Saturday, July 16, 2011

Recitation of Poem : Ozymandias by PB Shelley

I came across this famous poem by PB Shelly while searching for the poems for my 6th standard English poetry recitation competition. Maya Brown won the first prize by reciting this poem in her school , Woodbridge Senior High School during 2010. You can listen and view her beautiful recitation of the poem here.

Recitation of Poem :  Ozymandias by PB Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land                    
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away".


Percy Bysshe Shelley (4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron.He is most famous for such classic anthology verse works as Ozymandias, Ode to the West Wind, To a Skylark, and The Masque of Anarchy, which are among the most popular and critically acclaimed poems in the English language.

Speech on “Advertisements are misleading”

Now we have more practical works part of the new way of studying at school. I need to give a speech next week. Here is what I have prepared.



Respected teacher and my dear friends,
Advertisements have become part and parcel of our life. I am sure many of us here love watching ads during commercial break. But do you know most of the ads shown are misleading. The false advertisements have great influence mainly on children who demands many things from parents. But they do not know that it may be very harmful for their health.
For example we see so many ads on TV about skin creams and no one clearly refers that for which skin it is suitable and for which skin it’s allergic. One such creams claim to make you fair within 7 days of application. Do you believe this?  No for we know genes in the body decides fairness of the skin.
 Also the face creams children often demand are for men not for children. Applying these creams will ultimately destroy their natural skins, as the children’s skin is very soft.
So we should all be aware of these ads and should not buy any product by seeing the ad only. Also as a good and responsible customer we should know about the product completely and clarify that it would not affect us in bad way and then buy the product.
Stephen Leacock once said that Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it. I think that some advertisement companies are arresting our human intelligence way beyond our comfort levels.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Recitation of Poem : I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou

 Classes started. I thought of getting ready with my poem selections for this year little early. Here comes the first...by Mary Angelou, one of the most visible female American poets of this era.

I know why the caged bird sings
by Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

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Maya Angelou (born 1928) is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly acclaimed, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her first seventeen years. It brought her international recognition, and was nominated for a National Book Award. She has been awarded over 30 honorary degrees and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971 volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie.
Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration, the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.

Synonym Finder & Antonym Finder

 Part of my English grammer learnings we need to find out synonyms and antonyms. Following sites are pretty useful
  • Synonym Finder (Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings)
  • Antonym Finder  (Antonyms are words with opposite or nearly opposite meanings. )