Revision 2 (KO)

Kalissa Ortiz

 

XXXTentacion- ‘You See Him Too.’

 

Album:  “SKINS”

Song: “TRAIN FOOD”

  

I remember when i first heard the song “TRAIN FOOD” it hit me like a moving train that has run off track. I tend to listen to simpler songs, songs with meanings like depression and bad breakups. But this one was different, i’ve never experienced a song like this.

I was laying down in bed and it was almost midnight, it was pretty cold outside but i still had my fan on. I was wrapped in my fluffy blanket, and had my headphones in my ears ready to listen to my late night tunes. I always listen to music before i go to sleep since i have trouble sleeping and this helps. I go onto my Apple music and see that XXXTentacion album “SKINS” was released. I listened to the first song and loved it, “TRAINFOOD” is the third song listed on the album. At first i was listening to it more like a regular song but certain lyrics stood out to me.

“His frequency distorted quick, i seen it in his image, I should’ve run right Fucking there.”

This line caught my attention and i really started to pay closer attention to what he was saying. I also realized how this song almost was like he was talking, it didn’t sound like he was singing or even rapping just sounded like he was having a conversation with listeners. As i listened to the rest of the song what really scared me was when he said “Now it’s here, Death has now arrived, times finally up.” After the song finished all i kept thinking about is that line. It wouldn’t leave my head for hours trying to figure out what he meant. Until i decided to dig deeper.

 

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

(This line is very powerful in its own sense, and he says this line a few times in the song. It just shows that he has given up and has comes to term that its always going to be miserable for him)

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

(Kept telling himself it will get better, but it just all got worse from there)

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

So I took a different path, in the distance he awaited me

(meaning he had taken a different path with drugs and violence in his life at this point, i think than he realized because of this path he’s chosen now he faces death because of it.)

Had no weapon, I’m guessing his hands were just enough for me

Was no question, I’m guessing he laughed just at the sight of me

I was lost

(This could mean his history with drugs and gang violence)

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

And there he was, his presence was alarming

As he approaches casual, we talk ’bout self-harming

He told me “kid, you shouldn’t be walkin’ on your own”

He smiled and laughed, and pat my back

He said, “how far are you from home?”

I said, “maybe 30 minutes”

His frequency distorted quick, I seen it in his image

I should’ve run right fucking there, I-

(I think he may be talking about death here, the conversation he is having is with death. In a lot of his songs he always talks about death, and i think all along he always knew he would die very young)

You ever woke up on a train track

With no motherfuckin’ clothes on?

Death before your eyes, you prayin’ to God, but ain’t no response

Trying to scream for hope, just a shoulder that you can lean on

But ain’t nobody coming, so you scream on

And scream on and scream on

(I think he’s saying that he’s on this train of death, he can’t stop it. There’s no brake, there’s no way out it keeps moving faster by the minute he can’t comprehend it.)

While this evil fuck laugh at you?

(The grim reaper watching him struggle for his life)

Train getting closer, you still surprised that he battered you

Tears falling harder and harder, minutes get minuscule

Could’ve had a son or a daughter, now what you finna do?  

You finna die here on this train track

‘Cause clearly after death, ain’t no way you can find your way back

(After death there’s no way out, no reset button)

Thinking ’bout your previous memories, going way back

All them fucking dreams ’bout the diamond chain and the Maybach

(wasted all his time dreaming about materialistic items than thinking about the more important things in his life)

Now your time finally up

Ask yourself the final question, is you going down or up?

(Asking the question if he’s going to heaven or hell)

Recollectin’ all the moments that you never gave a fuck

(i wanted to say think i think he was scared of death which i do think at one point he was. I feel that as the song goes on he doesn’t even care if he dies anymore)

Now it’s here, death has now arrived, time’s finally up

 

(Reading this is very dark and just shows how all along he knew death was coming and in fact he’d been faced with it many times before. He’s been so close with death almost like he can touch it, but finally it’s got him)

 

This song really spoke volumes to me, even though we don’t exactly know how he knew that he was just inches away from death reading and listening to his music really bought chills to my body. I’ve never experienced actually seeing death before, I’ve never felt like I was walking on a path that could lead to my end. But I have seeked it, when I was in a deep depression there were multiple times that I felt like I needed to let go of everything around me. Let go of my family’s and friends, let go of my past and let go of my future. It’s a bit surreal to talk about it because this is something I’ve held onto for so long. For years I have had periods of days that I saw a train moving by and thought to myself I should jump in front of it or if someone broke into my house and tried to kill me would I even fight back or would I just let them. Simpler to just die than to even try to fight a fight I can’t even fight anymore. Luckily I don’t think like this anymore. Sounds like I’m a bit fucking crazy but after awhile I realized that I wasn’t meant to touch the angel of death’s hand yet. I mean XXX knew he was going to die, in this song he literally is talking about seeing death, he knows his time is running out. When you know, you know. I didn’t feel like I was going to die, but I felt like I needed to. But it wasn’t my time yet, and I don’t believe it will be anytime soon. What’s always makes this important to me is that I don’t believe XXX was scared of death I think in a way he was embracing the outcome. I’ve never feared death either, I feared life actually. Feared that I wouldn’t meet the expectations that I gave myself and what others expected of me. That I wouldn’t live a fulfilling life and be faced with disappointment. This I do indeed still feel, The thought of not being able to have a life with purpose scares me. I think about it all the time, and I think XXX felt that too.

This means so much to me because even though I haven’t had the grim reaper knocking on my door I know what’s it like to constantly think he will be waiting for me. Knowing that one day I will eventually have to open the door and take his skeleton hands and walk towards the tunnel of darkness that we don’t know what’s at the end of it.

 

(Reading this back just made me realize how much of a broken ass kid I am…. or was)

Works Cited:

Adam@JRT ,“XXXTentacion – Train Food (Lyrics Review and Song Meaning)”            December 8, 2018   http://justrandomthings.com/2018/12/08/xxxtentacion-train-food-lyrics-review-and-song-meaning/ 

Unit three revision (KO)

Kalissa Ortiz

 

XXXTentacion And His Mind that we never got to figured out.

 

Album:  “SKINS”

Song: “TRAIN FOOD”

  

I remember when i first heard the song “TRAIN FOOD” it hit me like a moving train that has run off track. I tend to listen to simpler songs, songs with meanings like depression and bad breakups. But this one was different, i’ve never experienced a song like this.

I was laying down in bed and it was almost midnight, it was pretty cold outside but i still had my fan on. I was wrapped in my fluffy blanket, and had my headphones in my ears ready to listen to my late night tunes. I always listen to music before i go to sleep since i have trouble sleeping and this helps. I go onto my Apple music and see that XXXTentacion album “SKINS” was released. I listened to the first song and loved it, “TRAINFOOD” is the third song listed on the album. At first i was listening to it more like a regular song but certain lyrics stood out to me.

“His frequency distorted quick, i seen it in his image, I should’ve run right Fucking there.”

This line caught my attention and i really started to pay closer attention to what he was saying. I also realized how this song almost was like he was talking, it didn’t sound like he was singing or even rapping just sounded like he was having a conversation with listeners. As i listened to the rest of the song what really scared me was when he said “Now it’s here, Death has now arrived, times finally up.” After the song finished all i kept thinking about is that line. It wouldn’t leave my head for hours trying to figure out what he meant. Until i decided to dig deeper.

 

  XXXTentacion album “SKINS” released December 7, 2018 months after his death in middle June. He was shot in Deerfield Beach by Dedrick D. Williams and shortly after died on the way to the hospital. When “SKINS” was released it showed lots of deep symbolism and dark themes in his lyrics. The lyrics can be disturbing to read and analyze but also listening to his sound in music can be hard to listen too. But analyzing further it’s interesting to know what kind of message he was trying to send overall to listeners.  

 

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

(This line is very powerful in its own sense, and he says this line a few times in the song. It just shows that he has given up and has comes to term that its always going to be miserable for him)

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

(Kept telling himself it will get better, but it just all got worse from there)

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

So I took a different path, in the distance he awaited me

(meaning he had taken a different path with drugs and violence in his life at this point, i think than he realized because of this path he’s chosen now he faces death because of it.)

Had no weapon, I’m guessing his hands were just enough for me

Was no question, I’m guessing he laughed just at the sight of me

I was lost

(This could mean his history with drugs and gang violence)

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

And there he was, his presence was alarming

As he approaches casual, we talk ’bout self-harming

He told me “kid, you shouldn’t be walkin’ on your own”

He smiled and laughed, and pat my back

He said, “how far are you from home?”

I said, “maybe 30 minutes”

His frequency distorted quick, I seen it in his image

I should’ve run right fucking there, I-

(I think he may be talking about death here, the conversation he is having is with death. In a lot of his songs he always talks about death, and i think all along he always knew he would die very young)

You ever woke up on a train track

With no motherfuckin’ clothes on?

Death before your eyes, you prayin’ to God, but ain’t no response

Trying to scream for hope, just a shoulder that you can lean on

But ain’t nobody coming, so you scream on

And scream on and scream on

(I think he’s saying that he’s on this train of death, he can’t stop it. There’s no brake, there’s no way out it keeps moving faster by the minute he can’t comprehend it.)

While this evil fuck laugh at you?

(The grim reaper watching him struggle for his life)

Train getting closer, you still surprised that he battered you

Tears falling harder and harder, minutes get minuscule

Could’ve had a son or a daughter, now what you finna do?  

You finna die here on this train track

‘Cause clearly after death, ain’t no way you can find your way back

(After death there’s no way out, no reset button)

Thinking ’bout your previous memories, going way back

All them fucking dreams ’bout the diamond chain and the Maybach

(wasted all his time dreaming about materialistic items than thinking about the more important things in his life)

Now your time finally up

Ask yourself the final question, is you going down or up?

(Asking the question if he’s going to heaven or hell)

Recollectin’ all the moments that you never gave a fuck

(i wanted to say think i think he was scared of death which i do think at one point he was. I feel that as the song goes on he doesn’t even care if he dies anymore)

Now it’s here, death has now arrived, time’s finally up

 

(Reading this is very dark and just shows how all along he knew death was coming and in fact he’d been faced with it many times before. He’s been so close with death almost like he can touch it, but finally it’s got him)

 

XXXTentacion is an interesting character to me, His music was always daunting, I’ve never heard music like his before. Artist more like Billie Eilish , the neighborhood, or Nirvana were more my tune. I guess you could say XXX is almost like if Kurt Cobain where to start rapping, I feel like his music would be similar  to XXX’s music.(Minus the violent behavior that’s described in XXX’s songs)

But XXXTentacion always peaked my interest, i always had a thing for unruly and misunderstood artist. My fascination for him was like the same fascination I had for Kurt Cobain, I spent countless nights and day trying to figure Cobain out. And XXX reminds so much like him, but obviously not entirely because XXX and Kurt are still completely different.

  XXXTENTACION also known as Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy had a very violent and traumatic past. Onfroy spent a lot of time in and out of juvenile detention centers for charges like robbery and assault.XXXTentacion’s first breakout hit was “Look At Me!” his mugshot was the song cover. He was in jail when the song started to become more mainstream, XXX was charged with Witness Tampering, And the assault and battery of his pregnant girlfriend. XXX use to rap about things like beating a gay male at a detention center. He often rapped about very violent topics and even Spotify threatened to remove his music because of its vile nature. Some people have struggled trying to figure out XXXTENTACION, I know a lot people won’t support him even in the slightest for the charges that was made against him and all the violent things he has done and openly shared with the world. Some people even wanting him to die, saying he deserved it. And just maybe he thought so too, why else would he constantly talk about his death? Maybe he already knew all the bad things he did and saw he didn’t deserve to be alive. That could be the reason why he knew he would die so young or maybe he wanted to die young. But our questions aren’t answered and probably never will.

 

I’ll end with this tweet from XXXTentacion from December 10 2016.

 

Maybe this is what he wanted.

 

MAKE OUT HILL – XXX

✔

@xxxtentacion

“When I turned 13, I blew out my candles, my wish was to be dead at the age of 18.”

 

Works Cited:

 

Adam@JRT ,“XXXTentacion – Train Food (Lyrics Review and Song Meaning)”            December 8, 2018   http://justrandomthings.com/2018/12/08/xxxtentacion-train-food-lyrics-review-and-song-meaning/

Doreen St.Felix, “The Violent Life and Shocking Death Of XXXTentacion”

June 20.2018

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-violent-life-and-shocking-death-of-xxxtentacion

Unit Three: Final draft (KO)

Kalissa Ortiz

 

XXXTentacion And His Mind that we never got to figure out.

 

Album:  “SKINS”

Song: “TRAIN FOOD”

  

I remember when i first heard the song “TRAIN FOOD” it hit me like a moving train that has run off track. I tend to listen to simpler songs, songs with meanings like depression and bad breakups. But this one was different, i’ve never experienced a song like this.

I was laying down in bed and it was almost midnight, it was pretty cold outside but i still had my fan on. I was wrapped in my fluffy blanket, and had my headphones in my ears ready to listen to my late night tunes. I always listen to music before i go to sleep since i have trouble sleeping and this helps. I go onto my Apple music and see that XXXTentacion album “SKINS” was released. I listened to the first song and loved it, “TRAINFOOD” is the third song listed on the album. At first i was listening to it more like a regular song but certain lyrics stood out to me.

“His frequency distorted quick, i seen it in his image, I should’ve run right Fucking there.”

This line caught my attention and i really started to pay closer attention to what he was saying. I also realized how this song almost was like he was talking, it didn’t sound like he was singing or even rapping just sounded like he was having a conversation with listeners. As i listened to the rest of the song what really scared me was when he said “Now it’s here, Death has now arrived, times finally up.” After the song finished all i kept thinking about is that line. It wouldn’t leave my head for hours trying to figure out what he meant. Until i decided to dig deeper.

 

  XXXTentacion album “SKINS” released December 7, 2018 months after his death in middle June. He was shot in Deerfield Beach by Dedrick D. Williams and shortly after died on the way to the hospital. When “SKINS” was released it showed lots of deep symbolism and dark themes in his lyrics. The lyrics can be disturbing to read and analyze but also listening to his sound in music can be hard to listen too. But analyzing further it’s interesting to know what kind of message he was trying to send overall to listeners.  

 

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

(This line is very powerful in its own sense, and he says this line a few times in the song. It just shows that he has given up and has comes to term that its always going to be miserable for him)

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

(Kept telling himself it will get better, but it just all got worse from there)

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

So I took a different path, in the distance he awaited me

(meaning he had taken a different path with drugs and violence in his life at this point, i think than he realized because of this path he’s chosen now he faces death because of it.)

Had no weapon, I’m guessing his hands were just enough for me

Was no question, I’m guessing he laughed just at the sight of me

I was lost

(This could mean his history with drugs and gang violence)

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

And there he was, his presence was alarming

As he approaches casual, we talk ’bout self-harming

He told me “kid, you shouldn’t be walkin’ on your own”

He smiled and laughed, and pat my back

He said, “how far are you from home?”

I said, “maybe 30 minutes”

His frequency distorted quick, I seen it in his image

I should’ve run right fucking there, I-

(I think he may be talking about death here, the conversation he is having is with death. In a lot of his songs he always talks about death, and i think all along he always knew he would die very young)

You ever woke up on a train track

With no motherfuckin’ clothes on?

Death before your eyes, you prayin’ to God, but ain’t no response

Trying to scream for hope, just a shoulder that you can lean on

But ain’t nobody coming, so you scream on

And scream on and scream on

(I think he’s saying that he’s on this train of death, he can’t stop it. There’s no brake, there’s no way out it keeps moving faster by the minute he can’t comprehend it.)

While this evil fuck laugh at you?

(The grim reaper watching him struggle for his life)

Train getting closer, you still surprised that he battered you

Tears falling harder and harder, minutes get minuscule

Could’ve had a son or a daughter, now what you finna do?  

You finna die here on this train track

‘Cause clearly after death, ain’t no way you can find your way back

(After death there’s no way out, no reset button)

Thinking ’bout your previous memories, going way back

All them fucking dreams ’bout the diamond chain and the Maybach

(wasted all his time dreaming about materialistic items than thinking about the more important things in his life)

Now your time finally up

Ask yourself the final question, is you going down or up?

(Asking the question if he’s going to heaven or hell)

Recollectin’ all the moments that you never gave a fuck

(i wanted to say think i think he was scared of death which i do think at one point he was. I feel that as the song goes on he doesn’t even care if he dies anymore)

Now it’s here, death has now arrived, time’s finally up

 

(Reading this is very dark and just shows how all along he knew death was coming and in fact he’d been faced with it many times before. He’s been so close with death almost like he can touch it, but finally it’s got him)

 

XXXTentacion is an interesting character to me, His music was always daunting, I’ve never heard music like his before. Artist more like Billie Eilish , the neighborhood, or Nirvana were more my tune. I guess you could say XXX is almost like if Kurt Cobain where to start rapping, I feel like his music would be similar  to XXX’s music.(Minus the violent behavior that’s described in XXX’s songs)

But XXXTentacion always peaked my interest, i always had a thing for unruly and misunderstood artist. My fascination for him was like the same fascination I had for Kurt Cobain, I spent countless nights and day trying to figure Cobain out. And XXX reminds so much like him, but obviously not entirely because XXX and Kurt are still completely different.

  XXXTENTACION also known as Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy had a very violent and traumatic past. Onfroy spent a lot of time in and out of juvenile detention centers for charges like robbery and assault.XXXTentacion’s first breakout hit was “Look At Me!” his mugshot was the song cover. He was in jail when the song started to become more mainstream, XXX was charged with Witness Tampering, And the assault and battery of his pregnant girlfriend. XXX use to rap about things like beating a gay male at a detention center. He often rapped about very violent topics and even Spotify threatened to remove his music because of its vile nature. Some people have struggled trying to figure out XXXTENTACION, I know a lot people won’t support him even in the slightest for the charges that was made against him and all the violent things he has done and openly shared with the world. Some people even wanting him to die, saying he deserved it. And just maybe he thought so too, why else would he constantly talk about his death? Maybe he already knew all the bad things he did and saw he didn’t deserve to be alive. That could be the reason why he knew he would die so young or maybe he wanted to die young. But our questions aren’t answered and probably never will.

 

I’ll end with this tweet from XXXTentacion from December 10 2016.

 

Maybe this is what he wanted.

 

MAKE OUT HILL – XXX

✔

@xxxtentacion

“When I turned 13, I blew out my candles, my wish was to be dead at the age of 18.”

 

Works Cited:

 

Adam@JRT ,“XXXTentacion – Train Food (Lyrics Review and Song Meaning)”            December 8, 2018   http://justrandomthings.com/2018/12/08/xxxtentacion-train-food-lyrics-review-and-song-meaning/

Doreen St.Felix, “The Violent Life and Shocking Death Of XXXTentacion”

June 20.2018

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-violent-life-and-shocking-death-of-xxxtentacion

Rough Draft (KO)

Kalissa Ortiz

 

XXXTentacion:

Album:  “SKINS”

Song: “TRAIN FOOD”

  

I remember when i first heard the song “TRAIN FOOD” it hit me like a moving train that has run off track. I tend to listen to simpler songs, songs with meanings like depression and bad breakups. But this one was different, i’ve never experienced a song like this.

I was laying down in bed and it was almost midnight, it was pretty cold outside but i still had my fan on. I was wrapped in my fluffy blanket, and had my headphones in my ears ready to listen to my late night tunes. I always listen to music before i go to sleep since i have trouble sleeping and this helps. I go onto my Apple music and see that XXXTentacion album “SKINS” was released. I listened to the first song and loved it, “TRAINFOOD” is the third song listed on the album. At first i was listening to it more like a regular song but certain lyrics stood out to me.

“His frequency distorted quick, i seen it in his image, I should’ve run right Fucking there.”

This line caught my attention and i really started to pay closer attention to what he was saying. I also realized how this song almost was like he was talking, it didn’t sound like he was singing or even rapping just sounded like he was talking. As i listened to the rest of the song what really scared me was when he said “Now it’s here, Death has now arrived, times finally up.” After the song finished all i kept thinking about is that line. It wouldn’t leave my head for hours trying to figure out what he meant.

 

  XXXTentacion album “SKINS” released December 7, 2018 months after his death in middle June. He was shot in Deerfield Beach by Dedrick D. Williams and shortly after died on the way to the hospital. When “SKINS” was released it showed lots of deep symbolism and dark themes in his lyrics. The lyrics can be disturbing to read and analyze but also listening to his sound in music can be hard to listen too. But analyzing further it’s interesting to know what kind of message he was trying to send overall to listeners.  

 

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

(Kept telling himself it will get better, but it just all got worse from there)

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

So I took a different path, in the distance he awaited me

Had no weapon, I’m guessing his hands were just enough for me

Was no question, I’m guessing he laughed just at the sight of me

I was lost

(This could mean his history with drugs and gang violence)

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

And there he was, his presence was alarming

As he approaches casual, we talk ’bout self-harming

He told me “kid, you shouldn’t be walkin’ on your own”

He smiled and laughed, and pat my back

He said, “how far are you from home?”

I said, “maybe 30 minutes”

His frequency distorted quick, I seen it in his image

I should’ve run right fucking there, I-

(I think he may be talking about death here, the conversation he is having is with death. In a lot of his songs he always talks about death, and i think all along he always knew he would die very young)

You ever woke up on a train track

With no motherfuckin’ clothes on?

Death before your eyes, you prayin’ to God, but ain’t no response

Trying to scream for hope, just a shoulder that you can lean on

But ain’t nobody coming, so you scream on

And scream on and scream on

While this evil fuck laugh at you?

Train getting closer, you still surprised that he battered you

Tears falling harder and harder, minutes get minuscule

Could’ve had a son or a daughter, now what you finna do?  

You finna die here on this train track

‘Cause clearly after death, ain’t no way you can find your way back

Thinking ’bout your previous memories, going way back

All them fucking dreams ’bout the diamond chain and the Maybach

Now your time finally up

Ask yourself the final question, is you going down or up?

Recollectin’ all the moments that you never gave a fuck

Now it’s here, death has now arrived, time’s finally up

 

(Reading this is very dark and just shows how all along he knew death was coming and in fact he’d been faced with it many times before. He’s been so close with death almost like he can touch it, but finally it’s got him)

 

Unit Three: Rough Draft (KO)

Kalissa Ortiz

 

XXXTentacion:

Album:  “SKINS”

Song: “TRAIN FOOD”

  

XXXTentacion album “SKINS” released December 7, 2018 months after his death in middle June. He was shot in Deerfield Beach by Dedrick D. Williams and shortly after died on the way to the hospital. When “SKINS” was released it showed lots of deep symbolism and dark themes in his lyrics. The lyrics can be disturbing to read and analyze but also listening to his sound in music can be hard to listen too. But analyzing further it’s interesting to know what kind of message he was trying to send overall to listeners.  

 

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

(Kept telling himself it will get better, but it just all got worse from there)

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

So I took a different path, in the distance he awaited me

Had no weapon, I’m guessing his hands were just enough for me

Was no question, I’m guessing he laughed just at the sight of me

I was lost

(This could mean his history with drugs and gang violence)

I remember I had walked home that day

Content with all my misery

Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me

Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance

I was dressed for winter weather

But the summer rays were kissing me

I, I was lost

And there he was, his presence was alarming

As he approaches casual, we talk ’bout self-harming

He told me “kid, you shouldn’t be walkin’ on your own”

He smiled and laughed, and pat my back

He said, “how far are you from home?”

I said, “maybe 30 minutes”

His frequency distorted quick, I seen it in his image

I should’ve run right fucking there, I-

(I think he may be talking about death here, the conversation he is having is with death. In a lot of his songs he always talks about death, and i think all along he always knew he would die very young)

You ever woke up on a train track

With no motherfuckin’ clothes on?

Death before your eyes, you prayin’ to God, but ain’t no response

Trying to scream for hope, just a shoulder that you can lean on

But ain’t nobody coming, so you scream on

And scream on and scream on

While this evil fuck laugh at you?

Train getting closer, you still surprised that he battered you

Tears falling harder and harder, minutes get minuscule

Could’ve had a son or a daughter, now what you finna do?

You finna die here on this train track

‘Cause clearly after death, ain’t no way you can find your way back

Thinking ’bout your previous memories, going way back

All them fucking dreams ’bout the diamond chain and the Maybach

Now your time finally up

Ask yourself the final question, is you going down or up?

Recollectin’ all the moments that you never gave a fuck

Now it’s here, death has now arrived, time’s finally up

 

(Reading this is very dark and just shows how all along he knew death was coming and in fact he’d been faced with it many times before. He’s been so close with death almost like he can touch it, but finally it’s got him)

Response to “Sonny’s Blues”-(KO)

Reading “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin for the second time did open a new understanding for the story. When I first read I guess I wasn’t fully putting all my attention into learning and dissecting the story properly but this time around i made sure I did. One thing that i wasn’t able to figure out and i vaguely remember my Highschool teacher asking this question of “ Who’s Telling the Story?”. And this is still a question i have after reading it again, I’m not sure who’s the person telling the story or what their relationship is with Sonny. Maybe it’s more obvious than I noticed but i don’t find it as transparent as to who is the narrator in this story. One part in the story that i found resonated with me was when Sonny’s brother went to the club to watch Sonny play that then there was a new found respect for his passion of playing music. Seeing this reminded me of my family, for a very long time I felt like I had to have a career that would guarantee a stable future. I want to make movies and a career like that doesn’t always prove success, but when my teachers told my parents i was a good writer and very creative i think that made them open more about the possibilities of my career choice.

Revision Final Draft (KO)

VICE:    In the “OPINION” category.

All my life has consisted of me being in school 5 days a week for 8 hours a day for the last 12+ years. I’ve experienced what it’s like to be in private school and what its like to be in the public school system as well. Even though both experiences were very different the outcome was the same, my teachers didn’t seem to care about teaching or helping students. In Gattos article “Against School” he speaks about how corrupt the school system and isn’t truly effective. Now i don’t entirely agree with his logic but i also believe a lot of what he says is true, he might be onto something.

       The Idea that schooling can make children gullible and mindless doesn’t surprise me. Almost my entire life of being in school, being constantly told  to sit at a desk all day. Being told what to do and what not to by all your teachers every second of the day, than they go home to do more work that they’ve probably already forgotten all the material they learned that day can be really stressful. I know as a child who has grown up like this, this has put a lot of stress on me and my fellow classmates. I’ve never been an A student and sometimes i wasn’t a B student either, i struggled in some areas more than others but i tried about as hard as a child usually does. Which is trying hard once- I fail- and i give up. Meaning that i put effort into once and once i fail i have no motivation to want to try again. And when i did fail most of my teachers growing up never really noticed or some just didn’t care to help. Now i’m not saying every teacher out there is like this, I’ve had many teachers that i looked up too and will forever remember them.

      The idea that going to school five days a week for 8 hours a day for 12 years+ straight doesn’t always guarantee success. What i mean by this is that all our lives we are taught that education is the most important thing which yes essentially it is important, But it always isn’t the case with some people. There are many people in this world that are living proof of that, people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg succeeded beyond reach and barely had their foot in the door. Again disclaimer i also don’t believe the same rules apply for everyone obviously, if you want to be a doctor you have to go to school for it there’s no exception. But higher education isn’t for everyone, back in the day around segregation going to university was considered a luxury because the only the rich white people could afford it because there was rarely any colleges accessible for people of color. It’s a beautiful thing that it is accessible in America now as it wasn’t back then, but standards for success is to overwhelming. In 2019 seeking higher education is a necessity to get any job, even Mcdonalds requires some college experience.  

    The whole point is that the pressure of going to college has significantly grown and it has almost been made impossible to succeed in life without going to college. I’m not trying to paint college as being entirely useless because it isn’t. Certain career paths due require college like being a doctor or being a lawyer etc. Those who want these types of jobs need college there’s  no question. But more social media jobs or entertainment jobs such as acting or dancing doesn’t require college experience. Thousands of students have college debt but most of those students don’t even have a job in that career after graduating. The idea that college can guarantee success isn’t wrong, but it isn’t the only option for all students its possible to have great success without the college. And those students shouldn’t be turned away from those opportunities because of the “no college experience” burden on there shoulder.        

Revision #1 Rough Draft (KO)

   All my life has consisted of me being in school 5 days a week for 8 hours a day for the last 12+ years. I’ve experienced what it’s like to be in private school and what its like to be in the public school system as well. Even though both experiences were very different the outcome was the same, my teachers didn’t seem to care about teaching or helping students. In Gattos article “Against School” he speaks about how corrupt the school system and isn’t truly affective. Now i don’t entirely agree with his logic but i also believe a lot of what he says is true, he might be onto something.    

    The Idea that schooling can make children gullible and mindless doesn’t surprise me. Almost my entire life of being in school, being constantly told  to sit at a desk all day. Being told what to do and what not to by all your teachers every second of the day, than they go home to do more work that they’ve probably already forgotten all the material they learned that day can be really stressful. I know as a child who has grown up like this, this has put a lot of stress on me and my fellow classmates. I’ve never been an A student and sometimes i wasn’t a B student either, i struggled in some areas more than others but i tried about as hard as a child usually does. Which is trying hard once- I fail- and i give up. Meaning that i put effort into once and once i fail i have no motivation to want to try again. And when i did fail most of my teachers growing up never really noticed or some just didn’t care to help. Now i’m not saying every teacher out there is like this, i’ve had many teachers that i looked up too and will forever remember them.

The idea that going to school five days a week for 8 hours a day for 12 years+ straight doesn’t always guarantee success. What i mean by this is that all our lives we are taught that education is the most important thing which yes essentially it is important, But it always isn’t the case with some people. There are many people in this world that are living proof of that, people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg succeeded beyond reach and barely had their foot in the door. Again disclaimer i also don’t believe the same rules apply for everyone obviously, if you want to be a doctor you have to go to school for it there’s no exception. But higher education isn’t for everyone, back in the day around segregation going to university was considered a luxury because the only the rich white people could afford it because there was rarely any colleges accessible for people of color. It’s a beautiful thing that it is accessible in America now as it wasn’t back then, but standards for success is to overwhelming. In 2019 seeking higher education is a necessity to get any job, even Mcdonalds requires some college experience.

Unit 2-Rough Draft (KO)

Kalissa Ortiz                                                                                                                     

                                                                     BDD

   Body Dysmorphia: a disorder that causes a person to have a distorted image of their appearance.

Ever since I was in Fourth grade I started focusing on things I’ve never focused on before. Being a fourth grader someone would think that I would not have anything to worry about, that my focus should just be on being a kid. But I was never that kid, I remember standing in front of the mirror bare and naked looking at my body. I used to call myself fat and wondered how can boys even have the slightest liking towards me. In fourth grade I weighed a whopping 70 Lbs, one might think that any child at the age of 9 should not even remotely think about their weight especially at 70 Lbs. I look at pictures now and alway wondered why I had that mindset at such a young age. But that’s how it all started. Along to four years after, I still seemed to run into the same problems. I was growing into myself, I had a lot more junk to deal with, but because of this my issues didn’t seem to subside. I weighed about 115 Lbs at the age of 13 and looking back i can imagine my old self almost bawling at how much I weighed. I’ve never developed any eating disorder but now no matter how skinny or fatter I got, my body image never changed. And again cut to four years today when I’m writing this, I came to terms that this disorder was something that I obtained for years and never knew I had it. Many people will say that I’m just another girl with a self body image issue like every other millennial, well they wouldn’t be wrong. After my constant back and forth with inflicting self hatred on to myself I found myself in a position where no matter how much layers of clothing to put on (my fat suit) to help cover up everything I hated about my body wasn’t doing me any good. Also I found myself having trials where I  would not care about how I looked and just wore whatever the hell I wanted. Than the next all of sudden a bomb hit me and I was back to covering up every inch I despised about my body. But slowly after years of my silent suffering I finally had a moment where I realized that if I can’t accept who I am than I have to change it, or if I don’t do anything to change myself and change my body than well I have to accept it. And of course I choose the second because I like to eat, but even though the second choice still makes me suffer from time to time I know that I still need to work on my self image. And I know essays like these are suppose to talk about what we’ve suffered and how we’ve overcome them, but I can’t seem to write a lie that I’ve overcome my struggles of Body Dysmorphia because everyday it’s a new struggle that I have to deal with that I’m slowly trying to solve. My Body Dysmorphia represents me and the community around me who also suffer from this too. I always felt so alone for a very long time, i thought i was the only one who suffering. Until i got older and found out what it was it made sense and made me realize that i wasn’t alone. All my life i have struggled with this and for a very long time i found myself just wanting to escape from my own self. This disorder has kept me from going to school sometimes because of the psychological effects it had on me. And then when finding a community that knew how i felt i didn’t hate myself as much. Occasionally it comes back with vengeance but it doesn’t seem to scare me as much.

Learned HW (KO)

What i learned as part of my research for my discourse communities was the many different Life styles of New York. I narrowed down New York into different topics that i felt represented this city. I started off with diversity, than started to do some basic research on the root of diversity in NYC. And for every topic i choose did research on.