Dream Boogie 2: Electric Boogaloo

The one poem I really wanted to read in class on Tuesday was Dream Boogie, but I knew that a whole bunch of people would choose that poem to discuss because it just looks and sounds awesome, so I chose to read an Emily Dickinson poem. But the poem that stuck with me all this time was Dream Boogie.

The first time I read it, I honestly didn't get it. Well, that is, I didn't get it until I read the last four lines. I realized that those last lines were scat, a form of wordless vocal jazz. I then realized that the whole poem was inspired by jazz, which, to me, is awesome. I reread it and reread it, and finally settled that it sounded best to me read in a swing beat, just like the jazz of the time period this poem was written in. That's when the poem really started making sense to me.

Maybe it's just because in a previous life, I was a jazz musician, or maybe it's just because I'm a musician and I see this weird connection between poetry and music, regardless of genre, but I can definitely imagine that this poem is written as a jazz song in words, like a Louis Armstrong or Miles Davis song translated into poetry. Definitely very cool.

Ben L.

Shakespeare vs. Mullen

Out of all the poems and sonnets that we've read in class, the two that stuck with me the most were Dim Lady by Harryette Mullen and the accompanying sonnet by Shakespeare. I loved the use of more modern language to convey the same ideas that Shakespeare conveyed hundreds of years before. One thing I noticed was how with the Shakespeare version, everyone in class took it so seriously, and with the Mullen version, it was pretty humorous. Even though they say the same thing, just with different words, the reactions people had towards the two pieces were quite different. I feel that in our society, we take the works of Shakespeare too seriously. In my opinion, Shakespeare wrote his sonnet to convey his love for someone, but with a humorous approach. But besides that, I loved that both of them had the overall message that no matter what the physical attributes, that the writer loves their significant other no matter what. That's a message I can get behind!

Ben L.

Introduction

Hey everyone!

I'm Ben Ledoux, I'm currently in my second year at Eastern, and my major is currently Elementary Education. Originally, I'm from Amherst, Massachusetts. I chose to go to Eastern because I had heard about it's reputation about having a great teacher education program, as well as the fact that I would be representing the third straight generation in my family to go to school at Eastern. My mom, as well as both my Grandma and Grandpa attended and graduated from Eastern.

I love music. Music has been my life as long as I can remember. I've been listening to music basically since the day I was born. My parents started me off listening to oldies music greats like The Beatles, Herman's Hermits and the like. I've expanded my library from that quite a bit, and as cliche as it is to say it, I truly love to listen to every type of music. I feel like music is something that is rooted deeply in me, no matter what genre.

Not only am I deeply rooted in the listening aspect of music, I am also an avid musician. My mom always tells this story about how when I was about three or four, I opened up all the cabinets in our kitchen, took out all the pots and pans, and then arranged them by pitch. I then proceeded to figure out how to play "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" on them. At the age of 9, I started taking drum lessons, which centered on both drum set and concert percussion. In high school, I was considered one of the better musicians in the school. I was a member of my high school's Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, as well as being in my own rock band. I am also self taught on the piano and the guitar.

But enough about music... I love reading, writing and English in general. All my favorite classes I've ever taken have been English classes. I signed up for creative writing because it is sort of a passion of mine. I've been writing fictional short stories ever since I could write. It seems to me like everyone I've ever met has hated writing, and that isn't the case with me. Whether it's a poem, a story, or an essay, I can just sit down and grind it out, and I love it.

So,  in short, I'm super excited about taking this class this semester. Hopefully it'll exceed my expectations!

Ben L.