Poetry Reading Response

     Many people enjoy looking presentable and showing off their new things to their friends. Many people also enjoy being recognized by others in a positive way. Reading, "Please Don't Take My Air Jordans," by Reg E. Gaines, made me realize that people are becoming very materialistic nowadays with their clothing items and they only care about themselves because of the expectations that society has. Societies expectations have taken it to the point where all people care about is their looks and how they present themselves.


     In the poem, the first stanza consist of the brands the speaker owns. All the speaker cares about is how he looks. "My air jordans cost a hundred with tax / My suede starters jacket says raiders on the back /  I'm stylin... smilin... lookin real mean cuz / it ain't about being heard just bein seen". This shows that the speaker only cares about his appearance and what he has that makes him look good. He only cares about name brands and the opinion of others. Basically, the speakers main focus is to look good and maybe even better than others.

     The speaker only cares about other peoples opinions versus what he really should be focusing on. He, the speaker, is willing to steal clothes because his 'gear' isn't up to par like his friends. "But I really must get some new gear soon / or my ego will pop like a ten cent balloon / but security's tight at all the shops / everyday theres more and more cops / my crews laughin at me cuz I'm wearing old gear / school's almost over summer is near / and I'm sportin torn jordans and need somethin new / theres only one thing left to do" All the speaker was worried about is what makes him look good considering he is willing to steal clothes to get what he wants. He doesn't have to do things like this but his peers expect him to wear nice clothes and be up to the standards.

     Materialism has been taken to a whole other level because after the speaker had shot his victim, the victim wasn't worried about saving his own life. That wasn't his first thought to mind like it should've been. "Took off fast but didn't get far / I fired (POW) he fell between two parked cars / he was coughing/crying/blood dripped on the street / and I snatched them air jordans off his feet / while layin there dyin all he could say was / please... don't take my air jordans away... you think he'd be worried about stayin alive / so I took off with the jordans there were tears in his eyes." This clearly shows that people one, only care about themselves(the speaker) and two, safety isn't something that comes to mind. The victim wasn't really concerned with his life, just his expensive sneakers.

    After reading this poem, I realized that Jordan's symbolize value. To a lot of people it makes them feel and look good that you attract others. All people care about is the clothes that they have and what makes them look better than the next person. It's not always right, the way they go about this process of being better than others, but they don't care. Society has played an even bigger role in this. Nowadays, the expectations that society carries are to look presentable and have expensive clothes. But you don't have to have expensive clothes to look good all the time. It's not impossible to look good without a pair of stolen Jordans and a fake Gucci backpack. 

Poem Assignment : Prompt #3

This poem is based on the picture below : 

Troubled

I've been practicing this one song 

But I've never been able to get it right

It's been three years since my wife left me 

And I've been failing at life 

I let the beats flow as I play the piano

My cousin does the same when playing the banjo 

But it seems to me the rhythms not right 

Or my hands too big and my minds too tight

And I'm so fed up with my unfair life

A college dropout, that's what I am

One thing I'll never be is a rhythm less man

Independent Reading Response - Flawless by Sara Shepard

     Recently, I began reading Flawless, A Pretty Little Liars Novel by Sara Shepard. These four girls, Spencer, Aria, Hanna and Emily used to be the best of friends, but recently they've grown distant. They barely talk anymore and they've been keeping secrets from each other. They've been hanging out with different crowds and forgetting all about each other.  Their best friend Alison has mysteriously gone missing and reported dead. And lately these four girls have been receiving weird text messages signed, "-A". Which makes me think that friendship is really important in this text because these girls need to stick together. This book reveals the fact that friendship is stronger than you think.

     In the first Pretty Little Liars book, the four girls were still hanging out and receiving these messages, but after awhile, they had assumed that '-A' was gone. They were wrong. In the first chapter it states how they haven't really hung out in three years after Alison died, but today they consider each other ex-bestfriends. As they were all sitting around on the grass they had all gotten a text from '-A' at the same time referring to all of them. They questioned each other about it and what they each thought the message meant but this was one of the last times they'd be seen all together. They began to keep in contact but not as much as they should have. Which gave '-A' a reason to mess with all of them individually.

     The first to be messed with was Spencer who kept a secret of a little encounter she had with Toby. Keeping this secret would prevent the others from being hurt according to '-A'. But if these girls keep keeping secrets, eventually someones going to get hurt and if they become even more distant the truth is going to hurt them. For example, '-A' knows more about Hanna and Aria than they do themselves. During a chapter in the book, Aria's boyfriend, Noel believes that Aria doesn't like him and wants to be with Sean, Hanna's ex boyfriend. Noel had to ask Hanna if they were still going out anymore for Aria to know the truth. '-A' already knew, which means '-A' is someone close to them or at least not to far. Which caused '-A' to leave a sticky note visible for Aria that said,

 "P.S. Wondering who I am, aren't you? I'm closer than you think. -A"

     Emily has been very distant herself. She now secretly likes girls and somehow,' -A' knows. He or she sent Emily a picture of her and Maya, a girl who likes Emily, and they were kissing in a photo booth. '-A' even sent a message to Emily that reads,

  "Em! Still enjoying the same kinds of *activities* with your best friends, I see. Even though most of us have totally changed, it's nice to know you're still the same! Gonna tell everyone about your new love? Or shall I? -A"
   
      This '-A' character is taunting these girls in several ways and I think that it's best that these girls start talking to each other before they advance themselves in certain activities, because it seems that '-A' is always watching and they are aware but they don't act like it. They may not want to claim each other as best friends anymore but they share so many secrets and they know too much about each other not to be. Even if they want nothing to do with each other, this '-A' person is going to find away to torture them even more than they have already.