Creation #2- Poem

Yucky,green,stinky and hard,
Like the grinch's poop
I wouldn't eat it in a leotard,
I wouldn't eat it on a stoop.
I do not dip it in blue cheese
I do not have it with pb & jelly,
Contaminated with a disease,
That hurts my poor belly.
JEEZ,that taste is so bizarre,
I wouldn't even it it for a brand new car!
SO please don't mix it into my soup,
because trust me,i will look and snoop
So i hope you believe me when i say
I wouldn't eat it ANY single way!
OH Celery, Celery
Wont you please go away.

Creation #1-Rap

Listen up class and pay attention,
gonna rap for you today and we got a lot to mention
So let me get started about our suite,
we're all clean freaks so you know its always neat
Full of personality,needless to say
come kick it with us,we got jokes for days
Intergalactic,cause our vibes are outta space,
our flavor is beans cause were a different race


SO let me start with Katherine, her walk is mean,
hugs left and right when she comes up in the scene
You can tell she's Boricua by the way she speaks,
she's an educated lady but don't think she's a geek
She has dreams and aspirations,places to go
but she's in no rush she's takin' it slow
Flip the script on ya',in intro to acting
cant pay attention cause her butt is distracting


Suite 322,
you know how we do
Come to class,
we about to school you

Critique #8: There Are Bitches and Hoes

In Chapter 8 of Hip Hop Wars, talks about the use of the words "Bitch" and "Hoe" used by rappers to refer to women. She explained that because of rappers feeling free to call women by these names,in a sense, it gave way to other men calling women "bitches" and "hoes" and even women calling other women that. She also said that this shows how men feel superior to women in a sense because they see them as just someone they can get whatever they want from and then go on to call them hoes because of that. The terms bitch and hoe have become so normal in our present day society because more and more men call women these names and women have just gotten used to it so they don't demand the respect they deserve. Another reason why this seems more acceptable is because women themselves even call themselves bitches and hoes so it just forms a sense of normality around these words. In my opinion it has become so common for men and women to call women these belittling labels that most of the time women don't even feel offended anymore when in reality they should. Also,the fact that in many of the songs you hear now rappers are referring to women by these names does not help change the situation but only strengthens it because it is like an example to the public that makes listeners think its okay.

I thought you might like this video !

imitation #2011: Kanye West,New Day

          And I'll never let my son have an ego
          He'll be nice to everyone, wherever we go

See, I just want him to have an easy life
Not like Yeezy life, just want him to be someone people like
Don't want him to be hated all the time judged
Don't be like your daddy that would never budge
And I'll never let him ever hit a strip club
I learned the hard way, that ain't the place to get love

The lines in this verse by Kanye West are an example of a confessional because he's talking about what type of life he would want for his future son. I feel like its a very personal verse because he's reflecting on his own life and how other people think of him and he admits that he wants his son to be liked by people and have a better life than he does. Throughout this verse you can see every lines has end rhymes because the last words in each line rhyme with the next. The rhyme scheme in this verse is AA.BB,CC,DD. I'm not exactly sure who Kanye is speaking to because it just seems likes expressing his inner feelings about how people think of him. Another possibility is that he can be speaking to his son so in the future if he has a son,his son will be able to hear how his father planned for him to grow up in a better environment than his.

critique #2: Hip Hop Reflects Black Dysfunctional Ghetto Culture

In this chapter of Hip Hop Wars, Tricia Rose talks about how Hip Hop negatively portrays the black community. Many times in Hip Hop songs rappers describe where they come from and their lifestyles which generally don't tend to be good. Because of this,many people start to relate black people to the lifestyle many rappers rap about,such as bad neighborhoods full with drugs and violence. This poor reflection of black culture is what many people who do not support hip hop use to support their opposition to hip hop. A word directly related to this issue is "ghetto" which is what many people use to describe aspects of a dysfunctional black community. This draws a negative attention to the black community because rappers are publicly exposing the "ghettoes" in which they live in. In my opinion this makes it a lot harder for black people to get rid of that stereotypical image that is directly associated with them,simply for being black.

Imitation #2000: Kanye West,All Falls Down

"Then I spent 400 bucks on this
Just to be like nigga you ain't up on this!
And I can't even go to the grocery store
Without some ones thats clean and a shirt with a team
It seems we living the american dream
But the people highest up got the lowest self esteem
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings"

In these 8 lines of All Falls Down by Kanye West,Kanye is rapping about the struggles some people face to fit in to the higher social classes,specifically African Americans. Specifically in the first few lines he's talking about the pressure thats placed on him to go out dressed nicely even when hes just going to the grocery store. I feel that the message hes trying to get across is how much African Americans have to overcompensate just to be respected. In line 5 Kanye West alludes to the well known term "the American dream" and says that it only seems like they're reaching that goal but in reality they're struggling to keep up.I lines 1 &2,4&5, and 7&8 there are examples on end line rhymes because the words at the end of those pair of lines all rhyme. Also even though line 7 is straight forward, in my opinion it is one of the most captivating lines because it shows that external beauty means nothing when you're a bad person on the inside. I feel as if Kanye is basically saying that even the prettiest people who are idolized to really ugly (bad) things. I believe Kanye is speaking to everyone and isn't directing his song to anyone in specific. I believe this verse is both a confessional and a critique because hes talking about the struggles he faces and is also critiquing those same struggles society places on African Americans to fit in.

redo immitation of the 90's

Imitation #1980's: Madonna,Like A Virgin

Like a virgin
Touched for the very first time
Like a virgin
When your heart beats (after first time, with your heartbeat)
Next to mine

Gonna give you all my love, boy
My fear is fading fast
Been saving it all for you

This song performed by Madonna is a confessional in which Madonna talks about being in love. She uses the simile " Like a virgin" in which she compares falling in love to being like a virgin because its her first time being in love. You can tell that this song is directed toward her love interest because she talks about how warm he makes her feel and about hearing his heartbeat next to hers.I chose this song because i thought that comparison of her being in love for the first time to being a virgin was very interesting. I like this comparison because its easy to understand her feelings about being in love for the first time and she even goes on to say how she felt like a new person. I can make the assumption that she is happy to be in love because she is giving all her heart to this love interest similar to when a women gives all herself to her partner and loses her virginity.Also in other verses throughout her song she says plainly without any literary technique that he makes her feel good inside and she will be his to the end of time. Overall,the message of this song was easy to grasp and I enjoy both the lyrics and music to this song.

Chapter 1

In the first chapter of Hip Hop Wars by Tricia Rose the connection of hip hop music and violence is analyzed. This controversial issue examines the effect that rappers lyrics can have on their fans listeners,especially their young fans. Many people believe that while rappers talk about committing violent acts they are not just rapping but they are also influencing. This argument has also been used by both defense and prosecuting layers. I believe that this is surely a very controversial issue because there are many arguments from people who believe that rap music sends a negative message and also from people who believe rap music does not influence bad behavior in people. In my opinion, I believe that rap music that is specially focused on violence and drug use does send a negative message to its audience and therefor influences the way they think and maybe even their actions. I specifically believe that it influences young listeners because they look up to these rappers who they think are cool because they rich and famous and they think that what they rap about is also cool. Many times listeners do not stop and question the meaning behind rappers lyrics and just sing along without realizing that what they're saying is not something most people would be proud of;(murder,gang affiliation,robbery,drug use and abuse,etc.)

Imitation #1970s: Nikki Giovanni,My House

i only want to
be there to kiss you
as you want to be kissed
when you need to be kissed
where i want to kiss you
cause its my house and i plan to live in it
i really need to hug you
when i want to hug you
as you like to hug me
does this sound like a silly poem

english isn't a good language
to express emotion through
mostly i imagine because people
try to speak english instead
of trying to speak through it
i don't know maybe it is
a silly poem
i'm saying it's my house
and i'll make fudge and call
it love and touch my lips
to the chocolate warmth
and smile at old men and call
it revolution cause what's real
is really real
and i still like men in tight
pants cause everybody has some
thing to give and more
important need something to take
and this is my house and you make me
happy
so this is your poem

In this poem written by Nikki Giovanni in 1972 I was able to grasp a strong feeling of romanticism which I really enjoyed. I believe that Giovanni is speaking to someone she is interested in or loves. This poem is a confessional because she speaks about her personal feelings specifically regarding her love interest. With the use of short and simple lines you are able to read through the whole poem in a smooth manner which made it easy to read. I really enjoy this poem because in a way I feel that it is contradicting itself; one moment she is talking about doing only what SHE wants and the next she is talking about doing what her lover wants. Also she ends every few lines with a reference to HER house which is in a way funny to me because its as if she stops being selfish but then goes back to restating that she can do as she pleases because she is in her house. Giovanni also repeats her concern about this being a silly poem which I also find interesting because although she is being selfish she also cares about what someone else might think of her "lovey-dovey" poem. I chose to add a big part of the ending of the poem because I feel like you have to read more of it to get the whole picture. What I get from this poem is that she is in love and in a way she feels like shes losing control of her emotions and she feels that she comes off silly to people who hear her and that is why she keep repeating in a way "i know this is a silly poem" to just state that she herself knows that she may come off as silly and crazy to others. I really do like this poem because i think it really shows how love works. One moment she's selfish making everything about what she wants and how she wants it,shown in the first 3 lines,and the next she's talking about doing what her lover would want. In the end I feel like she finally gives in and admits that this poem is not about her,its about her lover and its for them because that person is what makes her happy.



I seriously really liked this poem. It was crazy and not a typical love poem and I feel like it really grasped what being in love is like; just odd and overall crazy. I'll remember this poem !

Imitation #1960's: John Lennon,Give Peace a Chance

"Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Minister, Sinister, Banisters and Canisters,
Bishops, Fishops, Rabbis, and Pop Eyes, Bye bye, Bye byes
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

(Let me tell you now)
Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Revolution, Evolution, Masturbation, Flagellation, Regulation,"

This song from the 1960's was very influential and popular because it was promoting the peace in an Anti-Vietnam War Movement. Its easy to understand his point because he uses repetition of his main point which you can see in lines 4 and 5. Also he uses a lot of in line rhymes that are seen throughout the whole song. These lyrics are a form of critique because in a way he is critiquing the state of war and instability in the surroundings. I feel as he is speaking to everyone to try and get everyone to promote peace as he is promoting it. Also I feel as if he is trying to start a movement with everyone to try and make a better place for everyone and try and stop the violence. What I like about this song is that it is very straight forward and easy to understand and I like that he is promoting peace and its in a way encouraging. Overall I enjoy the simplicity in this song and also the good message it was sending to people during war times.

Imitation #pre 1960's: Lawrence Ferlinghetti,Number 20

"The pennycandystore beyond the El
is where I first
fell in love
with unreality
Jellybeans glowed in the semi-gloom
of that september afternoon
A cat upon the counter moved among
the licorice sticks"

This poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti describes the first time he fell in love. Ferlinghetti is very descriptive in the sense that he goes into detail not necessarily about the girl he fell in love with but about his surrounding at the time he first felt love. This poem is a confessional because he speaks of his personal experience with love at a young age. In the poem the rhyme scheme is scattered because there are some end rhymes but they don't follow any specific pattern. I also believe that his audience for this poem is just any reader who can relate to falling in love. In this poem you can also find imagery when he describes the candy store.and In my opinion it really helps you connect to what the poet is talking about because you get a mental picture of what the poet is describing and you get a better understanding of the poets experience. One another thing that this poem has is that its very relatable because most people have gone through the experience of having their first love so many of the readers can really enjoy this poem and relate to it. I also believe that Lawrence Ferlinghetti uses specific descriptions of the place where he first fell in love to show around what age this happened without necessarily having to say it therefore the reader can make their own implications. I was able to imply that when Ferlinghetti experienced his first love he was a young boy because he talks about walking to the candy store and he notices all the things a young boy would look at,such as the jelly beans,a cat and licorice sticks. I really enjoyed this poem because it talked about love in a young and innocent way.

A Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

     In the article "A Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" written by Langston Hughes,Hughes explains his thoughts on a very promising quote that was said to him by a young negro poet. The quote "I want to be a poet--not a negro poet" was interpreted by Hughes as a form of disappointment to the negro culture because the young poet did not want to embrace his culture. I do no agree with Langston Hughes interpretation of the quote because i don't feel as if the young poet was ashamed of his culture. My interpretation was that he wanted to simply be remembered as a good poet without having to be put into a racial category. To me saying that someone is a negro poet rather than simply stating that someone is a poet means that that person is only compared and put into a group with other negro poets rather being compared and being put in the group of all poets regardless of race. In this time period I can also understand why the young poet would want to be mentioned as simply a poet because this was a time period where whites were seen as being better and were held to higher standards than those standards the blacks were held to. In a way i feel that Hughes interpretation was ignorant in the sense that he seems to believe that for the young poet to truly embrace and love his culture he had to be just like other negro artists and only talk about their culture and their way of lives rather than being able to expand and pass the racial.