structured it was.
I believe that my role in the socratic circle was intermediate. I felt that I was not a leader, a follower, an inspiration, or a burden. I felt pretty average. I believe that I contributed a few good points, and according to feedback I talked a fair amount, not as much as some but enough to make me a worthwhile member of the group. One of my weaknesses when I am working in groups, especially in front of extra people, is that I get embarassed and flustered and I am not able to articulate my thoughts in a coherent way. The next time I am in a socratic cirlce I should plan out what I'm going to say before I say it, however this is not always possible when you are on the spot, working off of what others have said before me.

Review: The Spider and the Wasp

The piece "The Spider and the Wasp" is an example of good process writing. The author, Alexander Petrunkevitch, starts off the piece with an engaging introductory paragraph, stating his thesis; an observation of the relationship between the tarantula and the digging wasp and the curious phenomenon that occurs when the wasp slowly murders the tarantula to make home for her offspring. While much of the composition does not seem to be directly related to the thesis, it provides the reader with a scientific backround about the two creatures, which may not at first seem relevant. However, the backround provides understanding of the oddity that the spider, extremely sensitive to touch and such a formidable foe, is defeated so easily. The piece also provides information about the wasp's gestation and birthing process to explain why the wasp is so hostile towards the tarantula. After establishing this foundation of information the paragraphs can be linked directly back to the main thesis as it describes the step- by- step process of the locating and paralysis of the spider and the birth and first few months of the larvae. "The Spider and the Wasp" is a natural process of closely connected steps that is repeated generation after generation, as long as the digger wasps survive. After Petrunkevitch explains the process, his last few paragraphs are an analytical look at the creatures behaviours, paticularily the arachanids. Petrunkevitch examines why the tarantula behaves the way it does instead of attempting to defend itself early on. While he has no conclusive answer to this question, it does create more interest to the writing. With the added detail in the beginning and the examination at the end, the author creates more interest and the reader is more engaged than they would have been had the article merely been a step- by- step piece with no additional information and speculation.