Slice of Life Story Challenge March 17- Movies, Memories, Mathematics and Space Adventures




Movies, Memories, Mathematics and Space Adventures








 Yesterday I saw the movie, 'Hidden Figures,' a powerful movie concerning the space race between America and Russia to put a man in space. The film depicts the under-reported role three African American women played in that international contest. 

 The story details the working lives of three brilliant African-American women at NASA -- Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson whose mathematical abilities and computing skills were critical to supporting the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit around the earth.

 The film addressed a range of issues including gender stereotyping, misogyny, and racism. Mention was also made about the Russian satelite, Sputnik. The launching of this satelite served to increase competition in the space race and the film focuses very much on this desire to lead the world in exploring the frontiers of outer space. 

 I was surprised to discover that a prevailing view among some Americans at the time was that the Russians were using the satelite to spy upon the American people. My very young memories of this event was simpler and purer. I had no conspiracy theories going on  in my head at that time. None whatsoever. 

 Sometimes a single word can trigger a connection. Well, hearing the word 'Sputnik' did just that for me.

 The poem 'Searching The Sky For Sputnik' is based on the historical events retraced in the movie. 

 I wrote my poem early last year and decided to include it in my latest book, 'I Bet There's No Broccoli On The Moon.' which was published in November. 

 A poem feels appropriate for Friday...



Searching the Sky For Sputnik

 Sputnik
Say it quickly
Sounds like a wet sneeze
Dog slobber wet
Sputnik-

 World’s first ever satellite
Launched from Russia
In the year 1957
Circling the earth
Racing through outer space
Visible in the night sky

 A small boy
In striped flannelette pyjamas
Stands in his front yard
On a cool October evening
Staring up into the night sky
Eyes searching the far away spaces
For a moving light
The light of Sputnik
-And suddenly he sees it
The flashing light of the satellite
Orbiting the earth
A man made wonder
Zooming across the night sky
Above his front yard
Sputnik
Sounds like a wet sneeze

 If you say it quickly 

 Alan j Wright

Comments

  1. Fran17 March 2017 at 19:24

    Love seeing your young pajama'd self standing in the night yard in your poem!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright18 March 2017 at 09:20

      The visual images conjured up by the written word sometimes surprise us. I wanted to catch the innocence of the age. Thank you for your remarks Fran.

      Delete
  2. Amy Warntz17 March 2017 at 21:31

    Alan, seeing Hidden Figures is on my list to watch. I've heard so many great comments about it. For me, your poem depicts the innocence of a child. No conspiracy theories, just a light in the sky and a silly sounding word. I always enjoy your work. Thanks for sharing! ~Amy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright18 March 2017 at 09:21

      Amy, thank you again for your kind remarks. I am most hopeful you will find this movie to your liking.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not every thing has a
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers to gain i
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intention of drawing t
Read more

Answering Questions Posed by Young POETS

Image
UPDATED, May 2020 As a frequent visitor to schools I have the great pleasure of working with groups of young, enthusiastic poets and their teachers. When I arrive in a classroom, young poets are often pre-loaded with questions, and most keen to have them answered.  I try to answer as many as I can, but we frequently run out of time, and the poetry caravan moves on to the next classroom. So I am here to answer some of those questions -right here, right now. So here goes: When you were little did you love writing? The short answer is yes. I have always enjoyed words and language. I can't recall a time when I wasn't doing some kind of writing. When did you write your first poetry book? I have had poems published over the years, but it wasn't until 2014 that I had an entire book of poems (an anthology) published. When I looked back through all my notebooks I realized I had hundreds of poems from which to choose. So, 'Searching For Hen's Teeth-Poetry From The
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to
Read more