A dozen by a dozen.... Blog post 1 of 12 (with directions about commenting)

A dozen by a dozen: Finishing up your Invention Blog
Second Blog Review due on December 11, 2011 (worth 50 points)

The subjects of the last twelve blog posts (about three paragraphs each) will be posted on this blog.

Here is  blog post 1 of 12: 
Read the following poem and respond to the questions below.

Robert Hass, “The Problem of Describing Trees”  

The aspen glitters in the wind
 And that delights us.

The leaf flutters, turning,
 Because that motion in the heat of August
 Protects its cells from drying out. Likewise the leaf
 Of the cottonwood.

The gene pool threw up a wobbly stem
 And the tree danced. No.
 The tree capitalized.
 No. There are limits to saying,
 In language, what the tree did.

 It is good sometimes for poetry to disenchant us.
 
Dance with me, dancer.  Oh, I will.

Mountains, sky,
 The aspen doing something in the wind.
 
 What is the argument of this poem?

What does the italicized line signify?

 ______________________________________________________________

Then you will comment substantively on twelve of your peers’ posts.  Blogs are after all a [pseudo-]conversation after all.

 Your first comments may follow this format.  After you are comfortable, craft your own responses in the way you see fit.  Be sure though that you comment in substantial ways.

1.  Write four to eight sentences per comment. 
2.  Start by thanking the writer for the intelligent, thoughtful post.  Then ask a question: “hey, have you thought about this?”
3.  Continue by justifying your question:  “The reason I ask this is because ________.”
4.  Then direct the poster to other information:  “You might want to take a look at this _____________.”
5.  Conclude by suggesting some alternate rhetorical move to try in the writer’s next post:  “I see that you frequently access metaphoric thinking in your writing.  Perhaps you might like to try more analytically in your next posting.”
6. What I really admire about your writing here is that you are positively _________ about  ____________.