Portland By: Skye Austin Screams of laughter dancing up the stairs Soda on the floor, and crumbs in our hair If you can't tell, we really don't care We lay together in a form of a tumor Watching Sharknado like awesome losers Incomplete sentences and made up words Normal people would be disturbed A gas is dispersed into the air Everyone dies laughing in their chair Dallas, Meredith, Ruby, and Xanado too They are my friends and who I belong to |
Analysis:
My poem is “portland” and in it i share my memories about what it is like when my friends and i are together. I used imagery, metaphor, and personification in my poem but other than that it's pretty straightforward but it also could be taken as confusing because i didn’t add too much detail in it to add little of imagery in your head that way you create your own world in your own head to make sense of it. I jumped from one topic to another not letting things smooth out for you creating a jagged shape that represents discord. I don't think there is a big message i was mainly just telling you about my memories that came from my heart and brain but when i look at it harder i guess a message that can come out of this is that you should be comfortable with your friends and fit in.
I start my poem off with what others hear outside from the basement then it goes into the basement. Like where it says “screams of laughter dancing up the stairs” <line 1> saying “screams of laughter” shows that we are super loud but then i add in a peaceful word like “dancing” and that keeps things playful and nice. Now the poem does not mention that we are in the basement but it kinda hinted at it with the part where i said “dancing up the stairs” meaning it's going away from us leaving us in the basement, also i just i liked how it keeps the surroundings blurry in the reader's head but its vivid in mine because they are my friends and my memories (and because rhyming is hard..) but i added in some things to help you get a picture of course like where i say “soda on the floor, and crumbs in our hair” <line 2> telling you that it's messy in there and that we are too! Then i say “we really don't care” <line 3> showing that we are fine with being disgusting and are comfortable with each other<3.
Then i used a literary term , metaphor in the <4th line>, “we lay together in a form of a tumor” was what i said because when i was looking for words to rhyme i found tumor and i wanted to see the definition and the definition was “Definitions of tumor: noun: an abnormal new mass of tissue that serves no purpose” which made me laugh because it made me think how we would always lay ontop of eachother all tangled up laughing so i decided to use it in my poem!
In lines <8-9> is another one of those times where i'm not that pacific so it can make some people confused about what i'm trying to talk about. I talked about a “gas” and that gas can also be called a fart or a burp. Then i mention how we all just laugh which shows how we are again comfortable around each other!
Then in the very end i finally list the names of my actual friends and tell you that they are important <10-11>
I chose the title “ Portland” because that's where i used to live and where my friends still do . that's also where i wanna go back to. I like how in the poem i don't mention where the location is at all so without the title it could be anywhere but to the readers it could look like a random title but it has purpose and meaning. Portland to me is friendship because that's where my friends are.
My poem is “portland” and in it i share my memories about what it is like when my friends and i are together. I used imagery, metaphor, and personification in my poem but other than that it's pretty straightforward but it also could be taken as confusing because i didn’t add too much detail in it to add little of imagery in your head that way you create your own world in your own head to make sense of it. I jumped from one topic to another not letting things smooth out for you creating a jagged shape that represents discord. I don't think there is a big message i was mainly just telling you about my memories that came from my heart and brain but when i look at it harder i guess a message that can come out of this is that you should be comfortable with your friends and fit in.
I start my poem off with what others hear outside from the basement then it goes into the basement. Like where it says “screams of laughter dancing up the stairs” <line 1> saying “screams of laughter” shows that we are super loud but then i add in a peaceful word like “dancing” and that keeps things playful and nice. Now the poem does not mention that we are in the basement but it kinda hinted at it with the part where i said “dancing up the stairs” meaning it's going away from us leaving us in the basement, also i just i liked how it keeps the surroundings blurry in the reader's head but its vivid in mine because they are my friends and my memories (and because rhyming is hard..) but i added in some things to help you get a picture of course like where i say “soda on the floor, and crumbs in our hair” <line 2> telling you that it's messy in there and that we are too! Then i say “we really don't care” <line 3> showing that we are fine with being disgusting and are comfortable with each other<3.
Then i used a literary term , metaphor in the <4th line>, “we lay together in a form of a tumor” was what i said because when i was looking for words to rhyme i found tumor and i wanted to see the definition and the definition was “Definitions of tumor: noun: an abnormal new mass of tissue that serves no purpose” which made me laugh because it made me think how we would always lay ontop of eachother all tangled up laughing so i decided to use it in my poem!
In lines <8-9> is another one of those times where i'm not that pacific so it can make some people confused about what i'm trying to talk about. I talked about a “gas” and that gas can also be called a fart or a burp. Then i mention how we all just laugh which shows how we are again comfortable around each other!
Then in the very end i finally list the names of my actual friends and tell you that they are important <10-11>
I chose the title “ Portland” because that's where i used to live and where my friends still do . that's also where i wanna go back to. I like how in the poem i don't mention where the location is at all so without the title it could be anywhere but to the readers it could look like a random title but it has purpose and meaning. Portland to me is friendship because that's where my friends are.
Appetite
By Skye Austin
There was a strong aroma waltzing past your nose
you look over and you see a beautiful sight
Two fresh fluffy buns hugging a juicy steamy meat with lettuce and tomatoes
As you bite into it you think to yourself wow I'm doing a good job at staying healthy by adding lettuce and tomatoes
BUT YOU ARE WRONG
Its full of fats and unhealthy grease
As you look closer you can see that the fluffy buns are not so fresh
The meat has foreign and most likely toxic juices
And the smell that has penetrated your nostrils is actually a decomposing hamburger
You feel sick and dizzy
You look around to find something else to eat that can revive your taste buds
But then you remember
You are homeless
Best not to be picky
you look over and you see a beautiful sight
Two fresh fluffy buns hugging a juicy steamy meat with lettuce and tomatoes
As you bite into it you think to yourself wow I'm doing a good job at staying healthy by adding lettuce and tomatoes
BUT YOU ARE WRONG
Its full of fats and unhealthy grease
As you look closer you can see that the fluffy buns are not so fresh
The meat has foreign and most likely toxic juices
And the smell that has penetrated your nostrils is actually a decomposing hamburger
You feel sick and dizzy
You look around to find something else to eat that can revive your taste buds
But then you remember
You are homeless
Best not to be picky
My Cultural Identity By Skye Austin P6
I remember when I would sit there in school and people would ask each other, “What are you?” They would always be able to respond easily saying things like I'm Asian, or they would say, Mexican and sometimes there would be that kid who is really into it and be all like, I'm 70% Greek, 20% German, 7% American and 3% Asian! (but by the point where they get to 20% we stop listening). Then they would turn to me where I would stupidly look at them like a deer in headlights and say "uhhhhh… I'm white….and human..”. Realizing I don't know what I am, it made me start thinking “what IS my cultural identity??” . Hah, just kidding I never cared about it in the first place that's why I never knew, I'm being forced to write an essay about it. (but to make the teacher happy I'm going to say that I was genially interested).
Anyway, I started thinking about where am I from. Sadly, though, I move so much that I don't feel like I'm "from" anywhere... But I know I was born in England but I think of myself as an American. U.S.A! So great now I got one thing, I'm American. But if I had to go deeper (which I do) I would find out what my parents are….which is what I did. My dad is great Britain, western European, Scandinavian, and Irish. My mom was adopted though so we don't know much about her. Still, though, I don't know what I am! Then I thought “Maybe it doesn't really matter where my ancestors are from”. Confused on where to start next I looked up the definition of cultural identity. To put it in a nutshell, cultural identity is about you and What makes you, you. So looking at the surface of who I am, I already can find some things about myself like, my name is Skyler noel Austin, but I hate the name Skyler and would much rather prefer to go by Skye (but I'm not gonna start screaming if you call me by my legal name). I was also born on May 29th, 2000 with problems that we didn't find out till I was older like ADHD, dyslexia, depression, and anxiety (fun). Who I was when I was a kid to who I am now, and being in the military I feel like are major things about me. When I was a kid I was a hot mess, in the beginning, I was VERY aggressive. In the middle I was colorful, and now I'm what I like to think is normal(ish). I would wear anything that was bright and colorful, I loved to show my personality through my wardrobe. This includes tutus, legwarmers, neon, and more! This didn't stop till middle school. Realizing that I'm too old for that I changed myself completely to what I think is for the better. In this, I think that it shows how I was my own culture. I stayed away from anything that would make me “normal” but then I realized I need to fit in, so I guess I took in a wardrobe culture? Hah if that's even a thing. I have been moving all my life, a total of 8 times. (England, Texas, San Diego, Alabama, Colorado, Germany, Portland, then back to San Diego) some people think it’s cool that I have seen so much and I guess it is but I hated doing it. Having to start over every time is so stressful. When I moved to Germany I found out I had depression and anxiety (don't worry I wasn't suicidal and didn't do self-harm) when I moved to Germany things were so different !! Some obvious things I noticed are that in America staring at someone is considered impolite but in Germany, I don't know if staring is considered friendly but I know it's not considered impolite because Germans LOVE to stare. Also, I don't know what it is but Germans love their fanny packs and they let anyone drink there, they don't care what age you are. The thing I took with me is this: In America, if you want something you wait in line, but in Germany, if you want something you need to fight for it. Whoever gets to it first gets it, you need to push and shove if you are gonna get anywhere. I mean it could be bad because I'm pushing my way through the line but oh well. Thinking about all that has happened to you makes you realized how it all made you who you are. Having ADHD and dyslexia etc. makes my life REALLY interesting especially because I move so much. My stories will ever end I have so much weird stuff that has happened to me, and because I moved so much, the way I cope with it is by locking my feelings away, and I have done that so much that it's hard to let them out (not that I really try, though, I feel vulnerable when I show them…) on the outside you see a happy, loud, confident girl who isn't afraid to show you and tell you what I'm thinking. On the inside though, I'm lonely, hollow, and self-conscious (this is not a cry out for help I promise I'm not depressed) but really thought, what I show on the outside is what I am on the inside too, it's just if you go deeper things get darker. All in all, I think I have an awesome personality! So if I were to bring this all back to the culture thing I would say some of my cultures have to do with dark humor but a sweet and understanding heart. So now I know some more about myself but what about what I like? *pfft* well this is easy! I. Love. Comics! I'm such a superhero nerd! No, I'm just a nerd in general. I can geek out on many things like *Skip if you don't care*: TV shows/cartoons/anime/cats:Supernatural,Limitless, The flash, Arrow, Blindspot, Always sunny in Philadelphia, Reno 911, Criminal minds, Adventure time, Amazing world of gumball, Avengers assemble, Gravity falls, Rick and Morty, We three bears, Teenage mutant ninja turtles, Naruto, Kill la kill, Fairytail, Bleach and One piece :Superhero's: Batman and Deadpool.* I also love to draw and listen to music. Relating all this to "culture" I can say that I'm like a normal teen how I like TV and social media so it’s part of my culture and so is being a nerd and an artist. So, in conclusion, I believe that I found out my culture! I thought that culture had to do with religion or something and because I'm an Atheist, I thought I didn't have one. And because of this essay, I found out what my culture is (or what's in it). I could have this whole thing wrong but this is about me so I gave you “me”. Now I know that I have wardrobe, good personality, nerd, lazy-ness, and creativity in my culture. |