Many may not think of it but the lyrics to a song are poems. Some songs are bad poems and others are works of art but regardless if there is some structure, rhythm and rhyme to the words it may just be a poem.
Which Song Do I think is poetry: "Speechless" by Lady Gaga
When someone mentions Lady Gaga their usual reaction is, "That weirdo that sings about sex all the time?". I don't usually think this because when I hear Lady Gaga I think of ingenuity. I think this in particular when hearing her song "Speechless". This song is both amazing when sung by Lady Gaga and read. Her songs usually have double meanings one being a provative message and the other deeper meaning is usually a message meant to inspire. This song in particular may sound or read like she is talking about an ex-boyfriend and how he broke her heart but really is about her father, his heart condition and his journey to wellness. She wrote this song when her father had a heartattack and had to have open heart surgery in order to survive. In this song, when you know the true meaning, you can feel her sorrow and love for her father and her pleading for him to realize his importance to her. She expresses this when she sings,"I'll never talk again and I'll never love again/ I'll never write a song, won't even sing along/I'll never love again, so speechless/You left me speechless, so speechless". By reading this song you can see that Lady Gaga not only has a talent for entertainment but a talent for poetic words too.
Lyrics: http://www.metrolyrics.com/speechless-lyrics-lady-gaga.html
Which Song Do I Not Think Is Poetry: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus may be an idol for preteen girls but she and her music does not fool me. Her songs usually have no meaning and are meant for dancing or is just a catchy tune. Her song "Party in the USA" is the very definition of the previous sentence. It is a song that is all about her, how she doesn't fit in and just dances her butterflies away. It makes no sense and is just a song you can dance to with words that give you something to sing along to. You can see this when she sings, "So I put my hands up, their playin' my song/And now I'm going to be okay/Yeah! Its a party in the USA!/Its a party in the USA!. All of these words are just words and have no feeling or inspiring message to it other than get up and dance. This song, in my book, is not poetry and I can not understand why it is so popular.
Lyrics: http://www.metrolyrics.com/party-in-the-usa-lyrics-miley-cyrus.html
Now to Talk about Rap Music
#1 Is Rap/Hip Hop music a poetic expression?
Yes and No. Yes because true rap music has feeling and talks about real events in life. The lyrics are usually harsh and unforgiving but the message gets to you and you just get it. No because some rap songs like "In Da Club" by 50 cent make no sense and are all about drinking and girls.
#2 What literary characteristic or poetic terms does this music express?
Rhythm and Rhyme
#3 What type of critic are you?
Thematic Critic. Music is important to me and I'm always trying to figure out the meaining behind certain songs. I'm always the one to figure out the songs second meaining when other people just sing the song and not think about it.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Image Reflects the Words
There is a belief system in which one believes all forms of art reflect each others energy and message to be interpreted. I am a person who believes that to be true and will be posting images that reflect the emotion of three poems.
Sources:
Poem #1 "Do Not Go 
Gentle Into Good Night" by Dylan Thomas
Gentle Into Good Night" by Dylan ThomasAfter reading this poem I felt that people should never let their lives fly by. This poem is about taking charge of life even when its so close to ending. This poems encourages you to be happy when life comes to an end and understand that even though the body ends your spirit and sould do not. This image evokes that feeling because one can imagine the loved one saying, "Rage, Rage against the dying of light", to the man on the bed. The man on the bed is holding her reassuring her that his life is far from over and
that his memory lives on forever.
Poem #2 "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks
After reading this poem I feel sad for the short meaningless lives the people described in the poem are living. This poem makes me feel like these kids don't care about life or death so they just party it up until they drop dead. This image reflects this poem because the kids in the image are living their lives just like the kids in the poem. Both sets of kids, in their youthful ignorance, think that death is innevitable therefore it must be spent having the wrong kind of fun.
Poem #3 "I felt a funeral, in my Brain" by: Emily Dickinson
After reading this poem I felt I had a glimpse into the mind of Emily Dickinson. She was very depressed throughout her lifetime and I felt those dark, sad emotions in the words she wrote. From this poem you can feel the descent into madness or even the actual death of one's mind. This image reflects the poem because this painting is of a woman in darkness hiding her eyes, the window to your soul, and showing the viewer what it feels like to be alone and depressed in the world.
Sources:
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A clean, well lighted place by: Ernest Hemingway
#1 The setting of the story is a small cafe in a small town somwhere in Spain where two waiters and a deaf old man interact with each other.
The idea of a clean, well lighted place is so significant to this short story because it represents a safe haven to be alone and wallow in one's missery. This is the place where lonely people go to be alone in a busy environment so that they are not totaly alone.
#2 The characters are nameless because Ernest Hemingway wanted different people to feel like this story could apply to themselves. This story has a very general setting and characters because any person in any culture can read this story and relate it.
#3 The connection between the old man and the old waiter is that they are both lonely people looking for a safe place to live out their lonely days. Both are unhappy and feel comfort in finding a place that fufills their need for society's comfort while still being unhappy people.
The purpose of the younger waiter is to show young people and their false comfort in being young, having material things, family and money to make them happy. He is in the story to show how lonely people come to fruition. The young waiter may think he is happy now but in the end of his life he will find that he is unhappy with his life and seek out a place to show his unhappiness.
#4 The Plot
Exposition: Two waiters in a small cafe in Spain wait for an old, drunk man to finish his alcohol and go home. The older waiter relates to the old man and his lonliness while the young man is impatient and simply wants to go home.
Complication: The old and young waiter argue about what is the root of the old man's unhappiness. The older one understands lonely people and their drifting from day to day while the younger one is only concerned for his immediate happiness unable to see that he is on the same path to loniliness.
Crisis Decision: The waiters decide to give the old man more drinks and hope he will leave the cafe early.
Climax: The old man leaves the cafe and pays his bill. The young waiter is happy to go home early and go to bed while the older waiter would have liked the cafe to be open longer. He explains that lonely people need a safe place to be lonely. The younger waiter pays no attention. The older waiter then goes to the bar and has a conversation with the barman. He has a shot of alcohol but refuses a second shot realizing that he does not want to go on the same path as the old, drunk man and become another lonely person at the bar.
Ernest Hemingway Bio:
Ernest Hemingway began his writing career after serving in the First World War. He wrote for a newspaper in Canada as both a writer and foreign correspondant. He then moved to Key West a few years later and began writing a few of his earlier novels while traveling back and forth to Spain. He then had a few tours through Africa. Despite having a good carreer and marriage he was stricken with severe health attacks including an anthrax infection, torn muscles, lacerated eyes and broken bones. As if fate was determined to undermine him he became very paranoid in his later years along with a heavy drinking problem, depression and heart problems. His problems only became worse when America was having issues with Cuba. The government kept a close watch on him due to his activity in Cuba but he saw it as the government persecuting him for his alcoholism. He recieved mental and physical treatments in Ketchum, Idaho but they were of little help. He attempted suicide in 1961 which was unsuccesful. He recieved more treatment after this attempt but succesfully killed himself via shotgun on July 2, 1961.
Source: http://www.garyscotthompson.com/ernest_hemingway.htm
The idea of a clean, well lighted place is so significant to this short story because it represents a safe haven to be alone and wallow in one's missery. This is the place where lonely people go to be alone in a busy environment so that they are not totaly alone.
#2 The characters are nameless because Ernest Hemingway wanted different people to feel like this story could apply to themselves. This story has a very general setting and characters because any person in any culture can read this story and relate it.
#3 The connection between the old man and the old waiter is that they are both lonely people looking for a safe place to live out their lonely days. Both are unhappy and feel comfort in finding a place that fufills their need for society's comfort while still being unhappy people.
The purpose of the younger waiter is to show young people and their false comfort in being young, having material things, family and money to make them happy. He is in the story to show how lonely people come to fruition. The young waiter may think he is happy now but in the end of his life he will find that he is unhappy with his life and seek out a place to show his unhappiness.
#4 The Plot
Exposition: Two waiters in a small cafe in Spain wait for an old, drunk man to finish his alcohol and go home. The older waiter relates to the old man and his lonliness while the young man is impatient and simply wants to go home.
Complication: The old and young waiter argue about what is the root of the old man's unhappiness. The older one understands lonely people and their drifting from day to day while the younger one is only concerned for his immediate happiness unable to see that he is on the same path to loniliness.
Crisis Decision: The waiters decide to give the old man more drinks and hope he will leave the cafe early.
Climax: The old man leaves the cafe and pays his bill. The young waiter is happy to go home early and go to bed while the older waiter would have liked the cafe to be open longer. He explains that lonely people need a safe place to be lonely. The younger waiter pays no attention. The older waiter then goes to the bar and has a conversation with the barman. He has a shot of alcohol but refuses a second shot realizing that he does not want to go on the same path as the old, drunk man and become another lonely person at the bar.
Resolution: The old waiter goes home and falls asleep to the upcoming dawn. He thinks about lonely people and their cafe's and believe it is all due to insomnia. As he goes to sleep he says," Many must have it", signifying that there are many lonely people in the world whether young or old that look for places to spend their lonely nights.
The Theme:Happiness is not achieved through material gains and if you believe happines comes from material objects we find that the lonliness sets in we were never truly happy to begin with.
Ernest Hemingway Bio:
Ernest Hemingway began his writing career after serving in the First World War. He wrote for a newspaper in Canada as both a writer and foreign correspondant. He then moved to Key West a few years later and began writing a few of his earlier novels while traveling back and forth to Spain. He then had a few tours through Africa. Despite having a good carreer and marriage he was stricken with severe health attacks including an anthrax infection, torn muscles, lacerated eyes and broken bones. As if fate was determined to undermine him he became very paranoid in his later years along with a heavy drinking problem, depression and heart problems. His problems only became worse when America was having issues with Cuba. The government kept a close watch on him due to his activity in Cuba but he saw it as the government persecuting him for his alcoholism. He recieved mental and physical treatments in Ketchum, Idaho but they were of little help. He attempted suicide in 1961 which was unsuccesful. He recieved more treatment after this attempt but succesfully killed himself via shotgun on July 2, 1961.
Source: http://www.garyscotthompson.com/ernest_hemingway.htm
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