Analysis of Introduction of Remix

1. The chapter in the book, "Remix" by Catherine G. Laterell, Identity Introduction poses an interesting question in the title "who do you think you are?" I think that this directly relates to George Watsky's slam poem as he explains the difficulties and experiences he encounters as a 15 year old boy. Not only can others like George possibly relate to his experiences, but can also see this as a search for their own identity.  Although his performance is humorous and entertaining, the message behind his work of poetry is that we all have our own unique identities in which we may not have discovered yet or are in the process of developing. Overall, I think both literary works are attempting to encourage their viewers to express their true identities.

Flarf Poetry

A sample of Flarf Poetry from Katie Degentesh's:

The Anger Scale

Cows are incredibly placid, sedentary animals when on the ice

but really they are gay nymphomaniacs

so big and bright that I will need to carve them

a juicy new watermelon.

They also dig pretend burrows

when a human doesn’t listen to what they are saying.

The fact remains that no cow has ever been proven to be a ghost or a spirit.

Things are good, good is sweet, and gnarly has

the musty reek that reminds me of the cow fetuses

I had to dissect a couple of months ago

            This poem is a perfect example of the 'nonsense' and 'distorted' use of words that makes up flarf poems. Firstly, it is ridiculously silly and not to mention contradictory to claim that a cow is placid and gentle in one breathe yet a gay and crazy sex maniac in another. Next, this poem comically yet falsely suggests that cows have a conscience and show emotion as they dig holes when humans don't listen to them. I wish I could dig a hole and bury myself when nobody listens to me! Then it continues babbling about sweet, good, pleasant thoughts when BAM, it shifts focus on a rather disgusting image of fetuses being dissected, at which point I lost my appetite! Obviously, Katie Degentesh is successful in accomplishing flarf poetry, as the few samples I glanced over are the most far-fetched and ridiculous pieces of literary works I've ever read!

Slam Poetry

A sample of Slam Poetry by George Watsky:

Go Big, Young Friends

This is an entertaining and powerful piece of slam poetry. The message is clear - DO NOT BE AFFRAID TO TAKE A CHANCE IN LIFE. It starts off illustrating this image of a weak, scared little boy with little confidence who is fearful of expressing himself and fulfilling his dreams. Then he gets all revved up and out of disgust and humiliation, he delivers this heated message of how he refuses to be fearful anymore, is not worried about what people think, and believes one should stand up and face their fears. The way in which he elevates his voice along with his body language enables this young man to deliver the most convincing, motivating, goose-bump speech ever!! I felt like running a marathon after, which is something I fear not being able to successfully complete.

Why has Pluto Been Demoted?

Scientists have declared that Pluto is one of the most interesting planets in the solar system due to its mass and round shape and orbit that is very elliptical in comparison to all the other planets, however why has it been demoted? Because a resolution in the IAU defines a planet as “an object in space that orbits the sun and all other objects orbiting the sun are dwarf planets” and another resolution names Pluto a dwarf planet, it has been in fact demoted. Pluto is exceptionally far from the sun compared to all other planets but satellites have been sent out to confirm that Pluto is indeed a planet.

Who is Neil deGrasse Tyson?

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist who made the News nationally for his accusations that Pluto was not a planet. He is currently the Director of the Hayden Planetarium where it was first discovered that Pluto was not hanging up with the rest of the solar system. People were outraged and letters upon letters were sent to Neil regarding the concerns of the planet, Pluto. As a result, he did much research as to if it should be considered a planet or not, including his visit to Disney world to see “Pluto” as well as traveling to the hometown of the discoverer of the planet, Clyde Tombaugh and speaking with his family and town members. After all of Neil’s research, he declared that Pluto is indeed a planet. 

Gaiman's Babycakes

Gaiman’s “Babycakes” portrays a totally disturbing, nonchalant attitude towards experimental testing on babies. That is, all the animals were gone so babies were used for experiments, clothing articles and many other things just because they are the next most helpless and vulnerable in society. Gaiman made the people in the comic sound like it was no big deal and what else can they do, which is a direct correlation of how some people treat animals and how the majority of us see no harm or do nothing to stop it. So what happens when all the animals are gone? How will people react then and whats the next hopeless thing they will use for experiments? The effect of this comic is extremely true and accurate of how many humans don’t see the feelings and emotions of the more helpless creatures in our world and don’t value the lives of others. 

Maus an anti-superhero

Maus is clearly not a superhero comic book as no one came to the rescue of the many innocent lives that were lost and it ended in great depression. That is, this is not a typical children’s comic book filled with laughter and the superhero defeating the evil villain. Moreover, in the Holocaust, 6 million people died and many places in Europe were in complete turmoil post WWII. There were no good intentions of the Nazi’s and as a result, the ending was terrible and tragic. 

Maus and Comic Code Violations

I believe that the comic book, Maus, violates at least one of the Comic Magazine Association of America: Comics Code published in 1954. That is, number 7 in the General Standards Part A states that “Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gun play, physical agony, gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.” However, there are various forms of what anyone would consider harmful acts through the entire comic book. Spiegelman deems it to seem like a child appropriate story even though it is just the opposite.  For instance, it is a clear depiction of how European towns were raided during the Holocaust, beginning with Poland and violence increased with any lack of cooperation by the Jewish people. In this case, the author coded the cats were attacking the mice which is clearly interpreted as the Nazi’s attacking the helpless Jews. Overall, this code was severely violated over and over throughout the entire comic. 

Analysis of Louis Carroll's Poem "Jabberwocky"

Q: Describe how the content OBSTRUCTS your understanding of the poem?

Jabberwocky  By: Louis Carroll

The" nonsense" style form of writing is a clever poetic tool in which readers can really enjoy however the content can be difficult to grasp and therefore obstruct the audiences understanding of the poem. That is, although the poem is fun, light- hearted and entertaining with the use of play-on, nonsense words, Carroll leaves too much to the imagination, creating a sense of frustration or perhaps confusion as to what the underlying meaning of the literary work or content means. Based on the "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" story, the fantastical theme and content in which Alice finds herself in a room with fun house mirrors or "looking glass" reads the strange unfamiliar word Jabberwocky. In deed the poem has been deemed difficult to understand by some as its not precise in its meaning nor does Alice even seem clear. In addition, the poem leaves the reader with much to interpret on their own yet grasps the imagination of adults as much as well as children. Next, while the syntax, such as the quatrain versus and use of abab rhythmic schemes as well as iambic meters allow the poem to flow and be whimsical or playful, it is questionable as to whether or not it helps the reader understand the content. Furthermore, this pattern of poetic writing allows the audience to infer to many meanings while engaging in the nonsense. Lastly, although Carroll cleverly uses many exclamation marks at the end of stanza's in order to emphasize a point as well as capture the reader's attention and more importantly attempt to maintain it throughout the entire poem, its' content or words do not seem to make much sense nor be logical. Finally, Jabberwocky is a surreal literary piece and the poet's distortion of words allow readers of all ages to delve into a fantasy-like world of many unknowns and questions much like this poem's contents reveals.

Analysis of E.E Cummings Poems: "Buffalo Bill" and "A Leaf Falls"

 Q: Describe how their FORM relates to their CONTENT?

Buffalo Bills  By: E.E. Cummings

The "Self-Portrait" is a clever attempt at illustrating a well-known cowboy's ability to shoot, while mocking his inevitable death. The free verse poetic form utilized by the poet can lead to many different interpretations. Firstly, certain key words, like "defunct" stand alone on the page for emphasis allowing  the reader to pause and think about their meaning as well as the relation to the content of the poem.  For example, defunct means "to stop working" or "broken" yet here, the poet is sarcastically referring to the so-called celebrity cowboy "Buffalo Bill" as being defunct. Subsequently, the author combines words together to perhaps slow the reader down therefore forcing one to gain a greater insight as to what the underlying message is. In the line "onetwothrefour...." is not difficult to read unless it's read slowly, it allows the person to question what is meant by this improper way of spelling and utilizing of words. Maybe it helps reiterate the poet's "scattered" thoughts or emotions regarding the old cowboy. Next,  many will argue that the form of the poem and the way in which E.E. Cummings has laid it out on paper resembles two separate pistols when the page is cut in half. If that is the case, it clearly connects to the content of a cowboy and his endless killings. Finally, the way in which Cummings utilizes irony in that on the one hand Buffalo Bill is portrayed as a clever, handsome man (perhaps like Jesus) and very skilled at hunting yet mocks his death.

A Leaf Falls  By: E.E. Cummings

 This short yet effective haiku-like poem has been described by many literary scholars as one of the most beautiful poetic constructs that Cummings has ever written. Despite the poem consisting of four simple words, its meaning can be bountiful.  The format Cummings uses to describe a falling leaf is clever as the letters indicate a "falling" style or dribble down the page. That is, a few letters piled on top of one another in the same manner leaves fall off a tree. Next, the word "loneliness" can be interpreted by many readers as the feeling a leaf encounters when it loses its "place in the tree." For example, once a leaf has fallen to the ground it is alone and in some ways- having to fend for itself. This thought or emotion correlates with the form and style Cummings utilizes in the short poem. For instance, the grammatically incorrect way in which he separates words and syllables as well as the look of the falling letters makes the read perhaps feel alone and having to fend for themselves as to what the author is trying to reveal. In addition, having stated the poem with one letter "I" reiterates the oneness or loneliness of the single letter in the opening sentence of a well respected piece of literary work. Finally, this poem forces the reader to stop and think about each line and letters within to verify it underlying meanings.