Relationships...

What kinds of relationships exist in your life? What are qualities of successful relationships? Why are some relationships so difficult? What makes relationships fall apart? Why do we need relationships?

Seduction poem/ Persuasive poem

This is a poem where you are trying to convince somebody of something they don’t want to be convinced of. The poem is an argument, an attempt to persuade. Think about all the situations where you are trying to convince somebody of something: getting out of a ticket, getting mom or dad to not ground you for breaking curfew, getting a date with your dream girl/boy, getting mom or dad to give you more money, getting a teacher to let you turn in late work.

Homonym poem

Brenda Hillman wrote a brilliant poem called"Cleave and Cleave" which examines these words that sound and can be spelled the same but have opposite meanings. I'd like you to think of two words that are homonyms but mean different things. , e.g. lie and lie, stone and stone, bear and bear, write and right. Here is a complete list.Think of an emotional situation in memory that these homonyms might speak to, then imagine yourself "encountering" each of these words separately, in concrete examples- e.g. you are writing your name on a blackboard as a child, over and over; the sun is spilling in the window, fading the slate as you write. you start to think about your "right" to be yourself, and you look at your self, the clothes you are wearing, your hands, etc...Then bring both words together at the poem's conclusion, like Hillman, who dramaticized the words' opposite meanings by ending with two strong sentences: You might say, e.g." I will write my name over and over on the glass." Then, "I will disappear: my right."This poem is taken from The Practice of Poetry by Behn and Twichell.

Oprah Winfrey poem

I am going to collect all of your secrets and redistribute them. With another person's secret, write a poem telling the story of that secret as if it were your own and addressing what you think about it. You could even look back at the secret as if you were older and wiser.

Table of Contents poem

I was searching through The Practice of Poetry looking for some fun new ways to approach kids writing their own works and came across an assignment called "Index/ Table of Contents Exercise" by Lee Upton. I liked the idea of their life being a listing of where they came from and where else they can go from here. When finalized, the assignment came out as, "List ten significant people events in your life. Think of your life as a book; these are the chapters. Group together what can be compiled. Make sure to create a creative title for each chapter using a poetic term. Also the numbers of pages in a chapter should be reflective of their importance. "

Here is a link to previous examples, but beware, do you want to be influenced or create your own piece of you?

What is poetry?

Without going to Wikipedia, dictionary.com, or any other website, tell me what poetry is to you? Do you like writing poetry? Why or why not? What kinds of poetry have you written before? What kinds of poetry do you NOT want to write?

Questions for Mr. Pink- The List

Nicole S.
In light of America’s current economic crisis and where you see it headed, how would you like to see America’s youth take action?

Stella
My class watched a video about wisdom the other day with many different meanings and thoughts about it for many different people, old and young. What is your personal definition of wisdom? Do you believe it relates to any or all of the six senses you included in A Whole New Mind? How might wisdom effect and/or relate to the Conceptual Age?

Kelsey C.
Have you found these qualities/senses important to your own personal success? Would you define yourself as successful?

Chelsea
This year, I walked into this school and began it like every other year. When I walked into my English class, our class was told "Change the World". In your mind, what is it to "Change the World"?

Kelsey W.
If only one of the senses existed, which one would it be and could it create the other senses?

Mariah F.
While we know that A Whole New Mind is a business book, how do you see these senses being used in life beyond work and jobs? Do we need to re-learn these senses or are they a basic human trait that we need to just be aware of?

Kailyn (Brooke)
I have always thought that creativity is a luxury, are you saying that perhaps it is not any more?
Anish
Is empathy a trait to be obtained or a universal habit that must be uncovered? In other words, do humans learn to be empathetic or have they always possessed empathy?

Emma W.
When we first started reading your book, many of our classmates were turned off by the cover which reads “why right brainers will rule the world.” Now that we have finished the book, we don’t really think that subtitle fits. Do you feel like it really envelops what your book is really about?

Kyle L.
You explain these senses you have in the right brain, but you never explain the left-brained people's role in this new conceptual age. What will become of the left-brained people in the future?

Allie C.
Do you think the education systems in the world today and in the past should be blamed, specifically, for the fact that humans are generally more L-directed and not R-directed in their thinking?

Lisa (Megg)
How do you want to see the education system change? What problems in it do you think need to be fixed so that when your kids go to school they will be able to get the best education possible?

Emma L.
What sense do you think will be most beneficial to master in the coming Conceptual Age?

Stephanie L
Those of us in the generation being raised in the Conceptual age that find our strengths in one or two of the senses, are we less likely to thrive in the coming years than those of us who were able to master the idea of creating a whole new mind incorporating all senses?

Justin P
Technological advancement has helped our world in countless ways, and in the Conceptual Age, it is supposed to get better. However, could this have some down sides to this? For example, since the TV came out, information was easier to broadcast, but it also has gotten people lazier. Could the Conceptual Age also have its down sides?

Drew
Now that your book has been out for a couple of years, is there any advice that you would add, take out, or change a little bit in your book?