After you have read the poem, think about feelings you may share with the speaker. You are to write a response paper that is at least a paragraph in length. Some suggested topics are:
your feelings on summer’s end
anxiety you may feel about school this year
your feelings about football or other school activities
pretending to be someone you are not or feel something you don’t feel
fitting in this school year
changing friendships
Begin your writing with a topic sentence that mentions the title of the poem and poet’s name as well as what you will be discussing.
Example: Reading “The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead reminded me of the insecurities I felt when I was starting the ninth grade.
Serena Takada pd. 1
ReplyDeleteReading “The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead reminded me of my feelings on summer’s end. Every summer I visit my family in Japan for several weeks. Only during these weeks can I spend time with my grandparents. My annual visit has become a routine and quality times I spend with my grandparents are a treasured memory. With the end of summer, I return home bringing with me the memories of the time I spent in Japan. Along with my return to New York pre-season for field hockey and Band camp begins and “the days rush headlong into change” (line 9) The slow time I spent in Japan has come to an end and I gradually become sucked into the busy school schedule. Like Steve Lawhead, “I’d give the world to make the summer stay” (line 5) When summer ends and school begins, I am only left with the reminiscence of the days I spent in Japan.
While reading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead it made me think about how I feel when summer ends and going into school. Just as Steve felt, I feel better in the summer and that I don't have to worry about anything. Going into school, I never know what expect and am always so nervous. I felt most nervous going into ninth grade. Hearing things like, friends change so much, you might not be as good as a student as you were in middle school, more freedom which might be worse really got me scared. Not knowing what to expect is a scary feeling, but somehow everything worked for the better in High school. High school is a memory that will always be fun to look back on.
ReplyDeleteAs I read "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead it made me think about how much I dislike going to school again after a summer of no school. Going from late nights and being able to sleep in late to waking up very early for school. Just like how Steve feels anxiety going back to school, so do I. I wonder if everyone will be the same as I saw them the year before, how people have changed, etc. Also I agree with the line that reads, "I'd give the world to make the summer stay" (line 5) I feel this way because the summer is such a relaxing and fun time, while school is all pressure to do good.
ReplyDeleteWill Barnwell Pd 1
ReplyDeleteAt the end of summer i feel a lot like Steve, "the days rush headlong into change” (line 9) is really how it feels. from mid-agust the days start exponentially speeding up right when you are getting used to summer. near the end of the poem Lawhead talks of changing old habits. Coming into school I always feel like 'o yeah i can change and do better it will be so easy!" but its not that easy when you are surrounded by a chaotic swirl of teachers homework and other activities.
Michelle Loguidice
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
The poem, “The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead demonstrates my feeling on summer coming to an end. In stanza one, Lawhead says, “I’d give the world to make the summer stay.” Lawhead infers that he loves the summer and doesn’t want the school year to begin. Lawhead’s feelings are similar to mine because I don’t want the school year to start. One reason is that I don’t like the cold weather that the winter brings. Another reason is I don’t like to worry about school work and major tests. Everything is so relaxed in the summer that it feels good to be so carefree for a while. The school year brings me anxiety because there is pressure to perform well in all nine of my classes.
jason p 1
ReplyDeleteReading “The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead reminded me of how I felt when summer ended. I was very upset. I almost cried. I had just had an excellent summer with my friends and didn't want to go back home. I didn't want to go to school to be told what to do by teachers and parents and friends. But most importantly the end of summer made me realize I would have to deal with the anxieties of school. I was so upset when I realized I would have to deal with tests, homework, and grades. It really made me appreciate summer. And with each summer lessening in time as i grow older, I will be sure to cherish the summers that go by so I can look back on them and find them meaningful and good.
As I read "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead, it took me back to feeling anxious as the summer was coming to an end, and the new school year (and all the responsibilities that came with it) was about to start, just like Steve felt. i always, every year, have that anxious feeling, but it is doubled, even tripled when i'm entering a new school. 6th and 9th grade were the worst of all, and even entering 10th grade was a little scary because i was familiar to the school, but i forgot a lot of where classes were, and where i would sit in the cafeteria, (etc). but as stated above, 9th and 6th grade were the hardest. entering a new school has the same effect on me as taking a blood test. Anxiety, fast heart rate, occasional sweating and of course the tears! for some reason i cried entering ninth and sixth grade, thats how nerveous i was. i thought i would never find my classes, have friends at lunch, or i was afraid that i would get beaten up or something! i know it all sounds silly now, but at the time of each i was dying inside! thank God those days are behind me. but, the fear isn't over, i still have a couple more new places to enter, college, being the big one! so, just like Steve, i feel anxious about starting a new school year and i do wonder if i'll fit in sometimes, or find my strengths, but in the end, it all works out for the better.
ReplyDeletemarisa period 1
"The Sun Goes Down on Summer" made me think of how surreal summer feels. It's two months out of the year where there is no schedule or school responsibilities. "I'd give the world to make the summer stay" (line 5) sums up my feelings about summer, but it is unrealistic. Real life is not like summer and all good things always come to an end. Although it is disappointing to think that certain things will never happen again, thinking about the memories from summer can almost always put a smile on my face, even when I am consumed with work during the year.
ReplyDelete“The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead precisely adresses the feelings of a student after summer ends. When they last day of summer comes, sutdents feel extreemly pressured. It is the beggining of the stress that all that work forces upon you, sometimes it even gets overwhelming. With summer ending, many things change and one of those things is their friendships. With each and every summer, people change and the people that they accosiate themselves with changes with each summer. Every summer something astonishing happens, somebody moves, or they find new friends, just they way it has always been ever since elementary school.
ReplyDeleteReading “The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead reminded me of the insecurities I felt on my first day of ninth grade. I couldn't fall asleep the night before because I was so jittery for my first day of High School. Would people like me? Would I get picked on for being a freshmen? I was so nervous. Who would I sit with at lunch? questions kept popping into my head. This self doubt scared me a little bit. I could have been any more frightend going to school that first wednesday of school. Than I had to find my classes, which was an adventure in itself. Then, the day was suddenly over, and I realized that it was going to be a fun four years.
ReplyDeleteGrace Tobin period 6
ReplyDeleteReading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead reminded me of the feelings I feel towards the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. The summer, for most now in high school, is still not a time for total relaxation. We are pressured to get our first summer jobs as well as fit in as many educational experiences in order to prepare for college and complete a more complex and impressive resume in the future. Although we still have this pressure placed upon us, Summer carries a different emotion which everyone needs. The heat, the beaches, the friends and the ice cream seem to make up for all the required work. This makes me, as well as the author of the poem feel a sense of freedom and happiness. Summer is a generally more happy time, however it always comes to an end, bringing a new emotion upon us as we enter the final stretch until the beginning of school. The author states that this new emotion is negative, and they fear changes with friendship ect which I agree with. You never know what changes the new school year will bring, and this shift in emotions and mood adds anxiety.
When i read "The sun goes down on summer" by Steve Lawhead i instantly connected with him when he said he was giving up on football. Going into ninth grade i decided not to play football because I thought i didnt like it and it wouldnt be fun. How wrong i was. even though i wasnt pressured into playing i missed it so bad and when i was asked if i was playing my sophmore year i immediately said yes. Me and Steve are similar in that we both gave up football in our freshman years but the difference is that i went back to it because i missed it. im not going to lie and say i love everything about it but when i'm playing in the game it is one of the most fun things ive ever done. there are parts that i still hate but i still dont regret anything ive done.
ReplyDeletetyler hart pd 6
The poem, "The sun goes down on summer" by Steve Lawhead reminds me of my feelings of the summer ending. During the summer I feel free to do what I want and to not have many worries. Usually I stay home and just hang out with my friends throughout the summer. I never want it to end because when School starts I begin having worries about homework and going to sleep early, not having enough sleep, missing assignments, and sports. There is so much more to worry about during the school year and every time the summer ends i feel sad, I would have to start over with a new schedule every year. The summer memories are always with me and I always wish I can start where I ended, but that doesn't seem to be the case.Every summer is different, being with different people, doing different thing and experiencing new things. Knowing that school is near at the end of the summer always gives me more of a worried feeling knowing all the new responsibilities i need to take on.
ReplyDeleteHaya Nesheiwat Period 6
ReplyDeleteWhile reading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead, I've been able to relate in many aspects. For one, like he felt as though the first day is always the worst, I can concur because when I notice my friends aren't in my classes I feel very out of place. All of the anxiety I feel during this scool year is from my AP classes because they do require a lot of work and on top of that I don't have much time to work it all out. The sport I play is softball but in relation to football I would agree with the author that everyone makes it to be what Harrison is known for when in reality it has been a while since we actually won a state championship. I think that a lot of people pretend to be something their not. There is a certain group who act one way when their alone, and differently while with their friends. It's hard to fit into school when everyone acts differently in different groups, and I feel like that is the same concept that the author is trying to bring. Although high school may seem like a place for everyone, you still have to change yourself a little to actually fit in, unlike summer where you can be yourself and there's nobody to judge you otherwise.
Melanie Singer Period 1
ReplyDeleteWhen reading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead, i related myself to the authors examples that were written in the poem. Starting off, i dread the end of the summer including that means school is coming soon that also means work, also meaning the 24/7 fun is over. I always know this is coming when pre-season for sports comes up and you actually have to drive to the place where stress is born. But there are some pros to school, such as finding out who your teachers are and seeing friends that you haven't seen all summer. But in the mist of all the school work and possible drama, I really do not pretend to be someone I am not. I already have my group of friends and they already know who I really am so there is no point in changing my whole personality to maybe fit in with another group or try to impress someone. Although I may change the slightest bit, it's never a dramatic change. Besides all the work given, high school is still fun and enjoyable, but when the summer begins to close in, I for one would rather not begin school and have summer last longer.
Logan Epstein Period 6
ReplyDeleteWhen reading "The Sun Goes Down on summer" by Steve Lawhead, it reminded me of the end of summer. When I am experiencing Summer I feel as though there is no pressure, no stress, I feel free. Knowing that summer is coming to an end and that I will have to follow a routine of school, dance, school work with the combination of tests, quizzes, and essays i start to freak. Everyone changes over the summer, people become mature and the vibe is always different. You always feel like a new person and your friends are always changing. plus the fact that there is always drama you have to deal with. Summer is a time when nothing happens and knowing its over is a big change.
While reading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead, instantly reminded me of my conflicted friendships. Everyone says that high school should be the time of your life and to embrace being young. The amount of cliques in high school makes it impossible to enjoy being around my friends. I would enjoy high school if my friends stayed loyal and fun to be around with. Their true colors established whenever a "popular" student acknowledged their presence for the very first time. They itched for attention so desperately that they became unrecognizable. It disappoints me to witness these drastic changes. They became the people I despised the most. I came to a conclusion that there is nothing I can do to change them back to the way they use to be. Similarly to the auhtor, high school took away their identity and the only way I am able to survive high school, is by establishing a smile and telling them what they want to hear.
ReplyDeleteMariana Galeano Period 6
Sara Purinton Period 1
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking about starting freshman year, I had much anxiety and apprehension. It was already going to be bad enough to go back to school after two months off, and to now also have to go into an unfamiliar, more intense environment, just added on to the nerves of the coming year. At fist I was extremely nervous that my teachers would all be very hard, and that the work would be really confusing, and that I would get bad grades. As well, to add to this stress I was beginning to realize who my real friends were, and who were the people that I would drift from in high school. When I realized that some of my closest friends were people that I didn’t even feel particularly close to, I began to worry, because it made me reflect on myself, and who I identified myself as. This was very nerve wracking because I began to question who the real me was, and weather or not people would accept and like the real me, and not the one who would just act and dress and think like them. When I finally started to adjust to high school, I tried to act more myself, and in in doing so, I ended up with a group of friends that like me for who I was, and who I felt very comfortable around. It was also nice that I didn’t have to loose my old friends completely, and that I could still stay friendly with them.
Subsequent to reading this passage I was struck with a strong sense of déjà vu. Countless times as a student, stories depicting pre-school anxiety are assigned. Each and every story continually embraces the, oh so clichéd “I was so nervous when I walked through those doors” sensation, apparently experienced by every new student. Reality begs to differ. After doing my homework, I asked myself how a 50-year-old man, Stephen Lawhead, could accurately remember and describe his feelings when he was in school? This question is irrelevant to the matter, yet poses an interesting topic for discussion. Based on experiences of my own, first days of school are no different than the 2nd 4th or 73rd day of school. However, what makes reading this passage so intriguing is comparing my take of first days of school, to Stephen Lawhead’s. Obvious distinctions can be drawn which hints towards individuality and the fact that people go through different experiences under the same terms.
ReplyDeleteSteven Jacobson Period 6
ReplyDelete“The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead reminded me of the bittersweet feeling I have at the end of the summer. Although I am excited to move on and see what the following year has in store for me, I am also nervous about school. Unfortunately, going to school causes large amounts of stress for most people. This stress is brought on not only by the pressure to get good grades, but also by the pressure to maintain good relationships with all the people that I know. Although this may not seem like something that creates a lot of stress, it definitely is. The summer, however, is an extremely carefree time when my stress levels are very low. I do not need to worry about the mistakes I make on tests that will hurt my grades, my behavior in class, the homework that I receive every night, and how my actions will affect my social life. It is a time where I can do almost whatever I want with the people that I enjoy being with and not have to worry about school the next day. I truly miss the days of the summer where I was able to go to sleep at 2 in the morning and wake up at 2 in the afternoon. Although I will be able to experience summer in a few months, it will not at all be the same as it has been in past years. I will have to get a job so I can pay for the items that I desire. Therefore, my previous summer was my last free summer where I could do whatever I wanted. Nonetheless, this summer, even with a job, will be less stressful then school.
Anshul Doshi pd 6
ReplyDelete“The Sun goes Down in Summer” was a poem very relatable for all kids. The nervousness of the first day of school and the sadness of summers end can be represented by this poem. Especially for when your school life is not very popular, then you dread school even more. In my case I don’t mind school itself it is just the waking up part. The changes that people go through the summer makes you feel different and nervous of how kids will see you and if you fit in. School is a very prejudice society where you must always keep up appearance and if one thing goes wrong then your whole appearance is wrecked. That’s the scary part about school, being different. People nasty remarks and seclusion makes you be on your toes. That’s why people just want to live in the summer had and never return to the school environment.
Jake Lerner Pd. 5
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the poem "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead, I was reminded of the feelings that I had when my summer came to a close. The hardest part about my summer was saying goodbye, not only to the changing season but also to the place that I had called home for seven and a half weeks. On the bus ride home from camp memoires swarmed my head with things that I remebered from camp, but also thoughts of the upcoming year and how I would be starting school in a few weeks and I would have to go back to the homework and the stress of not getting enough sleep. The end of the summer for me was a time of reflection and rememberence.
the peom “The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead brings me to a time of jpy and sorrow. this peom brings memories of times of sorrow because it reminds me of a time to say goodbye to certain friends and to leave the free, careless days of summer to return to school and hard work. the peom also brings back times of joy in remembering the last few days of doing what ever, when ever and where ever you wanted. reminders of long nights out with friends, not to return home untill the following day. relationships, often unnafected by the previous weeks spent seperated.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading "The Sun Goes Down on summer" by Steve Lawhead, it reminded me of the end of summer. During the summer I feel free to do what I want and i just do me. Usually I stay home and just hang out with my friends throughout the summer. Summer is a happy time, however it always comes to an end when school comes around. I never have to worry about the slighest things like i do during the school year. Reading this passage is intriguing because i compare my take of first days of school, to Stephen Lawhead’s.
ReplyDeleteNicole Golino Period 6
ReplyDeleteThe poem, "The sun goes down on summer" by Steve Lawhead makes me think of when I went out for a new sport in the begininng of freshman year. I wanted to try out for cheerleading, my cousin was on the team and she looked like she had so much fun. I wanted to do it so badly but it was something so different I usually did not get into, but i ended up having a really great time and really liking the sport. It was a lot for me to get used to because I had to put so much time into it, by practicing almost every day a week. Of course i loved the days after school where I would hang out with my friends and still had a lot of time to do my homework but that couldnt happen anymore.
While reading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead I was reminded of the way that I always feel when the summer finally ends. During the summer I don't have to worry about anything. I have no stress and nothing to worry about. I know that once I go back to school I will have to spend almost a year worrying, being stressed out and having almost no free time. Unlike the narrator in the poem, I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not and fitting in. The only things that I really hate about the summer ending is having to wake up early and spend most of my days working, not having fun. During the school year I often times have a lot of stress, almost all of it is from school. During the summer I have almost no stress at all. I am going to really miss the care free summers because soon I will be working in the summers and they will not be the same. Even though my summers will soon change it will still be my favorite time of the year and I will always feel the same way when it comes to an end.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer" by Steve Lawhead, I began to think about how I feel throughout the summer. As the summer is beginning, I am nothing but excited. All I have wanted all school year is for the summer to start. No worries, no responsibility. It is my favorite time of the year. Then as summer goes on, it seems to continue to get sort of repetitive and unless you are on vacation, begins to get boring. Sometimes I even think that I want summer to end, to go back to school as an older grade, make new friends, and getting back into the normal life routine. Then when I think abut it more, the feeling of sadness i get realizing that i have to let the summer go overcomes the excitement for the school year. Every year going back to school brings someting new. I always go right back to my core group of best friends, but I make new friends that I never thought I would have each year as well. Each year also brings the opportunity to be an older student, with more responsibility, but more freedom. I like school and hate school, but summer never has any hate in it.
ReplyDeleteReading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer," by Steve Lawhead reminded me of summer coming to an end. The two months of summer, are my two favorite months of the year. No responsibilities, no stress, no work, just fun. As Steve said in the poem, "I'd give the world to make the summer stay." Thinking back on the past summers, I realize how my favorite memories are made there, and with the people that I love, in my favorite places on earth. When the summer ends, its back to the same old routine every single day, which just leads to more and more stress on yourself.
ReplyDeleteSarah Vallarelli period 6
ReplyDeleteReading "The Sun Goes Down on Summer," by Steve Lawhead reminded me of all the summers that come and go. When summer ends and school starts I can already feel the stress of home work and test. It’s not fair why cant summer just be a few weeks longer! I am always thinking what if my teacher’s don’t like me, have I picked classes that are too hard for me and I'm going to do bad? Will I have friends in my classes and if I don’t will I make friends? Many questions run through my mind before school and the night before school forget about it I get no sleep. Before school even starts soccer has already started. I love soccer I don’t play it because I’m good I play it because I love running with the wind in my hair and the ball at my feet. But the best thing about going back to school is the count down to the start of next summer!
When we read the poem “The Sun Goes Down on Summer” by Steve Lawhead it gave me the familiar feelings of summer ending. The nervousness and anxiety building up as each last week of summer ends and starts a newer and colder season, as the leaves begin to change their color and shed to their cold and bare arms. I felt how i felt the night before school began. I get nervous wether my friends will still be my friends. Will i be able to find that one special person in my life. Or a true friend i can realy on. a best friend. But that seems so far away from what life can really be. All the feelings and actions expressed in the poem are and maybe is the way i feel as summer comes to an end. A fresh start but maybe not.
ReplyDelete