An Ounce of Cure

THE TITLE:

The title “An Ounce of Cure” means that it took an ounce of liquor to cure the narrator’s problem. This saying was changed from it original meaning of it being better to stop potential problems, than fix them later to creating problems that in the end fix other problem. This is because in the story it took getting drunk while babysitting, and being humiliated all over school, for the narrator to get over her problem of being obsessed with Martin Collingwood. This theme of creating problems to fix other problems is explored through this short story by means of having the drunk incident’s consequences make the narrator realize that by going through the motions of her situation, it had overall fixed her initial problem.


THE PLOT:

- The narrator falls in love with Martin Collingwood
- Martin Collingwood leaves the narrator for the actress who plays opposite him in the play
- The narrator becomes obsessed with Martin
- The narrator becomes depressed by her obsession
- The narrator tries to commit suicide by taking aspirins
- The narrator goes to babysit one Saturday night
- The narrator decides to get drunk and drinks two full glasses of scotch
- The narrator then fills the bottles back up with water
- The narrator calls her friend for help
- Her friends come to the house and help her
- The parents whom she is babysitting for come home early
- They drive her home
- She tells her mom the whole story
- They make amends
- She gets bothered around school for “trying to commit suicide over Martin”, until a scandal bigger than hers occurs
- She gets over Martin
- Years later she meets Martin again, after she has married, while she is attending a relatives funeral (he becomes an undertaker)
- She decides to keep her past in the past, and let Martin unbury whatever catastrophes he wishes.

OTHER NAMES:

Blood is thicker than Liquor
This is meant to mean that the narrator’s blood was more long lasting than the liquor. Therefore, things worked themselves out, and the liquor incident eventually diluted itself out of her life.
Hindsight is 2 for 2
Therefore hindsight is perfectly clear, however I changed it for 2 for 2 because she had two drinks, and those two fateful drinks were what eventually solved her problem in the end.

Diamante Poem- Fire and Ice

Fire

Energetic, Fierce

Dancing, Burning, Blazing

Red, Hot, Blue, Cold

Freezing, Gripping, Sliding

Calm, Deadly

Ice

Snow Poetry Response

Winter Uplands
Archibald Lampman (1861-1899)

The frost that stings like fire upon my cheek,
The loneliness of this forsaken ground,
The long white drift upon whose powdered peak
I sit in the great silence as one bound;
The rippled sheet of snow where the wind blew
Across the open fields for miles ahead;
The far-off city towered and roofed in blue
A tender line upon the western red;
The stars that singly, then in flocks appear,
Like jets of silver from the violet dome,
So wonderful, so many and so near,
And then the golden moon to light me home—
The crunching snowshoes and the stinging air,
And silence, frost and beauty everywhere.

This sonnet is a true masterpiece that fully captures the Canadian landscape in wintertime. I find that this poem shows both how gentle and beautiful the snow can be, but also how vicious and unruly the snow can be. In parts such as "the frost that stings like fire upon my cheek," captures the bad side of snow, and in parts such as "...frost and beauty everywhere," captures the good side of snow. I find that the choice of words, and sonnet format make this poem more effective. The use of imagery in this poem allows the reader to feel as though they are there because Archibald Lampman uses both sight, sound and feeling to convey his message. One of the parts where I feel as though I am experiencing what the author is, is when he writes, "The crunching snowshoes and the stinging air." I can truly relate to this, as I know the feeling and sounds of the snow crunching beneath your feet, and the stinging on your skin as the cold air touches it. Overall I think that this poem does an amazing job of allowing the reader to, in their own way, feel, see and hear the Canadian landscape in the winter.

Haiku Verse Poem

Disquised Rocks

Cold winter morning

great rocks disguised as icebergs

sit peacefully in

crashing lake waters.

Ice cold, and threatening to

steal their frost disguise.

They will not succeed,

as time is not theur ally.

They must be patient--

for when the spring comes,

they may send their ice waters

to expose the disguised rocks

for what they all are.

Concrete Poem- Canadian Goose

Canadian Identity- Poem

When you go to the USA
and they find out your're from Canada EH
they immediately ask what you live in
whether its an igloo, inukshuk or recycling bin
they then go on to ask how the trees are
because we are all lumberjacks how bizzarre
if the trees are fine,
then they take the time
to ask if you drive in a car.


Of course we drive in cars,
and dont drink maple syrup in bars,
we dont have beavers as pets,
or make all our money on moose racing bets,
we have a prime minister and friends
and many treaties to make ammends
and we love play hockey all day,
but make sure we do not stray,
away from our Canadian identity.

Canadian Poetry Response

AUTUMN MAPLES

Lampman, Archibald (1861-1899)

The thoughts of all the maples who shall name,
When the sad landscape turns to cold and gray?
Yet some for very ruth and sheer dismay,
Hearing the northwind pipe the winter's name,
Have fired the hills with beaconing clouds of flame;
And some with softer woe that day by day,
So sweet and brief, should go the westward way,
Have yearned upon the sunset with such shame
That all their cheeks have turned to tremulous rose;
Others for wrath have turned to rusty red,
And some that knew not either grief or dread,
Ere the old year should find its iron close,
Have gathered down the sun's last smiles acold,
Deep, deep, into their luminous hearts of gold

-----

This beautiful Canadian poem by the famous Canadian poet Archibald Lampman is a true to life representation of Canadian Maple trees changing colour in autumn. Being an inhabitant of Ontario in the late 1800s, He drew from the surrounding landscape to inspire the majority of his works. This is evident in this poem, because of the description of the changing maples that are a huge part of the Ontario landscape and even in the Canadian landscape in general. I feel that this poem truly captures both the feeling of autumn in Canada, as well as the look of the scenery. The use of imagery in this poem is brilliant, such as when Lampman describes the hills as being fired with “beaconing clouds of flame”, and the beaconing clouds of flame being the autumn leaves on the maple trees. Overall, I think that this poem is a great representation of the beautiful Canadian landscape in the autumn months. This is why I chose this poem to respond to.

Poem- What Canada Means To Me

Having lived in Canada for fifteen years
I have learned many things, and have had many fears

I have been to the farthest points both east and west
St. Johns and Vancouver Island both left me impressed

Both had many Tim Hortons which was a relief
As Tim Hortons is just as Canadian as the Maple Leaf

Speaking of Maple Leafs, thats Torontos hockey team
Hopefully they'll get training and become supreme

Niagra falls is a great place to relax
and while you are at it you can see people made of wax

The Rideau Canal is great to skate on all winter long
while eating cinnamon Beaver tails until dawn

Horseback riding through the warm summer heat
and camping in Temagami cannot be beat

While snowshoeing, skating and curling are great
Moose riding and racing I will do any date

While drinking maple syrup and playing lacross
and hiking up mountains just to see the peat moss

I discovered why Canada means so much to me
but then I forgot while wearing my touque because I saw the RCMP

They were riding towards me at an incredible pace
but then they just stopped to go watch a moose race

Did you know that "keener" is a Canadian word?
I realized that while at the great lakes, how absurd.

Oh now I remember why Canada the best place to be alive!
because we are all lumberjacks, living in igloos to survive

No I am just joking, Canada is the best place to stay
because no body notices when you say EH

How the landscape I grew up in affected who I am

"No one knows what causes an outer landscape to become an inner one." Margaret Atwood

Growing up in Canada has shaped who I am by allowing me to be able to have the freedom of choice and speech andmaking me able to survive cold winters. Having lived in Canada for my whole life, I have the privilege to speak my mind, and choose what I want to do, because our country is one that respects the freedom of the people. I am able to wear what I want, practice what religion I want, go to school, and do sports; all of these due to living in Canada. Sadly I cannot say this for everyone in the world, because not all countries treat everyone equally, or respect their peoples' right to speek their minds and make their own choices. Growing up in Canada has also given me the great talent of surviving cold winters, due to our harsh winters and heavy snowfall. In Ontario, where I have spent most of my life, the winters are much milder than they were Alberta, where I had lived for 3 years, although I cannot remember these winters, from what my parents have told me that is where I have first learnt to dress for the weather. Overall Canada has made me able to survive cold winters, and allowed me to be able to speak my mind and make my own choices.