Poetry Project By: Jacob Cedar

Writing In A Notebook

February the 13^th, day I died

Keeping a writing notebook for school

I like reading more then writing

Although writing for school is a rule

I don’t like writing for school

            I decided to do a series of 6 word memoirs about my dislike for having to keep a writing notebook. My process was simply speaking my mind but only 6 words per line at a time when I had to write my first entry in the notebook. I incorporated end rhyme in the series rhyming the second, fourth and fifth lines together.

Is There One

If I believe there's one

Is there one, or two, maybe three?

Or is there none

If I believe none

Am I incorrect for it?

Or is it my idea?

Life is like the world

Always changing for good and bad

Maybe one can be none

            I decided to write a series of haikus based around whether an entity like a god existed. My process was just my own thoughts in the form of haiku (some changes in the form in places). I incorporated simile in my poem comparing life and the world and made use of repetition in asking questions.

The World

The world creates a place for us to be

The place is of all the colors of life

It’s beauty not seen by eyes of humans or tress

The world has secrets unknown to us, like strife

The world is scared of us, the scourge and plague

We cause the world tremendous pain and grief

This wasn’t always so, when the world was vague

The world used to have beauty’ we, are thieves

Though we have joy the world has none, its gone

We weren’t careful of what we wished for

Nor did we watch out for greed or pass on

The world is in pain it’s our fault, once more

Others can disagree, simply people are the earth’s plague

This beautiful world is sick with us, the vague

            This sonnet was a response to a rant written in prose. I used metaphors comparing us to a form of plague, and hyperbole of all of us being thieves.

Starry Night by: Tupac Shakur

The poem “Starry Night” by Tupac Shakur is a poem alluding to the painting The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. Tupac Shakur talks about Van Gogh’s life and the paintings relationship to it. I loved the poem Starry Night by Tupac Shakur.

            Tupac Shakur’s word choice and use of slang made me love his poem. Multiple times in the poem, Tupac Shakur uses text-speak or slang to talk about Vincent Van Gogh. For example writing, “but 4 u there is only contempt.” This line is very powerful in context, considering Shakur writes that Van Gogh has given the people many things in painting form but all Van Gogh has gotten in return is people disliking him and his work. Although the line itself is strong and dark, using the slang, “4,” and, “u,” gives the poem a much lighter and more apathetic tone. This makes the poem itself seem interesting, because the use of the slang takes a very serious line, and almost makes it seems less important then it is about his life. Then Tupac also uses the word “obsessed,” in the line, “A creative heart, obsessed with satisfying.” This gave Van Gogh the appearance of man obsessed with making the world like his work. The use of this word made me enjoy the poem even more because it was powerful enough to show Van Gogh’s life and his eagerness for people to love his work, but not too strong to show that his work wasn’t actually worse then it was supposed to be. Shakur’s use of word choice and use of slang made me love his poem.

I loved the poem “Starry Night” by Tupac Shakur because of his use of literary devices. The poem itself is actually an illusion to the piece of artwork the Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh which I found made it very interesting. This allusion to the piece of artwork made this poem even more interesting, because it gave the poem a focus. This allusion really changed the way I thought about this poem because it meant that this poem wasn’t neccesarily all about Van Gogh’s life, it was also about his piece of artwork. Then Shakur also uses end rhyme to help the rhythm of the poem continue. For example,

“So on that starry night u gave 2 us

and you took away from us,”

This use of end rhyme really kept the entire poem rhythmically sound because without it the poem would be more prose like then anything else. The end rhyme also allowed the next two lines to be spoken slower to give them more meaning then these two lines. The use of literary devices in this poem made me enjoy it even more then I already did.

            “Starry Night” by Tupac Shakur was a great poem. The text makes me wonder about Vincent Van Gogh’s life. I knew Van Gogh had problems throughout his life but I would like to know more in depth about how bad they actually were. Additionally I would like to know if maybe the reason this poem was written was for Tupac Shakur to feel connected with Van Gogh.

             

Reading Response on I Am Number Four

Whether a book is fair or not is an extremely difficult question to ask yourself. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore is a book about 2 aliens from the planet Lorien who came to earth to run away from another group of aliens called Mogadoriens, who want them dead. I Am Number Four is unfair because of all of the terrible things that happen to the character that the character never asked for.

            The main character, John Smith is affected by all of the people of his race. When he and 8 other children from his planet left to escape the Mogadoriens, a charm was cast upon them making them immune to death as long as they aren’t killed in order, and if the children come together, the charm is broken. The author states that, “ When one of us is found and killed, a circular scar wraps around the right ankle of those still alive,” (6). This is important because he has to be killed in number order, making it extremely important that the people before him survive because if they don’t, he could be very close to death. When John became a fugitive of the Mogadoriens, he didn’t ask for it. John was born on a planet in war so when he escaped as a four year old, he wasn’t responsible, nor did the Mogadoriens have any real reason to attack him or the 8 other children. Additionally, at one point in the story after John and his protector move to another place, John gets a talking to. His protector Henri states, “Don’t show your intelligence... Don’t stand out or draw too much attention... Just a fly on the wall,”(24). This shows that John is affected by his race, because he has to be so careful among others. He can’t live a normal life like anyone else. John is heavily influenced by his people because he is affected by their racial similarities as well as their will to thrive like they once did again.
            The book is also unfair because John lives with the expectation of his survival so that he can rebuild his race. For example, Henri his Cêpan, or protector states, “This Isn’t about you. This is about the survival of our race, which was almost entirely obliterated,” (17). This shows how important it is for John to survive and how much expectation people have of him. This also shows the weight put on Johns shoulders. The book is unfair to John because ever since John has been young he has been expected to survive for the good of his people, John has had to deal with more expectation then most people would have to deal with at such a young age.

            I Am Number Four is also unfair to secondary characters. In the book a girl named Sarah goes to lengths to help John, “She looks behind her again and quickly reaches into the front pocket of her bag. She pulls out my phone and gives it to me,”(73). Sarah stole the phone from a bully who had taken it from John the day before. This is unfair to Sarah because it means that Sarah has allied herself against the main bully of the high school. This also shows unfairness to Sarah because she is making herself a target of the bully, and John’s enemies, the Mogadorien’s.

            Pittacus Lore’s I Am Number Four is extremely unfair to the characters in the story. Although this is harsh in some readers eyes, it actually makes the story much more interesting. The unfairness makes the story much more believable but also more interesting and allows the author to make his own plot. For example, without the first three people in the order dead, the book would be stationary. I Am Number Four is intriguing because it uses unfairness to better the characters and story.

Afterward, Authors Note for our picture book project

Afterwards

            Recycling plastic and metal is an intriguing topic considering it doesn’t always seem like it is helpful. I know from personal experience that many people do not recycle plastic and metal. What people do not know is that recycling these materials actually saves energy (Help the Environment By Recycling). Manufacturing a product with virgin resources uses a lot more energy then manufacturing a product out of recycled materials. So, manufacturing a product out of recycled materials is much more energy efficient, which in turn means it, affects the environment less. Additionally, energy used to transport virgin materials isn’t expended when using recycled materials. This means that the environment isn’t hurt as badly when a manufacturer needs new materials. Recycling plastic and metal reduces pollution. Any energy used transporting virgin resources consumes fossil fuels, which emits greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases are terrible for the environment.

            Recycling plastic and metal may not seem helpful at a first glance, but it is actually extremely important. For example, recycling reduces the amount of waste in landfills (What Impact Does Recycling have on the Environment) because, “As more waste is put into landfills, the bigger the problem gets.” Later, the author states that the more waste in landfills, the more greenhouse gases are emitted. Greenhouse gases are terrible for the environment, so recycling plastic and metals seems like a good alternative to creating greenhouse gases. Additionally, there is a large amount of money saved when using recycled goods. What Impact Does recycling have on the Environment, even states that, “ Some people find that they can make money recycling.” For example, the 5 cents you can make for plastic or metal bottles and cans. This cost efficiency is a great way to promote recycling to the average public.

            I’m hoping that you can learn that recycling is extremely important for the environment. The purpose for this book is so that you can learn the benefits of recycling, and that in turn recycle. If you set a good your peers may even recycle. I would suggest that although I only focused on recycling plastic and metals, you should also recycle paper, It’s another thing that needs to be recycled and is just as important to the world and It’s environment. Everyone needs to recycle, and they need to start now.

Social Awareness Project By: Jacob Cedar

Overview

I chose to do the news immersion, create a poem and write a reading response for this project. In the project, my focus was Israel and the Ferguson case. My poem was a collaboration of the two. The news immersion was based mainly on the Ferguson case. Then the reading response was based on Israel. I felt that these subjects were suitable for the social awareness project because they both brought up very important matters recently.

Poem

The people they fight for ethnic rights

But the government doesn’t indict

The trials they don’t even happen

When the people want justice to be done

To lock up those doing wrong

The people of the world are at war

And we fight for a cure

For the diseases that procure

Sadness and distress

Although these diseases are regressing

And the world is almost at peace

We fight for the feat of defeating

All those who wish to hurt our neighbors

And wish for peace at last

            My process for writing this poem was very basic. I took problems around me and then I put them on paper. I then took these problems and tried to put them into a poetic form. Mainly I based the poem on the Ferguson trial as well as problems in Israel. I tried to use some figurative language because some of my words I wanted to mean multiple different things depending on the reader. The process was interesting although the poem itself was grim.

News Immersion

November 22

The article “In Ferguson, Preparation and Anticipation as Grand Jury Decision Nears” by: Julie Bossman and Monica Davey is about the case in Ferguson where an 18 year old unarmed black teenager (Michael Brown) was shot by a white police officer (Darren Wilson) on August 9th. This article shed some light on the case as well as what has happened in Ferguson since the killing. The article stated that there had been protesting ever since the teenager Michael Brown was shot and that schools were being shut down early as anticipation of the protests that might ensue. The article spoke about how the police are preparing for the decision, changing traffic patterns and erecting barriers around the police headquarters. Julie Bossman and Monica Davey also spoke on the case, saying that the fact that there has been no court decision yet is not abnormal and backed this up after talking with Mark O’Mara who was the criminal defense lawyer who represented George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

This article makes me think about the Ferguson case in a very different light. I’m shocked that the police went to the extreme of changing traffic patterns and putting up barriers. I’m shocked because this means that the police believe that Darren Wilson probably wont be indicted. Considering he killed a man this surprises me. Now I know why the Ferguson case could be taking so long after reading this article. This article helped me understand the Ferguson case much better, which is important considering this is a very controversial topic.

November 23

            The article “Israeli Cabinet backs Nationality Bill That Risks Wider Rift With Arab Minority” by: Isabel Kershner is an article about the Israeli cabinet proposing a bill that, “emphasized Israel’s Jewish character above its democratic nature.” The article speaks on how this bill could possibly make an international rift between Israel and it’s allies, considering that more then 20% of Israel is Arabic. The article does state that the Prime Minister is expected to amend the bill before the final reading in parliament to give equal rights to all citizens. The author then talks to Ahmed Tibi a veteran Arab member of the Israeli parliament, he confirmed that the Jewish Democratic state is fake and that the government would never recognize the rights of a minority. One of the main points of the draft was that it changed Arabic from an official language to a language with special status. The president of the Jewish Democracy Institute said even that there is no need for the bill and that it merely addresses political need. The article explains Israel’s constitution saying that it’s made up of basic laws and judgements as well as their Declaration of Independence of 1948. The author goes forward and uses quotes from multiple high ranking people in the government, some agree with the bill and others disagree. The bill went further to then deny people any rights if they were to participate in terrorism. The article goes further after talking about the bill and speaks about the recent happenings in Israel.

            This article made me think about the conflicts between the Jews and the Palestinians. The article shocked me because I can’t believe that the Jewish Prime Minister would make a bill that attacked the Arabs. The reason it shocks me is that there are so many Arabic people I the nation that it would be ridiculous to even think about attacking them as a whole. This attacks the Arabs, because it makes it so that their language wont even be considered a main language, assuming it’s passed. Now that I have read this article, I know a lot more about the problems between the Palestinians and Jews and why there is conflict between them.

November 24^th

            The article, “Rocked by Rape Report, University of Virginia to Hold Special Meeting” by: Jennifer Steinhauer and Richard Pénez-Peña is about how at the University of Virginia there have been multiple sexual assaults that have been concealed and mishandled for years. The article goes into how children who had admitted to sexual assault had even escaped expulsion and that no one had been expelled for sexual assault in 7 years. Professors changed their lesson plans to dissecting the problem at hand. The article goes on to then talk about how the situation of the university had symbolized many universities in the country. The authors quoted a first year student from Texas who said that, “The fraternity culture has to change, but I don’t know how it would, because fraternity culture is such a big part of life here,” this is very indicative of the culture of the university. The article then goes on to say that to address this problem The Board of Visitors which governs the university will meet in an auditorium instead of its usual board-room to discuss the matters at hand.

            This makes me feel like the University of Virginia was paid to keep quiet about these sexual assaults. Anyone with a conscience would expel someone who sexually assaulted someone else, and that didn’t happen. So I feel like the university was either trying to protect members of the university or it was paid off by someone who wanted them to keep quiet.  Now I know however that there is a problem with the universities fraternity system, and I’m interested in seeing how it is fixed. After they fix this, I hope there aren’t any more sexual assault problems.

November 25^th

            The article, “A thousand Fergusons across America” by: Moni Basu and Ann O’Neill is about the case concerning the killing of Michael Brown and the aftermath of Darren Wilson not being indicted. People stood outside (both black and white) of the Ferguson police station waiting for the grand juries decision to indict Darren Wilson or not. When he wasn’t indicted, the author wrote that the people outside of the police station surged towards the metal gates in front of the station and were extremely angry. The crowd was met by a phalanx of policemen in riot gear. CNN said that they had been tear gassed, but the police denied using tear gas. The author quoted many people and the general consensus was that the people were scared because if a cop could get away with killing a teenager, their teenager could be killed to. The author spoke about how even in Atlanta and St. Louis there was protesting.

            This article makes me think that maybe the right thing in this situation was to protest, considering that a teenager was shot dead, and the killer wasn’t even indicted. After reading this, I feel like protesting was called for and that Darren Wilson should have been indicted. Because Darren Wilson wasn’t indicted, I’m worried for my friends sake that they wont get killed in a similar incident because a cop is protected and feels like he can shoot whoever he wants to. Now I know how bad our judicial system can be.

November 26^th

            The article, “Protesters torch police car in another tense night in Ferguson” by: Moni Basu and Faith Karimi is about how protesters after Darren Wilson wasn’t indicted did many harsh things in Ferguson. To start off, the article stated that protesters set a police cruiser on its side then set it of fire. The protesters were both black and white, and they were chanting things like, “We just want justice.” The article talked about how volunteers helped clean up vandalized stores and that there were armed guards protecting a damaged store called “Beauty World.” The article also says that authorities are trying to avoid a repeat of the night before when it came out that Darren Wilson wasn’t going to be indicted and boosted the amount of national guardsmen from 700 to 2200. The article then talks about how in Ferguson, buildings were burned, stores were looted and shots were fired.

            This article makes me think that the protesting may have been taken too far. Non-violent protests are good, but looting and setting things on fire is too much. This article made me feel like a revolution might happen soon. The response to Darren Wilson not getting indicted was worse then I thought it could be. After this I feel a bit worried for the stability of the country. Now I know more of what happened in Ferguson. Previously I only heard that there was rioting, now I know it was much worse.

Reflection

            After this immersion, I‘ve realized that there are many problems in the world, happening all the time. During the immersion I’ve learned a lot about our countries current problems. I’ve learned from this experience that people do many things that can often be very unexpected. For example, in Ferguson who would have expected Darren Wilson not to be indicted? And then who would have expected the aftermath where a police car was set on fire? I’ve learned that our justice system isn’t always the best. For example, college kids got away with rape, facing no consequences. It’s not just our country, through this immersion I’ve even seen in Israel there are problems between Palestinians and Jews.

Through this immersion I’ve realized that not everything in our country is all peaches and cream. The reason I say this is that people who have done wrong things are not facing retribution. For example, Darren Wilson didn’t get indicted and he killed a teenager. Even though this may have been in self defense, he killed a teenager. Then in Virginia University, there have been multiple sexual assaults and they have done nothing. Even after a student admitted to sexually assaulting someone else, the student wasn’t expelled and didn’t face any consequences. Through this immersion I’ve realized a lot about problems in our country and the rest of the world.

Reading Response

Is it really possible for 4 teens to start a war? In the article “How the MURDER of Four Teens Started a WAR,” author Patricia Smith writes about the four boys who were killed, how Hamas and Israel fought, and how the tension between Israeli’s and Palestinians came to be. The author describes how problems between the Palestinians and Israeli’s started because the U. N. gave Jewish people land in Jerusalem, with a plan to split the Palestinians and Jews into two states, which the Palestinians rejected. The Palestinians and Israeli’s have had run-ins since 1947 but the most recent one was after 3 Israeli boys were found dead, (June 12 they were captured) and a Palestinian boy was murdered (killed on July second). This prompted Hamas to launch air strikes at Israel. Then Israel did the same to Gaza. These murders were tragic but the outcome shouldn’t have been war.

            Patricia Smith tells the story from each side, making it difficult to pick a side to defend. One example that shows this is after a Palestinian boy is killed, his brother says, “His life was still ahead of him, and here in one minute, extremists who hate Arabs, who hate peace, came in and cut short his whole life.” This quote shows the grief of a brother who’s feeling the strife of his country in his home and the hatred and disharmony that exists in Israel. This boy and his family don’t deserve to suffer because someone supposedly from Palestine killed three Israeli’s. Furthermore, the author quoted the Israeli Prime Minister in response to the three Israeli boys being abducted and killed, “They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by beasts, Hamas is responsible and Hamas will pay.” It’s difficult to defend either group, because Hamas or some un-connected Palestinian could have killed these three Israeli kids but at the same time they may not have. There was no clear evidence shown in this article. Furthermore, this by no means should have started air strikes and bombings. This was simply tragic.

            The author makes a big point to talk about the “birth of Israel,” and how it came to be, and more importantly why there is a problem in Israel. Patricia Smith taught me that the U.N. voted to split Palestine apart writing, “According to the U.N. plan, the territory, then known as Palestine and governed by Great Britain, would be divided into two states, one Arab and one Jewish. But the Arabs rejected this plan.” This shows the main reason why the Arabs and Jews have been fighting. This makes me think that the Arabs attacking the Jews was not totally uncalled for, because their land was split in half against their will. Additionally, the U.N. probably shouldn’t have given away land that wasn’t theirs to give, although Great Britain did control Palestine at the time. This shows a very large reason for why there is still a problem in Palestine.

            After reading this article I have begun to understand that sometimes neither group of people who are fighting are wrong. This article also makes me want to look more deeply into problems surrounding Palestine and the Israeli’s. I’m intrigued by why the U.N. just gave away half of Palestine to the Jews and I want to find out why Hamas was blamed for killing the 3 Israeli boys. I would like to know more about this because at the moment what it looks like to me is that, three boys were killed by someone or a group, the reason is fairly unknown and then some Israeli radicals went out and killed a Palestinian boy for “revenge.” These are terrible, unreasonable actions that should never have happened.

Works Cited

News Immersion

The New York Times, articles from the 22^nd to the 24^th

CNN, articles from the 25^th and 26^th

Reading Response

Upfront Magazine October 27 2014 issue