ARTIST STATEMENT

As soon as we got assigned this assignment, I knew that I wanted to do something different. I always did an essay for this class so this time, I want to step out of my comfort zone so I decided to do a comic. At first, I was contemplating between a poem and a comic but I leaned more towards the comic because I was having difficulties putting my thoughts together for the poem. My audience for this project are people who like reading comics. Before diving into my work, they should know that I worked really hard on this comic and I know I can’t draw but I tried my best.I want my audience to learn how important it is to stay true to yourself. It’s okay to be different and you should never feel the need to be like anybody else. It’s hard to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to change you.

Yes, I think my audience will be able to learn because that’s the whole message I’m trying to portray in my comic. It’s okay to be different, it’s okay to stand out, it’s okay to NOT be like everybody else.I know this will emotionally impact my audience because this is something everyone can connect to. It is a problem in today’s society because most people feel pressured to fit in. They feel like they HAVE to be like other people or else they feel like an outcast.

The panels when Kamala said “being someone else is exhausting -I always thought that if I had amazing hair, if I could pull off great boots, if I could fly–that would make me feel strong. That I would feel happy, ” inspired me to create this comic. I wanted my readers to understand that you shouldn’t try to be anything one else, STAY TRUE TO WHO YOU ARE. I learned that I need time to organize my thoughts. I can’t just jump into an assignment and I don’t think anyone should. I took a while to process my thoughts and to put it down on paper.

When reading Ms. Marvel you have to really pay attention to the drawings.  Sometimes the drawing will tell you something that you wouldn’t know if you only read the words. This perspective has great value because taking your time to analyze the drawings can give impact the way you understand the comic. Through this project, I got the chance to learn about myself as a writer. I now know that I need time to organize my thoughts and I shouldn’t just jump into an assignment. I also learned that a lot of time. You must know how to

I would like to learn how to DRAW! I actually suck at drawing so I would like a learn how to draw a few little things so I won’t have to struggle the next time I decide to make a comic.My peers and the class discussion helped me tremendously during this assignment. I love the fact that we would discuss the comic in class because it gave me a better understanding of it. My peers always help me to organize my thoughts when creating my own comic. They told me to focus on a theme and just stick to that.If I had another week with this project, I would do my comic all over. I wouldn’t change the dialogue, I would just put more time into my drawings.

 

SO WHAT IF I’M DIFFERENT?

I decided to make this comic, even though the characters don’t relate to Ms. Marvel. The message I am trying to portray is that everyone is different and you should never feel the need to fit in. In the comic Ms. Marvel, Kamala felt out of place. Therefore, she tries to grasp idea of an “ideal American Superhero”. After a while, Kamala realizes she doesn’t have to fit into this ideal image and it influenced her to express her Pakistani-American identity through her costume. She doesn’t fit the ideal superhero image because she’s nerdy, awkward, Muslim and let’s not forget she’s a FEMALE. If you read the comic, you would understand how bad Kamala wanted to fit in but had a hard time.  In her eyes, everyone else is normal and she’s not.  In the scene with Kamala standing with her fists filled with power, she started to question who she really was. “Who am I?” she asked herself. I think this is when she really started to develop her confidence. This relates to my puzzle because the puzzle piece felt left out because he didn’t fit in. He wasn’t from the same family as the other pieces. He then later realizes that it’s okay to be different with the help of his friend Boxie. Boxie was also afraid he wouldn’t fit in so he kept himself locked inside a box for years. At the end, they both realized how important it was to be yourself and Boxie finally came out his box.

Kamala says,

Being someone else isn’t liberating. It’s exhausting.

I always thought that if I had amazing hair, if I could pull off great boots, if I could fly—that would make me happy.  But the hair gets in my face, the boots pinch … and the leotard is giving me an epic wedgie.

Basically, Kamala is saying that this ideal superhero image doesn’t fit. She thought it would make her happy but that’s like pretending to be someone else and that’s exhausting.

To conclude, you should never feel the need to fit in. It’s really hard to be yourself in a world that’s constantly trying to change you. I expressed that in my comic which is influencing my audience to stay true to themselves. Kamala also shows this in the comic Ms.Marvel.

1.What did you learn in class on Monday that impacted how you approach reading comics and/or understanding Ms. Marvel?

I learned that a lot of hard work goes into comics. Hours and hours of hard work goes into these comics and the artist also has to do a lot of thinking. This impacted my approach because now when I see a comic, I take my time to analyze it.Not just the words, but the drawings themselves. I learned that sometimes, the drawing reveal things that you wouldn’t know by just reading the words.

2.. Did it impact your choice of format for this assignment? What format are you thinking of using?

I think I want to do a poem or a drawing for this assignment. I have it in mind but I don’t know how to take that approach. Sometimes a drawing tells a deeper story than words and you don’t always need a long essay to explain something.

3. What is unique about this format that will allow you to learn more about the comic than what is expressed on the surface?

I think if I choose to do a poem, my readers will connect to it more because of the figurative language I’ll incorporate. This will give my readers a deeper understanding of the comic.

4. What questions or concerns or excitements do you have about creating a project in this format?

I’m actually excited about doing this format and I really hope I don’t change it. I’ve always liked doing poems and I think this will give me a chance to step outside my comfort zone.

5.What is Ms. Marvel teaching you about writing so far?

So far, Ms.Marvel thought me that you don’t need long essays to get your point across to the readers. Writing doesn’t need to be complicated with a bunch of fancy words to give a message! It could be as simple as you want it to be….(reasons I want to do a poem or drawing ?.)

What grade you are aiming for; what specific things, according to the grading contract, you are going to do to earn that grade; how much time you are expecting to put in; what kind of effort you expect to put into your peer reviews; what kind of help you expect from me; what format you are thinking about creating your assignment in; what questions or insights reading Ms. Marvel has inspired for you so far.

For this assignment #3, I am aiming for at least a B+. Reading this was a little hard for me since I was already behind from the jump, so I think I’ll need to put in a little more time and effort into this assignment. According to the grading contract, I will need to turn in my assignments on time. I am willing to put in all the time and effort needed to get a good grade on this assignment. I am also willing to take my time to review my partners work and give him/her good advice that will better develop their essay. I actually don’t think I want to do an essay format this time. I want to do something different. I expect that you’ll help guide me into the right direction for this assignment and I was also hoping that you’d give me some ideas on what to do for this assignment since I don’t want to do an essay. I want to focus on the struggles and pressures of fitting in while trying to maintain family background, family history, and family religion.

How does the use of marijuana affect college students?

Marijuana (also known as pot or weed) is the most common illicit drug used in the U.S. It is considered a gateway drug which leads to higher drugs with more serious consequences. College students usually already stressed with adult responsibilities and classes, often turn to marijuana as a stress release, not fully realizing the effects of marijuana use. Research has shown that marijuana has a negative effect on attention, memory and learning. Therefore, someone who smokes marijuana daily might be functioning at a slower intellectual level than a person who doesn’t smoke at all making it understandable why a smoker would have a poorer educational outcome than a non-smoker. In the play “Intersections” Alex feels pressured by his family to continue college but that’s something he doesn’t want to do. He slightly feels guilty because he knows that his family makes a lot of sacrifices for him but at the same time his mind isn’t on college right now. I think the reason he wants to drop out is because of the effects marijuana is having on him. This is causing him to not really focus on his work so therefore, he doesn’t want to continue.

Substance abuse by students is prevalent at U.S. colleges and universities. “Recent research indicates that both alcohol and marijuana tend to alter brain structure/ function, and are associated with impaired decision making, memory and impulsivity in young adults and adolescents [6–12]”, stated in a research article about the influence of marijuana use on academic performances. Not only does marijuana alter brain function but it also causes poor decision making. This relates to Alex in the play since he smokes marijuana. It caused him to make a poor decision in the first scene because attending college and graduation is something you should want to do. Especially in today’s society, having a college degree is very important if you want to have a good stable job. Therefore, saying he doesn’t want to continue his college career is a poor decision.

Marijuana these days can cause changes in the brain that impair learning, especially in teenagers as their brains have not finished developing. Brains are not fully developed until the age of 25 or 26. Chronic marijuana use can lead to changes in both personality, judgment, and reasoning skills. Pot damages the heart and lungs, increases the incidence of anxiety, depression and schizophrenia, and it can trigger acute psychotic episodes. Many adults appear to be able to use marijuana with relatively little harm, but the same cannot be said of adolescents, who are about twice as likely as adults to become addicted to marijuana.

(I don’t have my conclusion as yet).

Peer Review Questions:

1.  Did I attract my readers in my introduction?

2.Is my essay boring, if so..what can I do to change that?

3. Should I state more about the actual play itself?

4. Does my essay connect with the play?

5. Are my sentences and paragraphs structured well?

1.From what you’ve read of Intersections so far, what kinds of research do you think its playwrights had to do in order to write it?

In order to write Intersections, a lot of research had to be done. First of all, they needed to come up with a plot and what the skit would generally be about. The playwrights probably researched police brutality, the importance of education, family issues, smoking and the justification of police force.

2.How might some research of your own help you conduct a deep, specific analysis of Intersections?

By finding cases about police brutality in today’s society can help me conduct a deep analysis of this play. I can go to the library and or use the internet to help me find research that has to do with the themes in Intersections.

3.What kinds of sources might you want to examine?

I might want to examine sources of cases in today’s society that has to do with police brutality and also with family issues. I could also meet with the actual students who wrote his play because it would really help me to get a better understanding of what was going on.

4.What about Intersections has grabbed you (or not) so far?

So far, the first scene grabbed me the most. I think it grabbed my attention because I can relate to it the most. Alex felt pressured by his family to finish college even though that’s not what he wanted to do. He felt guilty because he knows that his family makes a lot of sacrifices for him but at the same time, that’s not what he wants to do. I can relate to this and I feel like everyone can. My family makes me feel pressured at times because I know they do a lot of things for me and they go out their way to make sacrifices for me.

5.How might different forms of research enhance and/or challenge your initial impressions?

Research might enhance my initial impression because the deeper I go with my research,the more I’ll understand it.

6.What does “research” mean to you? What do you think research should be guided by?

To me, research is asking and answering questions. If you have something you are curious about and don’t know the answer to, you would research it. Research should be guided by interest. You can guide your research based on the things you are interested in and what you want to find out more about.

7.What should motivate it? (There’s no right answer: I’m genuinely interested in your thoughts!)

Curiosity motivates research. When you are curious to find out about something, you feel motivated to research it.

ARTIST STATEMENT

1. My audience for this project is everybody because we all have a mother or a person in our lives that play’s the mother role. Before reading this, I want people to know a mother doesn’t necessarily have to be a female that birth you, it can be anyone in your life that plays the mother role, even if she isn’t related to you.
2.  I want my audience to learn the significance of mother-hood.
3. Yes, I think they’ll be able to learn this because I think I analyzed it very well, I explained what it meant to the author and what it meant to me.
4. I brought a different perspective that someone else couldn’t bring because I analyzed it from my point of view and nobody has the same perspective or think the same.
5. I learned how significant and important a mother role in society is.
6. I would still like to learn what pushed him to write this poem. In other words, when did the author finally realize the significance of his mother and noticed he regretted so much.
7. The class helped me gain a better understanding of the poem. I actually didn’t know that the mother passed away until we discussed it in class. My peer helped me notice things that needed changing.
8. My thinking about poetry changed positively. I learned the importance of poems and that they are actually very effective. Before I listened to this, I thought most poems was just reading words from the paper, but this poem was fulled with emotions.
9. If I had another week to work on this, I discuss why the authors rhetoric choice to not reveal the death of his mother until the end.
10. The last thing I want to tell my audience is that I worked very hard on essay to make sure it’s very detailed and interesting, so it holds their attention.

Mother Knows Best!

A mother plays a significant role in her child’s development and nothing can come close to the love she feels for her children. Raising children comes with its own share of frustrations and aggravation, from the needy new born baby that requires a lot of attention to the moody teenager, a mother’s job is anything but easy. Usually, a mother puts her children before anything else which most times means putting aside her own comfort and happiness. Not only do mothers support their children and make sure they’re always on the right path, but they also hold the whole family structure together. Never underestimate the influence that a mother truly has over a child. It may not always appear this way, but children look to their mother for guidance on how they should deal with situations.

In the spoken word DearMum, the author expresses his unconditional love for his mother and acknowledges that he wasn’t perfect because he put her through a lot but yet she still continues to love him endlessly. He used a lot of tools to give the audience a stronger, compelling delivery such as hand gestures, music, edits on the screen, the background he recorded in and even the clothes he was wearing.

“To the woman who was left sleepless from dusk until dawn, with weakness upon weakness for nine months long, telling herself it would all be worth it soon as she rests short for when she finally made it through to the hospital ward”, the author said in his spoken word. He started off by expressing the struggles his mom when through during her nine months of pregnancy. “It was love at first sight when she saw me”, he continued. His mother was in pain for nine months but she dealt with it and he basically explained their relationship as love at first sight. She could never sleep whenever he was gone, she would even stay up all night next to the phone, although he would never call. She wanted to make sure he was safe and secure before she could actually go to sleep. She made a lot of sacrifices and didn’t once ask for a reward because that’s what mothers do. A relationship with your mom is very significant and priceless and is one that should be cherished forever.

It was pretty obvious that the author felt guilty during the poem regarding the way he treated his mother in the past. He repeatedly said he’s sorry for everything even the simple little things such as his dirty rooms. “I’m sorry for leaving you as soon as you taught me how to crawl, I’m sorry for saying “ugh” every time you would ask me to complete a simple chore”, he explained enthusiastically.  “Most of all, I’m sorry for the pain that I caused, for the nights you didn’t sleep and for all those missed calls, for the fights we had and for all the broken walls, the dirty room with the messy floors and for the clothes that weren’t packed back into their drawers”, he continued. He expressed the resentment he had towards the way he treated his mom and asked for forgiveness. He regrets the promises he couldn’t fulfill and expresses his guilt towards himself. Towards the end of the poem, the audience found out that his mom passed away. I think he didn’t reveal the death of his mother until the end of the poem because he wanted us to get a better understanding of why he’s writing this poem.

In general, he was explaining how much his mother has done for him and how much she sacrifices just to make sure he’s okay. His mother was always there for him no matter what for example, calling him late at night to make sure he was safe. Predominantly, motherhood comes with a lot of aggravations and sacrifices but brings you happiness as well. He is saying being a mother is one of the hardest but most important jobs out there. The author not only make claims about his mother, but he always makes claims about mother-hood in general.

In conclusion, I think this was an amazing poem that expressed not only the significance of the authors mother to him, but also mothers in generally. From the beginning of the poem he expressed the struggles his mother went through during her nine moths of pregnancy. He then continued by explaining how she was up calling him whenever he was out to make sure he was safe. It was obvious during this poem that he felt a great amount of guilt because he kept apologizing for the things he had done, while wishing he could change the things he didn’t do. At the end, the audience learned that his mom passed away and this added a lot of emotion to the poem. Overall, this poem is very emotional and grabs the audience’s attention based on the way the author expressed his love for his mother.

Reflection

I learned a lot about this poem and I’m actually glad we had a chance to work on this piece in class. First off, I learned a lot about the author and what his mother meant to him. Not a lot of people realize the significance of their mothers and/or actually do anything to show that they care. Making this poem was a tribute to his mother even if she’s not here with him today. Another thing I learn from this poem is that mothers make a lot of sacrifices. It made me sit and actually look into the relationship me and my mother have and I could make connections to his. Mothers take on a great role in society.

I also learned a lot about spoken word poems. I learned that there are lots of tools you can use to give you a better delivery. For example, the music, clothes you wear, background and hand -gestures can all affect the way your audience views your piece. That changes the mood of your poem. I’m sure if the author was just standing and reading what he wrote off of a paper, we wouldn’t feel the same way about his piece. We wouldn’t feel emotionally connected to it because it would just be boring. So the way that you deliver your work to your audience can give you a positive or negative result.

We had to draft our expectations, the pre-draft, the rough draft and now the final draft. These steps made it very easy because it organized my thoughts and then allowed me to keep elaborating on it. I feel like it benefited me, making the final draft much easier than it would be if I just typed my whole essay at once and just posted it.

I chose to do this format because I wanted to really analyze this poem and give all the details I wanted. I didn’t want to limit myself to anything so I felt like if I did the analytical essay, I would be able to write about his most important parts. This helped me understand the poem because I actually had to go back and listen to what he said to get a better understanding of it so I could explain it in my essay. I could use this in the future if I had another piece I have to analyze. I can use these steps (expectations, pre-draft, rough draft, final draft) to help me develop a well-detailed analysis.

My partners for the peer review was Najah and Egbe A.

 

A mother plays a significant role in her child’s development and nothing can come close to the love she feels for her children. Raising children comes with its own share of frustrations and aggravation, from the needy new born baby that requires a lot of attention to the moody teenager, a mother’s job is anything but easy. Usually, a mother puts her children before anything else which most times means putting aside her own comfort and happiness. Not only do mothers support their children and make sure they’re always on the right path, but they also hold the whole family structure together. Never underestimate the influence that a mother truly has over a child. It may not always appear this way, but children look to their mother for guidance on how they should deal with situations.

 In the spoken word DearMum, the author expresses his unconditional love for his mother acknowledges that he wasn’t perfect because she put him through a lot but yet she still continues to love him endlessly. He used a lot of tools to give the audience a stronger, compelling delivery such as hand gestures, music, edits on the screen, the background he recorded in and even the clothes he was wearing.

“To the woman who was left sleepless from dusk until dawn, with weakness upon weakness for nine months long, telling herself it would all be worth it soon as she rests short for when she finally made it through to the hospital ward”, the author said in his spoken word. He started off by expressing the struggles his mom when through during her nine months of pregnancy. “It was love at first sight when she saw me”, he continued. His mother was in pain for nine months but she dealt with it and he basically explained their relationship as love at first sight. She could never sleep whenever he was gone, she would even stay up all night next to the phone, although he would never call. She wanted to make sure he was safe and secure before she could actually go to sleep. She made a lot of sacrifices and didn’t once ask for a reward because that’s what mothers do. A relationship with your mom is very significant and priceless and is one that should be cherished forever.

It was pretty obvious that the author felt guilty during the poem regarding the way he treated his mother in the past. He repeatedly said he’s sorry for everything even the simple little things such as his dirty rooms. “I’m sorry for leaving you as soon as you taught me how to crawl, I’m sorry for saying “ugh” every time you would ask me to complete a simple chore”, he explained enthusiastically.  “Most of all, I’m sorry for the pain that I caused, for the nights you didn’t sleep and for all those missed calls, for the fights we had and for all the broken walls, the dirty room with the messy floors and for the clothes that weren’t packed back into their drawers”, he continued. He expressed the resentment he had towards his way he treated his mom and asked for forgiveness. He regrets the promises he couldn’t fulfill and expresses his guilt towards himself. Towards the end of the poem, the audience found out that his mom passed away. This added a lot of emotion to this poem and gave the audience a better understanding of why he felt this way.  

 

Questions

1. Should I add a paragraph about how his tone of voice affected his delivery?
2. Are the paragraphs organized?
3. Are the sentences well formed and grammatically correct?
4. Are there any parts of the poem that I need to analyze better?
5. Are my quotes really needed or should I just summarize what he said?

( I don’t have my comclusion yet.)

I am aiming for an A or at least a B on assignment 1 .

To receive this grade, I plan on trying my very best and putting in all the time and effort needed . I know this is possible because I’ve always done good in my English classes. I expect to always be on time with my peer reviews and always communicate with my partner so we never have a misunderstanding about the assignment .

I expect my professor to review my work and give me corrections if needed . This is very important because I  get to correct my work before I hand in the final draft . I’d also get someone on one advise that can help me better develop my assignment . I am considering using a poem format for this assignment. I’ve always liked poems and I think this is a great way of expressing yourself.

I’m thinking about analyzing “3 Ways to Speak English” by Jamilah Lyiscott because I think this one was very meaningful and it stood out to me. She was basically explaining the three flavors of English she speaks with her friends, in the classroom and with her parents. She explored the complicated history behind her language and explained that all languages are equal. She defined what it means to be articulate and concluded that language forms our identities . Overall , I think this assignment will be pretty easy if I keep up with the due dates and put in the effort needed .

After listening to the spoken word called “Dear Mum”, I am now reconsidering. I actually like this one more than the other two that we listened to on Monday. I am also thinking about doing an Analytical Essay. This format can be used to demonstrate a deep analysis of a poem because that’s what this essay is all about. In this type of essay, you analyze, examine and interpret such things as an event, poem, book, play or other forms of art. This format is unique because it will give readers a better understanding of the spoken word and provides a deeper analysis of it. I would like to know what led the author to write this poem and if he experienced anything that influenced his decisions. I want to analyze pieces in this spoken word that I can relate to. I feel like this was very deep and there’s a lot of parts that I can definitely connect with.