The poem describes an encounter on a bus between two small children and a African American individual.
Rough Notes
-The presence of a bus and and an African American immediately draws a connection do Rosa Parks
-However, the narrator is not at the back - The poem takes place AFTER Rosa Park's movement circa 1955
-However, this does not mean racism is gone - in fact it still exists today
-"lost in the silence and the fear that motherlove wraps you in"
-"motherlove" - The love that a mother gives to her children is different than usual love - Mother's love is caring and attached, but parental love
-"curly electric," "brown skin magic"
-The narrator is black (obvious)
-Magic implies an unknown, awe-inspiring quality - Neither the narrator nor the mother see it as magical - But to the children view it as an incredible thing
-"to see if it comes off" - The children, without prior experience, assume the brown quality is some sort of "paint"
-Magic could also refer to sorcery or witchcraft - Like the witch-hunters and hangings of the 15th century - Blacks are viewed negatively
-"reach out" - The narrator WANTS the children to understand her race - she wants to get rid of the racism around which she is surrounded by - But, along with the magic thing, the whites might view her as some sort of witch/temptress, trying to corrupt their children with her "black skin magic"
-But what if the magic is a positive thing?
-Unless it all depends on PERSPECTIVE
First Draft
By saying "black skin magic," The narrator shows the reader the dynamic of racism in her experience; She views the magic as a good thing, that should be accepted, celebrated, and shown to the world. She is PROUD to be black, and wants the kids on the bus to share in what she perceives as such a wonderfully enchanting thing.
The parent, however, who symbolizes the conservatives, racists, Caucasians, and all who would stand in the way of an openly diverse world, view this magic as witchcraft or sorcery of some sort. She/they see the narrator as a devilish temptress, trying to steal away her/their children with the concept of open thinking.
The final point of view, the children, is curious, and open to exploration of this new concept. But then the motherlove steps in, and just as they were coming to realize the joys of diversity, are swept away into a hushing fear.
The parent is afraid of this new culture and colour. Despite doing what they think is right by "protecting" their children, they only instill fear, which in adolescence and adulthood is likely to evolve into hatred. The narrator thinks that she should've tried to "save" the children, and act as a mother in the parent's stead. The trouble with this approach is that it would likely lead to further separation. Upon seeing the "threat" so close, the motherlove would swoop down more harsh even than before, and instill further fear.
So Lobb, how could I improve my first draft (assuming it needs to evolve from point form to actual writing)?
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
OSSLT Pemberton Poet Laureate Diagnostic
***I'll start the bidding at 91***
6. What suggests Pemberton will be a good choice for the position of Poet Laureate of Edmonton? Use specific details from the selection to support your answer.
There are three key facts which suggest Pemberton will be a good choice for the position of Poet Laureate. First, his fame as a rapper under the alias "Cadence Weapon," and the popularity suggest he has experience with poetry and "skill with words."
Second, He seems to have a connection to the City of Edmonton, with his first big hit, "Oliver Square," pertaining to an Edmonton mall. This implies he either grew up in the city or has a good connection to it, and would write poems appropriate for celebrating the city's official events.
Finally, as he himself put it, "...maybe [my appointment] will give people an overall different perception. I think that's a positive thing." This would imply that the municipal government of Edmonton seeks to change its own and the city's image, perhaps also seeking to reach out to resident youth. Appointing a young rapper, who is obviously well-known to local young audiences, would be perfect for achieving this goal.
7. Why is Pemberton's appointment newsworthy? Use specific details from the selection to support your answer.
Pemberton's appointment was newsworthy because it was unconventional, as well as unexpected. As Rita put it, "...he's not someone you'd expect for that job." A poet laureate is traditionally a position reserved for "a 74-year old professor who's published 29 books and won the Governor General's Award for poetry," as stated in the selection, not a rapper.
1. Suggest one improvement that could be made to your school building or its grounds. Use specific details to explain why it would be an improvement.
A great improvement that could be made to my school grounds would be the planting of trees. With the exception of the Track and soccer fields, more trees being planted would be beneficial in three ways.
First, it would provide shade in the summer, providing a place to cool off not only for students, but also for our athletes, which could potentially improve their home performances.
Second, they would provide a windbreak against the harsh storms experienced by Goderich during the winter. The gusts can get up to 60km/h, and with blowing snow, the sidewalk adjacent to the school can become potentially dangerous.
Most important of all, the grounds improvement that trees provide would encourage students of our "plugged in," 24/7 screen using student population to actually go outside, breath some oxygen, even get physically active. Classes might go outside to work more often, which has been proven to aid in learning.
Overall, planting a few saplings would be a relatively inexpensive investment that, in a decade or two, would benefit almost all of the student population at GDCI.
So Lobb, I re-did my answers, but is there any other key idea I missed?
6. What suggests Pemberton will be a good choice for the position of Poet Laureate of Edmonton? Use specific details from the selection to support your answer.
There are three key facts which suggest Pemberton will be a good choice for the position of Poet Laureate. First, his fame as a rapper under the alias "Cadence Weapon," and the popularity suggest he has experience with poetry and "skill with words."
Second, He seems to have a connection to the City of Edmonton, with his first big hit, "Oliver Square," pertaining to an Edmonton mall. This implies he either grew up in the city or has a good connection to it, and would write poems appropriate for celebrating the city's official events.
Finally, as he himself put it, "...maybe [my appointment] will give people an overall different perception. I think that's a positive thing." This would imply that the municipal government of Edmonton seeks to change its own and the city's image, perhaps also seeking to reach out to resident youth. Appointing a young rapper, who is obviously well-known to local young audiences, would be perfect for achieving this goal.
7. Why is Pemberton's appointment newsworthy? Use specific details from the selection to support your answer.
Pemberton's appointment was newsworthy because it was unconventional, as well as unexpected. As Rita put it, "...he's not someone you'd expect for that job." A poet laureate is traditionally a position reserved for "a 74-year old professor who's published 29 books and won the Governor General's Award for poetry," as stated in the selection, not a rapper.
1. Suggest one improvement that could be made to your school building or its grounds. Use specific details to explain why it would be an improvement.
A great improvement that could be made to my school grounds would be the planting of trees. With the exception of the Track and soccer fields, more trees being planted would be beneficial in three ways.
First, it would provide shade in the summer, providing a place to cool off not only for students, but also for our athletes, which could potentially improve their home performances.
Second, they would provide a windbreak against the harsh storms experienced by Goderich during the winter. The gusts can get up to 60km/h, and with blowing snow, the sidewalk adjacent to the school can become potentially dangerous.
Most important of all, the grounds improvement that trees provide would encourage students of our "plugged in," 24/7 screen using student population to actually go outside, breath some oxygen, even get physically active. Classes might go outside to work more often, which has been proven to aid in learning.
Overall, planting a few saplings would be a relatively inexpensive investment that, in a decade or two, would benefit almost all of the student population at GDCI.
So Lobb, I re-did my answers, but is there any other key idea I missed?
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
$100 000 000 000.00 - Whoa that's a lot of dough
***I think this is worth a 90***
If I had one hundred billion dollars, I would ensure three things.
First, I'd look after myself. Purchase a nice plot of land, maybe in Switzerland or British Columbia, and build an environmentally-friendly mostly self-sufficient burmed house, with rain collectors, roof gardens, solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal heating. I would then proceed to get a Nanotechnology Engineering degree, and setup a private lab near my house (but outside the potential blast radius, should anything get out of hand).
Second, I'd look after my family and friends, make sure they all had what it took for them to get by. Give my parents something to retire on, and help my fellow academics pay for University. Even you, Mr the Lobb, if you had any problems I'd help you out too :D.
Finally, I'd set off on a world wide quest to ensure our Earth became a safer, smarter, and better place. Starting by dismantling the corporate control of governments and modifying Income tax to a flat 30%. Next, re-publicize all utilities, knockout the power and water companies. Third, ban all imports from Pacific shores for at least 5 years, to allow manufacturing to rebuild itself here in North America. Finally, I would provide government or personal subsidiaries of green technologies.
Once I had North America sorted, I'd continue on to Europe, live there, experience their culture and point of view, and then conference with their major leaders to see where my time and money could help to fix their problems. Then move on to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East (that'll be a tough one).
Essentially, if I had $100 billion, I'd fix the world, and put in place the correct people to ensure it stayed fixed.
So Lobb, is there any way I could make this more persuasive? Would a more personal tone or a more business tone be more effective?
If I had one hundred billion dollars, I would ensure three things.
First, I'd look after myself. Purchase a nice plot of land, maybe in Switzerland or British Columbia, and build an environmentally-friendly mostly self-sufficient burmed house, with rain collectors, roof gardens, solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal heating. I would then proceed to get a Nanotechnology Engineering degree, and setup a private lab near my house (but outside the potential blast radius, should anything get out of hand).
Finally, I'd set off on a world wide quest to ensure our Earth became a safer, smarter, and better place. Starting by dismantling the corporate control of governments and modifying Income tax to a flat 30%. Next, re-publicize all utilities, knockout the power and water companies. Third, ban all imports from Pacific shores for at least 5 years, to allow manufacturing to rebuild itself here in North America. Finally, I would provide government or personal subsidiaries of green technologies.
Once I had North America sorted, I'd continue on to Europe, live there, experience their culture and point of view, and then conference with their major leaders to see where my time and money could help to fix their problems. Then move on to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East (that'll be a tough one).
Essentially, if I had $100 billion, I'd fix the world, and put in place the correct people to ensure it stayed fixed.
So Lobb, is there any way I could make this more persuasive? Would a more personal tone or a more business tone be more effective?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)