The Crickets Have Arthritis

The Crickets Have Arhtritis

         In Shane Koyczan's poem, "The Crickets Have Arthritis", Shane describes the lessons he learned from staying in a hospital room with a 9 year old boy who had cancer. A main theme revealed from this poem is that even though someone may be young, they may be wise beyond their years, and that we can learn a lot from those who are younger than us. Shane described the boy as "thirty year old man with a nose bleed being lowered into a shark tank," showing how mature the boy was, even when using profanity. Shane says that if cursing is what'll help the boy through his illness, "he wants to teach him to swear like the devil was sitting there taking notes with a pen and a pad". Finally, he talks about when the boy especially proved his maturity by telling him that "the worst part about being sick is that you get all the free ice cream you ask for", but the worst part is "realizing that there's nothing more they can do for you."

Pretty

        In "Pretty", by Katie Makkai, the speaker describes the way that society truly defines the word "pretty," talking about how all girls grow up hoping to be pretty, or at least rich, which is "almost pretty if you know where to shop." All girls want to be wanted, they want to be perfect like the girls on the magazine covers. The entire poem is an extended metaphor, the speaker sarcastically making "synthetic" equal "pretty". Katie knows that all girls, including herself at a younger age, believe that the greatest asset they could possibly possess would be a "marketable facade", and that most girls don't care to be smart, or even real, as long as they are "pretty".

     "Well," I began, "I realized, just as I walked through my front door, that I'd left my homework in my locker."
     Mr. Van Camp remarked, "Couldn't you have just gone back to the school to get it?"
      "I couldn't have!"
     He looked skeptical."Why not?" he asked.
     "As I was walking across the field," I replied, "I encountered a rather large chicken."
     "How large?" he inquired.
     I was careful not to look him in the eye. I knew if I dared to, all would be lost. "It weighed 200 pounds!"
     His hard expression faded into a smile. He exclaimed, "It must have been Gertrude! Is she still out there?"
     "I believe so," I answered, confused.
     "Thank you so much for ending the search for my beloved pet. She's been missing for a year! You'll recieve a guaranteed A in my class!"