This is 'The Voice' by Shel Silverstien. This poem has a lot to do with my social issue topic; that's probably why I chose to write about this.
What Shel Silverstien is trying to get across through this piece of writing is that your voice is your own, and only you can tell yourself the difference between right and wrong. No one else should tell you how to live your life. I think this is great advice, I mean sometimes we get lost in this crazy world and we forget who we really are and what we stand for. Its really easy to forget who you really are. That's why I think that she added the last line '..just listen to the voice that speaks inside.' Its saying that when you do neglect your original personality, you should just listen to that voice inside of you, because that's the only thing that'll help you stay true to you.
(Two Voice Poem)
The social issue in my two voice poem is about freedom of speech and the importance of speaking up for yourself and others. Person one is in bold and person two is in italics. And both is underlined.
Speaking up and being heard is important no matter whatever cause, little or big.
I believe in what is right They're taking away the music program My mother hits me They don't have enough money to fund it She is always angry Its just not right Why do you have to take away the single most important thing to me? Why does she do this? What did I do to deserve this? Music is my voice I feel as I if have no voice I want to do something about it. I'm going to march into school and give them a piece of my mind But I can't do anything; I have no say I will not give up I've already given up
I was asked to research an important social issue I care about. There were many I could've chosen from, but I decided to go with something I, myself, do quite often. My subject matter is the importance of freedom of speech and protest. I believe this a very appropriate issue as of now because in there is a lot of political protest and governmental dispute going on around the world.
freedom of speech; noun
the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel,incitement to violence or rebellion, etc.
An example of demonstration of civil liberty is something that is happening right here outside our homes. On September 17, 2011 hundreds of strikers gathered in New York City's financial district and peacefully protested. I read this article published on that exact date on CNN.com; http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/17/technology/occupy_wall_street/index.htm
This article talks about how occupy wall street is a leaderless resistance movement. It is run by social media such as Twitter and Facebook. This project was started by the activist magazine Adbusters that called for participants two months before the start of the protest. So why are these people camping out in parks? Well thats because; "Wall Street’s actions made tens of millions of people dramatically poorer through no fault of their own," says Zaid Jilani, author of this straight forward article; http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/09/18/321844/why-people-protest-wall-street/
As the first article talks of what is happening, this one talks of why its happening. No one ever really thought about it that much, but what exactly are the protesting? These everyday people want Wall Street businessmen to know that its their fault for this on-going recession. I respect what their fighting for, and I support peaceful protest.
I am still reading House Rules by Jodi Picoult. As I've said before this story is told from a variety of different perspectives. I'm still generally at the beginning; since its a very long book, so all the characters mostly reminisce and talk about background information, you could say, about themselves. So I've decided to write a poems in favor of two characters; Jacob and his mother.
The first one is from the point of view of Jacob. He is a self kept, organized, and lonely character; I see things you don't Through my eyes the world is different I think things you don't In my mind I am aware I am certain I am different But who am I really? Does my disability define me? Do you see I am lonely? But that is okay I like my solitude I conclude in pure fact You feel things I don't That is simply because a soul is not tangible You acknowledge things I don't And frankly my dear I dont give a damn.
This next one is from the point of view of Jacobs mother, Emma. What can you do when your best is never enough? How do you deal with it all? No one knows what I go through No one seems to care It used to be different It used to be better Take me back to those days Then bring me to tomorrow This can't be real This is all a dream And yet I each waking hour Here it is Here I am With my perfect composure.
I am continuing to find out more fascinating things about this story. Jodi Picoult has written a masterpiece. This book is very honest and empathetic.
Lupe Fiasco is a 29 year old rapper who speaks the truth. Not only the truth; the whole truth. He raps about things that some people are too afraid to say out loud. Some social issues he talks about is government, money issues, terrorism, secrecy, and stereotypes. Lupe Fiasco defines what has become of our society, and helps us see the problems that are all around us.
"I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bullshit
Just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets How much money does it take to really make a full clip 9/11 building 7 did they really pull it Uhh, And a bunch of other cover ups Your childs future was the first to go with budget cuts If you think that hurts then, wait here comes the uppercut The school was garbage in the first place, thats on the up and up Keep you at the bottom but tease you with the uppercrust You get it then they move you so you never keeping up enough If you turn on TV all you see’s a bunch of “what the fucks” Dude is dating so and so blabbering bout such and such And that aint Jersey Shore, homie thats the news And these the same people that supposed to be telling us the truth Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit Thats why I aint vote for him, next one either I’ma part of the problem, my problem is I’m peaceful And I believe in the people."
These are the lyrics from the first verse. Lupe Fiasco first starts out saying a very bold statement; terrorism is total BS. "Just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets." The exaggeration made by the government and public media on topics such as terrorism and 9/11 is very extreme. I mean I understand that thousands of innocent lives were lost during the crash into the twin towers, but it makes no sense to call out all Muslims as terrorists. The next topic he talks about is budget cuts and money issues regarding education. Hes saying how since theres no money to pay for your own childs education then your childs education doesn't matter. Then he goes on to talking about one of my favorite issues; celebrities. Fame is such a large factor in todays society, everyones always talking about TV, music, etc. "Dude is dating so and so, blabbering about such and such." What Lupe's trying to convey here is that all this paparazzi craze and media; what do we take from it? Why should we care? Why do we care? Its not our lives, its someone elses, that we pry our ears and eyes into. "I'm apart of the problem.." That line is very true; even though I'm sitting here talking about these issues, I'm apart of a bigger group that evokes this kind of thinking; societys ideas were created by something bigger than all of us.
"Now you can say it aint our fault if we never heard it But if we know better than we probably deserve it Jihad is not a holy war, wheres that in the worship? Murdering is not Islam! And you are not observant And you are not a muslim Israel don’t take my side cause look how far you’ve pushed them Walk with me into the ghetto, this where all the Kush went Complain about the liquor store but what you drinking liquor for? Complain about the gloom but when’d you pick a broom up? Just listening to Pac aint gone make it stop A rebel in your thoughts, aint gon make it halt If you don’t become an actor you’ll never be a factor Pills with million side effects Take em when the pains felt Wash them down with Diet soda! Killin off your brain cells Crooked banks around the World Would gladly give a loan today So if you ever miss payment They can take your home away!"
This is the second verse, and it mostly talks about hypocrisy. Its saying that we're all really hypocrites inside, we pretend that we care about all these big important issues, when in truth we really could care less. And Lupe's also talking about how people want and declare change; but how is there supposed to be a change if we're not willing to take the steps to make the change?
"I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence Fear is such a weak emotion thats why I despise it We scared of almost everything, afraid to even tell the truth So scared of what you think of me, I’m scared of even telling you Sometimes I’m like the only person I feel safe to tell it to I’m locked inside a cell in me, I know that there’s a jail in you Consider this your bailing out, so take a breath, inhale a few My screams is finally getting free, my thoughts is finally yelling through"
This last verse is legitimately the whole story. No one is brave enough to speak up, be heard. Its all because we're afraid; afraid that we're wrong. We're all just scared to say whats really on our mind. All we do is sit back and watch events unfold; silently. Lupe Fiasco's saying how hes the only person he trust with his thoughts because no one else is defiant enough to say 'hey, thats not right.'
"It’s so loud Inside my head
With words that I should have said! As I drown in my regrets I can’t take back the words I never said I can’t take back the words I never said"
This is the chorus from the song. The main message here is that we all regret not bringing forward our opinions. Because if everyone is mute, then we'd still be living like we were 100 years ago. All it takes is one person to speak their mind. So what if your wrong? So what if no one agrees with you? If you feel something inside of you saying 'no,' you need to make yourself heard. Because in the end you can't take back the words you've never said.
I am currently hooked on House Rules by Jodi Picoult. I told myself this year I'd read some classics by some classic authors. So here I am. At first I wasn't really sure what to think of the book; but as I read on, I realized it was actually very attention grabbing. The story is from different points of view, but the ideas the same. Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy who has Aspergers syndrome and it affects everyone around him. I'm not exactly sure how to write a post about this; I'd be lying if I said I could in any way connect. But I've observed a few things about the two main characters. Jacob is obviously the main character; but in some ways hes not. I chose Jacob's mother and his younger brother Theo as the main characters. Jacobs mother- She already has it hard, shes a single parent raising three kids; one of which has a serious and uncontrollable disability. I've noticed she has her ways of coping. She always seems to figure out and plan out the sequence of events even before they happen. For instance; "I glance around the store, mentally calculating whether it would cause more of a scene to try to get Jacob out of here before the stimming turns into a full-blown breakdown or whether I can talk him through this." (8) It's very obvious that she has a lot on her hands. Shes a very strong and caring and careful mother. It's clear shes trying to do her best. Jacobs brother- Theo is younger than Jacob, but he always feels as if hes the older brother; watching over his disabled brother. He sometimes feels annoyed by Jacobs tactics, because he doesn't understand why Jacob acts the way he does. He also feels neglected because his mother is always thinking about Jacob. All Theo ever wanted was to fit in and be in a normal family. But Jacob has kept him from doing that. On page 15 Theo explains how every friendship he ever had was somehow ruined when they found out about Jacob and his disability. Theo is trying to find his place; he is lost.
To conclude, thats all I know for now. But I hope to keep reading, this book is very captivating.
