Lyrical Poetry
The song I decided to choose to represent good lyrical poetry is Bullet and a Target by Citizen Cope.
Mr.Dali Lamas
Another sister’s shootin’ heroin tomorrow
Amputees in Freetown
Sierra Leone’s
The church wasn’t honest
The state put the youth in a harness
Creatin’ hostility among us
Teacher said no college
Still the kid’s gotta get a check with a couple commas
People wanna bomb us
More people gotta scatter and run from us
You can blame it on Zeus and Apollo and Adonis
But what you’ve done here
Is put yourself between a bullet and a target
And it won’t be long before
You’re pulling yourself away
But what you’ve done here
Is put yourself between a bullet and a target
And it won’t be long before
You’re pulling yourself away
I’ve been knowing her for years
I’ve been seeing her for years
She got dark, dark wavy hair
With a voice like she just don’t care
She got a skirt with a halter top
She’s got a dad who never gave a fuck
She drinks a beer with her mom ’til dawn
She got knocked up in a pickup truck
But she got engaged when she was nineteen
To this dude who was acting insane
Had a .45 that he always cleaned
Said one day one day one too many days
Now she ducked and she ran away
Never to be heard from, never to be seen
I check the cover of a magazine
I’m just wondering how, just wondering how
But what you’ve done here
Is put yourself between a bullet and a target
And it won’t be long before
You’re pulling yourself away
A. The church wasn’t honest
The state put the youth in a harness
B. I’m just wondering how, just wondering how
C. You can blame it on Zeus and Apollo and Adonis
1. These two lines stood out particularly to me because it shows how the corruption in this world has led both religious and government structures to become enthused with the violence themselves. Instead of being the solid foundations that many depend on, they have become just as much as part of the problem itself. I like how the lyrics depict the situation with specificity and imagery.
2. This line seemed to show significance in terms of the author’s own thoughts. Although it is not a line that would necessarily be considered “poetic” since it is pretty straight up, I believe it is very bold due to its placement in the song. After listing different tragedies going down in the world today and referring to a teenage girl running from her dangerous boyfriend and ending up in some magazine, I think the line fits perfectly and leaves the listener/reader asking the exact same thing.
3. This line blatantly stood out to me because it links the horrors that are referred to in the song with ancient mythology. This hints at the notion that the power struggles seen today date back to long, long ago and have been causing corruption in every single time period in almost every part of the world. The line gets this point across simply without saying it directly, which I think is a good example of poetic verse.
Kehinde Wiley
Responses:
1. Personally, Wiley’s work conveys a message to me that portrays African American male dominance. There is not much more I get out of his artwork than an ancient background with pasted images of black males (many of whom are athletes) in interesting poses. Overall, I think Wiley wants to express his feelings about men of African American decent having the right to gain more power and recognition in this day and age as a connection back to older times (Rennaisance) when they did not have any influence/power at all.
2. I find Wiley’s work unique but not exactly appealing. He has an interesting way of combining two completely different images but I think his message could be conveyed better if he had the men in his pieces doing different actions, like perhaps a presidential scene or other political office position.
The works of Wiley that I like the most include the simple portraits with the pretty floral print as the backdrop. I’m especially keen of the piece below…it has sweet fading effects and the pattern behind it looks like wallpaper from the fifties. To me, this particular piece looks like it could be incorporated into a funeral service or memorial of someone who passed away.
Thoughts About Banksy
Responses:
1. Personally, I really admire Banksy’s art and way of expressing himself. I agree 100% with the sneaky art projects he carries out, and I give him props for never getting caught. I especially like how most of his work has to do with standing up for what he believes politically and how he feels in terms of ending war. Unlike all the never-ending noisy disputes over politics these days, it’s refreshing to see such bold statements being made in such a silent, yet exposed matter.
2. Yes, graffiti is definately an art form. Although it is looked down upon by law enforcement, it often displays symbols and/or pictures with important messages that need to be heard, or in this case, seen. I think writers and artists sometimes display their work under different personas so that they don’t have to deal with all the negative feedback that would come along with tagging their real name to their work. As long as they get their message across in a way that is permanent (like graffiti art), they are satisfied and leave people to form whatever opinion they want without having to deal with their various reactions.
3. As long as your work isn’t personally offensive to a person or group of people, I think it is important to get your work out in the public, especially if it has a strong, universal message. Different interpretations of your work can give off various meanings to people and leads to an overall better bundle of feedback and discussion.
NYC Central Park – Alive in Color!
(photo from Wikipedia)
This photograph by Jet Lowe is of the incredible Central Park in New York. It appeals to me largely because of how much I love NYC as a whole and have a longing desire to one day live there and/or go to school there. The photo is very calming for me and also depicts the beautiful sensations of my favorite season, fall! Lowe captures the image perfectly to convey a message of peacefulness in the park and an overall feeling of comfort and tranquility.
