Saalik – HallSpring19

The word Nani saved my life

Saalik Jackson

The word Nani saved my life

There was an unusual amount of silence at 10 am on a Thursday.

Usually the train station was more occupied. However for some strange reason it wasn’t. It seemed to not have any importance so I didn’t think much of it .

I went into my pocket to reach for my wallet only to discover that both my money and metro card was missing. At this point I didn’t have any time to go back home . At that moment I remember what a friend once told me “look both ways before you hop the turnstile”. So I did just that without hesitation. I then casually walked towards a seat and waited for my train. It still seemed strange that no one at all was in this train station. I looked up at the screen and it said my train would arrive in 40 minutes. “GREAT” I sarcastically thought to myself.

Then suddenly I got a report notification on my phone. “Man stabbed to death in Flatbush”. I thought to myself “yea it’s tragic but this kind of thing happens”. I continued to use my phone . I opened Facebook and then began to scroll through it. Then I felt my jaw drop in horror. There was a post with an image attached to it. It said “masked serial killer uncaught, stay away from Flatbush ave, please lock your doors and avoid the subway. At that moment a great panic disseminated throughout my body. Still, complete silence remained in the train station. I tried to relax. I placed my hand in my pocket and reached for my earbuds. I plugged them into my phone only to find out that they stopped working. I started to rationalize. I thought to myself “Ok yea there’s a manic running loose but what are the odds that…”. Suddenly I heard the turnstile make that noise when someone swipes. Now you would think it was just a regular law abiding citizen considering the fact that he swiped. “ wow even serial killers have morals, you’ll kill someone but won’t dare evade train fare” I thought. I didn’t turn to look but I was ready to face him. I was mentally preparing to strike him and then run. But to my surprise, it turned out to be just a regular guy. His hair was kempt and appeared to be very neat. He wore a white dress shirt along with grey pants and a tie to match. He also wore shiny dress shoes that looked brand new . He happened to be carrying a black briefcase. He kept checking his watch, “he must be late for work” I thought. I felt relaxed now as opposed to how I felt minutes prior. He came and sat down next to me. Nearly 10 minutes of complete silence go by. He remarked out loud “this train is taking forever”. “Yea I know” I said in response. He said “hey how long have you been sitting here anyway”. “ I don’t even know, that screen has said 40 minutes for like 20 minutes. I think it’s broken” I told him . He started to talk to me to pass the time. He started asking me questions. He asked me how I felt about Donald Trump. I found that incredibly bizarre. “Ummm I’m not really into politics but I think he’s crazy and I feel like he is unqualified to be president” I said. His piercing gaze then permeated my soul. He said “ Ok that’s interesting. I asked him why did he ask me that question. He then told me he loved to hear what people thought about Trump. He said that he found it entertaining. He then asked me if I liked math. I looked at him and said “ MATH? I absolutely despise math. Algebraic equations are literally the most useless thing in life”. He then Looked at me again with that same gaze from before. His eyes then widened. He seemed surprised. “ wow really? That’s crazy, I love math” he said to me. “I can’t imagine why” I told him. He then said “ Oh it’s just something I’ve always loved. He then proceeded to ask me another question, but this time he clenched his briefcase. “Oh speaking of things I’ve always loved, do you watch anime?” He asked. “YES I LOVE ANIME” I exclaimed. Still clenching his briefcase, he asked “ what’s that word that the Japanese says? I can’t remember what it is”. “It’s Nani” I told him. We then both laughed about it. Then abruptly I heard “5 train to eastchester Dyer ave approaching station.” I asked him if he was getting on. He said “ nah I’ll wait for the 4”. “Oh ok well have a nice day” I told him. Later that night when I got home and turned on the tv. The news was on. I hardly ever watch it but I was too lazy to change the channel. Then my eyes locked on to the screen. The news anchor proclaimed “ local serial killer caught earlier today at 5 pm. He murdered at least 3 more victims before his arrest.” I wasn’t very surprised. Well not until his face was shown. That was the same exact man that I had spoken to earlier in the train station. They then started to describe his methods. He likes to spend exactly 10 minutes observing his victims before starting his process. This is why he always carries a watch. He would then ask his victims 3 questions. Essentially if he didn’t like all three answers that he was given he would kill and disfigure his victims. Found on him was a pocket knife and just a briefcase. Inside the briefcase was a much larger knife along with a protective mask. Both were stained with blood. I watched the news report in horror. Without a doubt, the word Nani had saved my life.

Vic Mensa “Rage” music video analysis

Saalik Jackson

Vic Mensa rage

Rage,a song titled by Vic Mensa, greatly represents what it means to ascend from a darker place. The visual for this song perfectly conveys this theme that Vic Mensa attempts to present. The video begins with Vic casually riding in an airplane. As he stares out the window everything seems fine. While looking out the window he sings the opening lines of the song. These first few lines are actually contradicting to this thought. “Command we’ve lost control, the engine’s bound to crash, the lightning strikes went bright, do not go gently”. This serves as a warning to what’s about to happen in the video . As Vic is singing he then sees lightning flash from outside the plane. Shortly after that the plane then experiences a strong turbulence. He then frantically rushes over to what looks like drugs and alcohol. He starts to indulge in them as if they are giving him comfort during this stress inducing situation. He then sees a great flash that leave a puzzled look on his face.

Then suddenly the plane starts to bust open and break apart. The entire inside of the plain is left in in shambles. Metal can be seen flying off of the plane. The turbulence is so strong that Vic is seen being yanked around in the plane. The turbulence only proves to worsen showing sparks,metal, and various objects flying around. As the plane spirals out of control Vic raps about external struggles. “They say home is where the hate is I’m from where they kill they own”said Vic during the first verse.“Tired of chasing pills that I’m tired of taking,” he proclaims over booming drums and synth strings. “Tired of court cases, tired of judges. Tired of saying Fuck it.”he continued. He falls to the floor and what seems like little pieces of metal are seen being blown around him. As the first verse finishes and the hook comes back the plane has crashed. Vic is seen starting to drown in the ocean that the plane crashed in. Vic fights to stay alive but is inevitably overwhelmed by the water. His body then seems to become lifeless as he starts to sink. We then see a new Vic wearing a white shirt and all his tattoos removed. As Vic appears we see flames as he is rapping. This seems to serve as an entity telling him to get up. It is a more pure version of himself that acknowledges his flaws. As he is rapping he starts to reference his internal conflict that he has with himself. He makes reference of his addictions that he has. This signifies the him being reborn into something different. The scene then switches back to Vic under the water as he now resiliently begins to swim to air. It is as if the old Vic died in the plane crash and a new one has now emerged. He now has the hope and strength that he did not have previously. As he reaches the top he passes a few objects from the plane. He then makes it to above sea level where fire can be seen. With all his remaining strength, Vic swims to what looks like an uninhabited island. With some of his clothes missing, he finally gets up and stands. After everything that he has survived and been through he manages to stand. Tired and out of breath, He starts to stare, looking at the wreckage that once was a plane. The camera zooms in on his face so that viewers can see the exhausted but yet determined look on his face. This is the look of a survivor. This video brilliantly conveys the idea of sacrificing what you are for what you will become . Vic Mensa shows what it means to improve and leave the past behind. It shows that Mensa is not so easily defeated. He raps about the trials and tribulations he has been through in his life, in addiction to drugs. Vic has also had suicidal thoughts amongst other dark issues. He has also frequently dealt with legal problems. All of these are things that he addresses towards the end of the video during his final verse. He eventually channels all of his inner turmoil and manages to come out stronger from it. This is shown as he stands triumphantly at the end of the video. This song rage epitomizes what it means to endure. It means to rage against the tribulations and problems that are thrown in one’s way. It means to refuse to let your problems overwhelm you. Some of the lines are coming from a famous poem by Dylan Thomas called “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”. Vic references this poem in the beginning of the video while he is sitting.” “Command, we’ve lost control
The engine’s bound to crash
The lightning strikes went bright
Do not go gently” says Vic in the beginning. The hook also references the poem. “Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light”wrote Dylan Thomas in the poem. The hook of this song uses this poem as Vic says “ I want you to rage into the night, I want you to blaze into the light”. This video and song is the epitome of what it means to endure one’s trials and tribulations.

Reasons Why School is Stupid

Saalik Jackson

School is stupid. There is no better way to put it. It is outright ridiculous. Now you’re probably wondering to yourself “Oh my God how could you make such a claim?”. Well pay attention. I stated that school is stupid, not education. Education is something very important in society. People must learn in order to contribute to society and function in the real world. However, although I education is necessary, some of the ways it is executed are not. It has many flaws. These flaws in the education system cause students to care less about learning and more about passing.

School and education are often two things that go together but are not the same. Education is the process of learning anything. School happens to be society’s attempt at teaching people. At times this works, but other times it proves to be ineffective.Typically students attend school the same time each day for 5 days a week attempting to learn about things they don’t care about. After a while it starts to feel forced . At the end of the day school’s like prison. No seriously take a moment to think about it. A group of people are confined to one building each day.These same people are forced to endure whatever is thrown at them. In my experience that’s what it felt like. When I was in high school some teachers did not seem to reach students. It’s not like they never wanted to connect to us,however, they could have done more.the forced schooling and condescending authority make school and prison alike. That’s what it felt like to endure the monotony that was throughout high school. School is a regime that society has begun to condone. Imagine only being able to use the restroom at the leisure of someone else. On top of that, teachers and staff take on a roll similar to that of correction officers. The students are expected to take whatever negativity or disrespect from those authority figures. That’s pretty messed up right? These qualities are what makes school so ridiculous. The most ludicrous thing about school is that curriculum is forced upon them. High school should be slightly more like college. Students should have more of a choice of what to learn while at the same time learning the basics of certain material. For example,if a student does not wish to have a career that requires the use of mathematics, then they should not have to do a lot of math in school. They should only have to learn the core and most essential part of a subject that is not prominent in their careers. Students should not have to learn prodigiously about things that do not and most likely will not pertain to them. It starts to feel forced and therefore unappealing to the students. It actually is not fair. There should be different programs for different students. These programs should serve as something that guides students in their part to a successful career in what they are interested in.

John Taylor Gatto In his article presents the idea that school isn’t as wondrous as many people may think. There are flaws in the Education system . At times teachers don’t perform to the best of their ability or do what they should. This includes reaching the students . When I say reaching the student, I mean actually trying to get them to learn. This does not mean it is entirely the teachers responsibility. There are times when students do not want to learn. However, it is up to the teacher to make them desire to learn. As teachers, they should be making their best effort to reach students.They should make an attempt to find ways that make learning a good experience for them. A way to make learning a better experience for students is to give them an incentive. The incentive serves as motivation for the students. If the students lack motivation then they will not learn. A perfect example of an incentive for students is extra credit. In addition to giving an incentive, teachers should also show students how relevant the work is outside of a classroom. Teachers should use the work to show them how they can use it in their daily life. For example, I was taught an equation that teaches people to calculate how much exercise they need to do in order to burn a desired amount of calories. Things like that should be taught in school rather than the things that can not be used outside of a class room. This was one of the only things I learned in school that I found was something meaningful. I was able to see the value in what I learned because I could understand it’s relevance in people’s lives. This just goes to show that if teachers make it clear to students how the work can be used in their lives, then the students will start to see the importance in it. Once they see the importance in the work they will most likely be more motivated.

To summarize, education is something very important in society. As people we all make erroneous assumptions and have questionable actions. It is our imperfections as humans that make it vital for us to learn. Students tend to learn most effectively when they know it is something they need. The education system at times fails to reach their students because they do not motivate them effectively. That’s why although school may be stupid, education is not.

“Nani!?”

Saalik Jackson

“Nani!?” A Japanese word most commonly used in the English subtitled version of Anime. Anime I’m English dubbed is without a doubt much more comfortable to watch. However, those who do watch the English dubbed version of anime miss out on certain words like Nani. This word when translated to English means “what?”. The actors deliver this phrase with great bafflement in their voices.This word is very popular on the internet amongst anime watchers. In Japan it may just be a common phrase, however, it has become ubiquitous in the United States. There are many memes on the internet that use this word. Nani, a one word phrase, is common knowledge to all anime watchers in both the United States and Japan.

The word is so used that there is no way that a consistent viewer would not know of the word. Regardless of knowing or not knowing it’s meaning, any anime watcher has at least heard of the word. The word made it’s way from Japanese language in to the

This word is very popular in the Japanese audio of anime. Anime are animated tv shows that are started in Japan and spread to the rest of the world. Anime has gained a lot of popularity in Japan as well as in the United States.Characters often use the word nani when they are shocked about something that another character did. For example, when a character is hit by a surprise attack he or she might respond with “Nani!?”. The one word phrase is a remark that is almost equivalent to the saying “excuse me?” Or “I beg your pardon” in a confused tone. A lot of times a character might say Nani because they got hit with an overwhelming attack of mental distraught.

The word Nani alone is very common in English subbed anime so it’s no surprise that viewers in the United States would know of the word. In addition to how common it is, the word’s popularity in the United States can also be credited to the memes on social media. Kenshiro, a Japanese character from Tetsou Hara’s 1980’s series titled Fist of the North Star, is the reason why there are so many memes with this word. There is a clip from the series that displays kenshiro attacking people. After kenshiro finishes his brutal assault he then calmly says his signature phrase “Omae wa mou shindeiru”. When translated to English this phrase means “ you’re already dead”. Once kenshiro says this, his enemies would then say “Nani” in a confused tone. After the character screams the word then they collapse and die, just as kenshiro proclaimed. These clips exploded over the internet and get millions of views from people around the world. Not only were people in the United States introduced to the word Nani, but they also are introduced to the other series I had previously mentioned,” first of the North Star”.

The internet introduces Americans to a lot of things. One of these many things is Japanese culture. The use of social media such as Facebook and Instagram have made it easier to find out certain things. The platforms prove to be very informative. Social media provides information that both does and does not pertain to you. What makes social media significant is that once something takes off and becomes viral, it’s hard for a person to avoid it. This is the case with the word Nani and the kenshiro meme. It was everywhere on Facebook and Instagram that you could not possibly avoid it. There was no kind of way that an avid user of social media had not seen or heard of the word Nani at least once. By way of social media, the word Nani had became significantly known in the United States amongst many social media users.

People who adamantly use Facebook and other forms of social media learn a lot of things. Nani is just one of the words that people may have learned due to the internet. Not only does it hold vast knowledge, but social media can also be an influencer. Depending on how often you might see certain words like Nani, you might tend to use the word in your vernacular. Someone who has often seen or heard this word might introduce it to a friend. Then the cycle continues and the word starts to spread. This is a perfect example of how words and phrases catch on amongst a group a people. For example, the New York phrase “Deadass” had to come from somewhere. Someone had to hear it and then start using it and in result, made it spread. People don’t often realize it but they make things catch on and go viral just by conversing. Whether it be for 2 days or just 2 minutes, that duration of time speaking about a subject can contribute to it spreading and increasing in its popularity. This is exactly what social media does for different subjects. No matter what the subject is, any thing in the world has the potential to become viral and spread amongst people on the internet.

The word Nani is most often used in a confused tone regardless of the situation. Whether during a fight or a regular conversation, Nani is typically exclaimed enthusiastically. Usually it is said more enthusiastic than the many other words in the Japanese language. Some words are usually said more calmly and more reserved than Nani. For example, the Japanese word gomennsai. This word means to apologize in a very polite way. This word is almost the equivalent of apologizing after bumping into a stranger on the subway. The word Nani has become so significant to some anime viewers because this word stands out more than many others.

Sometimes, but not always, things will become overwhelmingly popular. Things will sometimes get so popular and spread to a lot of media and entertainment. Things get so popular in one place that it inevitably spreads to somewhere else. Television shows at times may reference something that has gotten popular. Some cartoons reference memes that have went viral on the internet. This also happens with songs as well. Unfortunately, to my knowledge Nani has not been a word featured in any media in the United States other than the internet. Nani is a word that a lot of people know but some do not. Only people who often use social media or watch anime would only recognize this word.

The summarize, things from other countries often influence things in the United States. Anime has become very popular in the United States despite being something that started in Japan. The word Nani has become very known by many people that live in the United States. This includes both people who watch anime and people who don’t partake in it. The word was able to spread from Japan to the United States through the use of the internet, more specifically social media.

Homework

“Nani!?” A Japanese word most commonly used in the English subtitled version of Anime. This word when translated to English means “what?”. The actors deliver this phrase with great bafflement in their voices.This word is very popular on the internet amongst anime watchers. In Japan it may just be a common phrase, however, it has become ubiquitous in the United States. There are many memes on the internet that use this word. Nani, a one word phrase, is common knowledge to all anime watchers in both the United States and Japan.

The many flaws in the education system

Saalik Jackson

Education is very necessary. However, the way that it is executed is not. Most students attend school 5 days a week for about 7 hours. During this time students learn things that are forced on them rather than something they chose. Students begin to feel forced in class. School is necessary but it is done excessively.
Forced schooling on young people is unnecessary. When people are forced to do something the experience for them is not enjoyable. The students tend to car less about learning and just concern themselves with getting a decent grade. This is the reason why students often don’t retain information taken in from school. Students will only learn it for the test and then forget all of the material. Students forget because of the fact that they do not care. The reason that they do not care is because they feel forced
Most students have to attend school 5 days a week for about 7 hours. Then in addition to those hours of school the students have to go home and do homework and study the material while balancing whatever they have to do outside of school. Some students struggle to get a sufficient amount of sleep because of this. Students tend to perform unsatisfactory due to lack of sleep. The repetitive cycle of school sometimes takes a toll on students. Some students have a longer commute than others. Because of the fact that some students live farther, they end up getting significantly less sleep than they would if they lived closer. Some students get home late and stay up at night doing homework or studying and then wake up early the next morning.
Students have to learn things that are forced on them rather than something that they chose. Students at times learn things that they feel may not pertain to them. Some of these students begin to feel like these things that they learn have no value outside of a classroom. Student then realize that the material is forced on them and that they have to accept it. The fact that students feel forced makes the experience dreadful to them. Imagine sitting in a class that you despise and are forced to take it because someone else thinks is beneficial to you and your life.
When feeling forced, students do not care about learning. Because they are forced to do the material, they just do it to get it over with. Now there is a room full of students who do not care about learning but just want to pass. That’s the reason why students never retain the information taught because they never cared to actually learn it. Students just do the work so that they can pass and nothing more. They begin to care more about the grade they receive than anything they possibly may have learned. Grades in school are often thought of as a representation of how intelligent a student is. They are often compared in class and at home. Students attempt to get those grades that they desire by any means necessary. If a student has to cheat or plagiarize for that grade, then it is very likely that he or she might do just that.
Students feel forced because they just are not interested all the time.”Boredom is the common condition of school teachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers’ lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there”said John Taylor Gatto in his article titles Against School. How can the students possibly be interested in the class if the teacher isn’t? Sometimes there are teachers who just refuse to make their classes appealing to the students. Some teachers will just teach without ever thinking about how to reach their audiences. Things would be different if most teachers actually did take into consideration what the students are interested in. If teachers did that then students probably would not fall asleep in class. Students would also be more engaged and more likely to retain information that they learned in class.
Attendance in school also can be an inconvenience to some students. At times there can be issues going on at home but students still feel the need to attend their school. The students know that If they do not attend school they may miss something that is important. School takes up a lot of the extra time that some might need for other things. Some students have other responsibilities that they need to take care of. These are things such as taking care of other people in their household. For example, some students may have to take care of children, watch them, and or pick them up from the school they attend. A relatable example of this is that sometimes I as a student am late to class because I can not leave my siblings in the house alone until someone comes to watch them. Students have other things in their lives that they can not control that can effect their education.
It is common knowledge that education is very necessary. There are things that people need to learn. However, the way that students are taught is not always necessary.

Sample Post

Testing!

Author: Saalik

The word Nani saved my life

Vic Mensa “Rage” music video analysis

Reasons Why School is Stupid

“Nani!?”

Homework

The many flaws in the education system

Sample Post

The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

Support

Accessibility

Copyright

Creative Commons

The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

Support

Accessibility

Copyright

Creative Commons