Expectations and Questions for Assignment one emailed.
Rought Draft: http://archive.cunyhumanitiesalliance.org/breathingthroughwriting/2017/03/19/rough-draft-for-assignment-1/
Artist Statement Prompt
My audience are my fellow classmates and professor. But I don’t want my essay to just be for those academically adept. I want my teenage brother or mom to be able to read this and understand what I am trying to say.
I want to them to learn the story being told by the man in the #DearMum video, about how his mother sacrificed and loved him and how be he felt about his actions towards her. Some people watch this video and can completely miss the message, I want them to really comprehend what the speaker is saying. Alot of people can relate to this as they themselves have relationships with their mothers like this. Perhaps this essay can even motivate some people to watch the full video, and it may even get some people to give their own mother a call and tell her how much they love them .
I think they will be able to learn the the underlying sorrowful story told in the spoken word poem. That is why I tried keeping the fluff minimal and keeping to the point and adding supporting evidences to back up my main points. They will also learn to appreciate their own mother. They can also learn that sometimes, we may all share similar experiences.
I delved more into what story the speaker was trying to tell rather than just what he was actually saying. I elaborated of the facial expression and voice tone the speaker used to take the poem further. This perspective will make this spoken word poem much more impactful once people read my take on it. I also added some personal experiences about me and my mother, we are very close.
I learned the value of analyzing the full atmosphere and meaning of an art before drawing conclusions about it. I also learned that when watching a person perform, look at the background, hear the voice, the face of the performer, absorb the performance with all the senses before analyzing it.
I did not learn any deeper more philosophical meaning through this poem, it had a very specific topic.
I would like to learn how to analyze a piece of art even deeper. I want to learn how to utilize my critical thinking and analytical skills to think outside the box. I want to be able learn to take one sentence in a text and be able to write a whole paper on it. I also want to learn how to write my own poetry one day. I want to challenge myself as much as possible, is a good way.
My peers definitely helped me especially in class discussions and peer reviews. They helped me get the thinking juices flowing and helped me think more deeply about the poem.
I like poetry and I think it expresses people’s emotions in a beautiful way. I used to think poetry about love is for those romantically in love, I never thought you could make a poem about your mom.
If I had another week to work on this project, I would definitely try and add more personal experiences, as my mom is my best friend. I would also try to elaborate on how this poem may even be a prayer.
The last thing I want to tell my audience before you dive into my project is keep your mind open and think of your mom while reading this poem. I tried my best in the time I had. I truly hope you try and think deeper from now on when you read poems. I truly hope you enjoy 🙂
The Toll of a Mother
Many people love their mother and will express their love to her anytime and in any way, possible. As the case with the spoken word poem, #Dear Mum posted on the YouTube channel Talk Islam. It is a beautiful poem told by a man to his mother describing how much she means to him. The meaning of the poem is amplified with lovely music playing in the background, and visual edits are added to enhance the emphasis on the lines being spoken. All in all, this video is bound to bring tears to your eyes. However, this poem is not just a man talking to his mother, rather it is a story, being told to us, the audience, with underlying themes such as unconditional love, sacrifice, and guilt.
One of the most evident themes in the poem is unconditional love from the mother towards her son. In the poem, it is explained that the mother was in pain for nine months but dealt with it until he was born and showered him with love ever since. The speaker puts it, like love at first sight. When he was a young boy, she was at his beck and call, even when he couldn’t sleep, she was there to put him to sleep. Even when her son was grown and capable of going out at night by himself, she still cared for his well-being. Her son wouldn’t care if he called her or not when he was out, yet she would send him messages asking for him to confirm he was safe. Her son disappointed her, but she still cared for his safety and would not be able to sleep until she knew he was safe. Not only that but, she would care for him when he was sick and when he needed her. She would be there for him. The speaker related, “you did it all for me and not ever once asked for a reward.” The mother did express unconditional love towards her son.
Another theme that is clear in this spoken word poem is sacrifice, on the mother’s part for her son. The mother readily her sacrificed herself physically for her son. She would give up her slippers to keep her son’s toes warm. The mother would wake up early to hang her family’s clothes. She would even sacrifice her sleep if she did not know her son was safe. One of the biggest sacrifices is said here “when you became my mother made the trip to move away from yours, I know how much you love her and miss her, and I know that cuts too deep like a sword.” It was an enormous toll paid on her part for the sake of her children. The mother had put her relationship with her own mother on the back-burner to properly care for her children; this was a large toll paid on her part for the sake of her children. I can relate to this too, becuase when I was young, my mother lost her own mother in an accident, and although it hurt her deeply, I never once saw her cry in front of me or my siblings. My mother is the strongest person I know. Some Mothers, like the one mentioned in the poem are ready to sacrifice their time, health, sleep and personal relationships for their children.
It is also evident throughout the poem that the son feels immense guilt and shame regarding the actions he had shown towards his mother in the past. The speaker apologizes constantly throughout the poem for his actions. He apologizes “I’m sorry for the pain that is caused by the nights you didn’t sleep and for all those missed calls for the fights we had” He says sorry for the times he complained when she asked for help with the chores. He feels immense shame even over the little things as he even apologizes for his messy room and scattered clothes that should have been in his drawers. Most of all the speaker apologizes for what he couldn’t be for his mother; he apologizes for the promises he didn’t fulfill, the cars he didn’t get her, the countries he didn’t send her to. The speaker’s voice gets soft, almost as if he’s choked up while expressing his regret. It is almost as if he wants to turn back time to do all these things for his mother. We find out at the end of the poem that the speaker’s mother is deceased; this must add even more shame on the speaker. Also, towards the end he says he will pray that Allah has mercy on his mother, so he can see her in paradise too, and at the very end he says “amen”. This leads me to believe that this poem perhaps was even a prayer for his mother and a plea towards Allah to forgive him. One can tell the speaker expresses shame and guilt towards himself for treating his mother the way he did.
As shown in this spoken word poem, the poem is not just a man speaking to his mother, rather it is a story, being told to us, the audience, with underlying themes such as unconditional love, sacrifice, and guilt. There are various lines spoken and expressed throughout the video that accurately portray the unconditional love and sacrifice shown by the mother towards the son, and the immense guilt and shame shown by the son in response to his actions. It may even have been a prayer for his mother. We can relate to the speaker regardless if we have lost a parent or not, as we have all at one point lost someone in our life and wished we could have done something different. The story that was told to us is something all people from different walks of life can relate to.