[Jennifer Sears]

Use the instructions on the Session 5 To-Do List and complete the Participation Activity before 3 pm, Thursday, Feb. 18.

[Pratima Roy]

I chose Willie Perdomo’s poetry because the title attracted my interest. His lines that struck my interest were him saying “The Renaissance he’s been looking for is ready to set up shop that the dreams are starting to take responsibility for themselves.” I really like this poem and when he was saying this his accent and the way he speaks were amazing. I love learning about different people speaking a different language. But talking back to his poetry, I would say this poem speaks to his specific culture and I like how he was talking in his language about the different scenes of how what a painter does and many things. I am assuming the title suggests that how beautiful we people are and it says it by its title. So he was describing many people’s hobbies and professions and how many people are beautiful in doing whatever they do. This made me realize that I love what I do and my dreams are also coming true.
Another Poet, I loved hearing was Ariana Brown: Dear White Girls in My Spanish Class. When she said her grandmother “buried her first language in the space between blood and bone because your grandparents wouldn’t let her make a home outside her body.” This is the quote that struck me as well because it’s true that many people who come from different backgrounds are always told or signaled to not speak their own language because English or white people were superior. So I was able to understand what she meant in her poem. Also in her poem, she expresses anger and also pain when she was speaking. The title suggests that it was messaged to many white or privileged people to make them understand that everyone is different and can be whoever they want. This title was meant for unknowledgeable and rude people just like her white classmates to bring out a message that no one will assimilate just because someone feels that they are superior. Everyone is different and God made us different with so many strengths and weaknesses. Overall, I loved both of these poets, but Ariana’s poetry was powerful and her message should be heard by everyone.

[Genesis Hiciano]

Pratima Roy,

I also enjoyed listening to Ariana Brown’s poem, the poem had a strong effect on me because I relate so much to what Brown was stating. I had a hard time understanding Willie Perdomo’s poem, but reading your interpretation I obtained an understanding of what the purpose of the poem was.

[Genesis Hiciano]

The poem that I have chosen to ” talk back” to is Dear White Girls in my Spanish Class by Ariana Brown. When I was looking at the list of poems that the professor placed, the title that immediately caught my attention was Brown’s poem. The title in itself is eye catching; this makes me think about the author’s purpose, why did Brown chose to give it this title? did Brown purposely give it this title to grab the readers attention? I don’t know if this was her intention, but I do know that Brown did catch my attention. As I heard Brown say her poem, I felt the pain in her. I , personally, sympathize with the topic Brown spoke about; As a Spanish speaker, I have felt like , as Brown states “Spanish is the language that poor brown people speak” and because of this many of my family members have tried to eliminate their Spanish accent when they are speaking English to not be ashamed or seen only by our social status.

[Daziah]

The spoken word that I have chosen to “talk back ” to wild have to be is “Dear White Girl ” by Ariana Brown. I really like this poem because I was able to feel what she felt, and her voice and her words made me care more for example when I was in middle school and Spanish was hard for me and when things are hard I tend to laugh it made me realize how insensitive I was. The speaker is a home with a hispanic background. The circumstances in which gave rise to the poem is the fact that white Americans was in a class that had meaning to her but in their eyes was something that did not hold that specific connection that it did with Ariana Brown. The audience is for the people who take her culture as a joke. I feel as if she was trying to bring awareness to the ignorance that takes place. In the beginning I felt as if she sounded hurt, and I would completely understand why she would be hurt. Then later on her voice changed from hurt into anger. In the spoken word she says “You are the reason why my grandmother feared her children would speak with accents(…) because your grandparents wouldn’t let her make a home outside her body”. I am not Spanish but as a African American I can relate to this in a way because my grandmother was raised with the idea that she should not be too black and as a result of that when I spend time with her she still tells me that I need to not show my blackness to much, and not follow the stereotypes that was made for us or not be loud, rude , angry, or not wear revealing clothes, and etc. I enjoyed the spoken word because it made me realize that I shouldn’t be insensitive, and it was something in which I can relate to.

[Kyle Holston]

In the spoken word by Mohamed Hassan I liked the lines “… It takes me nineteen years to learn how to pronounce my own name in public, the first time I say it the way my mother did when she named me Mohamed. Feels like I have stolen something back.” This line is deep to me, he goes to say in the beginning that people like his teacher would say his name better than him and how the teacher would reveal his identity better than him. Mohamed seems to not be able to strongly show out his identity to the public, maybe because he was shy, or maybe because he wasn’t as confident in saying his name and what his identity is. But eventually Mohamed got the strength to say his name like how his mother said it, and that got him feeling like he stolen something back from people. That is a good way of putting it, it makes it seem like at first everyone else had who he is in their palm of their hand but now that Mohamed says his name perfectly in his eyes he now feels he has control.

I never really had extreme changes with my name and saying my name over the years, but I do know that I have a better connection in knowing that my name is who I am. When I say Kyle I feel even more stronger to say that is me, maybe because I have gotten older and the older I get I’m able to think more deeply than when I was a little younger than what I am now. I guess a few questions to ask this poet are why did you feel you had to steal something back to unlearn your name? Mohamed mentions it felt like he stole something back, what made him feel like that in the first place? Who is your audience? I guess maybe the same people who relates with having trouble with connecting with their name. In those nineteen years when you couldn’t pronounce Mohamed did you feel confused, did you feel angry, did you feel lost did you feel sad?

[Zeneida Hernandez]

I also chose Ariana Brown. This poetry is a mix of culture and i think she is reflecting her own struggle learning to speak Spanish, a language she should naturally talk. Seems like she grew in a family that didn’t want to speak Spanish trying to belong to a culture that is not their own because it is the only way to fit in this world, and not feeling different that the rest of the people.

[Jessica]

The poem that I have chosen to “talk back” to is Dear white girls in my Spanish class by Ariana Brown. This poem stood out to me because this poet showed how she really felt and expressed her thoughts about languages. This poem related to me in a way because I am a American born Chinese and I have witnessed people making fun of the people , language, and culture. One line that really caught my eye is when she said ” when you make fun of the way my language sounds to you. Ariana Brown was trying to stand up for herself and let the world know that there should be no racism especially in todays society. The tone of this poem sounded angry and pain. As she was speaking I felt how hurt she felt and how much she gone through ” don’t you know I had to fight for this” this shows how she had to fight through and pain and finally let all her feelings out and bring acknowledgement to this problem that needs to be changed. I really enjoyed this poem because it shows how passionate she is towards this problem and wants a change and this is something that I can relate to

[Kyle Holston]

Good job, I agree Pratima Roy. God made us different with strengths and weaknesses, the fact you said that opens my eyes to see the world differently. I like how you say that because you make humans become humanity again by saying that, you make humanity seem like one team without care about what race someone is, you make all races seem like one team like we are super heroes in one team together. It is sad that some people try to hide their identity and put it away to assimilate to another culture or identity because they feel it is not up to the same standard or whatever, or that that culture is not looked upon as good or whatever. I feel everyone should be proud of who they are and represent wherever their family is from. In Willie Perdomo’s spoken word is good too, everyone is beautiful in their own way, everyone has goals and dreams of their own they want to accomplish and that difference in us makes us so beautiful to see. How this person wants to be a construction worker, and how this person wants to be a doctor that is what makes us and that’s what drives the spirit.

[ifsa]

In the spoken word by Mohammad Hassan I liked the line where he says when he says ” I am asked what my name is and I flinch ” also another line I like is ” It takes me nineteen years to learn how to pronounce my name in public and the first time I say it the way my mother did the. she named me Mohammed, feels like I have stolen something back.” These line are very interesting like he had difficulty learning his name the way his mother would have said and sometimes when someone else say’s your name incorrectly you don’t like it most of time and you always have to correct them. Your name is very important because it identifies you. It is very interesting how Mohmmad Hassan took 19 years to learn how to pronounce his name the correct way and his teacher would his teacher would pronounce it way better than him.

I always had difficulties like Mohammad Hassan since my name is Ifsa through out my middle and k-5 my teachers never said my name correctly always called me isfa the opposite of my name. This didn’t bother me at the beginning but as I got older I did k-8 in the same school and had one of my teachers in 1st grade and the same teacher in 6th grade she would always pronounce my ISFA which I would aggravated because I use to feel bad. As the time went I corrected her but she didn’t like that but it was important for me to teach her my name so she can say it correctly on my graduation. For many of us it may not be big deal but for people like me it is I always apperciate it when my name is pronounce correctly it tells people who I am and what kind of nature I have I believe that your name always tells the other people what your name mean and what kind of a person your are.

[Lauriann Frederick]

The Poem I chose to “Talk Back,” is Stacy Ann Chin’s “If only out of Vanity.” As I listened to Ms. Chin and as I looked at her display of raw and pure passion doing what she does best, which I believed to be Poetry. I was able to feel and emerge myself as part of her the audience as she expounded on her story. The lines that really spoke to me, drew me into her head or mind as if I was thinking along with her the words that were flowing from her lips.

” Most days I don’t know what I will be like then but everyday – I know what I want to be….”, ” I want to go down in history in a chapter marked miscellaneous because the writers could find no other way to categorized me. In this world where classification is key I want to erase the straight lines so I can be me.”

These lines spoke to me.. they sort of call out to me, sending my thoughts in high speed motions. Here is someone speaking aloud in a poetry the way I feel sometimes. ” Most days I don’t know what I will be like the but everyday – I know what I want to be. when I first came to this country eleven years ago, at first I really didn’t know what I will be like then but every day I knew what I wanted to be. I started in this country as a nanny but I knew this was not my destiny. I my country I worked as an Administrative Assistant, I was always affiliated with community projects and a proactive member of my Church group, so I didn’t know what I will be then in America, but now I know what I want to be now. Ms. Chin’s final line in the poetry also captivated me… “In this world where classification is key I want to erase the straight lines so I can be me.” That’s my desire, that’s my passion. Each day I wake up with the desire to intentionally be me. I am no longer scared of what others may think about my accent, as Ariana rightly said, ” I am a descendant from Slaves.” I am from the Caribbean, and so my dialect or accent will not be American.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Lauriann Frederick. Reason: Missed out the name of the Poetry/poem

[Zeneida Hernandez]

The spoken word that I have chosen to “talk back” is “Dear White Girl in my Spanish class” by Ariana Brown. By “hearing” the poem I can easily identify the tone in which she is giving the poem. I could have experienced how the poet was feeling while telling the story. You can hear in her voice what she is saying, and how she personal is affected. You can also hear her voice cracked as if she is going to cry. That is something you can not notice by just reading the poem. The poet uses a social and cultural circumstance and situation to present in the poem, expressing her anger, frustration and pain.

One of the line that I found powerful is when the poet says “I bet you thought this class would be easy since Spanish is what poor brown people speak? No something you have to try to understand, not fancy or sophisticated like French”. My question is, it was easy for you? The poet is a Black-Mexican girl, and she is in the Spanish class, which mean she doesn’t speak her own language. Is the poet trying to identify herself as a Black-Mexican girl that doesn’t speak Spanish? Do you feel funny speaking Spanish? In this line she is addressing something she have been witness, probably feeling the same way her dear white girls in the Spanish class?

The most powerful line for is is when Ariana Brown says “Let me be clear, Spanish was given to my people at the end of a sword, forced in our throats gory, sharpened under the colonizer’s constant eye. “Spanish is not my native tongue. English is not either. The language I speak are bursting with blood”. In this part of the poem she is conveying that some people (white, and Spanish) take learning Spanish or Spanish accent as granted because they lack the understanding (They are ignorant) on the history of Hispanics, specifically how the language was acquired by these cultures (European colonization) and how many are descendants of previously oppressed groups (race, cultures, ethnicity). This poem is telling a story that is much common that you can think. Many Spanish families don’t teach their kids to speak Spanish because they don’t want their kids to feel less or left. They think if their kids the speak only English they will fit in this society, making them to loose their identity. Was the poet trying to find her own identity? She is a Black-Mexican that doesn’t speak Spanish well. Maybe she finds funny the way she speaks Spanish so she was addressing her own struggle in the classroom?

[Lauriann Frederick]

Hi Daziah I love the way you bought out your views and understanding about Ms. Ariana Brown feelings as she recited her poetry. You are so on point with Ms. Brown’s different intonation and the effects as she expressed herself in her Poetry. I also thought she did a great job explaining to her audience (white girls) , ” My father a Black American man, is descended from slaves. I am descended from Slaves.” I was also extremely fascinated by her final line. ” I want to know where I came from but I can only trace my history in one direction.”

[Mosqan Naseem]

In the spoken word by Mohamed Hamid, I liked the lines where he says “it takes nineteen years to learn how to pronounce my name in public and the first time I say it the way my mother did. She named me Mohamed, feels like I have stolen something back.” This line is very intense and deep as he explains how throughout these 19 years he was unable to pronounce his name correctly and when he did pronounce his name correctly, the only person he remembers is his mother. In only one one to two lines he explained how he felt internally because he was able to identify the way he is in front of people. Also, he talked how his English teacher was able to pronounce his name better and corrected him which might be the reason he was so shy and confused that he was unable to speak his name properly. As time passed, he was able to gain courage and strength to speak his name properly and identify himself the way he is. The poem of “(un)learning my name” can be related to many other people who struggle to identify themselves through their name.

Since, my name id written as MOSQAN which means SMILE is hard to to pronounce. I used to say my name as MUSTAN when I was young. It was hard for me to pronounce my name but as I grew I pronounced my name correctly. My teachers have difficult time saying my name and they usually pronounce as MUSQUAN. I always have to correct them and when they correctly pronounce my name it feels good. I used to feel that even if someone pronounce my name wrong it is not something that I shroud be bothered about but if someone pronounce my name correctly I Feel happy as it is my identity. Some questions that came to my mind from watching the video are did Mohamed was criticized due to how he looks and where he is from as he was unable to speak his name the way other speak his name? What helped him to learn and pronounce his name correctly?

[Sobia Bashir]

I enjoyed listening to all of the short videos by spoken word poets. They all caught my attention and I wanted to know more about each one of them. The one that stood out to me the most was Mohamed Hassan – “(un)LEARNING My Name” so I will “Talk Back” to this.

There were many lines Hassan said that stood out to me. One of them was “I’ve spent my life carving vowels out of my throat so my name will be easier to say.” The name Mohamed said in Arabic is hard to pronounce for some people because the sound comes from the throat. What he means by this is he had to say his name by not letting the sound come from his throat so it would be easy for others to say his name.

Another line was “It takes me nineteen years to learn how to pronounce my own name in public. The first time I say it the way my mother did when she named me, Mohamed, feels like I have stolen something back.” When a child is little, they learn to say their name from their parents. Then when they start going to school, they have to say their name in a different way from how they learned it so it would be easier for others to say. So he’s saying that you learn, then unlearn and learn your name again.