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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
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- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
I really liked the diversity that came from the multitude of poems provided by David Starkey. This gives students or readers of his book an insight to all the different types or genres that are poetry. My favorite is Poem for the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person, could Believe in the War between Races. I have personally experienced this type of person in my workplace. Must be that white male privilege. He works for a different department. He wants a lot of things but is not willing to put up the work that it would take for his plans to become a reality. I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. What I didn’t like is not really the fault of the authors, but rather my own. I struggled to comprehend Joy Harjo’s Santa Fe. I don’t really understand it past the point that I made earlier in the synopsis. I don’t know if its my lack of sports knowledge, but D. Nurske’s Left Field left me feeling in the dark. If it is about his feelings of inadequacy, then it might not be as deep as it might seem to be, especially because of the baseball usage. I did not really understand what Sherman Alexie’s Basketball was about because of the different vibes I was getting from it. Were we talking sports or was it deeper? Might it have notes of how other people view him as a Native American?
ReplyDeleteJonathon Morin
A fair bit of speculation is worthwhile when it comes to trying to decide why Starkey chooses to use these poems for his demonstrations. I suspect it may have something to do with trying to avoid famous poems. This is mostly beside the point though, on these pages, I think Starkey is mostly reaching for exposure to different forms of poetry. Unfortunately, only a few of these poems really stood out to me. Most of them just feel strange in a way which doesn’t promote a want to analyze. One of the main exceptions to this is the poem A Quiet Poem by Elaine Equi. It spends most of its word simply describing the different types of screaming people hear throughout their lives. The author even seems to imply that most screams are toward good things. Then the author describes some of the damage caused by the most common types of screaming. This one probably hits a lot of people quite close to home. Bustillo Drive Grocery is another of these poems which hit hard. It’s difficult to articulate why it is that it has this effect. I suspect it has to do with unexpected heavy topics, but I anticipate others will find more than that.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Hinkle
DeleteAfter reading this new set of poems provided to us by Starkey, I have acquired quite some more knowledge as to the different types or genres we can find and write a poem about. If i am being honest poetry is not my forte and therefore, not my favorite to write. However, I would have to say I do quite enjoy reading the distinctive poems. I actually like and appreciate the fact that most poems are more than just rhymes. The fact of having to stop after reading each line and stanza in order to comprehend and analyze the true meaning of each word is pretty cool, though it can be frustrating. If i had to choose my favorite from these, I would have to go with Sherman Alexie's and the others inserting sports as the main concept. I don't quite know much about basketball or baseball itself, but i do know the basic to get around along with various other sports. I consider myself a sporty person and have some understanding to what the author's might have been inclining towards to talk about in regards to experiences and emotions attached to sports.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Rodriguez
After taking the time to read through these different types of poems by Starkey, I feel as if I retrieved much more knowledge about the different genres or types of poems us writers could create; also to find a topic much easier when it comes to writing a poem. When one thinks of poems, one might think of rhymes, but what gets my attention more are the ones that hold more of a distinct message. Usually the ones that do not rhyme hold more of a complex message and I find it interesting that you have to go back sometimes and read what you had just gone over to really understand. It is almost like the author wants you to read it over and over, to possibly get some sort of liking for poems and hidden messages within them. My favorite yet most irritating poem that I enjoyed was Poem for the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person, could believe in the War between Races. It reminded me how most males in the work place think they are dominant against the females as if they get paid anymore than we do. Pathetic behavior, but I enjoyed this poem because it was quite realistic.
ReplyDeleteClarissa Partida
I like how Starkey chose so many diverse poems for this chapter. I saw a poem that was only a few lines long, one that went on for multiple pages, and even a few that are in paragraph format. I think the one that stuck with me initially was Cervantes’. Not only is it relevant for ’ today’s political climate but it is also is something that I hear in this community. Usually, from the older generation of Hispanics, I will hear them say something to the tune of “I don’t know why they’re complaining. It’s not racist its just fact.” This is usually a comment made when a racial stereotype is pointed out and the older Hispanics can’t help but somehow justify it. I think Villanueva’s poem also stuck with me. Not just because of the title.b ut because it reminded me of the multiple times that my “bitchy face” had been pointed out by people in passing or people in my everyday life - completely unprovoked I might add. I feel like the poem kind of takes back the negative connotation of the word and turns it into a positive in the end. As if saying “yes, it’s okay to be a bitch.”
ReplyDeleteBethanee Campos
I think my favorite pomes were I Feel Sorry for Jesus, A Quiet Poem, and Poem for the Young White Man etc. I think it’s because they were the most that left an impact on me. They made me feel a certain way, and made sense to me. I loved how A Quiet Poem ended because of how it mentions so much screaming, and how we are raise on that to when someone whispers the person screaming is almost offended. Seem way too real, which Poem for the Young White Man etc. was also very real. I think it’s great how it goes through more than one topic then what the title is mainly about it felt like slam poetry to me. While I Feel Sorry for Jesus was interesting for me, it made me feel almost lonely when reading it, and at the ending I was a bit confused but I still enjoyed it. I think these poems stuck with me the most because I really enjoyed how they made me feel certain emotions. That’s what poems are supposed to do right? I think they were great, and for different reasons and made appreciate poetry just a bit more.
ReplyDelete-Alyssa Rangel
What I like about the poem “basketball by Shermar Alexie was that he was having a good time in his basketball and after his basketball because he said someone finished the night bareback (Starkey Pg. 71) I am assuming he had a lot of fun with one of his significant others. The poem of Lorna Dee Cervantes was awesome she makes us open our eyes about racism that exist in our society. Although some people may think racism is not too bad because they have not experienced it. However, it is a real big thing going on in America that had happened for many years. Also, she mentioned she does not believe in the battles of races but in this country war exist. (Starkey Pg. 74) The poem “Left field” by D. Nurske discusses how a baseball player is criticized by the way he plays baseball. The bully him and they told him he plays like a girl. The good thing is that he didn't care and listen to those individuals that want to put him down. In the Poem “I feel sorry for Jesus by the Naomi Shinab Nye the author talks about how she feels empathy about Jesus death. Also, he was very straightforward when it comes to share your faith with other individuals even if you face rejection. In the Poem “Bustillo Drive Grocery” by Deborah Paredes the author is sharing her good and bad experiences when she was working in the grocery as the candy girl. In the poem “new shoes and an old flame” by Gloria Vando the author was shopping and she saw a pair of special high heels that brought her memories back about a loved one who already passed away.
ReplyDeleteWhat I did not like about the poem by Lorna Dee Cervantes was that there is a lot of racism and hatred in the world but especially in the United States. It is really sad how racism exist in this country. We are equal and our skin color should not matter. In the poem “A quiet poem” by Elaine Equi the title of the poem contradicts the meaning and the way she wrote her poem because is not a quiet poem instead she wrote the opposite of a quiet poem all of the characters were screaming. In the Poem “Santa Fe” by Joy Harjo was that the lilacs were away from Joy Harjo. I do not like when people make others feel bad and down instead they could motivate them and tell them good advice The Poem “Bitch, Bitch, Bitch, Bitch” by Alma Villanueva I did not like the attitude was having, it was not the best. She was belittling herself when she calls herself a bitch.
Oscar A. Jacome Serrano
After reading these poems I saw the different styles of writing poems, and how one author could have a variety of writing styles they don't have to choose a certain one. The poem I liked the most was Villanueva's, I feel like I was able to relate to it more than the other poems. The poem Basketball made me think of my brother because he doesn't play sports at all, but my parents always tell him that he should. It's really hard for someone to do sports when they don't enjoy it but to someone that loves that certain sport it comes naturally.
ReplyDeleteThere was also a poem about racism and I feel like writing that is something that a lot of author's struggle with because they don't feel comfortable writing about something like that or are afraid of the backlash they will receive. It was a couple of poems that we read and I think it made it a lot easier to understand that they varied in style and talked about different things that way it wouldn't feel like the same thing over and over again.
-Cecilia Cantu
The first poem that I enjoyed was “Bustillo Drive Grocery” by Deborah Paredez. I think I like this poem mostly because I relate to it. I’m not sure what age the author was reminiscing about but I remember being 18, and just moving down to the valley. My grandpa, a proud businessman had decided to open up a new endeavor in Edinburg, a drive thru. He called me and a couple of my other cousins to help run it, working there when he had errands to run, and helping him shut it down, that kind of thing. At that age I was never in charge of something so major, and honestly I couldn’t believe that he had the faith in me to do it, thinking back I myself cant believe that I got through it, not having worked a day in my life. The last line of Paredez’s poem, “I sat tall in my stool, a big girl, I was in charge” is what really brought back the memories. I also really enjoyed “Left Field” by D. Nurske, it reminded me of when I played softball, for 11 years ! Yes, 11 years. I loved every second of it. This poem reminded me of when we would have night games, or even when we would be driving back home at night after an away game. There was a few times when I played outfield and at night it’s a different feeling than outfield during the day. During the day you can hear birds chirping and other people walking around the field talking. At night, however, you hear nothing, except your own breath, its this new eerie quietness, like there’s a sound proof sheet between you and the infield. All the screaming from the fans and players sound faint. I knew exactly what she meant when she said “Singing no batter, no pitcher faded under crickets”. That’s all you could hear in the dark outfield, crickets.
ReplyDeleteAisha Teegarden
The poem "Left Field" was my favorite because it reminded me of performing during Halftime at football games in high school with the dance team. Coming home late and the bus rides home being the most fun than the actual game. It reminds me of simpler times and how time is flying by so fast. The "Bustillo Drive Grocery" is so relatable due to the fact of my first time having the responsibility of running the dance studio I work at for two weeks. I was overwhelmed and did not realize how important it is to be organized and the time management one needs to have to run a successful business. "Basketball" reminds me when my older sister would try to convince me to do sports instead of dance. This poem helped me understand that poem can be basically about anything. I wrote poems as a kid about toys and butterflies. Really corny and cheesy things, but I like the freedom of expression that poetry has.
ReplyDeleteKrista Olivarez