A Different Atmosphere

Being someone who has lived in Texas their whole life unfortunately the night sky was a constant picture. Here we experience very foggy, cloudy nights and it sometimes looks like there are only 9 stars in the sky. Unless someone from this area has traveled to more rural areas where there isn't as much light pollution or people, then they wouldn't be able to experience what the night sky really looks like.

The quote I chose for my response was Ian Cheney stating that he felt like he “was at the center of the world” but that he had “left something important behind, something [he] couldn't name.” (City Dark). I can’t imagine living in Maine for the first quarter of my life and experiencing breath-taking views every night. Why would anyone want to move to a big city after living in the most beautiful place? Cheney explains in the film that seeing a night sky in Maine was like seeing thousands of stars in one picture. The stars were uncountable. It’s hard to imagine a sky that big, bright, and full of beautiful stars when every night we see only a percentage of what Maine residents see.

Tonight I counted 43 stars in our Texas sky which is much smaller of a number compared to the thousands of stars that are in our universe. Cheney also wonders, “What do we lose when we lose the night?” (City Dark). I believe many people go through life and never sit down at night to look at the night sky. I myself rarely appreciate the night sky because I’m too caught up in other things going on. But tonight I’m glad I took the time to enjoy the beautiful sky. Asking the question of what do we lose when we lose the night sky is a serious question to think about. Not only would it affect humans but what would it do to the animals who travel being guided by the night sky? I think a lot of humans take advantage of our beautiful planet and don’t take in all the beauty it provides for us.

These two quotes were important to me because they catch you off guard. What could Cheney really lose when he moved to New York? The night sky isn't something like a companion but when you get so accustomed to seeing something every night then it becomes a part of you and your life. The night sky in Maine became a part of Cheney's life and when he left then he could see how a part of him was gone. I don't think he realized how such a small, innate aspect of life was such a large part of him until he left. Another situation people living in Texas could relate to is the distance from the ocean. Even though I don’t live five minutes away from the beach, having somewhat easy access to the ocean is a great amenity. Water is so relaxing and calming to me. Anytime the world is taking at me too much, just going by water and enjoying listening to the waves relaxes me completely. Everyone has their own method that works for them and Ian Cheney could’ve looked at the night sky the way I look at the ocean. One question many of us need to ask ourselves is, when was the last time you enjoyed the beauty of our planet? Obviously Ian Cheney is trying to get his message out that our night sky is diminishing literally and diminishing as a figure to the people who live on Earth.

Our World Without Light

Four years ago I visited the beautiful island of Hawaii. Yes the beaches were breath taking but one experience was significantly better. While staying on the Big Island, one evening we traveled on a long road all the way up a mountain. After a couple of hours of non-stop driving in circles we reached the top of this mountain which was actually a volcano. At that time it was around 6 o’clock in the evening and the sun was just setting. It was absolutely perfect. Not only could you see the whole island but it seemed as if you could jump higher than the clouds.

As soon as it was dark, we ventured our way to the site seeing area where the stars looked feet from you. Instead of being on sea level and feeling like a little, puny ant, we felt so big and giant. It was the most breath taking image I had ever seen. Living in Texas does have positives because of our clear skies, but Texas doesn’t have anything on Hawaii.

The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. You could see for what seemed like miles. I had never experienced the moon looking so huge. It made me feel like I wasn’t even on the planet anymore. Being able to be on such an elevated surface with the weather perfect is magical. Our planet is such a beautiful place.

As talked about in class, at the top of the mountain it had mandated rules for low light pollution so tourists could experience the real deal. That was quite scary being on a mountain thousands of feet higher than civilization and having to watch every step you take because of the fear of falling off the mountain. Even though that terrified me, the view was so worth it. Not having all of the lights on in a city or being so high up on a mountain makes you feel like you’re experiencing a new world.

A similar event made me feel the exact same way. About 3 months ago it rained non-stop for about 3 days and where I live when it rains we normally lose power. Usually it’s only for an hour but this time we lost power around 5 o’clock with the power not turning back on until 5 o’clock the next morning. At first it wasn’t that dark and didn’t seem like an unusual occurrence. Now let me explain, where I live we don’t have any street lights or many homes so at night it is very dark, so our neighborhood was pitch black because everyone was out of power. It wasn’t scary but made me think back to that night when we were on the mountain in Hawaii. This was the first time I had seen where I lived completely light free. 

Normally everyone’s homes are lit up, but this night there was nothing. It was breath taking. Even though I was in my home on a very rainy night, it was a wonderful experience. The thought of people living 200 years ago without power and experiencing that every night was thrilling. It made me thankful for electricity but also thankful that it can go out sometimes. Just like when a hurricane hits our area, people learn how to work together to keep everyone afloat.

I think it would be good for the power to go out more often. Maybe not during the blistering summers we have here in Texas but on a cold, rainy night in December it was quite peaceful. The only noise I could hear as I was falling asleep were the soft sounds of the rain. It made me recognize all the magical things we have around us on this earth that we don’t notice.

Romantic Relationships

“Valentine” by Carol Ann Duffy vs. “Onions” by William Matthews

Titles are everything. The first thing that comes to mind as you see "Valentine" is love, romanticism, or a loving relationship. On the other hand when you hear "Onions" the thoughts won’t be as charming, but rather smelly and eye watering. These two poems have very powerful names but if the poem names were swapped they would fit the content of each poem better. The interesting title starts the imagination going but as you start to read the content the tables turn.

In the beginning of “Valentine,” the poet explains how they give their loved one an onion instead of “a red rose or a satin heart.” The poet then identifies all the qualities an onion has. When comparing a relationship to an onion it could go two ways; one way the relationship gets better as time goes on and the layers come back, or the relationship could start exposing more truths as the layers peal back. After reading this poem, I would guess the poet’s relationship has seen years of hard times and sadness and in the end it doesn’t have enough positives to save the relationship. The hints of destruction are most in the last stanza when the poet states, “Lethal. Its scent will cling to your fingers, cling to your knife.” If the poet would have mentioned just the scent of the onion without using the word Lethal before, the meaning wouldn’t have been as strong. But the poet’s word choice by involving a one-word sentence, Lethal, proved the destruction, pain, or exposure of an unhealthy relationship.

The poem “Onions” is quite different. It starts with the poet explaining how onions bring happiness to their relationship. They begin by cooking a wonderful dinner. Preparing everything and including diced onions. This poem as well identifies the characteristics of an onion, how it can bring tears but such happiness to someone who loves to cook with them. This relationship is much different from the previous poem. This relationship has grown as the layers pull back, the core of the relationship is exposed and as reading this poem you can feel the poet's love being expressed. The poet expands on the thought of the lingering smell of onions everywhere you touch. Instead of the smell of the lingering  onions being a disgrace, this smell lingers but brings happiness. Somewhat like smelling your spouse’s perfume or cologne and it bringing you happiness to smell that familiar scent. The poet identifies this smell but appreciates it and views it pleasantly. Lastly, the poem ends in a better note then the last. The couple eats dinner, washes the dishes, and then they go together to bed.

When comparing these two poems there are many similarities but differences that make them stand out from each other. Without a doubt the couple in “Valentine” had a destructive relationship but that the relationship was much older than the one in “Onions.” Maybe the couple had went through many years of rough patches and it was getting too tiring to keep trying at something they had both given up on. And the fresh relationship hasn’t experienced as much so they didn’t have as many battle scares to make them rethink their relationship. The reason I picked these two poems to compare is how two relationships can have one item bring such happiness and one bring such sadness. As well, both poems use the onion as an analogy toward their relationship. Yet, one relationship grew as the layers were pulled apart, and the other relationship tarnished with each peal.