Poetic project reflection

This was the last project of my sophomore year.  We were told to write a poem about peace, violence, or war after studying different types of poetry and learning the differences between good poetry and bad poetry. .  Other students did paintings too, some did kinetic text or just spoken word.  We had multiple revisions and critiques and I spent that time drilling y brain for metaphors.

I wrote a poem about how parents’ generation created this amazing world for us with opportunities and so many chances, and desensitizing technology.  This project was so much fun because we had a lot of freedom with it and we really got to express ourselves.  I really learned a lot about poetry and a lot about the different poetry devices as well.

I think the point of poetry is to say something is a different way, a way that you have to think about the meaning.  In order to do this poets use metaphors and similes hyperbolizes.  Other devices are imagery and personification.  All these devices come together and can help create something beautiful.

I think that if a poet really wants their audience to connect to what they’re saying what they write needs to be something they really feel something that the poet their self can connect to.  I also think that it is important to think about who the audience is depending on the audience I think it’s really fun to play around with the different poetic devises.  They give poems a stronger more emphasized meaning I think.

Artist Statement

The form inspiration for my poem is spoken word or as some may call it, Def Jam poetry.  I really like this form because personally, I think that the author of a poem can have the most emotion to that poem.  The words that I wrote mean a lot to me and I believe what I wrote, so I think that I can express that emotion I feel.  I think that when I stand in front of everyone, letting the words of the inevitable future I see for my generation, spill out of my mouth, it will really stick with those who listen.  I hope that my audience can hear the fear that I have for the future, then the hope I still have in my voice as well.

The content inspiration for my poem was an essay I read from our blue book of readings.  The essay was called "Teaching our kids to kill", and it was about how the things we rely on most, such as TV., music, news, and movies, make us more violent without us realizing it.  I thought this essay had a really good perspective for me to take, sort of violence and peace working together at the same time, but I wanted to take it a little bit further.  I wanted to think about how these effects were true for me.  So I thought about the things I rely on to make me feel better.  Rock music, punk rock, alternative rock, rap(both explicit and not. Then there's the side of me that enjoys contemporary and relaxed music such as Jack Johnson.  I then thought about the TV shows I like , the drama and the csi murder investigations, and I thought about my perspective on peace. I realized, I don't have one.  I think I have come to realize,  that my parents generation, paved a path for us, the best one that they could, but now they turn to us and say " the world has no peace, you need to be the change."  I feel like we get all these amazing things, then they dropped the big bomb us.  I figured, that this was a good start and that I could take it even farther and put my perspective into it.  So I did and what I came up with is, the things I rely on most are the things that make me violent, and those things are the same exact things I seem to hide behind to forget about all the violence in the world.  I have hope though.  I hope all this becomes apparent in my performance.

The performance inspiration I used for my poem is defiant orders.  I love this performance because its powerful.  When I read it I thought, "wow, that's pretty good", but when I hear it performed, I'm completely shocked and I think to myself "oh wow, did that really just happen?"  The words become even more powerful with the way he says every word and that is why I chose this as my inspiration.  I want people to really take what I am saying with them.  I want everything that I have to say have the emotion that I feel in it.

Our generation

We’ve been given the label: average teenagers with so much to look forward to…but we’ve gota dangerouscase of Mean World Syndrome.

The symptoms aren’t visible at first, but as time stacks up like pancakes at the waffle house, we start to accept the violence we see.

But the truth is….going back in time and changing our generation’s fate is impossible; our lives are like an hour glass that have been turned over and our time is running out.

Maybe I see what you can’t see, maybe I am scared of what will become of me, of us, and I wonder why you don’t seem to care.

From time to time I question if anyone else has eyes, maybe I should let you borrow mine, imagine the things you will see.

But the truth is….going back in time and changing our generation’s fate is impossible; our lives are like an hour glass that have been turned over and our time is running out.

Years contribute to our lives,alleviating every ounce of consciousness, while impossible tasks of fixing a world unraveling are requested.

All we really need is some direction from the adults we look up to most, like the way toddlers look at their parents with a look of trust upon their faces.

But the truth is….going back in time and changing our generation’s fate is impossible; our lives are like an hour glass that have been turned over and our time is running out.

The weight of the world is bearing down on our shoulders like preschoolers backpacks, overloaded with high school textbooks.

Our generation is stumbling on life’s path, too many twists and turns, ups and downs like a roller coaster at an amusement park.

But the truth is….going back in time and changing our generation’s fate is impossible; our lives are like an hour glass that have been turned over and our time is running out.

Movies, television, Facebook, texting, video games: our generation escapesreality: our generation has created artificial happiness.

We have the power of disinhibition and we’re invinciblelike superman and wonder woman yet our hands are tied by our desires.

But the truth is….going back in time and changing our generation’s fate is impossible; our lives are like an hour glass that have been turned over and our time is running out.

The technology drug infects our minds completely, creating an inescapable connectedness that grips us too tightly, never experiencing the silence and truth of being alone.

Maybe it’s time all of us spend some time alone, long enough to be alone with our thoughts, just enough times to save ourselves.

But the truth is….going back in time and changing our generation’s fate is impossible; our lives are like an hour glass that have been turned over and our time is running out.

Life is a sensational adventure with only one chance to get it right, so let's stop giving in to what is being modeled for us.

Giving it our all and not worrying about what may lie ahead like were walking blindfolded on a twisted road with no fears of falling because we have each other.

And if we do that we know that everything could be okay because…

Going back in time is impossible but changing our generation’s fate is possible; life is an hour glass that has been turned over and our time is running out.

Written by IsaBelle Tonso

Artist Statement

                  

Picture this. You’re in Uganda. But not just in Uganda, you live there and you’re a homosexual, a homosexual who is just trying to live your life, happily expressing your sexuality just like anyone else.  Then a bill is introduced into parliament, by a man named David Bahati, and it’s called the Kill the Gays bill.  Every homosexual, anyone who knows you and knows your gay, everyone with AIDS and HIV will be killed.  Luckily, or so you thought, parliament rejects it because it’s too harsh of a punishment.  Now you and everyone who knows you’re gay, and everyone who has HIV or AIDS could be facing life in prison if the bill is passed.  If that isn’t enough the editor of the Rolling Stones, not associated in any way with the US magazine, just published names, addresses, and phone numbers of gays and lesbians in Uganda, and you’re on the list.  So now not only may you be going to prison, but you’re being harassed by people who hate homosexuals. Now step out of your vision and check into the reality of every homosexual in Uganda How was I inspired to write about something I have really no relationship to?  It all started with research, I stumbled upon a couple interviews.  One happened to be with David Bahati.  Gays and lesbians have so many people against them; many people in Uganda would say they hate homosexuality.  They have no one to speak for them, speaking for themselves could be very dangerous.  When I realized that David Bahati didn't seem to have valid reasons for his harsh actions, except that "people need to be exposed to these evils to protect the children"(CNN interview).It made me angry, this feeling of sadness swept over me.  They aren't evil, it's a personal choice, and everyone should be allowed to make decisions that make them happy.  I wanted to know more, I wanted to study how someone could think that this sort of choice is evil, and why anyone would want to hurt them like this.

I made a graphic novel; it changed a bit from the first draft, so I would like to call it an illustrated very short story, chocked full of info.  This short story includes everything from the bill and its background to the harassment that gays and lesbians have to deal with.  Most importantly this short story of mine, it has a very clear and entertaining almost, perception of David Bahati.   I hope you can get a feel for the way homosexuals in Uganda feel.  One could imagine my anger, sadness and need to tell people about the situation in Uganda.  I’m not sure if people are born homosexual or if it’s a choice that they make, maybe even without realizing it, but I don’t think it makes a difference and I also don’t think it's okay that people want to get rid of them.  I feel like I know almost everything that there is to know about this genocide and I want people to know what I know and be affected like I was affected by this project.  When I found a website, news 24 that quoted a homosexual in Uganda, before this bill people did not care about what we did, but now we are harassed by people who hate homosexuality.  We are an endangered species within our country, one time I was in a club with a friend and someone I know pointed and said" look there is a gay," everyone wanted to beat me up I was escorted out by a bouncer.  That’s when I made the decision to make my project be about the genocide against homosexuals.

It’s obvious that homosexuals don’t feel safe in Uganda “we are an endangered species within our country; we are looked at as if we are outcasts.  One time I was at a night club with a friend when someone who knew me pointed at me shouting, look there is a gay!”  Now may I just point out that this was likely because anyone who knows a gay and, doesn’t turn them in, will be imprisoned?  But even so, the effect of this bill is difficult on homosexuals. One story about a lesbian couple really got to me.  Pepe Julian Onziema was handing out flyers for an HIV conference when they were accused of trespassing.  They were charged and the trial went on for a while, but Pepe is often haunted by the harassment she received in prison.  “They taunted her by talking about whether they should put her with the male or female inmates, one officer touched her private areas to confirm.” This couple is proof that true love can beat anything.  Pepes partner never leaves her side; she has been there for her through it all.  I really want people who see my project to realize the things homosexuals go through, and think about what they can do, and realize that homosexuals are not evil as David Bahati says.  They are just people who are trying to happily live their lives, just like you and me.

The main message I want people to take away from this is first to never take the freedom that we have here in America for granted.  We are very lucky that we can proudly walk down the street, whether we are homosexual or not, and not have to worry about being put in prison for trying to be happy being who we are  We don’t have to constantly live in fear either.  Another thing is that everyone has the right to be happy, and we should never try to take that away from someone, whoever they may be or what they do, reasonably of course.  I really want people to think about their own lives and how they see homosexuals and ask themselves if they would ever do what people in Uganda are doing to homosexuals, and ask themselves what they can do.  Maybe there is nothing we can do, maybe it's out of our hands, but at least we can try.  Even if we can’t change it, isn’t it worth trying?

I drew, colored, and wrote everything in my in my project.  At first I made a graphic novel, but it was suggested that I make something else, in order to show all the research I have done.  The main goal of this project is to show people what I know, and educate them on the genocide.  I’m extremely hard working, and I’m not satisfied with my projects until they are just right.  So I wanted this project to be perfect.  It’s especially important to me because I’m all about treating everyone equally, and I really wanted to show how this isn’t happening in Uganda.  I really hope people see all the work I put into this project, and that it makes them want to help.

SOURCES

1. News 24. Godfrey Olukya and Jason Straziuso, 19 Oct. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. <http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Hang-gays-Uganda-paper-20101019>.

          4.TIME. Glenna Gordon, 8 Mar. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.           <http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0, 8599, 1969667, 00.html>.

          6.The Fresh Air. NPR. 25 Aug. 2010. Web.

Project Reflection

When I think about this project and what I am most proud of I think about all the research I did.  I did so much research that I feel like I could teach a whole class on the topic.  I wanted to know it all, everything that there was to know, because I wanted this project to be good and detailed.  I was at exhibition and I heard people talking about the same genocide and the research they did was nothing like the research I did and it made me so proud.  Just to know that I worked hard on something and I knew so much about something.  I think that my hard work paid off, a lot of people walked away looking like they were impressed, that also made me really proud.

 Unfortunately I didn’t have this one more week, but if I would have, I would have been able to spend more time on making it refined and more pleasing to the eye.  It wasn’t as refined as I would have liked, I would have liked it to look like a professional graphic novel, but it doesn’t.  But that doesn’t mean I didn’t try, because I did try.

  My project is focused on the genocide, about the people there.  It is focused on the homosexuals there and David Bahati and the things that happen and the effects that these actions have on homosexuals.  I was able to make this strong because I did enough research to write a book.  I wanted to know every detail, every perspective.  So I did, I didn’t stop research until I knew everything about this genocide, I just wanted people to learn from my project.  So I would say that my strongest point is focus.

When it comes to my weakness, I would have to say it was professionalism. 

Although I worked really hard on the drawings, I know that it could have been a lot better.  In Photoshop, a lot of stuff was erased, like the little yellow house, in order for me to erase the writing; I had to erase the top corner of the house.  I started to lose my drive, my excitement for the project afar all the drawing and redrawing.  I know that if I had tried a little bit harder I could have planned this project out better and I would have waited to do the writing and just waited to do Photoshop.

For professionalism I would give myself a C.  For connections I give myself an A.  For focus I give myself an A as well.  And for Audience engagement I give myself an A.  For the final project grade I would give myself an A-, 90%.