Class 275 Reaction to Poem

Students in my class were asked to react to the following poem:

by MAF

Seek not the tribes of war.
In silence do the numbers die.
Go not to foster terror
Negating all the good you try.

Every opposing force will cancel,
Daring to relieve the uproars.
No one is left to carry the battle,
Under flags of distant shores.

More numbers dictate success.
But less would fall to defeat.
Every soldier, his life to press,
Removes all partisans as meat.

Still naught is left.

Explanations for the poem were given:
Explanations for poem on Signed Numbers.
This is an acrostic poem which means that the first letter of each line spells out the message. Though this is a poem about signed numbers, there are other themes presented.
Definitions:
tribes of war: Though this can refer to war games like “World Warcraft”, historically there have been many battles raged between opposing factions. Most of these battles were hand to hand combat. During a war with the Iroquois and Delaware tribes, the Cherokee got pushed from parts of the northern United States (what is now Indiana and Ohio), to the southeastern United States, where they settled. When deciding to go to war, both the men and women helped in making the decision. One of the major reasons that the Cherokees went to war was to seek revenge for someone killed by another tribe. Today, in Iraq, the Al Qaeda seek to align themselves with the Sunni Moslem tribe against the Shiites. There are many factions (tribes) fighting in Afghanastan. The war of terror that has engulfed the entire world started as a tribal conflict, that used the term “Jihad” to expand the war as a religious quest similar to the inquisition.
opposing force: Just as the poles of a magnet will force positive and negative forces to attract, like charges will repel. The charges aren’t alike sufficiently to allow them to attract. Matter and antimatter, as opposition forces in the universe will lead to total annihilation when these forces combine. Thus opposition forces can be much the same and yet will fight against one another to the point of mutual extinction. “No one is left.”
dictate: Dictionary definition: to issue as an order; to impose, pronounce, or specify authoritatively; to require or determine necessarily. Sadam Hussein was a dictator. He imposed order on the society of Iraq. In this case, the term has the connotation of “insure.”
partisans: Supporters of parties, factions or troops. Today, partisan politics could result in dire consequences for the election and our economy.
meat: Def: That which is consumed like food; The tissues of animals that can be eaten. In cases of cannibalism, opposing tribes would eat each other as food. Here it is meant as a metaphor for consumption.



The following questions apply:
Directions for an essay about Signed Numbers.
After you read the poem and then the explanations, what do you think is the purpose of the poem and the main idea?
Why the title, “Signed numbers?”
What do you think is the meaning of the opening sentence?
How does the poem make you feel? What emotions do you experience when you read it?
Rewrite the poem as a version in your own words or draw a picture that describes the poem.
Use the space below to draft some ideas or sketch your picture.

You may post your essay here.

The rescue plan.

I'd like to relay my thoughts on this.The bailout plan changed from a rescue plan to The Emergency Relief Act of 2008. The bill mushroomed from a little over 100 pages to 451 pages with addedums for various tax credits. The actual bill has not yet been published on line, but the attached is what I gleamed from published information and commentaries. Naturally, this is going to cost the taxpayer a lot more than $700 billion. The number of additional people that will be employed by this is staggering. This government employment alone might reduce unemployment, at least in the Wall Street sector of the economy. If you have further information or thoughts on this, please share.