TOSTADA OLW - Kelli Horvath

When the pain ended and the last tears fell,
And I got out of my living and bitter hell,
I found a strength as strong as steel,
This strength I found is surely real.

I found a strength to hold onto,
To help me out,
To make it through,
This strength I found deep inside,
From this strength I will not hide.

I will carry it with me night and day,
This strength sure does have a way,
Of cheering me and making me glad,
I found the strength I one time didn’t have.

So now when sadness comes about,
When my mind is filled with doubt,
On whether I can get through a troubling thing,
What is it that I will bring?

I will bring out my strength,
I will stand tall,
I will not stumble,
Will not fall,
My strength will keep my head held high,
And to weakness I say good-bye.

My strength is given to me by Someone who,
Always is here to help me through,
So to that Someone I will pray,
Help me see my strength today.

For with my strength words can’t offend,
Cruel acts will not harm me in the end,
Because with my strength even though tears may fall,
I will pull through after all.

Why is it that I will stay strong,
When someone does me so much harm,
Because with my strength from Someone above,
I make it through for I have love.

This love can never be taken away,
No matter what you do or say,
This love is deep inside my heart,
And this loves gives me strength that will never part.

You may think I am small and I am weak,
You may think I am dumb and I am meek,
You may put me down and call me names,
You may bad mouth me and play cruel games;
But with my strength I can let go,
Of all your mean stuff that you show,
My strength will be with me night and day,
Because I have Someone showing me the way.

Connie Webb

T- "Strength" The entire poem reflects upon the strength that arises from enduring a harsh time, 'I got out of my living and biter hell." The author gains strength from "someone" who shows her the way.
O- The author appears to have lost or severed ties with God or some divine person with whom she is guided by. She writes about the process of struggle she endures to regain his source of strength.
S- The poem shifts several times in several stanzas, the mood of the author becomes drastically different. Inthe first stanza, the poem shifts from somber to powerful after just two lines. The last stanza builds up momentum to Webb's discovery and reconnection with God.
T- At first the tone of Webb's poem is meak and troublesome; the audience feels dark and taken back by the laguage used. Then immediately after the first stanza, the tone shifts to that of an emboldened, galvanized, and energized.
A- Arranged into ten stanzas, my poem finds itself sort of building up the momentum of the "story"that it is telling. The story of strength broken up into paragraph form, like a book into chapters. The author arranges the stanzas in a whatthat allows others to evaluate her, while ending evaluating herself.
D- The rhyme scheme can be a subtle device used to keep the readers attention. She also employs similies; "I found strength as strong as steel," and uses strength as personification as well. Pathos is also prevelant and she uses it to gain a sense of a deeper emotional connection to her readers.
A- I feel as though the author is trying to propose the idea of a different meaning of strength thatn what an individual would normally think of. Strength comes from emotional endurance and perseverance, not physical ability, the ability to endure pain and get through it gives one tremendous strength.