Articles written by Kerry Michael Wood - Page 3

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About me - Kerry Michael Wood

I am a graduate of Yale University with a Master's degree in English. I am busily retired and live in Pacific Grove, CA. I am attempting to market my self-published memoir, "Past Imperfect, Present Progressive. I spend much of my spare time at the computer

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Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry Poetry analysis: I Hear America Singing, by Walt Whitman: 1 of 12
Walt Whitman was a contemporary of Poe, Emerson, Longfellow, and Bryant, but his work is quite different from theirs. A pioneer of free verse and non-esoteric subject matter, he is often spoken of as American's first modern poet. I Hear America Singing is a good example of his focus on working-class democracy using realistic... More..
Travel > Vacations Best of 2008: Vacation destinations: 2 of 23
Our 2008 summer vacation took us to familiar territory in the Pacific Northwest where we found new delights. Sixteen years ago we bought a time share at Eagle Crest Resort, located on one side of the triangle of roads linking the Oregon towns of Bend, Sisters and Redmond, and bisected by the Deschutes River. Unlike most time... More..
Relationships & Family > Grief & Loss End-of-life communication: On saying goodbye: 4 of 45
My father's death seemed regulated by the policy that governed all aspects of his life. He wanted never to be a nuisance, a pain, a bore, or to take center stage. Throughout my life he was a presence, mostly unspoken, always supportive, usually smiling, unjustifiably proud of his sons, always listening. He did the automobile... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: College life: 1 of 11
My college application and selection process differed hugely from those of the students I later taught. I didn't take time off to visit distant campuses. I don't know anyone who did back then. I applied to Loyola of Los Angeles, as did nearly all college-bound students from my Catholic high school. I also decided to give Sta... More..
Arts & Humanities > American Literature Book reviews: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott: 1 of 11
I first read Anne Lamott's "bird by bird" soon after it was published fifteen years ago. It was a barrel of fun then and a helpful guide for aspiring writers. I have heard Anne speak a few times at English teachers' and writers' conferences. In reading her work, listening to her presentations, and now rereading "bird by bird... More..
Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry How to analyze a poem: 1 of 10
Recent poet laureate, Billy Collins, preaches enjoyment rather than analysis of poetry. As Mr. C. says about the forensic approach in his Introduction to Poetry, "...all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means.... More..
Arts & Humanities > Playwrights & Plays Literary analysis: A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen: 1 of 10
The first area of contention with this play is its title. In Norwegian it is Et Dukkehjem - usually rendered in British translations as A Doll's House. Translators Rolf Fjelde and Otto Reinert agree that A Doll House is more accurate in denoting a child's toy inhabited by several doll figures, Nora being one. A Doll's House ... More..
Arts & Humanities > William Shakespeare Poetry analysis: 'My Mistress' Eyes are nothing like the Sun,' by William Shakespeare: 1 of 10
In his Sonnet 130, Shakespeare was parodying a poetic tradition established by the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch. Petrarch's life spanned most of the first three quarters of the 14th century. He wrote a series of love poems to a woman named Laura. Petrarch's Laura was a married woman whom he could love, only from afar. Als... More..
Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry Poetry analysis: The World is Too Much with Us, by William Wordsworth: 4 of 36
Romanticism is an artistic and philosophical movement difficult to summarize ibriefly. Historians mark its beginning with the Fall of the Bastille in 1789. They differ by a few years on its terminus; some use the Reform Bill of 1832, others Queen Victoria's ascent to the Engish throne in 1837. In English literature, the earl... More..
Travel > Transportation (Other) The state of hitchhiking in America: 1 of 9
Spring vacation of my sophomore year at Yale I hitchhiked home. I made it from New Haven, CT to my doorstep in Long Beach, CA in eighty-three hours. I had one long ride with the Castro brothers in their 51 Mercury- from Jefferson City, MO to Barstow, CA. One of the brothers was being driven by the other two to some Air Force... More..