Monday, 30 March 2015

Blog Post #2 - Slam Poem





This video relates to the book, The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell, because of the similarity in the messages presented in both styles. The Freedom Writers Diary's main social issue is racism, and how the power of writing can unite others and as well, how to respect each other. This video describes very through themes such as, racism and stereotypes through the form of slam poetry.

In the video, the two young girls, Becca Khalil and Nayo Jone, perform a slam poem on the main subject of “Black in America: Who is Black?” This poem they recited, is about people who stereotype others because of their appearance or accents. They have expressed their feelings about black stereotypes very strong and precisely, for example, “You see the golden girl with kinky brown curls and you think, “She must be Mexican!” Is that what you see when you look at me?” This phrase that they have voiced is a known as a stereotype, which can be for any colour. Also, this video’s main message that was presented is that it doesn’t matter what race, colour, or culture you are, what matters is who you are as a person, not your background.

In the book, The Freedom Writers by Erin Gruwell, talks about how the power of writing can unite all types people. Gruwell has very accurately explained how the matter of race or gang, does not matter in the real successful life after high school. For instance, ““Shut up you fucking nigger, your kind don’t belong here,” they screamed as they kicked me harder and harder” (Gruwell 167). This expression in the book describes, how another person, because of his or her type, isolated someone because they weren’t the same type. The overall main message of this book is that  “types” won’t matter in the future, so why make them matter now, when you can respect each other’s ethnics and “type.”

Therefore, the video and the book both relate to each other because both display a similar message about "types" and "stereotypes" which, are both common relative social issues in the world; racism.

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