ReadOasis Step 3 A man sits at night in his room alone. He is deeply saddened by the death of his lover. Her name was Lenore. Deep in despair, he begins to hear a tapping at the window. He looks up and opens it. And there stands a large... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) An old man is walking along a rocky river bed. He is a traveller, but he is carrying only a few things. He can hear the songs of birds and the breath of the wind. The sound of the River Fuji is clear in... Read more
Beyond the Freezing Point (Ayako Miura)
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ReadOasis Step 3(Part 1) It was much later that I finally learned what a dark age it was. It’s after you know the light that you recognize darkness. You cannot know darkness when you’re in the middle of it. Ayako Miura (1922-1999) Up to the end of World War... Read more
Awarding Excellence: The Pulitzer Prize
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ReadOasis Step 3 The Color Purple The Pulitzer Prize The Color Purple is a book about a black woman named Celie. The story tells of her life and struggles, as she grew up in the Southern United States during the 1930s. The book was written by Alice Walker. And... Read more
The Good in Nature (Step 3)
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By Max L. Knowles ReadOasis Step 3 In November 2004, the BBC News reported this extraordinary story. Near the North Island of New Zealand, lifeguard Rob Howes was training in the ocean water. He was with two co-workers and his young daughter. Then, like a frightful scene from a... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne? Some call him the national poet of Scotland. Some say he is Scotland's favorite son. Some even think he is the greatest Scotsman of all time. He... Read more
The Artful Geisha (Step 3)
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ReadOasis Step 3 Geisha are traditional female entertainers from Japan. They are skilled at various Japanese arts, such as classical music, dancing, and poetry. The word "geisha" comes from (GEI) meaning "art" and (SHA) meaning "person." Thus, in a literal sense, a geisha is an artist. In the modern... Read more
The Artful Geisha (Step 2)
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ReadOasis Step 2 Geisha are traditional female entertainers from Japan. They are skilled at various Japanese arts, such as traditional music, dancing, and poetry. The word "geisha" comes from (GEI) meaning "art" and (SHA) meaning "person." In this sense, a geisha is an artist. In the 1920's, about 80,000... Read more
The Adventures of a Folk Singer
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ReadOasis Step 3 "I think a poet is anybody who wouldn't call himself a poet." - Bob Dylan It was January 1961. In the cold north of Minnesota, a young man of 19 years packed his bags and his guitar. He was crossing 1,900 kilometers to New York City.... Read more
Mary Shelley: Author of Frankenstein
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ReadOasis Step 3 Mary Shelley was born on August 30, 1797 in London, England. She was the second daughter in her family. Her parents were Mary Wollstonecraft, a feminist, and William Godwin, a philosopher. Her mother died during childbirth. But her father was quick to marry again. Mary got... Read more
ReadOasis Step 5 Textured Tiger by Steve Wilson (Creative Commons) The Tiger by William Blake may be the most popular poem in English. This is because editors have put it in more poetry collections than any other English poem. Blake was a graphic artist and a genius with words.... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 2) This sad story was told by Matsuo Basho, one of Japan’s most famous poets. The events, which are dramatized here, show us the life of the poor in old Japan. Many people did not have food, money, or housing. They had to make difficult... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 3) Grammar and vocabulary also make a difference. In English, you can say this strange sentence. “The man bit the dog.” This sentence uses five sound units. But look at the Japanese version. “Otoko wa inu o kanda.” In Japanese, the sentence uses ten sound... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 4) When writers follow Rule Two (see Part 3), haiku do not read like sentences. The reader feels a break between the fragment and the phrase. Look at these two examples. the cold wind blows and the lights in the house go on and off... Read more
Beyond the Freezing Point (Ayako Miura)
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ReadOasis Step 3(Part 2) Freezing Point by Ayako Miura In fact, Ayako Miura became so ill that she had to stay in bed for 13 years. Without hope and purpose, she adopted Nihilism, the philosophy and belief that life has no meaning. But in the middle of this suffering,... Read more