"Poetry, Prose and a Farewell."

"Poetry, Prose and a Farewell."

 Poet Starry's Note...

If you are interested in having one of My Photos or Art Poems, go to My Poetry Corner (the Link is at the bottom of this page), and find out how... 

I have been longing for a Summer breeze...

Vacation time and a good break is coming to me. Praise the Lord!
Summer is approaching in my corner of the world. Days are longer and tantalizing for outdoor activities, hiking, doing exercise, or just taking a healthy stroll round beautiful landscapes in mother nature. I really do not have to go too far to do these things. The Rainforest covers many areas, and it indeed has it all, if one knows where to look for the right things to do.
My daughter and grandchildren invited me to fly to New York for a family reunion in the Spring of next year 2013. My dear family will be celebrating my youngest granddaughter's 4th birthday. If my health improves, I'll be so happy to go and stay there forever.
Then, I should get fit and in good shape for our memorable venture which involves preparations ahead of time for the incoming event. My first goal at this point is to get healthier and lose some weight in order to fit my body in one of those small seats on the airplane. Therefore, I shall be ready for what is coming, if that is God's will.  
This is my last post before my break, so I'll share a poem that I wrote a while ago. I call it:

"If tomorrow never comes."

Catching every breath I deeply take
And moving slowly into the rainbow,
I lie beneath the sunset
Watching the foam of sea waves rolling down.
If tomorrow never comes,
I will hold no regrets behind;
I have found everlasting moments
To rest happily on my mind.
New worlds envisage a new freedom
Venturing into gardens with open doors.
I step in the midst of hush
Where the lions roar and the eagles soar.
I spread the wings of my soul
Writing a heartfelt creation.
My soul soars like an eagle
Bringing hope with my inspiration.

Author: Poet Starry Dawn.

Too often we underestimate the power of love, a loving hug, smile, kind words, listening ears, honest compliments, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Our Earth is crammed with beauty, natural wonders, love, peace and happiness, if we really take a good look around, for there is beauty everywhere in the world. We should be present in all things, show kindness and compassion to others, we can all do small things with great love.

We must protect mother nature for our children, grandchildren, and children yet to be born. We must protect nature for those who can't speak for themselves.

This Poet is Craving for a Better World with Justice for All.

I have been reading and listening to the News about Child Abuse and Domestic Violence.

It just breaks my heart in million pieces.

I could imagine a child, so small, so vulnerable, crying desperately and screaming: "Mom, don't hit me! Mom, don't hurt me, please! Then, mom stops...

But, what happens if she won't stop?

What happens if she will keep on doing it?

What happens if nobody says anything, because they do not want to get involved?

What happens if nobody cares? I wonder...

That child -if she/he is lucky to survive- will grow up and become an adult one day.

There is a proverb that says: "It is easier to build stronger children than to repair broken men."

A broken spirit is difficult to heal. Love from family and true friends will certainly help for the healing process.

I also wonder what happens if the same lonely child, but as an adult, will keep meeting the wrong people who just keep hurting, or even trying to kill her/him...

What do you think about abuse of power? Is it fair or unfair?... 

At times, we are overburdened going through hardships, and the outlook of the tempest pounds in our lives so hard pouring out its most bitter path. As we may row alone in a raging sea of life, or as we may feel trapped inside a tunnel without an end, we surely know that if we trust the Lord with all our hearts, He will embrace us with His loving arms, pick up our falling or weary bodies, and uplift our hearts with the power of His healing love. There is always sunshine after the rain. There is no need to get hurt, for each dawn gives us a new opportunity, a new beginning to deal with the brand new day that God is giving to us as a gift of life. If we look into our hearts, we shall find Him dwelling there with His Almighty care. We ought to find a new turning point after the turmoil that makes us weary, although it's hard to do. We should try our best and find comfort in God's Holy Words. Jesus said: "I am the vine, you are the branches." (John 15:5)

The dazzle of the new daytime brings new hope into my lonely heart and whispers that there will be a much better tomorrow ahead of me. True love recognizes no barriers and penetrates walls to arrive at its destination. Lifetime relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation as a grown up person. I was reading a poem Online from an Unknown Author.

This poem holds so much wisdom in it that I would love to share these poetical lines with you...

"The will of God will never take you,

Where the grace of God cannot keep you,

Where the arms of God cannot support you,

Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,

Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you,

Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,

Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,

Where the Army of God cannot protect you,

Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you,

Where the love of God cannot enfold you,

Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,

Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,

Where the comfort of God cannot feed you...

Everything happens for a reason."

Author: Unknown.

"MY MORNING PRAYER."

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father,

I love You and need You. Please, come into my life and heart!

I thank You, Lord for this newborn day, I thank You for my being able to see and hear this morning. I am blessed because You are a forgiving and understanding God. You have done so much for me, and You keep on blessing me. Please, forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing You, Father. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Help me start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind, so that I can hear from You. Please, broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things that I have no control over, and give me the best response when I am pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Please, dear Lord Jesus, continue to use me to do Your will, and only Your will, Father.

I pray for all my sisters and brothers in Christ, for each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, health, love and joy in their homes. I pray that every single eye that reads this morning prayer knows that there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in the Almighty Hands of God to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees it.

Do not let evil forces break your spirit!

Wear the Armour of God at all times.

In Jesus' most Holly Name, I pray. AMEN.

Dear Readers,

I worked very hard writing and posting interesting themes all these years in the Internet. Therefore, all My Blogs will remain Online as long as Blogger will allow them to stay. You may read my older posts, if you wish. Anyway, I shall continue posting meaningful articles concerning our natural environment whenever time provides. I am a nature lover, animal's lover and advocate. I hope many of you will be interested in reading these kind of topics.

In my heart of hearts, I am also a flower and a tiger at the same time. Both sides of me will eventually develop the plots of all my stories, poems and thoughts...

WELCOME ABOARD!!

The Links are:

My Poetry Corner:

http://www.thanksforthegiftoflife.blogspot.com

My Inspirational Site:

http://www.findthewayinyourlife.blogspot.com

My Journals Entries:

http://www.journeysandjournalsfromourgalaxy.blogspot.com

My Nature Blog:

http://www.theexistenceofournaturalenvironment.blogspot.com

Thank you in advance for reading my posts!

May the Lord sustain you in the palm of His hand!

Have a blessed time!

Until we write again,

POET STARRY DAWN.

The Argumentative Essay. Tales Round the Campfire.

The Argumentative Essay. Tales Round the Campfire.

These topics are one of my favourite compositions, apart from the narrative ones.

The argumentative essay is my last post about writing tips to help writers improve their skills.

An argumentative essay is in many ways similar to an abstract one in that it is concerned almost entirely with ideas. But it differs in one important respect: as you are required to discuss a particular problem, you are not free to interpret a subject in any way you wish. An ability to reason and a capacity for arranging ideas in logical order are the important requirements of an argumentative essay. In addition to this you must draw largely on your general knowledge: what you know is far more important than what you imagine or observe.

AIMS: 1) To argue for or against a proposition without necessarily attempting to persuade the reader to agree with you. Your aim here is simply to present a viewpoint.

2) To argue in such a way as to persuade the reader to agree with you.

3) To attempt to solve a problem.

4) To discuss a problem without necessarily arriving at a solution.

DEFINING AN ATTITUDE. Before attempting to make a plan, you must define your attitude, that is to say that you must decide on the way you intend to argue. Argumentative topics are often deliberately provocative, taking the form of a challenging quotation. For example:

"Do humans have the right to destroy our beautiful natural environment?..."

SUBJECT-MATTER. The ability to write a good argumentative essay depends not only on what you know, but on how well you can use what you know.

Students who have a wide general knowledge should guard against a tendency to write purely factual prose so that their essays read like articles in an encyclopaedia. Facts should provide nothing more than the framework for ideas, speculations, theories, or opinions. The correct presentation of facts is as important as the facts themselves.

When referring to facts you should take great care to be accurate.

TREATMENT. There are two main forms of argument: Inductive and Deductive.

In "inductive" argument, you begin with a general statement and then produce facts to prove it. In "deductive" argument, you infer one statement from another, beginning with a general idea and arriving at a particular one.

Whichever way you choose to argue, you must ensure that your essay is balanced and that you deal with both sides of the argument. This is especially important when you have a definite viewpoint of your own. As a general rule, you should begin by considering the other side of the case first. In this way it is possible to anticipate probable objections to what you have to say. This technique will invariably enable you to present your case in the best way.

Each paragraph should contain a central idea and the sentences should be closely related to each other. Transitions between paragraphs will be smooth if you warn the reader beforehand that you are going to deal with another aspect. Your essay must be a well-organized and balanced whole.

It is easy to understand the function of the Introduction, Development, and Conclusion if you think of an argumentative essay in terms of a geometrical theorem.

You begin with something to prove or to explain; you have a "given" amount of information (facts); using this information, you go on to your "proof" either by using facts to prove one or a number of general statements (induction), or by a process of reasoning: inferring one idea from another (deduction). In this way you arrive at a final conclusion which has evolved from the foregoing argument.

INTRODUCTION. A clear indication of the way you intend to define your attitude should be given to the reader. The whole argument that is to follow will be built on the initial premise which is contained in the introduction.

DEVELOPMENT. Devote the first one or two paragraphs to a consideration of the other side of the case before amplifying your views. From then on, each paragraph you write must add something new and important to your argument.

CONCLUSION. Here you may in some way re-state your initial premise.

ILLUSTRATION. An abstract idea will always become clear if a definite example is given to illustrate it. Supposing, for example, that you are arguing that more progress has been made in Astronomy in the last 100 years than at any other time in History. You could illustrate this idea by referring the findings of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, etc. Radio telescopes and radio satellites indicate what have been discovered in our own times. Once you have given an illustration, it is easier to draw a conclusion.

CONTRAST. If you are presenting both ideas of a case, contrast is embodied in the very framework of your essay. The wider the range of reference, the more interesting your essay becomes.

STYLE. Keep your English as simple and direct as possible. A sure way to do this is to write on subjects you are sure you can handle well. If your ideas are vague, muddled and undigested, this will be reflected in your writing: it will soon be apparent to the reader that you do not really know what you want to say. Clear thinking and a knowledge of your subject will enable you to write in a straight forward, readable style. It is best to avoid the first person except in cases where you are specifically asked to give your own opinions.

PLANNING. How you will order your ideas is for you to decide. In any case, it is essential to make out a full plan before attempting to write your essay. You may depart from your original scheme if you have second thoughts in the course of writing. A sound plan will enable you to build up an argument in the most effective way.

Each paragraph-outline should consist of a central thought and a few subsidiary ideas related to it. As you become more and more proficient, it will become less and less necessary to make out a very detailed plan. Then, your ideas will come out more natural when you write.

MY NATURE BLOG is an example of MY ARGUMENTS BASED ON REAL EVIDENCE.

www.theexistenceofournaturalenvironment.blogspot.com

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR READING!

HAVE A BLESSED TIME!

POET STARRY DAWN.

The Reflective Essay.

The Reflective Essay.

I really love to start writing my compositions with striking first lines which may captivate, ignite, fuel or stir up one's emotions. I love writing with a real passion, and I make sure it shows in every page.

When one generates a literary framework, the essay writer should carve into one's brain looking for whatever is stored into one's knowledge, in other words what you know about it. Some students who are unable to produce a well-written paper, they will buy it or copy the essay from another source, instead of doing a personal creation. I call that fact, CHEATING. Teachers certainly know that...

Let's say that I had a written assignment, a paper to write about "FREEDOM", my first lines would read: "Freedom is a worthwhile value, a virtuous essence or an abstract quality, substantially the common good, and the inner nature of all living species."

It'll be a good idea to Go to a Good Bookstore and buy books that provide teaching instructions  HOW TO WRITE ESSAYS, COMPOSITIONS, PAPERS, and so on...

Today's Lesson is about The Reflective Essay.

A reflective essay is an exercise in contemplation on any given subject. It tests your ability to think and describe, to order your ideas and to draw on your experience, imagination, and general knowledge. These writing tips and lessons are taken from my Teacher's Notes.

Types: Though reflective essays cannot be easily classified, there are two distinct groups: those which require a great deal of description as well as reflection which we may call "descriptive-reflective"; and those in which the emphasis is on reasoning rather than description which we may call "abstract."

Descriptive-Reflective: These usually take the form of one-word titles. When writing you should draw conclusions from what you describe. "Gardening", for instance, here you would not only be expected to describe gardening, but also to express your views on it.

Abstract: These may take the form of one-word titles when they refer to abstract qualities, for example, "Truth." In subjects of this kind, purely descriptive writing is of secondary importance. Your ability to reason rather than describe, your own feelings and views about the subject take first place.

Interpreting the subject. It is extremely important for you to understand what is required by the subject before you begin planning your essay. A good essay should be written with at least 800 words, or as many words as your teacher asks you to do.

A reflective essay title may often have a wide number of implications so that it is possible to interpret it in a variety of ways.

Subject-Matter. What you  have to say is quite as important as how you say it. An essay may be well written and well organized, but still lack substance.

Treatment. Two distinct processes are involved in essay-writing: analysis and synthesis. In the first instance, you break down the subject (analysis), and then put it together again (synthesis), so that it forms a complete whole. Nothing irrelevant must be included. Your essay should have unity to the extent that if any single part were excluded, it would spoil the effect of the whole. Like a painting or a piece of music, an essay is a composition.

Your work must be balanced and well proportioned. You can only achieve this if you fully understand the purpose of the paragraph. Each paragraph in your essay is a unit of thought which deals with an aspect of the main theme. In the same way, each sentence must contribute something to the central thought of each paragraph. If an essay can be defined as a group of related paragraphs, a paragraph can be defined as a group of related sentences.

Transitions from one paragraph to another should be smooth. A paragraph may often warn the reader of the approach of a new thought, time, place, or a reference to an idea that has already been considered. Each paragraph should be developed properly: a sentence or two is not enough. From the point of view of the reader, a paragraph is a logical break which allows him to collect his thoughts, as much as it is a physical break which permits him to rest his eyes.

Introduction. This is the most important paragraph in the essay as it is here that you make clear to the reader your interpretation of the subject. In other words, your introduction should lead the reader to expect certain things.

Development. In this part of the essay you should take up the points that were hinted at in the introduction. Each main point must be developed fully in a single paragraph, and all the paragraphs should be related to each other in some way. The fact that you have planned your essay should on no account be obvious to the reader.

Conclusion. This should in some way relate to the introduction and so round the essay off.

Do not end abruptly!

Illustration is especially important when you are dealing with "abstract topics." If, for instance, you are writing about a subject like "Fear", good examples will make your meaning immediately clear to the reader.

Contrast. This gives variety to your writing and makes what you have to say more interesting. If in one paragraph you have given one view of a subject, it is often wise to deal with a completely opposite view in the next. This has the effect of surprising the reader and enabling him to see the subject in a new light.

Humour. A light approach is often highly suitable in reflective essays. You may poke fun at certain beliefs and activities in a way that will not only amuse your readers, but also give them an unsual point of view.

Suitability. The style you adopt for each essay must match your approach to the subject.

The key to good writing is simplicity. It is important to realize that your writing will be simple and clear when you have something meaningful and definite to say and know what you are talking about. If you do Not know the subject, do Not talk about it...

Planning. Like a sound building, a well-constructed essay requires a full and detailed plan. You  may in the course of writing depart from your original plan, but this should be the exception rather than the rule.

FOCUS ON YOUR PLAN, AIM TO THE TARGET, and THEN...

THEN, SHOOT YOUR STORY and AMUSE YOUR READERS...

 

I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN LEARNING HOW TO WRITE WELL.

AS YOU MAY KNOW, I AM STILL LEARNING...

HAVE A BLESSED TIME!