Today in class students responded to a poem or poems from Reed. Post your three paragraph essay response here. Check the formattign before posting, blogger does not hold the formatting.
Students were to comment on a classmate's essay using Microsoft Comment and then send a copy of the annotated essay to the student. Copy yourself and me coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com
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Mauricio Cavero Alprecht
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
16 September 2010
Freewrite of Chosen Poem
In San José: a poem, by Cynthia Gomez, the city of San Jose, California, is described as it is. In the next quote we can determine how Gomez describes how the two realities of the city are seen and how the contrast is evident between the rich and the poor: “Through track homes and golf courses to projects and crack houses.”
Gomez also mentions the crude reality that the city lives and that many of the people in it have to go through every morning. She talks about immigration and how this affects the life of many undocumented people in San Jose. She writes :
Not to where armies of brown faces and hard-working hands marched dead sidewalks on cold mornings
Before being whisked away backwards in faceless trucks to do day work
Or where small Saigon hands cut hair and jabber in Vietnamese (Reed 23).
But not all is ugly and bad in the poem, Gomez also brings up a major site of the city. She writes about the sport that moves masses in San Jose, and that is Ice Hockey and their home team The Sharks. She describes how many people goes to the arena and cheer for their favorite team regardless of their status, color of skin or amount of money they make.
Works Cited
Ishmael Reed and Cynthia Gomez. “San José: a Poem.” From Totem to Hip-Hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry Across the Americas, 1900-2002. New York: Thunder’s Mouth, 2003. Print.
Sha’Quea Pratt
Professor Sabir
English 1B
16 September 2010
Visions of the Snakes
I read Three Snakes, Strawberry Canyon, Berkeley by Ray Gonzalez. I enjoy the poem because I could relate to his story in some ways. While reading, I thought to myself ‘this boy is crazy.’ He and his friend got up close to a rattle snake to see it. I remember first seeing a snake up close, I was eight years old. I participated in a summer program and they had a special presentation where they would bring in wild animals that they have to care for because of some problems the animals may suffer from. I was one of many who were able to help hold on to the snake as others walked by and petted it. The snake was a substantial amount of feet long. I was scared at first but I eventually overcame that fear by just relaxing and realizing they would not bring any animal that would try and harm us.
I visited Louisiana in April 2010, where I attended my grandmother’s funeral and also visited a lot of my family I have not seen in years. I was able to meet my cousin, Chris, who showed us a rattle snake he killed. He cut the head of with a shovel and showed my sister and I. We stood there as it dangled while dripping lots of blood.
I thought about the rattlers/I killed as a boy/back home in Texas/the nest of six rattlers/we found in the yard/my mother insisted I cut/their heads off with a shovel/saying the babies were more lethal/because they could fill you with venom . . . (9-17).
My cousin had also told us how the baby rattle snakes were more dangerous than the others and to watch out for the dripping blood.
He seemed to be very fascinated with snakes. He stated, “[I] wanted this rattler/to bite the hiker so I could forget/his bravery, his wonder (22-24).” These lines of the poem made me feel that this boy was a bit psychotic. I could not understand why he wanted the rattle snake to bite this hiker; he did not do anything to harm the snake nor the boys. After reading this poem, I realize the boy enjoys being around snakes.
Works Cited
Gonzalez, Ray. “Three Snakes, Strawberry Canyon, Berkeley.” From Totems to Hip
Hop. Ed. Ishmael Reed. Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. 2003. (24-26). Print.
Ariunbold Damdinbazar
Ms Wanda
English 1B
16 September 2010
Hurtful Days
I think that this poem has a lot of meaning in it. It was about emotions and hurtful feelings. Even from the name of the poem I can tell that it has a humongous amount of problems. It said “I got a heat wave burning in my heart. I can’t keep from crying, tearing me apart”. It saying that I got a very hurting feeling in my heart, I can’t hold my emotions that are pulling me apart . I think what that mean is that whoever writing this poem has a very deep hurt feeling that he or she cant hold their emotions. He or she is going through very tough emotional period.
And another thing I pulled from this poem is this “Turn up your refrigerator, fan, and AC, use up that electricity until you learn to use my power” I think that this two line of poem is directly meaning to the sun. It saying that people needs to start learning how to save energy source and use what we have and what’s available to us. It just sits there waiting for us to use the sun. I think some people realized that and using solar heating system.
I’ll find you in your bathtub where I’ve left you cool and nice
Sunstroked and drowned in a poll of melted ice
“It’s a sunshine smiling, (Sunshine day)
Everybody’s laughing. (Sunshine day)
This is the conclusion part in this poem. It’s a surprising that everything ended so happily and calm. I think that every story in life has a happy ending whatever trouble they were in. It was just an amazing poem. There was love, hurt, emotional response and happiness . (Reed pg 8)
Leah Yeashan Banks
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
16 September 2010
Detroit
Detroit is a sad city. I choose the poem "The Idea of Detroit" because I visited Detroit this summer to go to the U.S. Social Forum. I feel like the author did an excellent job of capturing the city. I could see exactly what the author spoke of as I read.
I took a trip on public transportation through the city from the airport and I feel like the poem could’ve been inspired by that ride. The author starts of with saying that “Detroit just sits there like the head of a large dog on a serving platter”(Reed 28). The city in a sense is just sitting there with no upward movement. The city is literally demolishing blocks at a time because there are inhabited and there’s not enough money to keep power and water running. People burn their own homes down to get insurance money. The city has a high crime rate due to lack of services and basic needs being met. Lovers would need to buy matching guns for the deep scarlet kind of fear.
During a tornado warning I ended up in a Detroit native’s home. While I waited for a cab we sat and talked about the city and he described to me what it was like living in Detroit. We I read this part of the poem by Jim Gustafson our conversation came to mind.
It breeds a unique bitterness,
One that leaves deep gashes in the tongue
That doesn’t answer telephones or letters,
That carver notches in everything,
That illustrate the difference between
‘rise up singing’ and ‘sit down and shut your face’ (Reed 28).
Where I’m from when people talk about their home town to visitors they talk about the nice places eat, historic monuments, and clubs. But when I talked to this young man he talked about how I shouldn’t be trusting of the people because they see people as prey. He told me of how he had left Detroit for a better life and the only reason he came back was because he found out he was having a child. The Detroit Native said the there was no opportunity and that he was working two jobs to save and get his son away from there. I feel like the author spoke to that young mans story and many other Detroit natives who just live in a city that “just sits there” (Reed 28, 29).
Reed, Ishmael, and Jim Gustafson. "The Idea of Detroit." From Totems to Hip-hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry across the Americas, 1900-2000. New York: Thunder's Mouth, 2003. Print.
Bishwojit Sharma
Professor: wanda sabir
English 1B
16th September 2010
Africa now and before
Claude McKay was born in Jamaica on 15th September, 1890. He worked as policeman in Spanish town. He moved to United States and continued writing poetry. One of his famous poem is ‘if we must Die’, published in Eastman’s journal. He is one the poet who usually writes poem and story about black society. In his poem, ‘Africa’ he has also tried to described the condition of Africa before and how black people struggled for their life. He has clearly shown how black society was deprived of their right and how they were made slave and how Africa was controlled by other society people.
‘The sun sought thy dim bed and brought forth light,
The sciences were suckling at thy breast;
When all the world was young in pregnant night
Thy slaves toiled at thy monumental best’ (reed,40)
Claude states,” The science were sucklings at thy breast”. In this sentence author tries to explain how black people were given hard time by other white people. How black people were made to do lots of works and were treated as animals. Author also describes how thy slaves had to do work hard but their work was not appreciated by anyone. In the past Africa was not ruled by anyone but later people from different country come to Africa with modern science and stared ruling over it and made the native African their slave.
“New peoples marvel at thy pyramids!” (Reed, 40)
In the poem author says that new people marvel at the pyramids. It is clear from the line that people from other place came to Africa and destroyed their original and ancient values. In the poem mainly focused ruler of ancient Egypt who came to Africa and spread their magic all over Africa. They were proud and successful where as black people were helpless and in dark. They couldn’t fight against those people. They ruled over Africa for years and their manic were all over the place.
Anyways, it took long time but at last hope for African people came to existence. Author stated that darkness swallowed thee again. It means bad days for black people came to an end. Sun shine once again in Africa. All those bad people left the Africa and now African people got their country back. They all are so happy and they built their own art on culture once again in African. They are free and they were not under anyone influence. It’s just like a beautiful day for African people at that period.
Work cited
McKay, Claude.”Africa. ”From Totems To Hip-Hip.
Ed. Ishmael Reed
Bishwojit Sharma
Professor: wanda sabir
English 1B
16th September 2010
Africa now and before
Claude McKay was born in Jamaica on 15th September, 1890. He worked as policeman in Spanish town. He moved to United States and continued writing poetry. One of his famous poem is ‘if we must Die’, published in Eastman’s journal. He is one the poet who usually writes poem and story about black society. In his poem, ‘Africa’ he has also tried to described the condition of Africa before and how black people struggled for their life. He has clearly shown how black society was deprived of their right and how they were made slave and how Africa was controlled by other society people.
‘The sun sought thy dim bed and brought forth light,
The sciences were suckling at thy breast;
When all the world was young in pregnant night
Thy slaves toiled at thy monumental best’ (reed,40)
Claude states,” The science were sucklings at thy breast”. In this sentence author tries to explain how black people were given hard time by other white people. How black people were made to do lots of works and were treated as animals. Author also describes how thy slaves had to do work hard but their work was not appreciated by anyone. In the past Africa was not ruled by anyone but later people from different country come to Africa with modern science and stared ruling over it and made the native African their slave.
“New peoples marvel at thy pyramids!” (Reed, 40)
In the poem author says that new people marvel at the pyramids. It is clear from the line that people from other place came to Africa and destroyed their original and ancient values. In the poem mainly focused ruler of ancient Egypt who came to Africa and spread their magic all over Africa. They were proud and successful where as black people were helpless and in dark. They couldn’t fight against those people. They ruled over Africa for years and their manic were all over the place.
Anyways, it took long time but at last hope for African people came to existence. Author stated that darkness swallowed thee again. It means bad days for black people came to an end. Sun shine once again in Africa. All those bad people left the Africa and now African people got their country back. They all are so happy and they built their own art on culture once again in African. They are free and they were not under anyone influence. It’s just like a beautiful day for African people at that period.
Work cited
McKay, Claude.”Africa. ”From Totems To Hip-Hip.
Ed. Ishmael Reed
Ahu Yildirim
Prof. Wanda Sabir
English 1B
16 September 2010
FW: Earthquake Blues
Drunk Earth
Ishmael’s poem Earthquake Blues is hyperbolic, and highly satiric. His style is conjured from a potent mix of black speech and music, mythology, voodoo, and pop culture.His sorrow has a strong manifestation in his poem Earthquake Blues. He talks with the disaster eartquake as eartquake is a human being. He states: Mr.Earthquake Mr.Earthquake/ You don’t know good from bad/ Mr.Earthquake Mr.Earthquake/ You don’t know good from bad/ You kill the child in its nursery/ You burn up the widow’s pad (Reed 47).
His poem is ideological with anger and sometimes with sorrow and ambiguity.He is afraid from the disaster of earthquake, he tells:
The buildings started swaying
Like a drunk man walking home
I got underneath my table
Had my head between my knees
I got underneath the table
Had my head between my knees
The dishes they were rattlin
And the house was rocking me (48).
At the end of his poem, his anger and sorrow are clearly seen again. He is worried about his little child. His worried heart vividly comes alive with those sentences that he tells “I was worried about my baby/ Was she safe or she was dead” (49). He ends his poem by talking earthquake again as it like a human being with his sorrow tone.
Work Cited Page
Reed, Ishmael. “Earthquake Blues." From Totems to Hip-hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry across the Americas, 1900-2000. New York: Thunder's Mouth, 2003. Print.
A Night Out
In the poem Oaktown CA by Reginald Lockett the writers shows us how the night life is in Oakland CA and what to expect on an outing. The writer tells us that the musical is magical and the food has such flavor while walking down San Pablo streets. The proper attire to wear when one must go out on the streets of San Pablo and how to carry oneself around others. “That in hearing the soft or vibrant music it makes people walk to a certain beat and rhythm down the streets of San Pablo.”
The writer also shows us that an outing in Oakland CA is an everyday experience Monday through Sunday. That even thought you are going out to enjoy yourself to always be aware of where you are. He shows how there are many different ways to die unnatural deaths at the the hands of dreamers and dream killers. The city is run by foolish power, greed and mentally challenged politicians.
“Cadillac dreamers hanging in there
where we still die unnatural deaths
at the hands of imported cracker cops,
anal retentive educators,
mentally constipated politicians,
and conceptually incarcerated
drug dealers
in a town, in a town, in a town,
in a state, in a state, in a state,
in a nation, in a nation, in a nation,
so bad,
even the birds sing bass.” Lockett 39
The poem hits home to me because I have grown up in this life of people who have no focus on trying to do anything good with there lives, for they see know reason to succeed in a world they cant win in. Lives in Oakland throughout the poem suggest that we live each day aware of these things but seem we don not want to change it. We live in a town, in a state, in a nation where it’s so bad that even the birds sing bass. That even though life seems to be fine everyone has there own song to sing event the birds.
Work cited
Ishmael Reed and Reginald Lockett “ Oaktown Ca”
From Totems to Hip Hop, A Poetry Across the Americans, 1900 – 2002
Budhi Man Tamang
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
16 September 2010
Something Nice In life
Poet’s wife is very happy today to feel that she got married with some one who even takes care of animals. There are so many things to feel anybody happy, even a small thing can give somebody a great happiness. Something may look smaller but may give a big meaning to somebody. When life goes on, bad days and good days come on the way. That was really happy day to poet because his wife was happy with him. He has done something special that made his wife happy. He is really lucky that he made her wife happy by stopping along the road, picking up frogs, snakes and turtles so they won’t hit by the cars. First day of married like is special for anyone but when time goes on people may forget about the sweet memory. Later on same thing which makes them happy may not make them happy. People may stop caring each other, may forget happy days. But today the poet is lucky that his wife felt glad once again in life. His wife felt so happy because he even took care of animals.
Poet Jack Forbes feels glad in Something Nice
She said
I am really glad
That I married a man
Who
Stops along the road
To pick up
Frogs snakes and turtles
So they won’t hit by cars (Men and Women 81)
Sometimes people get a prize and money something like that but still feel unhappy. People began to think like robot without heart where no feeling inside. But poet is trying to tell us we have to start think like human who take cares of animals not only a human. We have to find a way to fell happy even from small things. If we do not feel good for small things, I doubt we will feel good for big surprise. Life begins with happiness supposed to be ended with happiness. It is in our hand that how we want to spend our life.
Works cited
Forbes, Jack. “Something Nice.” From Totems to Hip Hop.
Ed. Ishmael Reed. Thunder Mouth Press, 2003.81.
Budhi Man Tamang
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
16 September 2010
Something Nice In life
Poet’s wife is very happy today to feel that she got married with some one who even takes care of animals. There are so many things to feel anybody happy, even a small thing can give somebody a great happiness. Something may look smaller but may give a big meaning to somebody. When life goes on, bad days and good days come on the way. That was really happy day to poet because his wife was happy with him. He has done something special that made his wife happy. He is really lucky that he made her wife happy by stopping along the road, picking up frogs, snakes and turtles so they won’t hit by the cars. First day of married like is special for anyone but when time goes on people may forget about the sweet memory. Later on same thing which makes them happy may not make them happy. People may stop caring each other, may forget happy days. But today the poet is lucky that his wife felt glad once again in life. His wife felt so happy because he even took care of animals.
Poet Jack Forbes feels glad in Something Nice
She said
I am really glad
That I married a man
Who
Stops along the road
To pick up
Frogs snakes and turtles
So they won’t hit by cars (Men and Women 81)
Sometimes people get a prize and money something like that but still feel unhappy. People began to think like robot without heart where no feeling inside. But poet is trying to tell us we have to start think like human who take cares of animals not only a human. We have to find a way to fell happy even from small things. If we do not feel good for small things, I doubt we will feel good for big surprise. Life begins with happiness supposed to be ended with happiness. It is in our hand that how we want to spend our life.
Works cited
Forbes, Jack. “Something Nice.” From Totems to Hip Hop.
Ed. Ishmael Reed. Thunder Mouth Press, 2003.81.
Johna Manibusan
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
19 September 2010
Free-write Poem
I read the poem "Nani worries about her Father's Happiness in the Afterlife" written by Ana Castillo. When I first read the title it caught my attention because especially when I was little I was so curious about what happened after we died. I knew there was a heaven, I just was curious about what happens in heaven, do we stay there forever?
This poem showed what she knew about afterlife, the stories she heard about what happens after someone dies. When she begins to tell us the process of her dad dying is when I started to get the feeling she was describing so vividly. "I looked about the room, held his hand, runing cold in mine, his mouth open, having gasped for his last breath of life. He was no longer in sweat" (Reed 115). Those lines I could just imagine the situation.
After she shared her story of her father dying she questioned where he went and if he was satisfied. The ending of the poem when she said "This is hell. This is not the whole story" (Reed 116) left me a little puzzled, im not sure what her last thoughts were.
I enjoyed this poem because the author gave us a lot of description and I could only help but imagine what she was saying. It left me thinking at the end as well which can sometimes be good and in this situation I appreciated it.
Ishmael Reed and Ana Castillo. "Nani Worries About her Father's Happiness in the Afterlife". From Totems to Hip-hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry across the Americas, 1900-2000. New York: Thunder's Mouth, 2003. Print.
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