Category: Senior Literary

The poem I am reviewing is I, Too Am America by Langston Hughes. I remember the first time I was introduced to this poem. I was about twelve years old, in the sixth grade, at Davis Elementary School in Greenwood, Mississippi. We were asked to research, memorize, and perform a poem for the Black History Program. This was the piece I decided to perform.

I, Too

By Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

This poem resonates with me soul-y because of the content. I am a black male in the United States of America. It is pretty difficult living being a black male in this day and age. His first line, “I too, sing America,” reminds me of the Star Spangled Banner. (I am pretty sure this is not what he meant, but it is where my mind went.) There have been a lot of white people to sing the Start Spangled Banner, but there have been even more black people to sing it. In reality, the black people who sung it, have gone down in history for being the best to ever do it.  The two that instantly come to mind are Whitney Houston and Marvin Gaye. According to the world, Whitney sang it perfectly and Marvin’s rendition was very creative.

The next part, “I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes, but I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong.” The fact that he had to state the obvious, which was that he’s the “darker brother”, says a lot. It is obvious. Him saying it leads to him basically saying that having darker brothers around is embarrassing, which is why the darker brothers are sent to the kitchen to eat. I love how he turns into something positive though. Laughter is great for the soul. Good southern cooking is also great for growing healthy and strong, mentally and physically.

The next stanza says, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table, when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then.” This simply gives me hope that with social work, determination, consistence, and time, some people won’t even have the opportunity to tell us (the darker brothers) where we can and cannot sit or eat.

“Besides, they’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed – I, too, am America.”

This does nothing but make my melanin smile. They’ll see that the darker brother is also the talented and intelligent brother. By that point, they’ll realize that they have missed out on a lot of experience.

The one thing that I appreciate the most is that his words have stood the test of time. They were relevant in his time period, and they still are in 2019.

Recently, I went back to one of my childhood games, somethingI had spent much time dreaming and writing fan fiction about during middle school-chub Penguin! Club penguin is an online multiplayer game in which you portray your own, customizable penguin. The game has mini games within itself (in which you can earn coins to trade in for other goods in the game), music, as well as missions you can complete. SO, without further ado, lets take a look at Club Penguin.

Graphics

4/10

The graphics aren’t overly amazing, and then to be a bit pixelated at times, but considering this game was originally made in the earlier 2000’s, I’d consider it pretty good! It has a nostalgic feel for me, especially. surprisingly, the mini games have to most detailed illustration and backgrounds.

customizable’s

10/10

In Club Penguin, there are a variety of colors and accessories to give your penguin. The catalouge for clothing changes each month, with specila event items being added. As a teenager, I can appreciate the hard work and dedication that went into designing all these items. As a kid, I think its the coolest thing ever, and want every single clothing item ever.

Music

7/10

The music in this game, I’ve noticed, tends to be a loop of about 30-second pieces. The music is not overly simple, and not overly complicated. it all seems to fit it’s designated location/game/event perfectly.

Story

5/10

While there is not one specific  storyline to Club Penguin, there are many branches of stories you can have your penguin explore. One of these is the EPF (Elite Penguin Force) in which you complete a series of quests to help other penguins, and defeat the evil villain Herbert P. Bear. The dialogue is easy enough for a child to follow, and fun for all ages.

The world of Club Penguin also has a newspaper that is updated frequently. This can help improve reading skills,as well as keep the player up to date.

My personal favorite story-realted event in Club Penguin was found in the Theater. CLub penguin has a variety of plays players are able to perform. There area a variety of scripts. Though most of htme do not carrya strong plot line, they are humerous, and make refrences to a variety of time periods and genres. For example, Space Adventure Planet Y is a futuristic sci-fi, while The Twelfth Fish is a pun-filled Shakespearian focused play.

Overall, I would give Club Penguin a 7/10. Club Penguin was a major part of my life growing up, and I do believe it helped develop my love for music, fashion, and general socialization. Though the official Club Penguin closed down years ago, I can still see all the effort being put in to the new fan-made remake of the game. While writing this blog, I found out a lot about what went into the production of this game, and I  have to say that it is amazing. The Club Penguin team put in years of dedication to make their dream om etrue, and that in itself should be applauded.

Here lately I’ve been really inspired by the work of Lana Del Rey. I know, I know, I’m a tad bit late, but I will say that her lyrics and writing have really influenced some of my own writing in the past month or so. I found it only fitting that I review one of her monologues (which happens to be my favorite) as a thank you for the inspiration she has granted me.

Also, I highly suggest that if you’re reading this that you also go listen to her read it because it honestly makes it so much more magical.

My words and thoughts will be in red:)

Ride Monologue- Lana Del Rey

I was in the winter of my life

Usually, when someone says that they are in the winter of their life, that means that they are going through a tough time or a rough patch. 
And the men I met along the road were my only summer

Meaning, the men she met were the only ones that made her truly happy.
At night I fell asleep with visions of myself dancing and laughing and crying with them

She wishes to be with them (be happy) all the time.
Three years down the line of being on an endless world tour and my memories of them were the only things that sustained me

These two lines remind me a lot of how I get when I’m in a situation that I don’t like. I tend to imagine situations that make me happy to get myself away from the discomfort. These two lines truly resonated with me.
And my only real happy times

Clarification:)

I was a singer
Not a very popular one
I once had dreams of becoming a beautiful poet

These three lines always seem to make me smile because it really shows how us as artists tend to think that we are less than we are. Most people know who Lana Del Rey is, and I’d say she is fairly popular. Personally, I also believe that her poetry is beautiful. It’s just so interesting to see just how critical we can be to ourselves as artists.
But upon an unfortunate series of events saw those dreams dashed and divided like a million stars in the night sky

I love the metaphorical sense that this gave off. 
That I wished on over and over again, sparkling and broken

I also love the use of repetition here that creates emphasis. 
But I didn’t really mind because I knew that it takes getting everything you ever wanted and then losing it to know what true freedom is

This is honestly such a good life lesson in general. I really appreciate the fact that she put this in the monologue because she does have a generally younger audience (people ranging from teenagers to young adults.) This could honestly be the right advise at the right time for someone.

When the people I used to know found out what I had been doing how I had been living, they asked me why, but there’s no use in talking to people who have a home
They have no idea what its like to seek safety in other people
For home to be wherever you lie your head

This is my favorite stanza in this entire monologue because I never thought of home being “wherever you lie your head.” I love what she did with this stanza, and the way she expressed the way she views this certain thing is honestly beautiful.

I was always an unusual girl

I remember reading this line for the first time and saying to myself, “same.”
My mother told me that I had a chameleon soul

I appreciated the fact that she made it even more personal by including her mother.
No moral compass pointing due north
No fixed personality

Love the repetition.
Just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean
And if I said I didn’t plan for it to turn out this way I’d be lying

This entire stanza is the perfect example of a Gemini. (I just looked it up, and indeed, Lana is a Gemini.)

Because I was born to be the other woman

This line really hit me hard because of how much it holds even though it is just a few words.
Who belonged to no one
Who belonged to everyone
Who had nothing
Who wanted everything

This also had the same affect on me as the line before. Just absolutely beautiful.
With a fire for every experience and an obsession for freedom that terrified me to the point that I couldn’t even talk about it
And pushed me to a nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me

I almost feel like this isn’t finished. But, then again she could have intended it to be that way.

Overall, this monologue is very raw and real. I really enjoyed how I could get a clear cut picture of how she is feeling throughout the piece. The song that follows after this is beautiful as well, and gives more clarity on why Lana is how she is. I could really see into her mind in this piece, and I greatly appreciate that because it takes a lot to be vulnerable and put your emotions out for the entire world to see. 

Little King John: The Flood, is a 12 episode YouTube series created by Ratboy Genius. The show is tied in with two other series by the creator- Ratboy Genius Dreams Minecraft and Starship Genius.

The series follows king John, who’s kingdom has been obliterated by a great flood. He is alone on his yacht, until stumbling upon a sole survivor on a small patch of land. King John takes in the survivor, known as “Sneezy.” Together, the two rebuild his kingdom on a new land, making new friends along the way.

ANIMATION

The animation of the series is, admittedly, not that great. However, the animation does not take away anything from this series. I fully believe one can enjoy all the episodes without caring that this was made in Minecraft. At times, King John stretches considerably far lengths. It is unnatural, and yet it is somehow intense. It adds to the scene, rather than being unnatural to the point it takes away.

(1/5)

VOICE ACTING

Something that’s interesting about Little King John, The Flood, is that there are no human voice actors. The voices are all robotic. While each voice is different and unique to each character, there are times this doesn’t work well. For example, In a song where King John and Sneezy confront each other via song, their voices have trouble blending, and don’t harmonize well. In other instances, a voice may be hard to understand and require subtitles. I don’t hold this against the creator though, as I know these types of things take lots of time, and budget may be an issue.

(1/5)

MUSIC

This specific series has a small intro to each episode. The short clip of music is incredibly catchy, and can vary in intensity depending on the mood of the episode. I can genuinely say no other series has made me cry based on a 10 second clip of music having more brass sounds than the episode before. There aren’t a ton of songs in the actual show, but the ones that are fit well in context. In one episode,  King John has a nightmare of his past regrets. The eeriness of the song gives off a fast paced, scary tone. In another episode, they introduce a character via song.

While Little King John, The Flood is not a musical, it’s musical aspects help add interesting effects to the series as a whole.

(3/5)

STORY

Upon first viewing, the watcher may judge this series. one may think it wouldn’t have the potential to have a good, complex story line. However, it still has all the elements needed for a good story. characters, plot, conflict, etc…

While King John had the right amount of motives and character development, there are just a couple of issues. I do feel as though the series was ended rather abruptly, and some things left unanswered. Some characters are left without much development or solving the issue at hand. my biggest concern came around the last few episodes, in which Sneezy reveals he is not who King John thought him to be, and the Caterpillar Minister left us with a puzzling question about King John’s true abilities.

(4/5)

Overall, I would give Little King John: The Flood a 3 out of 5. I grew quite attached to all the characters, and the series has become near and dear to my heart. I would recommend giving it a watch!

Have you seen Little King John: The Flood? If so, let me know what you think!

Jesus of Suburbia is a song I have listened to repetitively since about the seventh grade. I can sing every word, I know it forwards and backwards, but the symbolism in every line never seizes to amaze me.

The first line dives right into the heart of the story, “I’m the son of rage and love, the Jesus of suburbia.” I always loved this beginning. It’s a hook line that wraps you into the song. it progresses to talk about he is”the bible of none of the above on a steady diet of soda pop and Ritalin.” This line delves into the personality of the character from which he is writing.

In the music video, the main character is a punk, which fits perfectly to what the lyrics explain who he is. The character is supposed to show the face of teenage culture at the time. It was released in 2005, a time where pop and punk where the for runners of fame. This character is convinced he is fine, and that everyone else just doesn’t understand him. I picked this up from the lines, “and there is nothing wrong with me, this is how I’m supposed to be, in a land of make believe that don’t believe in me.”

This song is nearly ten minutes long, and is basically a collection of different songs that fit just right together. After the first “song,” if I may, the tune slows down to a more serious tone. some of my favorite lyrics are in this verse.

It begins with the line, “at the center of the earth in the parking lot of the 7-11 where I was taught, the motto was just a lie.” I love this line so much. it is saying that the main characters whole world is small town America. The center of the earth to him is this gas station where everyone goes to hang out. The song moves on to say, “it says home is where your heart is, but what a shame, because everyone’s heart doesn’t beat the same.” This line does really give meaning to the character’s emotion, but if I am honest, I just really adore that line and wanted to include it.

“I read the graffiti in the bathroom stall like the holy scripture of the shopping mall.” this just shows more of how stuck in this little place he is. This life, in other words, has become a religion. And, symbolically, he is the Jesus of suburbia.

He is a run of the mill punk. This is showing how some people in this time (and honestly now) truly felt at this young point. There is a line that really shows the attitude of the character, and it is repeated several times in a row, “I don’t care if you don’t- I don’t care if you don’t care”

Eventually, the character becomes fed up with the people he is surrounded by:

“Everyone’s so full of it
Born and raised by hypocrites
Hearts recycled but never saved
From the cradle to the grave
We are the kids of war and peace
From Anaheim to the Middle East
We are the stories and disciples of
The Jesus of suburbia.”

These are amazing, to the point ways to show the attitude of teenagers at this point in time, especially punks in a suburban area. The song ends as the character is leaving his home. He is done with all the people  in his little town, and he wants to be free.

This was a really popular song at one point, and basically became an anthem for all the kids who felt this way. Though the character is a stereotype, the symbolism and poetic verses make this song beautiful