Imitation #5(Poetry of the 90's)

Endless Journey – Mary Barnet

http://www.marybarnet.com/a1990s.htm

“But, if I must speak, my years will say
Do not rely on pleasures of the flesh;
Less on affairs of the heart.
Create what you can
But do not be disappointed by your losses;
For what some men and women have lost is great.

The most precious thing you have is your soul,
And the dignity with which you pass on
To those who come after
Your knowledge of the value of life and love
And above all, humanity's vision and age's realization
Of the absolute tyranny of Time.”

In this poem, Mary Barnet ponders some of the downfalls of human behavior and offers a bit of advice for the reader’s future.  The poem doesn’t really follow a structure; it doesn’t have end rhymes nor does it have any consistent pattern.  It’s littered with literal meaning, pun intended.  The section I chose is longer than eight lines, but the two stanzas are equally thought provoking and powerful.  Since there isn’t really a structure or many literal elements in the poem, I will critique it through its context and how it relates to the present.  I love that she says, “do not rely on pleasures of the flesh.”  It is a truth that is said all too little in modern American society.  Right now, peer pressures to engage in misogyny and use drugs swallow up young people.  Since I abstain from either, I’m sick of it being such a prevalent part of my life and being shoved in my face everywhere I go.  Later in the same stanza, she offers uplifting words when saying, “do not be disappointed by your losses, for what some men and women have lost is great.”  It’s a good way to look at life for those who don’t feel so blessed, but are in a better state than they may think.  The last stanza is also very interesting.  Taking the first line on its own actually takes away from its full meaning.  The full meaning of the last stanza is that time has no remorse or mercy; it stops for no one.  Therefore, the most important thing you can do is pass on your unbiased knowledge and blessings to those who come after you.  

Original Piece #1

Fallout

Have you ever lived thru a nuclear fallout?

They say nobody ever will

It’s impossible

So it seems…

The generous mind gives,

Until it has nothing left,

Feeling the loss of a thrill,

Universally committed theft

Why is the Earth so cold?

Said the sloth to the mammoth

It is ironic how today
We live in a different ice age...

People get offended too easily,

Yet people too easily offend.

It’s a never-ending conundrum,

Read it again.

Think of how nice it would be,

For the whole human race

To start over

Once more.

To erase the current suffering,

The despair,

The confusion,

The inquisition.

No empty cartridges hitting the floor,

No screams of the oppressed,

No religious men knocking on the door,

No booming voices of the upset…

It is the bittersweet result

Of a

Fallout…

Hip Hop Wars: Chap 7 Overview/Critique

Chapter 7 of Hip Hop Wars critiques the argument that “Hip hop is not responsible for sexism.”  Tricia Rose uses some quotes and breaks the argument down into 6 points.  These points are as follows: “1) society is sexist, 2) artists should be free to express themselves, 3) rappers are unfairly singled out, 4) we should be tackling the problem at the root, 5) listening to harsh realities gives us a road map, and 6) sexual insults are deleted from radio and video airplay.”    Rose points out that none of these arguments actually address the issue of sexism, and explains how this makes these claims false, but more so unproductive.  With the first point, hip-hop’s defenders claim that sexism is a “deep-seated problem” in the U.S.  While this may be true, it doesn’t make it acceptable that artists promote sexism.  The second point is mostly used by record companies’ heads.  This defense is that artists have freedom of expression.  This, however, is a conundrum, because record companies themselves constrict artists to only use subjects that they deem profitable.  The third point is a childish, “Oh, why me?” defense, claiming rappers are singled out.  It’s impossible for rappers not to be singled out, though, since they are the only musicians with whom this issue is such an integral part of their music.  The fourth defense, that people should ignore sexism in hip-hop and tackle the problem at the root, simply ignores the issue altogether.  Just because hip-hop does not represent the origination of sexism does not mean it wouldn’t benefit society if such representations of women were eliminated.  Rose says that the fifth point, that it gives a “road map,” makes no sense, and I totally agree with her.  To where is promoting sexism taking us?  She further explains through a few quotes that this means that using sexism can successfully and meaningfully educate or represent poor black people.  However, it puts black women down, so how does it help at all?  And lastly, the pointless argument that radio and TV bleep out “bitches and hoes.”  If people listen to hip-hop, they know it’s very gritty and harsh.  Rose used an example in which Snoop Dogg had gone to a bat mitzvah in which 12 year old white kids were singing explicit lyrics from a song he had made.  It’s no secret that those who listen to hip-hop prefer the “authentic” version instead of the edited version, no matter what age.  Bleeping out cuss words on national media does not effectively help solve the issue of sexism in any way whatsoever.  

Imitation #4(80's)

Public Enemy – Don’t Believe The Hype

“Word to Herb, yo if you can’t swing this

Learn the words, you might sing this

Just a little bit of the taste of the bass for you

As you get up and dance at the LQ

When some deny, defy it, I swing Bolos

And then they clear the lane I go solo

The meaning of all that, some media is the wack”

            Don’t Believe The Hype, an acclaimed song by Public Enemy released in 1988 of the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.  The song is meant to be a critique on false media.  As can be seen, the basic structure is end rhyme while some of the lines have internal rhymes.  There’s not much of a clear rhythm or flow in this part of the verse, his lines are seemingly only connected to rap because they are being spoken over a beat and rhyme at the end.  There is some assonance in the fifth line.  These bars are giving a figurative meaning, as it is not clearly stated that Chuck is trying to knock the media until the last few words.  There is some literal meaning, as when he says he “swings Bolos,” which are the wind up punches made famous by Sugar Ray Leonard.  This also shows up when he tells the Herb, or listener who doesn’t understand rap music and is critical of it, that they should “learn the words, you might sing this,” meaning if they might understand the message someday.  Chuck D used personification of the bass in the third line, when he tells the Herb to get a “taste of the bass.”  The tone of the bars is kind of upset, but not raging – as if he’s just trying to get a point across to clear up a misunderstanding that he’s annoyed about.  Seeing as this song is giving an opinion on the media’s flaws and misconceptions, this bit from Chuck D’s verse can be considered lyrical poetry.  

Imitation #3(70's): Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

            This spoken word piece by Gil Scott-Heron was originally released on his 1970 album, Small Talk at 125^th and Lenox.  It is about the fight for racial equality and its non-existence in media. 

Gil is confessing his outrage with the way the media is driven for and controlled by white people.  In the lyrics, Scott-Heron makes a number of references to pop culture of the 1970s.   This is a way of using figurative meaning.  For instance, he says, “The revolution will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.”  These were icons of that time, and throughout the piece Scott-Heron uses them to outline the fact that people know so much about fantasy characters, actors and actresses, and business ads, but are unaware of what is going on with the Black revolution.           

 Also, since this is a completely emotion-filled opinion about the goings-on of this era, this song can be attributed as lyrical poetry.  The tone of the piece is angry and forceful.  On the recording, Scott-Heron’s voice is booming and loud as he speaks over a simple drumbeat. 

About 5 years before this song was created, Malcolm X had been murdered.  And in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.  The fight for racial equality seemed to be in the balance, as two of its most prominent leaders were killed off.  Instead of succumbing to fear, some people stood up in this fight.  At the end of the song, Scott-heron says, “the revolution will be no re-run brothers, the revolution will be live.” In saying this, he ensures that whether or not people are made aware of the tragedies befalling the Black race, their fight for equal rights will continue.