Genre Project

Digital Confessional Free Verse Poetry of the 21st Century

Step II.

This genre developed from social media users using technology to convey their emotions. The 21st century is an age in which individuals can display their art onto social media platforms to both gain recognition and to advocate awareness. People are able to gain recognition because this platform allows for everyone to view content, and with the same exposure, people are also able to become aware of issues.  Digital confessional poetry allows for people to release emotion and create a connection with others. This form of poetry does not have any constraints that can conflict with the flow of the individuals writing. In the age of technology, connection between individuals have weakened, and emotions are manipulated. I have learned that people use technology to create multiple connections with multiple people, however, the connection is weak being that it is usually brief and can easily be manipulated to reflect the desired image of the individual.  Some hide behind a computer screen and only display select emotions; there are also individuals that are completely vulnerable on social media and provide a space for people to present authentic emotions. The individuals that are vulnerable or open to expressing certain emotions contribute to this genre. These poets are a part of the gen z generation. Being that social media is pivotal in the lives of this generation, it also becomes a platform to display art. Countless people use technology to present music or photography, and also to present artwork, and writing.  A few people including poets have become prosperous through this platform. One well known poet whose career grew from instagram is Rupi kaur. She is known for her bestselling book, “milk and honey”. She began posting her work on tumblr, and then she moved to instagram. Her poetry reflected the feelings of the Gen z generation. She would discuss things that related to betrayal, womanhood, relationships etc, things that a growing young adult could relate. This genre begun once technology became more integrated into daily life. In the past people could post writing in magazines and newspapers, however, in this age they would gain more recognition if it is promoted or presented digitally. Being that there is no general format other than it being able to fit in a caption, and is not pages long. A few constraints would be the length and the language. Some explicit or offensive language can be reported on social media and if it is too lengthy, it is less likely to be read. This genre developed by individuals correctly posting their work. There is no individual to have started it. People just began to use social media to present themselves in whatever form they felt most comfortable or necessary. People usually respond or share the text by either posting it on their page or by sending it to other social media users and platforms or to other individuals by SMS. Everything that I have written above is something that I have observed, or done myself. The evidence is observational being that I am a part of the discourse community and the generation and, I also use technology to display some of my emotions. I have become aware of this genre by sharing worked with other individuals or relating to them upon discovery while scrolling through the app. I was able to gather information of the history by watching the internet develop and become more open to texts that advocate or reflect vulnerability, without having to be subtle.

Step III.

The main message to all of the poems is to remain true to yourself and to be cautious with people. People have the ability to change and, although we should understand and accept people, we must also be able to identify toxic behavior and keep a distance from some. All in all the poetry teaches or reflects on interactions and relationships with ourselves and others. Although they have similar messages, people have different experiences and the message is broad, and individuals come to understand that through countless situations. The only constraint in these poems would be length and language use. The poem can not be too lengthy, otherwise the audience will lose interest. As for language use, explicit or offensive can either result in reporting someone or losing audience members. For this particular individual, it is directed towards the people in her relationships and also toward anyone whose eye or ears are open to her writing. Her page is a public page so it is open to anyone. The audience is also herself; she uses the space to both present her writing and to release heavy emotions. Being that it is free verse and the length is limited, the poems mold into the format of the space it is in and the style reflects the individual. For this writer, she uses the caption of her pst to display her wiritns and the words are place in paragraphs because if she places them in stanzas the caption would be long. Occasionally they are placed instanzas, but not frequently. She sometimes records herself saying it, and the poem then transforms into spoken word, which is verbal poetry. The language varied from poem to poem being that each one one may convey a different tone or emotion.

Step IV.

The poem that I am analyzing Samurai’s poem that begins with “grief is the final act of love…” The writers name is tyler and she is not well known poet. Regardless of her reputation, her writing has depth and wisdom that allows a reader to divide and analyze the simple thoughts and actions of people in their relationships. It does not have a negative intention, instead she intends on informing her audience of the true depth of love relating to grief. This grief is about the damage of one’s heart and of a piece of one’s self. In the poem she drowns herself in alcohol to fill the void in her heart. She stated “ In brown liquor I drown… my heart bled. My heart tore all in your name” She describes the emotional pain that one goes through upon breaking up with someone. Then she describes the damage she does to herself as a result of the pain. She becomes wasted and drowns herself in alcohol. To reiterate the message, she states “sad and down. Wasted, in brown liquor I drown.” The only constraints in this poem is the length which she control according to what she wanted to display. Other than the manual constraint to present the piece, her writing was freely written. The rhythm was her choice. Her audience was any being that wanted to read her work. Being that i know the audience, i understand that the only discourse community they belong to is being of the technology era, or they could be characterized as avid social media users. This text is of importance because it is written by someone that the discourse community can relate with and it displays emotions that anyone who’s been in intimate relationship can relate to. She is an example of an individual who uses her own vulnerability to set an example to people. She is one of the individuals that provide a space on social media for people to genuinely connect. It is important for people to genuinely connect because we live in an age where connectivity has weakened and multiplied, which causes relationships to lose worth. By providing the space, she reminds people of the relationships ee must have or have experiences outside of social media.

Step VI:

Lost

Navigating through a space

Of unfamiliar faces

And unfamiliar places

In need of a guiding hand

Someone capable of standing by my side

A friend to guide me to the end of tunnel

Someone to guide me through the darkness

Someone to help me

For i am lost

No Love is Greater

A love for someone can be

Conditional or unconditional

One can be in the midst of uncertainty

Of anxiety

with a individual with high toxicity

Sometimes we are unsure of people

But we must be sure of ourselves

We must feel calm within ourselves

And trust ourselves

Because no love is greater than self love

Mankind

We treat our brothers and sisters

Like slaves

Like animals

Meanwhile we call them animals

We cage them

Their food is placed on the ground

They are held in chains and confined

We spit at them

We shun them

We look away when they plead

What has mankind come to?

Work of art

We are born with a canvas

Sometimes it is scuffed

Sometimes distorted

As we live

We are illustrated by who we encounter

We are painted on by our environment

We are erased by our pain

But the residue remains

We displayed by those who adore us

We are knocked down by those who despise us

We are created by the worl

All of us

Are a work of art

Citations:

“Samurai”, Tyler (@writtenbysamurai) “ just writing some shorts” October 27, 2018. Instagram.

“Samurai”, Tyler (@writtenbysamurai) “just some writing exercise playing with words in 2016” October 26, 2018. Instagram

“Samurai”, Tyler (@writtenbysamurai) “ greif is the final act of love… ” April 22, 2019. Instagram.

“Samurai”, Tyler (@writtenbysamurai) “ Timeless” October 27, 2018. Instagram.

Aiko. Jhene (@jheneaiko) “#2 fish” March 16, 2019. Instagram.

“Samurai”, Tyler (@writtenbysamurai) “ ‘black heart’ ”  April 21, 2019.. Instagram.

Aiko. Jhene (@jheneaiko) “have you gotten your copy of my poetry book yet? #2 fish 3;16” March 16, 2019. Instagram.

Maimouna (maitalksted_) “just tryna find me” April 10, 2019. Instagram.

Maimouna (maitalksted_) “dark skin said you ever felt lonely?” April 22, 2019. Instagram.

literacy project revised

Defining Literacy  (revised)

  Literacy is defined as both, the ability to read and write, and as the competence and knowledge in a specific area. In order to become literate in a subject, a person must acquire literacy. While the world ages, some beliefs also begin to age or, sometimes, die. A belief that minority ethnic groups and women should not have the ability to read and write may still exist in the minds of ignorant individuals, but the world has accumulated countless resources and it has become difficult to regulate who earns the ability to become literate. Because books and the internet are available, it is more difficult to stop people from reading and learning, at least in certain regions of the world.  

   Although more people are acquiring the skill and accumulating knowledge in more subjects, the world’s issues remain at a standstill. It may seem as if we walking towards more elevated mankind, but honestly, we are slowly crawling towards it and things continue to fall in our path. An example would be environmental science research. We have accumulated more information on the environments function and how we impact it. In an advanced placement environmental class, I have read several texts addressing environmental issues and awareness.

   By reading the texts, I became more literate in the field of environmental science. I had learned past the common knowledge of the earth that we are all taught as kids and teenagers. Despite people being exposed to this information through both the news and educational spaces, it is either ignored or denied. Its as if the more we know or find through reading and discovery, the more we ignore or distract ourselves. My use of we and ourselves is not directed towards my audience, but mankind as a whole. It’s as if mankind can not accept its impact on the world whether it be the environment, politics, or economy.

  The world is vast and, through the internet, I have been able to read articles that allow me to understand and gain insight into global occurrences. It seems as if the more I become aware, the more I feel enclosed in a space of helplessness and downfall. I get headaches from the knowledge I have acquired because, through the lens that literacy has gifted me, it has become clearer that both the earth and its citizen are approaching  major ruin. This epiphany occured when I read an article about the Libya slave trade. Through that article I became conscious of global news, although I am now aware, I cannot directly do anything with the information. Despite mankind assembling sources of information and creating an abundance of books, people have become more ignorant and disconnected. To an extent, I understand why ignorance is more comfortable. With ignorance, you do not have to acknowledge issues that exist beyond our space and you do not have to add the weight of the world to your shoulders.

   In the previous paragraph, I discussed my observation and analysis of mankind. All in all, people are becoming literate in subjects that do not carry a weight. A slave trade in an african country and sex offender ring group in an asian country are topics that are heavily emotional. If another person reads about the topics, one may either ignore the content or become overwhelmed by information.

    Nonetheless complete ignorance forces mankind to shift their focus.  Instead of using our knowledge, we are more preoccupied with individuals like the Kardashians and their dramatics. People learn about poverty-stricken lives and spit at them, only to donate to the rich and feed their own greed. We have countless books and informative resources on the decline of the earth’s health, and a grown man in the presidential office cannot even grasp the immense fall approaching.

  We should not force people to read or understand a subject if the attempts fail and the information is not used. Literacy is a skill we must have to move forward, but an individual must choose what subject he wants to become literate in, and use the knowledge effectively.

  What I need my audience to understand is that there is no point in acquiring literacy, referring to both definitions, if we do not use it to better ourselves or the world. It will sit in our heads and either fester annoyances and worry, or it will decompose and only grow the amount of knowledge we have. When we learn through the text we read, we accumulate knowledge, and if it is not used, we may lose the information or it just remains in our head .

     Even if it becomes of the second option, what is the point of having something that will not be used? Although some people use their knowledge, I want to still bring awareness to using literacy effectively so that it feels less tiresome and more fulfilling. To my audience, my message, theory or rant, whatever description my words may bear, one thing I would like you to remember is that use your literacy, in both definitions, to either better yourself or the world, even to the smallest extent.

Writing reflection

   My feelings about writing has not changed after this class.  This class has only expanded my existing interest in writing. Although the class had a different approach from the traditional college english composition, the assignments are not something that I have done before. My previous english classes approached english from a different perspective. Nonetheless, because I entered the class with no enthusiasm, I used the semester to approach my own writing differently and learn how to manipulate topics so that it could be more relatable. By experimenting, I was able to enjoy the class and find new ways to write and new genres to read.

   The most challenging writing experience was not wanting to do the assignment. In all honesty, I did not want to complete the literacy assignment. I thought it was pointless to write about a question that had a straightforward answer; however while I was writing it, I began to understand that the purpose of people writing  is to display their perspective on a topic or the thoughts in their head. When I completed the assignment and I heard other people give their own response, I was exposed to different answers to the same question.

   My strengths as a writer is my depth and countless ideas. Because I have a tendency of analyzing every idea presented to me, when I am given a topic, I always have an elaborate response. Sometimes the fact that I have several ideas can be overwhelming and discouraging because I tend to lose direction easily; however, once I am able to organize my thoughts and get criticism from peers, it becomes a strength.  

I need to focus on organization and preparation in order to improve my writing. Once I master those steps, I will be able to construct text that is more coherent and reflects my ideas. Something I would like to improve is my vocabulary and language use.

   The most helpful assignment was this assignment because it is allowing me to reflect on what I have been doing and what I need to improve on. I believe this step should be incorporated into curriculum more often because it is helping me understand my writing specifically, which can help me when move on to another course. Writing is a fundamental skill, and understanding how I can improve my own abilities and reflecting on my experience is constructive. The most helpful reading was the malcolm x text because it reminded me of the importance of reading. Literacy is an authoritative ability and it can elevate a person in their life if they read the right text. Seeing that Malcolm x was able to gain freedom and understanding through reading was something that I need to be exposed to.

   I enjoy reading a reflective text. A reflective text meaning that it displays a person emotions and thoughts towards a topic or individual. Ursula K. Le Guin’s blogs on technology evoked a conversation in relatively quiet class. The ability for a text to evoke a debate or a strong conversation is intriguing.