Selections from WE MADE IT TO SCHOOL ALIVE by Quartez Harris
10 additions to document , most recent over 3 years ago
| When | Why |
|---|---|
| Mar-10-21 | Intro to the Collection: James Baldwin |
| Mar-10-21 | "Ocean" |
| Mar-10-21 | "Ocean" (continued) |
| Mar-10-21 | "Testing Doesn't Tell the Whole Story" |
| Mar-10-21 | Poem |
| Mar-10-21 | Poem |
| Mar-10-21 | Poem |
| Mar-10-21 | Poem |
| Mar-10-21 | Poem |
| Mar-10-21 | A Conversation with Quartez Harris |
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The image on the cover page with the child and the butterfly wings can symbolize creativity and gives the audience something to make an inference to what they might be reading about.
The butterfly wings does show a form of innocence among the children and does give the audience of this book a sneak peak in what they will be reading.
The image presented on the front cover to me represents change and growth. In order to become a butterfly one must undergo the change from being a caterpillar and into the transformation of becoming a butterfly. As a caterpillar forms a cocoon and later comes out of that cocoon as a new person, this can symbolize the growth of a student. One experiences summer break and from summer break to the next year people change in many ways whether it be in their style, their hair, their attitude.
A butterfly starts out as a caterpillar, and cocoons into a butterfly. This could represent the children growing in their creativity and blossoming into beautiful butterflies
Colleen, I like how you described how a butterfly could represent children growing. We all started as babies, but we grew into who we are now. Just like how caterpillars grow up to be butterflies. We all grow up to being something beautiful and unique.
After I have read through the entirety of what was published to this site of “We Made It To School” to me the title represents a parent helping their child to grow wings so they can one day fly on their own, meaning they will one day take their knowledge and experience the world for themselves, leaving the parent as an empty nester.
This whole cover really draws you into the title. It looks as if the kids are running for school or maybe at each other. It really gives off a sense of freedom and playfulness as kids.
The parent’s son in the story has a vast imagination and high hopes for the future. I can tell from this text," My son runs his hands across a puddle out our apartment, pretends it’s an ocean he can swim in."
The butterflies on the children can symbolize what is to come within the book. The children could grow into themselves and have the same effect as a butterfly, to grow and fly away with life.
the image with the butterflies shows symbolism because caterpillars can turn into butterflies
I also think that the butterfly wings symbolized maturity because caterpillars can turn into butterflies.
The title implies the idea of facing but then overcoming struggles or difficulties.
The title page is what can either get people to read the book or not want to.
The wings could mean that they feel more free since they have made it to school. They don’t feel grounded down anymore, their parents might not have to watch them 24/7 everyday now.
I wonder if making it to school was a struggle when first reading the cover page. Was it more of a huge step to make for them?
Everything but “ALIVE” and the butterfly wings are in black-and-white. Perhaps there is a link between the butterfly wings and living. Butterfly wings could be there in contrast to angel wings. Whereas angel wings are associated with purity, an ending, butterfly wings imply room to grow and childhood innocence/curiosity.
This title page is inviting and sets the tone of the story with few words. The artwork intrigues the audience and causes curiosity about the reading for the book.
Hoy en día los recursos tecnológicos sin duda están revolucionando la función docente, desde paginas web como https://www.materialeducativo.mx/ así como blogs educativos y foros en general están facilitando la educacion a distancia, medios eficaces donde nos podemos poner en contacto con nuestros alumnos y padres de familia y de esta manera enriquecer el proceso educativo.
somewhere
a butterfly settle
near a herd of boys
flowering
they draw closer
the butterfly
doesn’t flutter
they raise their hands
to prove they are unarmed
hundreds of mahogany-
colored butterflies
burst out of them like lightning
joining hands with fireworks
only god seems to notice the glitz
because in the beginning
he said let there be light
& a butterfly boy, as black as beginning
appeared in the flesh
Harris, Quartez. “Butterfly in the Flesh.” We Made It To School Alive. Twelve Literary Arts, 2020.
You can see this picture as a visual representation of students learning and evolving within their time in the classroom. The wings may represent a student blossoming from a caterpillar into a butterfly ready to take flight.
At first, I thought it was associated with childhood innocence but after seeing your comment I notice the dangers of that innocence. This includes: child death, kidnapping, hospital visits, and other scary situations that can takeaway that innocence.
I noticed this too, Lindsay. I think including this idea of innocent children allows for the readers to engage with the book before they even read it. This creates a relationship with the author and the audience before dialogue even begins.
the butterfly friends holding on to the kids shows the love and appreciation for the kids.
Quartez Harris is an educator and an author. He also lives in Cleveland Ohio with his son.
These words mean something more than they ever would a year ago. It is as simple as that, we made it back to school. We did not know that we would be able to come back to school so soon last year, so these words are very symbolic.
One thing we know, too, about butterflies is the desire of some to collect these. . .what must happen to the butterfly in order to be “collected” and added to a “specimen?”
<the clothing situation not matter.
The wings and the title can be tied in as if it was a long fly or trip to get through and to school.
I think that makes a tremendous amount of sense. Some students might not get their wings until later, and then they come in beautifully. Other students might get their wings torn or clipped along the way. The flight is different for everyone, but it’s a flight nonetheless.
In some cultures butterflies signify death. Could it be that this is used as a sort of false assurance to make the viewer think the children are alive?
The butterfly normal symbolizes personal growth or just growth in general. Since the butterflies look like wings on the children they could possibly symbolize a sort way to keep the young children safe to school; like a guardian angel.
The cover image can show the reader what the book is going to be about young African American kids living life and having fun.
This title interests me because the big focus on ALIVE makes me wonder if that was something difficult to do. It makes me wonder what these kids would be going through to make to where getting to school is a life threatening challenge.
Above is a quote from an article describing the significance of the monarch butterfly after death
The word “ALIVE” seems to resemble significance. If the title was, “We made it to school,” wouldn’t it seem off? The word “ALIVE” seems to bring the title together.
I think it is really interesting how the alive in the title is red and bigger than the other words. I wonder if the author has made it like this because there is a meaning behind it, or maybe he just wanted it to stand out more than the other words in the title.
When I first looked at the cover I immediately looked at the Butterfly wings that stood out the most because everything else on the cover is black or white. I think that these wings could symbolize that in school you have the choice to take off on a journey of learning or just go through the motions of school and not get a lot out of it.
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:30am
by Paul Hankins
Title: Intro to the Collection: James Baldwin
This quote seems to infer that we are unaware of our oppression until we are experiencing it first hand.
Austin, I agree with how you responded to this quote. I think it was hard for him to really understand what has happening until it happened to him directly. People could think it’s normal, but when it happens to them, they will begin to understand.
We do not know our oppression until we have it is what this quote sounds like to me.
Austin, I think you did a great job of explaining what this quote meant. To be honest, when I first read it I was not completely aware about what it meant. Your explanation of the quote helped me see that it means that we do not know our oppression until it happens.
I think that this quote is a perfect entry statement for the text that lies beyond this page. It connects to his son wanting to see the world, but him being afraid to show him because of the swamps and whales. I feel like this statement is the father showing that sometimes you have to let your children see the world for themselves no matter how hard it is, and that starts with going to school.
The idea of oppression has been present for thousands of years throughout the world. In todays world it has changed into racial slurs, exclusion, and even a social biased towards those of color. This quote explains that it starts in school, right once the innocence starts to fade.
When kids are young, they are impressionable, easily impressed, and quick to trust. Baldwin’s teachers could have told him 2+2 equaled 5, not 4, and if he was young and naive enough, he could have believed them. What I’m trying to get at is that kids will trust what the adults in their life say to an extent. What his educators thought was normal became oppression as Baldwin gained the knowledge necessary to make that claim.
Meredith has a point was he taught enough in school or was he not?
When you were a kid, you did not notice these small micro-aggressions that can create a much larger problem in the future. It is something that can be controlled by proper training and being self aware.
The young boy may not realize he is oppressed until an action or specific words are spoken against him. This suggests that he is unknowing of the injustices that seem to rule our schools, or our country for that matter.
school districts
struggle
with the same things:
how to teach a black child.
how to keep him alive
after dismissal
what role to play: teach or build a cemetary?
Harris, Quartez. “Ambivalence.” We Made It To School Alive." Twelve Arts Literary, 2020: 30.
Though at times criticized for his pacifist stance, Baldwin remained an important figure in that struggle throughout the 1960s. James Baldwin had become one of the most important and vocal advocates for equality. He is perhaps best known for his books of essays, in particular Notes of a Native Son (1955), Nobody Knows My Name (1961), and The Fire Next Time (1963).
Ethan comments about who the person is who said this particular quote
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist.
I do not understand why this is something that would ever be said to or about any child. “discovering the shape of his oppression” I think that this is nonsense, if this boy is raised and never taught about what the word oppression even means, he will never face it. I do not think any kid should be raised being taught that they are oppressed because they are not born oppressed. Lets assume he is taught this, then he will live his life believing this when it is not necessarily true. If this kid is never taught that he is oppressed he will never think in that point of view, he will never feel the need to feel less than anybody and will accomplish all of his hopes and dreams. If he is raised being told he is oppressed, then he may not, he may just grow up and think about how much less he is, when he is not. This is where culture plays a big role in how kids are raised, if you want your kid to be successful, raise them that way. Or you can feed them ideas like this and TEACH them that they are “looked down upon” and “oppressed” when in reality everyone can have the same opportunities in life if they just work for it.
While I see your point Tavian, it is not all black and white.
If a child is not taught about oppression then they have no idea how to react to it if it happens. Children should be taught about this so if it is to be brought up children will know how to handle it. If they are not taught the meaning of oppression then they are not living an easier life. They are living a life of ignorance and will be faced with the harsh reality of life once they grow up. You can be oppressed if you do not know what oppression means, it is what you do with your knowledge that can help you over come your oppression.
Without proper guidance on what oppression is and how to deal with it, it could really scar the kid. I feel like parents/guardians/teachers should teach kids about this instead of basically leaving them in the dark and letting them deal with something that’s hard to deal with.
<starts at school. Yet it still hasn’t changed because people are blinded with their dream of something better.
In this quote I think it conveys the idea of learning. While being oppressed is a negative thing, the significance of saying this is learned while a person is in school is that school is intended to be a place for learning. It does begin to question the environment of the school since the negative idea of oppression.
James Baldwin is an American novelist, poet, writer, activist, etc. He focused primarily on exploring racial and social issues and bringing them to light in the 20th century. Baldwin is no longer with us as of 1987, but he is greatly admired for his work.
School is supposed to be a safe place for students and they should not be burdened by oppression when in school.
I agree that children should not be faced with oppression when in school, but the fact is that they are. Children are being taught that some are lesser in some ways, whether it be through such obvious measures like race, to much more discrete talks about socio-economic status.
The quote “in fact it begins when he is in school” gives many insights. Everyday when we go to school we have an opportunity to have a new beginning in each of our classes. An opportunity to learn and take something away. Our futures can all begin when we step foot in a classroom
I find it interesting that this quote would talk about discovering oppression while you are still in school. School is supposed to be a safe place to learn for everyone, but this is saying it is where some people discover their oppression.
James Baldwin was a essayist, novelist, playwright, poet, and social activist of the 1900’s. He received his education from Dewitt Clinton High School. He specialized in writing about the lines between people in the U.S. in the 20th century.
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:31am
by Paul Hankins
Title: "Ocean"
of a reader. If the author does not think enough of himself to use the capital “I”, it cause the reader to ponder how that fits into the theme of the writing itself.
This is a great way to look at the lowercase. I would have never thought to look at it as he doesn’t value himself enough to have upper case letters.
I agree and I think that the use of explicit language really just lets us into his mind to feel what he feels. When he cusses, we can empathize with his passion and raw emotion more so than we would if he decided to utilize immensely large dictionary words to impress others. The cussing overall just adds the author’s personal flair to the poem.
If the father dropped out for school and has this dim, dark outlook on life and what the world holds in store for his child, could it be that this is simply because the world in which he finds himself is the dark one only due to his experiences and thoughts? Is the father hoping throughout the entire piece that his son finds a way to succeed and ind joy in life because he himself was not able to? And was the father limited to a swamp only worth dipping your head in because of the education itself, or did he not properly apply himself to that education beginning the spiral of a dim outlook? Does the father send his son to the same school because he knows it provides opportunities that he did not take advantage of, or is it simply the only school that he can possibly send his son to? The idea that the father has dropped out and has a dim outlook, yet has so much hope for his son truly brings about many deep questions about the father’s true feelings.
“My son runs his hands across a puddle outside our apartment, pretend it’s an ocean he can swim in.” The creativity and imagination of a child is so precious and crucial to their upbringing. The mind of a child is the most pure state before growing older and seeing and understanding the imperfections of life.
The implication of line 4-5 really just shows how influential school tries to be on it’s students. The author seems to imply that he was allowed to see life through his eyes and was forced to see it through a different lens.
I feel like the author implies that this student has never experienced any form of luxury or the water.
The author implies that his son can’t reach his dreams due to the circumstances he is in.
“My son keeps begging me to take him to see the world. i am afraid there are only swamps for him to dip his head in”. I think what the author meant by this is that there may be nothing left for his son to see if things don’t change.
This line shows the innocence of the child, and how his imagination still runs wild. The father knows this won’t last long, because he will soon go to school and all of his dreams will be crushed by the whale of the world, and the swamps he discovers will drain his creativity.
The author uses detail and imagery to help the reader imagine what that might look like. She does this with “my son runs his hands across a puddle outside out apartment, pretends it’s an ocean he can swim in.”
I found this particularly interesting because, I would think that instead of keeping his son at the same school he dropped out of, he would send him to a different one. But he wants what’s best for his son. School maybe wasn’t the best option for him, but he wants what’s best for his sun, and he wants him to see the world.
The author wants his son to see the world through a telescope lens instead of through the peephole of a door. He wants his son to swim in oceans abroad instead of jumping in puddles.
The author uses the telescope as a metaphor to say that he hopes the teacher will show him all that life has to offer and all of the opportunities that are within reach
As a parent at some point you have to understand the there are somethings your child needs to experience on their own without the guiding hand of their parent but maybe another influence in their life. I think the author wants his son to feel like he belongs, and to be encouraged by his teacher and not diminished. The author wants his son to be shown the world from his own perspective and not have it influenced by negativity.
The author uses a simile to compare his swinging skills, when he was younger, to be as high as a moths. “I used to swing high as moths.”
I really like how the author uses this simile in the text. I feel like it helps me understand the message being conveyed better. The author uses different similes, which seems to draw readers in.
Or could it be that the father wants to see if there could be possibility, or a sort of guarantee of at least survival?
Was it because he felt he was only destined to dip his head in a swamp rather than swim in an ocean, just as he feels is destined for his kid? Maybe the author is so concerned for his kid, because this “sea of whales” type world is the only one he has experienced.
His teachers have yet to inform him that the world is a scary place with a lot of horrible people that are always going to try to one-up you. The whales symbolize the people who have an easier way of life and more privileges. His son is a butterfly, small and unnoticeable. Other people are whales, huge and dominate most of the ocean. People who are more noticeable get more opportunities.
This quote seems to imply that he does not care what his son’s dreams are. As long as hes happy he can reach for the stars if he wanted to and he would be proud.
At the end of this page it says “My son keeps begging me to take him to see the world. I am afraid there are only swamps of him to dip his head in.” To a person a whale is seen as gigantic and dangerous, and I believe what the author is alluding to. He is afraid for his son because he doesn’t want the whales to destroy his imagination or creativity. He doesn’t want the world to fill him with negativity as he is flourishing on positivity as a young child.
It really is fascinating how something with no words can tell a whole story on it’s own.
As a child, I remember trying to swing so high that I felt like I was in outer space, because everything in the distance was so small but the view was so big. I felt I could see the entire world around me, and felt like I was “on top of the world.” I like to think of those days, when all I cared about was getting so high on the swings that I felt as if I was one with the clouds.
I agree with you. When we were kids, we may have looked at life through rose colored glasses. We did not realized what reality is like until now. Some of us are still trying to figure out how big the world actually is. As kids, we may have seen things in a positive way. There are still many positives in this world, but as we grew older, we noticed the negatives.
In the eyes of a child, truly anything is possible if you wish hard enough for it happen, work hard enough to make it happen. A child’s imagination is so priceless. They tend to lose it much too soon, after the effects of modern education strip them of it. We should be encouraging our kids to never stop imagining. After all, it’s the creative and new solutions that will help us with new problems.
This sentence bring back the innocence present within a child and their imagination. This sentence goes hand in hand with the title page of the young children with butterfly wings.
He is worried how the current injustices and oppression may affect his son.
every parent has at least some thing that they choose to do differently than their parents did. He wants his son to grow up and not be diminished by reality. “holding down mop buckets to keep water running” seems like maybe he is or was a janitor. Taking a job that people see as low, to keep his power on and water on. He wants a different life for his son than what is currently provided
I feel like anyone who has a child hopes that their child will have a better life than them, and they will do everything in their power to make sure that is true.
I agree. I feel as if the author is afraid his son’s creativity will be drained if he lets him experience the world as it really is.
I agree, parents are fearful of their child growing up and have ambition to be adults. That sense of childhood innocence is something they want to keep forever.
I infer from the poem that his son is young. So his mind is still creative and not oppressed. The real world has the effect of a fog, surrounding the creative and smothering it, making it difficult to escape and keep the imagination alive. He doesn’t want his son to grow up and lose his creativity and imagination.
I feel like the author’s heart as a parent is broken. He longs for his son to thrive off of his imagination and creativity and he doesn’t want that to be stripped away from him when he sees the world isn’t as he perceives it to be. His heart as a parent is broken in fear of his child being disappointed in what the world has to offer.
When you are young you don’t realize the money aspect of being from place to place all you know is how pretty other places are.
It is an interesting connection or “braid” of themes working through multiple pieces with different authors.
A parent’s job is to help their children grow wings essentially so that one day they will be able to flee the nest and experience the world on their own. The term “empty nesters” is often used when a parent has helped all of their children gain their wings and they have all gone out into the world on their own. Parents want what is best for us no matter how hard it is for them. Parents want us to be better than they were when they were our age because they see our potential.
The author mentions that he “thought Glenville was the whole damn universe.” There is often this phenomenon where people create this bubble around themselves, often just around their immediate surrounding areas. They either do not know or struggle to sympathize with those outside that bubble. That, or they may not care or have the ability to.
I feel like right now the world feels like there is no where other than where they are because of the pandemic. No one has been able to travel like they used to or go places like they used to, everyone feels trapped within their own home. Forgetting that there is a world that exists beyond our city limits.
Once you live somewhere for your who life time moving sounds so nice. All he ever knew was Glenville but there is way more of the world that he is currently missing out on and he knows it.
What your saying can relate to the audience. Someone who has lived in Sellersburg their whole life may not know what world they are missing out on.
This choice by the author helps to set a style of writing found throughout the piece with many forms of figurative language. The proverbial location with no end aids the author in denoting what he believes and hopes his son accomplishes.
There is also the fact that swings have chains, like even though he could soar like a bird, he is chained down to a place he felt he couldn’t leave.
Perhaps, even, the hands he mentioned are the people trying to push him further, only for him to be a moth. To want to see the light and touch it, but never being able to get closer.
This is the culmination of the theme of oceans in the piece, as throughout he has described the viciousness of the world by “sea of whales”, then he goes on to hope the “water is wider” somewhere else for his child, but ultimately feels that the world will offer his son no oceans, but rather merely a swamp to dip his head in, with no opportunity to swim to that location with “no cliff, no shore, no horizon.”
Maybe this shares a different option, how perhaps the people around him were pushing him forward. They wanted him to be better and reach above the rooftops. The hands that left as soon as he told them he couldn’t reach. Perhaps they still try to help.
Maybe there are people still trying to support him, but he feels as though he wont be able to grow further.
It’s sad to see that the author of this poem regrets where his life has gone. Although in no way does he regret having a son. Times are rough for them as we see that he says “holding down mop buckets to keep the water running.” The infinite love for his son and the care for the future of his son can be seen in these 7 words. He doesn’t want his son to grow up to live in poverty, and uneducated. But in a different way, I do hope his son grows up to be like him. In the way that he wants what is best for the ones that he loves. In the way that he works hard for the one that he loves. In the way that he is determined.
I think this first sentence shows how optimistic children are. As we get older and lean more about the world, this happiness and optimism often diminishes. The child in this sentence is turning something that could be sad with the puddle (as it implies a previous rain which can be seen as dark or gloomy) into something positive and fun like swimming.
The line “holding down mop buckets to keep the water running”, represents having a certain type of job that does not pay much but has to be done to provide for the needs of one’s family. The author is hoping their son will have more opportunities and be more successful than they were and have a better job that they will enjoy.
Water in all its forms is sort of personified here, implying it is more than what Harris says it is—merely water.
The title of this expert I believe is referring to the world. The world is vast and full of so many different creatures some whales, some butterflies, some dogs meaning people. The world is full of both good and bad, and when a child first goes to school is when they are first put out into the world without their parents hand guiding them through.
the term ocean is referring to the large world that so many are naïve to. Further down the reading, another excerpt about a small town is presented. This makes me wonder if this was done intentionally to show the audience the difference between the two.
I find this interesting too. Honestly, I did not recognize this until you pointed it out. The author might have used whales rather than sharks to make the line stand out. Since many people know the ocean is filled with sharks, using the word whales makes you think about the line more.
In this stanza the poet leads the reader to believe that this school failed her previously but hopes it does not do the same for her son.
The poet uses the words “will hand him a telescope” and I can infer from this she was interested in science but was never given the opportunity to explore this interest.
“Her son watches YouTube to prove that somewhere the water is wider than the classroom,” and I would assume from this text he has never been to the ocean before and that they can not afford to make a trip to the beach.
I really like the line “I hope he doesn’t grow up like me, holding down mop buckets to keep the water running.” I feel like this line a really creative but very blunt way of putting I did not live up to my potential but I hope my son will. She understands her position in her life and that is to put her son on the right path so he does not in the same position.
As kids, it is important for imagination. We use this as a way to express ourselves. That one little puddle can turn into a sea of things for kids and this little boy.
I believe the reference of a sea of whales is mostly reffered to the lessons of the world itself. Maybe it is referring to the people in the world and the trouble that there is.
I think this is a good point. Usually people say that the world is full of sharks, but in this case the author said that the world is full of whales. I think this makes the line stand out more and like Mia said, it helps give the line more meaning and could be referencing many things.
It is mentioned that she sends him to the same school in which she dropped out of. This could show trying to relive a moment and hope for a better outcome. She is trying to make sure he does not make the same mistakes in which she may have to cause the drop out at the school.
She says “I hope he doesn’t grow up like me”. I feel that in today’s age there are many first generation children, whose parents want them to be the first to graduate highschool or college. There is a significance. She is showing her regret in her past that she hopes does not happen again
She explains that she hasn’t left the town of Glenville. She always thought that this place was the whole world. Sometimes it can be good to explore out and find out that there is more in the world than the small little town we all have grown up in. So many opportunities. So much more life, it takes us to go out and do it for ourselves.
This quote took me back to the child within me. The child who played at recess among all of my friends and peers. Little did we know one day would be the last time we all played tag or went down the slides. I sure miss those days as I am sure many of my peers do as well
She speaks that she did not have the money to rent a u-haul to move. In her mentality she “can’t”. Sometimes it takes the “I am going to make this happen.” I truly believe that if you have a will then you will have a way. If she would have had a different mind set she may have been able to make her dreams come true.
the author doesn’t want his son to be like him he wants his son to do better than him.
doesn’t blow up his life like he thinks it will.
I think your idea of Quartez wanting control to be very accurate. The older people get, the more control they want over their lives. Independence is so valued these days that people think that they have to control the entire world on their own. If people let go of the mop every now and then, life might be more satisfying.
his son and hope he doesn’t turn out the same.
Already some connections to the title, and some imagery. From the looks of it, this is a bunch of poems under one universal theme. From the rest of the titles, everything has something to do with morality- about life or a part of life.
Says how he was so used to Glenville that he thought it was similar to the whole universe.
The author wants to protect their son from the reality of life. Maybe the author had a similar experience (and that’s what’s being referenced in line 6. Keep the childs eyes only seeing the beauty of the world.
Here Quartez Harris talks about his son running his hand through a puddle of water. I think the big idea to grasp from this one sentence is the imagination that his son still holds. as we grow older our imaginations tend to die out or shrivel up. The big idea here is his son is still young enough to have the imagination to imagine a puddle to be an ocean.
Here the author talks about how he is sending his son to the same school he dropped out of and he hopes his gets a different view then he did. From this we gather that the author was a drop out, but also that he was not given a good view in school. He says he hopes this time the teachers will give him the tools to see for himself, which makes me wonder how the author was seeing things when he was in school.
I believe Quartez is looking for a redemption arc in allowing his son to live the life he couldn’t. His son went to the same school, sat in the same desks, played on the same playground where he once did all of those same thing. But this time Harris wants his kid to be different and to be better than he ever was.
Referring back to the quote by James Baldwin, children tend to look up to teachers and other adult figures in their life to help them form thoughts about the world. What Baldwin said was that until he gained higher knowledge, he was blind to the oppression. His educators failed him. Quartez Harris wants different for his kid. He wants his son to look at the world for himself. No one should tell him how to see.
I find this comparison the author makes to be very interesting. He says “the world is a sea of whales” and in its context I find it to be something bad, but when I think of whale i do not think of them as bad. This makes me wonder if what were supposed to take from this is that whales themselves are not necessarily bad, but a sea of only whales and nothing else is.
this is another reference to moths/butterflies talking about how they would swing so high.
When you’re young, it’s hard to believe there is more to the world than your house, backyard, and school. The idea that there is more people on the planet than you can count, most you will never meet, is nearly incomprehensible to kids. Teachers should be here to expand your horizons, teach you about the people on the other side of the world.
Here the author talks about being at recess and swinging so high he could almost see beyond the rooftops. What I find interesting from this section is that it feels like a fond memory, like that amazing moment of excitement when it feels you could do anything and you could just fly away and be free. It makes me wonder what inevitably crushed this excitement.
Here we can see the author continuing to hope for the best for his son. He says he hopes his son go swim as far as can reach and there are cliffs, shores, or horizons. This is him saying he hopes is son fill go as far as he wants and can and hopes there is nothing stopping him in his way.
Here we can see the hopes and dreams and overall positive outlook of a young child who wants to explore the world and its many wonders. The author fears there will only ever be swamps for his son to find meaning he worries his son will only ever find bad parts of the world
I was wondering the same thing when i read this line. The use of whales is very unusual compared to sharks. My thought was that sharks have a negative connotation so saying a sea of sharks would imply that there was a sea of bad or negative things when in reality there is only a sea of the same thing.
This is talking about how the son wants to go and see the world and explore other things outside of Glenville
This is a great example of how good the sons imagination is thinking a puddle to be a ocean.
in this the author wants the son to grow up to have a different future possibly a better one
Talking about how the son wants to see the world and he loves oceans but all he will get from this world is swamps.
youtube is an app with millions of videos about anything you want to watch for everyone.
In the first line, “My son runs his hands across a puddle outside the apartment, pretends it’s an ocean he can swim in.” We can see here why the poem is titled ocean and the imagery of the boy’s imagination. The boy’s mind is endless and has so many possibilities of believing in the good.
When reading this part of the poem, I think back to how our age group is one of the last ones to not have this type of technology in elementary school. Technology can be a very useful source, but little kids should be using their creativity and imagination in school, not watching YouTube videos because most parents now use technology to distract the kid, so they can get something done.
In this line we can see how the mother thought that school was the whole universe. I can relate to this because I moved to Sellersburg from Indy at the age of 9. When my parents first told me we were going to be moving, I thought it was going to be the end of the world because I had no idea the world was much bigger than my little town.
In this line we can see that the mother is praying for her son to reach where there is no cliff, shore, and horizon. I think that she is saying this because we need to explore the world and find ourselves. Getting out of a small town is important because you need to find other friends and learn how to live on your own.
The word telescope seems odd here. Most of the poem has things to do with water and the ocean, but the inclusion of telescope confuses me. Another thing is how it is used: “the teacher will hand him a telescope so he can see the world”
Telescopes are used mainly for seeing things that are not on Earth. He might be implying that he is not a part of the world, or I might be overthinking things.
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:32am
by Paul Hankins
Title: "Ocean" (continued)
The author projects a very realistic outlook on life and does not try to hide life’s imperfections but does show how it can be changed, through minds of our youth.
This part has a rough tone. You can sense the anger that the author feels. The sign almost seems like a contradiction. “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”, yet all the pieces allude to how that isnt true. How these children don’t get the same treatment as the other kids.
I feel as if the author is suggesting that they will need more than just wishful thinking to climb out of their “hood”.
I feel as though it wasn’t just “wishful thinking” that the author was suggesting here. Perhaps he is suggesting how some people are born behind in this world. How sometimes people cannot do anything they want if they put their minds to it, because life isn’t fair.
The poster will stay put as a constant reminder for everyone who enters that room, whether it be draped with cobwebs or faded from the light. His mind will hold onto that message forever as it was a constant reminder for him while he was in that classroom, and if he believes the message he will essentially change the world.
I have heard this phrase a lot in out lifetime. Sometimes I say it to others and I’m just joking. Other times I think to myself what if I was in that mindset where I could do anything I put my mind too.
The quote, “you can do anything if you put your mind to it,” has such a childish sense of ignorant hope. I believe Quartez would agree with me as he had told his son it wasn’t enough to get them out of the “hood.” I think while he has a point, what’s so wrong with that child-like innocence? To have hope can never be a bad thing. Hope can’t do everything, but it is a good start.
The speaker is saying that he holds the potential of being something great. If he tries to take off, he could change the world for them or for everyone.
Why might of he have used grenade in this situation? Is he that mad?
As a child I remember looking at all the different signs hung upon the walls in the different classrooms I went in. It reminds me of the hope our grade school teachers filled us with for the future, that we would be the leaders of the world one day. As I have aged and now about to enter my last year of high school, these signs have slowly disappeared. More and more classrooms are filled with bare walls, it was like the swamp drained our goals and dreams.
Some people aren’t always fortunate enough to be able to “do anything” even with hard work and determination. Some people are, unfortunately, born without the chance or situations where they can put their minds to it.
Having the chance to succeed isn’t just hard work, its also the opportunities offered. If opportunities aren’t given, there is no way to move forward.
“the poster won’t move us out the hood” helps the reader to see that a world of oceans is possible, but without the proper application of oneself, that is merely a pipe dream and is not realistic. The ocean is out there, but one must find it before they can swim.
Using descriptive words to describe a poster located in his school. By using these descriptive words, the readers are able to visualize his school. It may be one of the reason the father doesn’t want his son to go there due to the unsanitary conditions.
Many thoughts in kids’ heads when a teacher talks to the parents privately usually fill the kid with fear.
This is just something that I disagree with. I think that the father saying this to his son is the reason for them being in the “hood”. If that young boy wanted a full ride scholarship to harvard making 6 figures out of college he could. But when his dad, who did not do this, molds in his sons head that he will not be any better, it creates this culture of not wanting to be better. If this kid is brainwashed into thinking he will never be better and that he should not try to accomplish his dreams, then he will just end up in the same situation as his father.
Posters like this are everywhere, and while they are meant to be encouraging they do not always have that effect. When going through a difficult situation sometimes something like and inspirational poster is exactly what is needed to help one feel better. At other times it can feel terrible and not help to see what hope one has.
In the last line of this, the author mentions their son using his mind. The part which says “he could explode into a sea of reefs” is saying that with work and determination the son can improve his life and gain knowledge.
I think it is important to acknowledge the author’s choice to use “explicit” language in the second line because it displays the author’s tone in relation to the poetry. A lot of languages thrive with the ability to add cursing to our speech and I think English is definitely one of them.
This is a slap in the face for most people. People who gave so much and got nothing in return. I believe this is the tone for this piece. Anger at the way the world is and fear for how it will treat their son.
I find the author’s comment on the poster interesting. The message on the poster is “you can do anything if you put your mind to it”. The author tells his son that the poster wont move them out of the hood. I find this interesting because of course that one poster is not going to help you move but the message on it is meant to inspire or reinforce what some are doubting.
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:33am
by Paul Hankins
Title: "Testing Doesn't Tell the Whole Story"
The author adds a layer of personal interaction by calling out several kids by their names. He could’ve just said “the girl” or “the boy” but he didn’t. That isn’t to say the names are not made up to hide the children’s identities.
The author’s use of the children’s names really gives a sense of depth and imagery to this piece of literature. It really makes me imagine a class room full of young kids being unaware of life’s horrors and living blissfully.
The tone of this one is different from the one above (“Ocean”).This one has a sense of relief and joy. The words allude to joy. The last sentence alludes to relief that his students are still alive (this line could be to hint at various things, like gun violence, gangs, or even just he fact that the children are still bright and lively, not dimmed by the events of the real world).
the names give the children identity. Not just “a child” or “he/she/them”, but almost a personality.
This poem to me just describes kids having fun with their bubbles, bean bags, and playing games like hide-and-seek.
I like the line “Marshawn stands on his desk; tries to grab a cloud or two.” It shows he is reaching for the sky and trying to have some fun.
The descriptiveness of this page makes me want to be a child again, even just for a day. I would love to have no worry in the world about what the future holds for me, and just play with bubbles and find fascination in the smallest things.
The children let go of what was holding them down, so they could let their feet run free wherever their imagination would guide them. Grabbing a hold of clouds, this is where they felt most ALIVE. They were free to be themselves and let their imagination run wild.
When I first read over the poem I realized the author decided to use names. Why did the author decide to do that? The author could have easily replaced the names with a guy, boy, them, or a girl. Does he think maybe we can picture them better? Maybe someone has a picture of what a Stefon looks like in our mind, or a Michelle or Kandence.
By a child standing on his desk, trying to “grab a cloud or two”, it is showing that this kid has a whole world of imagination and is opening his mind to endless possibilities.
There is no order or rows here. These are children moving about the space. They are doing and discovering and making reality out of dreams.
The children are alive and they feel infinite. They see the world in such beautiful bright colors. They see it for all the opportunities that they can seize. They know not of the hardships and challenges life will bring. They see wonder and amazement, not the triumph that life is.
This italicized text most likely displays inner thought. As a stand alone, it could be read a couple of different ways. One way could be relief. There are certain of this country where these kids could be shot on their way home.
I believe Harris was trying to put emphasis on the liveliness of his students and the fact that it is being played out in real time. He is watching his students grow, play, learn, experiment, and discover in front of him. I think he puts emphasis to show the impact the kids are having on him despite the fact that he is the teaching, set their to impact THEM.
The statement of these students being alive doesn’t completely resonate until you realize that they’re not just alive, but they are their own person. They are a real, living, breathing mind. They play and laugh and live their own real lives.
And Mr. Harris will watch them grow, and live, and be human right in front of his eyes.
I find the imagery pleasing when I imagine bubbles bursting into glitter. Its not often I hear it described that way. I quite enjoy the choice of wording here.
The title of this poem, contributes to the poem by showing the children are truly “alive.” They are able to “dive into glitter,” “play hide-and-seek,” and use their imagination to change bean bags into plastic pools. These children are encouraged to express themselves in his classroom and stay “alive.”
People may not realize how lucky we are to still be alive in a time like this.
We see a lot of this playful “dance with danger” this leaping into things that look padded and soft.
A student standing on a desk. Reaching. Peril. Into the air that will “catch him” only briefly before gravity would take over as a natural force.
I feel in everyone’s younger years is when they felt most alive. As high schoolers we are drained from the amount of work we have, the stress people put on us to go to college and get big degrees in things that don’t even bring us satisfaction or joy. As a child we could forget about the world around us and live in the moment we were in, in the fantasy we created for ourselves. Playing until we were absolutely exhausted even then crying because we wanted to keep going.
< fixed?
Notice it says “my.” This is from the perspective of the teacher. “Alive” could mean two things: that the students are literally alive, or that they are discovering life, discovering their abilities. They are experiencing the world to the fullest.
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:34am
by Paul Hankins
Title: Poem
It is extremely depressing how schools beat the love of learning and daydreaming out of kids. If I had only been exposed to the poetry I was taught in school, I would probably hate poetry, which is sad to think because writing poetry is something I am passionate about.
The entire poem is formatted to resemble a page out of a test. The text within the square is a graphic, The text below the line a question, and the A, B, C, and D lines multiple choice answers.
This goes to show how school can be so crushing to a child’s spirit and imagination. Most students go through like a drone, mindless and going through the motions.
This gives the notion that our children are stuck inside technology and not reading and learning physically, which often tends to be true.
“crawled back inside the computer”
My mind thinks that the computer is a like a black hole or cave. the girl is “crawling” back in or being sucked back into the testing, or back into the cave. Kind of like hibernation. Crawling back in, only to return after everything is over.
Standardized testing, tests your prior and current knowledge of what your teachers were supposed to teach you. Standardized testing doesn’t show what kind of person you are, or the home life you have. It simply tests what your teachers have or haven’t taught you.
The format that the author wrote this page really adds to the message due to the fact that he built his literature like a standardized test.
This quote refers back to the days of the slaves and implies that our schools always hold back hardest workers no how well they do in class. The standardized testing holds the students back.
This shows that it is probable that standardized testing’s negatives could out way the positives because ruining a child’s future is not worth any kind of data that the testing provides.
This girl is stressed out because of state testing. What people don’t realize is this happens until you get out of college, you continue to have to take tests. Tests cause so much stress for anyone. I still get stressed about tests.
The little girl wants to give up because of a state test. She wants to just drop out. State testing shouldn’t make kids want to stop learning and just drop out but yet it does. So why are we still having state testing, when we know how it makes students feel?
The state tests are basically just to see where you are at compared to others. We were taught not to compare ourselves to others. But yet that’s exactly what the state testing is doing.
The author said, “she crawled back into the computer.” Reading that sentence alone I would think of someone like crawling into a computer monitor and be living in there, which sounds really weird. Reading that sentence with the text stated before it actually sounds really cool and a great choice of words used. It shows that she goes back to looking at the computer and is probably looking like she is staring very intensely at the computer but that is because she is taking the test.
But essentially stripping them of their identities and individuality.
I find it ironic that a place that is made for kids to learn and get ready for the future emotionally kills the kids. It makes me almost feel like is the knowledge you gain from school even worth it if your, creativity, passion for learning, and your overall look at life get nullified.
This example provides historical context from whenever slavery was institutionalized. It explains that no matter how hard a working slave was, they were always punished just for the color of their skin. This historical context allows for the reader to connect with the author and better understand the text at hand.
The “old ways” you claimed that educators hold onto plays into the metaphor Harris used when he said “the hardest working slave was never set free.” While I know teachers aren’t holding their colored kids as slaves, they are still holding onto the past and treating their students differently based their skin tone. No matter how hard this girl Harris was talking about worked, her teacher never let her reap the benefits of her knowledge.
I agree with your statement. It was the little things that got to us whenever we were little, such as having a test that you did not enjoy.
This quote emphasizes the detrimental effects that state testing has on younger students, it destroys their confidence at a young age causing for negative effects for the future.
Paula recognizes the need for change as children should be excited to go to school and embrace their talents, what makes them happy, and what makes them different.
Paula finally understands what effects she is having on young, innocent children for an extra dime from the state department. A 7 year old should not be taking standardized tests but instead should be daydreaming and being kids.
This line stuck out to me. “…children should never arrive to school &stop daydreaming.” The girl in this is only 7, which means she is only in 2nd grade. At that age, they don’t understand what is going on outside. At that age, they still want to color, and play, and just be kids. They don’t want to take tests and do homework.
Daydreaming should never stop, no matter how old a kid gets. Being able to imagine and be creative will always be more helpful in the long run. Schools suck the color out of kids’ lives, and I believe it shouldn’t take a phone call from a parent whose kid wants to “give up” for other adults to know what is going on.
This idea that children should never have to stop daydreaming in schools goes against what is commonly thought of as a social norm, that being the importance of students maintaining attention while in the classroom. However, it is a good point, because the mind is opened to a world of infinite possibilities when one daydreams, and what better way for a kid to have inspiration to apply themselves than by dreaming a dream that they want to accomplish.
such a scenario and that schools should not suppress those creative ideas.
Before even reading the rest, the title caught my eye. This is something that my parents always say to me. Standardize testing shows what we retained, but not all people are good test takers. Some understand, but cannot take tests. They, like the 7 year old girl, want to give up because of the testing and difficulty.
I can never stress how much testing makes me mad. Lots of students work so hard to have good grades and then something like I-STEP makes it look like they have not worked that hard.
The title is very accurate to kids’ real life experiences. It shows how truly useless standardized testing is, and how it usually does more harm than good for children. Kids shouldn’t be worried tests like this, wanting to “break apart her crayons.” As a kid, they should just be kids, not guinea pigs used for testing.
It’s a gripping image that this child would seek refuge back into the computer that keeps feeding her questions to answer (or attempt to answer).
The school system isn’t supportive of some people. People who could be geniuses are forced to be cut short of the education they need. Being held back because of something that they might’ve been able to pass if they had simply been taught better? That’s a horrible thing to do to a student. It makes it feel impossible to finish.
Even though tiffany was categorized by her teacher as “the hardest worker in the class,” she was was held back for not passing. She also wanted to give up in school, empty out her school desk and break apart her crayons. She’s only seven years old and already the stress of school and the hard tests are getting to her.
The teacher says that Tiffany is the hardest worker but she was still held back. The example of a slave relates because slaves were forced to do a lot of difficult work and those who worked the hardest often suffered the most. The author is comparing the life of a slave to Tiffany being held back.
Being a slave to the school system is what people go through constantly. For years upon years people like Tiffany, who work hard and try their best, are forced to go through torment even longer simply because she didn’t pass one little class.
Allowing kids the ability to have access to a variety of interactive toys is essential for their growth in the same way that allowing them to participate in some extent to their imagination is. School is where this happens the most and like the author said, it should never stop there.
I feel as if many kids come to school and are but in a depressing state of mind. It is so stressful and overwhelming sometimes. In this passage I can tell that the teachers are really realizing how the student is unhappy with her life and school.
Kids shouldn’t have to stop having fun. Learning should be fun, not driven by grades and numbers and the threat of more. Learning should never, ever be a threat. Staying longer to learn should never be a threat.
But student arrive and they learn and they hate it. They would rather daydream, but in school they are forced to drop their way of escaping the dull, dreary day’s work.
In this line the little girl tells her father how she wants to give up after her state testing. These feelings are very common to have after a big stressful test. In Indiana we have the test known as ISTEP. How is the state testing beneficial to students. If we do not pass we cannot graduate. A student with all A’s and a 4.0 GPA could fail the ISTEP and not be able to then graduate. How is this fair to students? I relate to the little girl’s feelings. A test does not define me or my peers
Throughout the pandemic I have found myself many times wanting to hide away in my chromebook. The missing assignments, tests, more and more every single day. I feel that some teachers have given grace to students as we are all just trying to navigate through these harsh times. Others have not been gracious at all. We are all trying to survive. It has been a difficult year.
listen to their teacher go on and on about things they’re too young to care about.
They also could represent creativity within the classroom. Because the 7-year-old girl could not excel in one area of school, she feels like the whole endeavor is useless, even the creative pursuits
This reminds me of a specific poem we read a while back. “Superman and Me.” The “danger” of letting people of color read. For decades, literacy tests were a requirement to vote. They did not teach victims of slavery to read. It’s horrifying the amount that affects today.
I think it is quite crazy that state testing begins as early as 7 years old for some kids. That is a very young age to be sat down for such a long time and to test.
This is one of many things I have mixed feelings about. When a kid comes to school they come to learn what is thought they need to know to be functional members of our society. So it makes me wonder why we have to lose our creativeness and imagination and our daydreaming to have a chance to be that functional member that we are supposed to be.
To have students as young as second grade being told to answer question after question for some state test they don’t even understand the importance of is so meaningless. Most don’t even know the meaning of standardized. Let kids be kids. We need to stop forcing them into these monotonous tests that take all the fun out of learning new things.
When the little girl tells her dad after state testing that she wants to give up, I think most students have been in her boat before. The amount of stress and pressure that is put on students to pass and even pass plus to be considered smarter is not worth it. One test can not determine how “smart” you are and what you are capable of.
In this line we can see how the little girl is so overwhelmed that she wants to empty her school desk and break her crayons. This is just the beginning of where students become “burnt out” from school. At this age they should not already feel like school has broken their hopes and dreams.
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:35am
by Paul Hankins
Title: Poem
After coming home from school she wants to give up and is burnt out. So many students can relate to this with school in general. This is what makes this line so impactful
I read “after state testing, a 7-year-old girl arrives home. she tells her dad she wants to give up.” My heart broke. I remember when I was that age and felt that way too, and now having younger cousins who are that age I can’t imagine them wanting to give up because of a test we are forced to take that does no good for us. It is heart wrenching that these young kids with the biggest imaginations and the biggest creative minds want to give up because of a single test they were forced to take and pressured to do good on and if not basically called a failure.
This makes me kinda sad, because you see how much students spend in front of a computer, doing work they do not want to do.
I think that the comparison that this text makes is very inappropriate. Comparing a hard young working student to a hard working slave. First off, why ridicule the fact that she was hard working, use that to encourage he to enjoy school again. Secondly, why compare this girl to a slave… a slave. Something that occurred over 150 years ago. Slavery was obviously a terrible thing, and for years after that there was still systemic racism. Looking in today’s society though, there is not that systemic racism and there is NOT slavery. This comparison just blows my mind really. This is why I believe culture is to blame.
I do not believe that you can rule out ALL systemic racism, it most definitely exists. Just because you haven’t seen/experienced it doesn’t mean it’s not there. I’ve never seen X or Y is not valid when others have seen X and Y on numerous occasion in the system they live in.
A recent study by the national school board association found that in black households:
64% have parents whose education level is less than high school.
45% live in mother-only households.
35% live in father-only households.
So while not the fault of the Dept. of Edu. it can be realized that this happens so they can focus more on children of color that disproportionately get affected by this issue.
Link to article:
https://nsba.org/Perspectives/2020/black-students-condition-education
The author is trying to convey to the audience that many black children are not given the same opportunities for education, and then punished by being held back when they fail a standardized test. Who are standardized tests helping? It is certainly not the teachers, students or the school.
When too much stress is put on a (very) young person, it can lead to feelings of inadequacy and incompetency. Many children feel the need to give up and give in starting very young with school. Kids are not encouraged to like school, we encouraged to DEAL with it. The narrative needs to change in our younger years.
When the author writes about the children who stop “daydreaming,” I think it is referred to how much of a child’s imagination is taken away during school.
There is not a single reason why young children should be taking exams this long. I think there are many reasons why students in high school don’t get their work done, one being:
Where is their support system? Not the school.
When we are young, daydreaming is showing imagination and creativity. As we get older, for instance teenage and up, day dreaming is classified as a defense mechanism to escape reality. It’s saddening that we go from day dreaming about fun, to turning it into an escape from whatever conflict is occuring.
We see in this line how a 2nd grader asks her teacher if she is done yet on question 40, but her teacher says no, so she crawls back into the computer. I think that part really stuck out to me because being a virtual student, I feel like I’m always on my computer or looking at a screen. Also it surprises me that a 2nd grader so about 7-8 years old is already getting a 40 question test, when they should be using their imaginations not sitting behind a desk all day long.
When I first read the title, I thought it was interesting because testing really doesn’t tell the whole story. One test can not determine if you pass or not and what you are capable of doing. This kind of testing is hard because we don’t know what is on the test and we really don’t prepare for it that well. Also some of the things that are on the test are things that we learned over three years ago, so how do you think we will remember that?
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:35am
by Paul Hankins
Title: Poem
I find it interesting that he used books as their amenities. It goes to show how the lower income communities tend to enjoy the simpler things.
I am not exactly sure what the author meant by this, I’d like to assume that her womb is like a library and she read about her daughter and fell in love during her pregnancy.
Most often times when a mother finally gives birth to her baby after enduring the long 9 months It took to form their child, they miss their pregnancy. They felt as if they were bale to protect their child from all the hate of the world, and just feel connected to them in a way no one would ever understand unless they were to carry a baby. She is nostalgic for the days she was able to protect her baby from the demons of the world, and misses those days.
Perhaps, since a womb never truly recovers after childbirth, it signifies the fact that her child will always be with her. That the mother had changed and with her child, she will start a new part of her life. A new way of viewing the world with her very own motherly knowledge, he very own archive in her womb.
Look for the planning for hope that is happening within this piece.
The womb is an “archive.”
How does the word “leaf” work in here?
The Womb is where we grow when our mother is pregnant, maybe school can be viewed as a place where we grow and learn.
There are two sides to this. The author may be hopeful for a brighter future for his daughter, one she can look back on later in life with no regrets. However, he may be referring to his daughter ending up like him, wishing things were different.
The way that the author writes this stanza is jarring to say the least. At first I didn’t completely understand it. It seems to be about the author’s favorite book being something from here childhood. Perhaps her childhood is the favorite book? Maybe the daughter found the way that her parent looks back on their childhood, maybe the daughter reminds the parent of this childhood?
A lot of things needed for virtual school, like wifi. Some students do not have that.
A mother’s love is one of a kind. It takes real selflessness to put your kid’s needs before your own.
When mentioning the lack of money this may appeal to a more ECONOMIC theme. The mother provides her daughter with very little money and space but is rich in knowledge and a passion for reading. Teaching her daughter to dive into books as a possible escape.
The author says he is “preparing her to read” stories that will be similar to her life. He is referencing struggles that one may have throughout life that can be coped with through reading. There are always themes that can be pulled from books, and the themes come from how a characters acts (or does not act) on the conflicts he/she is presented with. He is preparing his daughter for the same, because by teaching her to read and enjoy literature, many life lessons can be learned via reading.
To be a teacher and hear a student tell you that they do not have enough money for necessities must be tough to hear and it’s more common than we think.
a habit is something that a person does regularly or is ordinary for them to be doing. This line has a important impact because it mentions a habit being magical, which it would not normally be seen as. It is these habits that can create a “new universe” which means creativity and finding joy in the normal aspects of life
This poem is really inspiring because of how the poet talked about how her child would grow up through reading books.
Reading can help a person figure out themselves and the world around them. It can steal a person away into a different world for a while. Literacy and reading fluency can determine one’s future career.
I thought that this line was very interesting because most habits become a part of your everyday life and if those habits are good, they can change your world. In 2021 one of my goals was to take a picture everyday of something good in life and looking back on just the first three months I can look back at all the things I take for granted.
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:36am
by Paul Hankins
Title: Poem
“what do they think the story is going to be mostly about?” “They shout: not us…” The author recognizes the lack of racial identification within literature, Only about 21% of children’s literature is about the African American Community according to the CCBC (2017).
The students have finally realized that they are the minority and understand that some things are not equal including representation in children’s literature.
This is showing that students hate to read due to the lack of representation among the black community and having reading become a chore.
She says she prays to make it out. So this means the children are probably not having any fun learning. The teacher has to change that because if kids don’t enjoy learning then they are young they will have a hard time once they get older.
Does she think the kids hate her that bad to think that the kids would do something violent? I understand them not wanting to read but the author exaggerates. This keeps the audience intrigued though.
The teacher asks the students, what do you think the story is going to be about, and they reply with, “not us…” This is saddening to me because the students are aware of how prejudice literature can be in regards to race. The author is trying to make the audience aware of the challenges African American children face in the classroom, even at a young age.
There is not enough representation out there for POC, they have a hard time finding media about their cultures and families. The fact that the story wont be about them goes to show how left out they are from many of the other things literature has to offer.
This reminds me of Francine Prose’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read.” Prose elaborated upon the outdated literature in classrooms. Students should never have to feel that the curriculum excludes their culture.
This reminds me of my teachers bribing me to do work with candy.
From a young age, kids are trained to be “good” by being fed candies or getting extra recess time or a homework pass. They are told only good students are the silent ones who do their work, who don’t fidget or giggle. Since when is that how humans behave? We are a species of constant movement and noise, it’s how we keep ourselves focused. Some may do well with the silent conversation, but others cannot stand the silence.
Literacy is still predominately white. With little representation of POC. Even animals have more representation. “what do they think the story is going to be mostly about….not us”. That line is just saddening. All the kids knowing they won’t be represented and if they are, it’ll be a slim chance.
This little response from this classroom will probably stay with me long after this consideration of the poems from Harris’s collection.
These words “not us” shows how truly little representation colored people have in schools and the media and just about anywhere you look in the U.S. Young POC students never get to see themselves in all the picture books or written about in novels or even filmed as a main character in a movie. Teachers of all people should be showing their kids as much as they can of the world.
I cannot even count the amount of times I have not been able to sleep because of the stress of my schoolwork.
However, with these dreams to become their own person, they acknowledge limitations within themselves, and must begin a journey of discovering themselves in order to be successful.
This line stuck out to me because you can tell how frustrated the teacher is and wants her students to make it out. I think the author includes this part to show that it is okay to leave the little bubble you grew up in and explore the world.
One can never understand another individual’s fears without living a day in their shoes.
Adding on to what Ella said, there is a proportionately low amount of black voices being shared in children’s books and movies. My baby cousin is five years old with an obsession of the movie “Frozen” with two beautiful white women.
Since then, she has complained about having dark skin (she is a quarter Black, quarter Korean, half Lebanese) and it saddens me because she has little source of relation to any children’s entertainment because of the under-representation of people of color.
Black holes suck everything up and nothing ever escapes. Black voices are often silenced even if they have knowledge and experience. I think it is an interesting look at education and commentary on the social climate if that was a point he was trying to make.
This metaphor comparing black mouths to black holes is to say that black voices aren’t heard and they fall on deaf ears. It is a black hole because what is said dissolves into the abyss, never to be heard.
Could the author possibly mean that students have possibly discovered who they really by saying that the “finally see themselves” ?
I feel that in this day and age kids should not be trained and fed mouth “candy” to learn what to say and what not to. All kids should learn proper manners and such. But in the way this line is presented, I do not agree with this cultural way of life.
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:36am
by Paul Hankins
Title: Poem
This simple act of kindness from Mr. Harris will never leave this young student’s mind and will greatly influence him for the rest of his life.
I feel like a big reason Harris is so compassionate toward his students is because he knows what it’s like to not be treated fairly in school. He wants better for his students. He wants to give them the opportunities he never had as a little kid.
There is irony in walking past homes where air conditioning is a flick of a button away when you have to carry a fan home from school to get any cool air. This could also be a reference to the historical segregation of poorer black neighborhoods and richer white neighborhoods.
There is a certain love than an older sibling has for a baby sister, coupled with a fierce urge to protect them. This line tugged on my heartstrings a little.
He seems excited for summer and has thought about making this tent with the fan for awhile
This seems to be a normal poem about a normal life of a child excited about summer and excited to spend time with his family.
I do not know if people understand the relationship of sisters. I have my younger sister and she is one of my best friends.
Mr. Harris’ care for his students will probably stay with them forever. I have a couple of teachers like that.
Through these various poems we can see that this teacher Mr.Harris has a deep love and understanding for his students. Within this poem, Mr.Harris has recognized that one of his students comes from a less fortunate home where they have no AC for the summer. However Mr.Harris giving the boy a fan has slightly improved this boy and his family’s life with his gracious act.
This is showing how much the author cares for his students, and how deeply he feels compassion for them, knowing they may not have it the best at home.
In doing this, he will “make a tent” for family, so they have air conditioning for the summer. This shows how big of a heart this student has, and the joy he gets from being able to help his family.
He has tears as his student leave. Most likely fearing for them, and hoping they arrive home safely. Not affected by gun violence, or walk out, and not return. Fears that not everyone deals with, and not everyone will understand.
I have noticed the author does not like to write “grammatically correct” which is common now when we read poetry, particularly poetry of young adults since it has become a trend to text in all lowercase. it adds grace but still effect, in my opinion.
I think every student has gazed out the window, wishing they could be somewhere else.
As we see in these lines, this student is more than excited to take home a fan for the summer. When the teacher asks about his summer plans, the biggest thing he has in mind has to do with the fan he was just given for the summer. I think this shows a lot about how much this small gesture meant to him, and how it will be meaningful the whole summer.
These last few lines give a very positive view of the teacher. The student is forever changed by this kind teacher. I am sure he is upset about having to leave this teacher for the summer, but her kindness will forever stay with the student. This is almost life changing for the student.
Although most of us have air conditioning, we take for granted the things we have that many people do not. This student is more than happy to bring home a fan for the summer. To us, this would be a weird gesture and not needed. We should be more appreciative with what we have, especially compared to these students.
One again the author calls out the name of a student. This gives the poem a personal feeling. Jaylin is not just some kid. He has a name, a face, a family, and a story that are all his own.
This line has imagery because just by reading it, one can imagine what is looks like. I also thought that it shows creativity because they are making something exciting out of simple materials. This also requires some imagination which seems to be present in children.
This line is showing that the negative aspects of life can still be looked at in a positive light. While it is difficult to do changing an emotion from a negative to a positive can help you feel better about a situation even if it cannot be changed entirely.
Mr. Harrison gave Jaylin the fan since his house did not have any air-conditioning, but, as a child, Jaylin does not think of it this way and instead thinks of how he can use it in a fort with his family.
the tone of this stanza is sort of a mix between hope and sadness. In the beginning the sadness tone appears with it saying “I laid my tears across his desk.” The hopeful side of the ton is when it said “defying the sun’s power.” Both these tones give the stanza an powerful message.
The quote “On the last day of school” reminds me of the current times we are in. Today marks the one year anniversary of school being shut down due to covid. Little did we know that was the last day of the school year. Sometimes I wonder if I would have known prior, if I would’ve been more meaningful and present during those last few days of my sophomore year.
I feel that the quote “Air conditioners hanging out the window” can signify more detail into the reading. This creates more of an imagine. Not everyone is able to have air conditioning all through the house. This shows the condition he was in as he lived through the summer
Kindness. Not everyone has air conditioning. I don’t think people realize the amount they have, I type as I listen to my air conditioner blowing beside me. Just a little kindness. Compassion for the fellow human. That’s what saves lives.
We see here in this line how he has received a fan for air-conditioning and the smile on his face to go tell his mom. I couldn’t imagine not having AC in my house during the summer and realize that is something else I take for granted. I wonder what his moms and other family members’ reaction to the fan was?
Added March 10, 2021 at 10:42am
by Paul Hankins
Title: A Conversation with Quartez Harris
You’ll want to bring your earbuds so that you can view/consider the interview with the poet separately and apart from the room.
DGK seems to be completely overjoyed to be interviewing Quartez Harris. He has many achievements and an outstanding title.
I found the authors educational background interesting considering his line of work now. By watching the video I was able to achieve a different outlook onto the book, as well as, deeper knowledge about the author himself.
Unfortunately, the audio made us miss the introcution of the speaker here. His name is: DANIEL GRAY-KONTAR.
You can find out more about TWELVE LITERARY ARTS here: https://www.twelvearts.org/our-values/
Telina Johnson explains the role of the “rainbow” in her poem. She states that she sees a rainbow as “seeing over a circumstance, or a situation, in the world that you are in.” She then goes on to say she sees it as, “an overarching circumstance where you have the mentality to know all possibilities in the point of view or perspective you’re in.” She is using a rainbow in this poem to show how one can be “above” a conflict and look at it from different point of views.
This is an interesting thought. I never would have thought a rainbow could stand for “seeing over a circumstance or situation in the world your in”. That is a really good idea, since the rainbow goes up over and around, covering everything under it
Here is a great example of CHOICE. As Telina describes her viewpoint on rainbows, it allows us to understand a little better her viewpoint when creating this poem. Poetry is one of those forms that is very much up to the reader to interpret the meaning, but at the same time the feelings ad understanding of the author shines through. Her choice to include rainbows is reliant on how she views them and what they could mean for others.
Readers can have many different interpretations of a piece. Many time it can be different from what the author intended, but I think that’s part of the beauty of poetry and literature. The readers start to see pieces of themselves and their own lives in stories.
When Quartez first joins the meeting, DGK refers to him as brother. While at first this my be taken as just slang talk, DGK then goes on to speak about the growth that he has seen Quartez undergo. I believe this may point to a deeper connection then what first meets the eye.
It’s strange to watch videos now during COVID times and see how people dealt with it. There are issues with mics, cutting out, and it’s a very real look at the reality right now. This is the world we live in and have been living in for a year now.
The most commonly asked question in modern time would be “how are you handling this pandemic?” and things of this nature, so naturally it is going to be the first thing asked to teachers, who have to worry about an abundance of students in one place at the same time while still getting them educated.
Since this interview is taking place when we didn’t know much about covid, we are getting to see how pretty much everyone was feeling around that time. We didn’t really know anything about it and Harris saying “I am afraid” pretty much sums up what we were all feeling.
Personally, I had no clue about the effects of COVID on different races. It never crossed my mind to research something like that. It brings to light the question of how much do we really know? And how much of the population is ignorant to details like this? May it be willful or not.
It’s probably really important to note that this interview occurs when we are only really just learning about COVID-19. But the fear that Harris discusses here was/is (or should be) real even as fear gives way to informed decision making and moving forward.
For people like Quartez, who is a parent and educator, I often wonder if he even thought about the fact that COVID could still be happening now. As we have now around the one year mark of COVID’s more devastating reign, I wonder if he could have predicted this and if he would have done things different giving the titles/responsibilities he has.
For some, writing can serve as a form of therapy. It can also be a way to puzzle out and think over a situation. Mr. Harris’s poems seem to have been about things he has experienced that have upset him. It could speak to the depth of his distress that Mr.Harris is writing about these situations now. A little bit of pathos.
When asked what it is like being an educator in the midst of all the uncertainty, Quartez Harris first address his concerns/fears over the safety of his son and his students. Quartez states his idea of trying to write upon this particular subject, but responds, “I don’t think I can write away the issue the only think I can do is bring voice to them.” Meaning the pandemic unfortunately cannot change, but through writing Quartez hopes to bring light to all the issues this global pandemic has caused.
I found it interesting that Quartez chose to say a bit about not writing away the issues. I feel like sometimes in writing and media, the stories are often skewed for the entertainment value, instead of presenting them as hard cold truths. Quartez’s using his voice to allow the issues to become louder is just a nice change to hear from the day to day norm.
Ocean, one of Quartez Harris’s poems, describes a father unable to offer his son the world due to lack of resources and money. The father is forced to depend on the education system that failed them, to teach his son. “I pray he can swim as far as his hand chooses to reach.” The word choice this author uses as contributes to this idea that the ocean is huge, the father wants nothing more than for his son to be able to “swim as far as his hands choose to reach.” Quartez uses different a relation of the ocean throughout the entire poem. "
Before reading the poem, Quartez gives the audience a short summary behind the writing of “Ocean.” Mentioning that even though may parents want the best for their child, majority of parents are “not in a position, economically, to do that.” This may tie into one of the Thematic Categories of ECONOMICS, due to the fact that money is tight, which causes may parents to only be able to afford a public education.
Harris explains how he sent his kid to the same school that he dropped out of in hopes that he would get everything he can out of it, unlike his dad. It is clear that Harris just wants the best for his son, as almost any parent would agree.
He has worked odd jobs and any other thing that can get him money to keep the water running and food on the table. Anything to provide for his family
How common now is the phrase, “I hope he doesn’t grow up like me.” So many parents say this because they want better than what they made for their kids. And yet, so many kids look up to their parents. They see the worlds their parents have created and see paradise, because their parents have done their best. It never hurts to reach higher, but why do you have to?
Humans are wired to be self-minded. When you think and jump into other peoples perspective you see that they need the sun and moons protection just as much as you or your family.
Harris speaks about a poster in his son’s classroom in a critical manner. He says “It won’t move us out the hood” which is understandable because a positive poster won’t make a difference to him. It can make a difference for his son and it is evident he does everything for his child.
Quartez was informed not to smile on his first year on teaching, due to the fact that he may be taken as “passive.” “Whether I should smile on the first day of school,” was inspired by this experience. Not being able to express his own emotions, is an act of dehumanization.
It honestly shocked me that the advice to not smile on the first day of school is given to teachers. I would never think to take advantage of a teacher just because they smiled or showed a “weakness” but I guess that shows how much I don’t know about the world and how little experiences I truly have.
The idea that new teachers are warned not to smile on the first day is astounding. Smiles are one of the most easily shared forms of positive emotion and kindness. The idea that teachers are told not to smile at the minds they have been tasked to mold for fear of coming off as ‘passive’ is overwhelming.
Believe it or not, this advice is still given to new teachers each year as they take on their new roles. But, for AP students, watch how the CONTEXT of this poem changes based upon geography and ethnicity. This poem is not included in our selections, but I am gladdened that you get to hear a poem the POET has chosen to share here.
The reality of this statement is unnerving, for a smile is one of the easiest acts of kindness one can give. This seems extremely harsh, and Quartez Harris is aware of this. He goes on to state, “My second graders never have been good at learning if I am not smiling.” He is making the audience aware of the importance of smiling towards his students. It produces a sense of encouragement for them.
As DGK talks about the dehumanization of everybody in the classroom space when a teacher is told not to smile on the first day, I was struck with the comparison to what we have been going through recently. A believe most students will agree that having class through a screen is about as dehumanizing as it gets. Not being able to see a smile? Now we can not see anyone but ourselves.
It is outrageous that at any modern point a classroom would be described as dehumanizing, let alone intentionally dehumanizing,"
Background information on Tamir Rice:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Tamir_Rice?scrlybrkr=7308cd68
We Made it to School Alive is a lot deeper than I originally thought. When you think about it black people have fought for everything and Harris brings this idea home through his poems. They fought to go to school, children fight to stay alive in school, and fight to stay alive outside of school. If you watch any tv series featuring black characters they have the police talk. It’s deeply saddening that parents have to teach their kids how to not die. I think Harris pushes this point with his Tamir Rice poem.
Quartez reads, “Before I could read, I learned to fear a cops trigger finger.” How is it that was as a society have allowed ourselves to sink to such depths? Fear such as that should never be instilled in one so young, and yet how many youth today are living that reality?
People often see themselves through labels whether self given or forced on them. Labeling students as “problems” instantly throws them in into a position they shouldn’t have to be in. No child is a problem, they’re just kids who might need more guidance than others. Once someone learns there’s a problem child they aren’t even given a chance to be something other than that.
“as if children are too young to know, when they have been shot.” In Quartez’s poem, the student and teachers were demanded to take down pictures of Tamir and letters written to his mother. The reason behind was due to the fact it was considered “wasn’t age appropriate.” Quartez’s poem expresses the trauma this kids have experienced, and the life they’ve grown up in. In regards to this he later states, “the worlds tries to kill us, our beauty always survives.”
People have a funny idea of what is and isn’t age appropriate. Mr.Harris learned to fear cops before he could write, and yet his own second grade students are not to allowed to learn how to grieve over a lost member of their community, a member that wouldn’t have been that much older than them.
Teaching with that “sense of profound hope.”
Here is more information on Dr. Cornell West to whom the interview alludes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornel_West
“my black students are alive.” Quartez states how he simply allows his students around fifteen minutes to just be themselves. Play, relax, connect. Due to the pandemic, I feel as if many of us have lost that time in allowing ourselves to just relax, and grow whether its physically, mentally, or emotionally.
After listening to Quartez Harris read his Alive poem, I could feel the emotions and his tone better than when I read it. He has a deep compassion to his students and cares for them like a teacher should. The tone of his voice was strong and powerful but yet had a sadness to it.
I found it interesting how Quartez spoke of his students and their literacy knowledge. He states that it is expected that his students can not read and have mediocre writing skills because they are poor, yet this is not the case. The amount of money one has does not dictate the amount of skill they might posses.
This isone of our poems from within the text set offered. You might go back now and look at that poem from the lens of knowing more about it from what the poet shares. This is the power of “teaching living poets.”
The hidden curriculum is to give kids a space they can have fun and feel safe. There can be work and play in the same space. There has to be a balance between teaching kids to learn and teaching kids to live. It can’t be expected of second graders to sit still all the time.
Harris expresses his gratitude to be given the opportunity to publish his poems and continue to “shoot high” and keep pursuing writing. He states how “humbling” and “unreal” it feels to him and he expresses how thankful he is to be given this chance.
Harris puts strong emphasis on the fact that he is expected to “shoot high” and deliver. Harris says that it is humbling that his audience thinks he is capable of such a feat, but I think quite the opposite. I think he is more than capable considering the piece he has churned out revolving around issues of racism, circumstance, and discrimination.
The almost unrestrained joy on Quartez’s face when Daniel mentions the agent he signed with is rather inspiring. From the way he continues to talk about those two agents who reached out to him, you can see the dedication and relief of having that hard work pay off.
Sharon Draper: https://sharondraper.com/
Fun Fact: Sharon Draper is a friend of Room 407. I once met this author in the parking garage of the Galt House in order to receive a bunch of books from her having read on the National Book Award committee.
Quartez responds by saying his content is helping kinds finding their identity. In seeing black literature, it may allow students to understand and create a connection between themselves and Quartez. His books is not just his words, its kids voices.
Here Quartez says that there is not enough literature focused on the African American culture and I completely agree. The only story I know of off the top of my head is “Thank You Ma’am” which just happens to be one of the pieces I am working on for my essay.
As a white person I’ve never had trouble picking up a book and finding myself in it. I can’t imagine being black, latinx, asian, etc and not being able to relate to anything. Literature from different perspectives is crucial for students to see things from a different perspective. It’s unfair for students to not have books with characters that look like them at their fingertips.
I never struggled to find myself in literature. As I get older I get more and more aware of this fact. As someone who is white, I will never truly understand the struggle to find representation in literature.
And the idea that a large majority of teachers are White/Caucasian is another point that I never questioned and just accepted that that’s the way it is. I was mistaken.
Here are some statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_clr.asp
Of Note: 84% White/Caucasian. And this is a growth from the past reporting.
Harris says, “A lot of my text is extracted from conversations I’ve had with students”. He also said that a lot of students gravitate to his classroom and and he writes notes about their conversations then converts it into a poem. It is amazing that so many of these poems are from kids who are given a voice by his poems. It is so important that he is doing what he is doing so everyone can learn and hear things from a perspective other than his.
Harris makes reference to something we call “own voices” in literature that have a huge impact on readers inside and outside of the classroom.
Harris also makes note of the “presence” of “student voices” coming out of his book (due in large part to his journaling after the day’s experiences).
Quartez states that he is “appalled but not surprised,” that schools are reopening doors to education even with the unsafe environment. I think this shows a major flaw in our society and in our education system that our educators are not surprised by the unsafe measures taken by the schools.
Harris expresses his opinions in helping low-income schools after the pandemic. He states, “…there should not be any excuses to invest in low-income schools.” He makes it plain and clear that once the pandemic is over, low-income schools need to be supported more and get the care they so desperately need.
I think he is saying here what a lot of people don’t want to say or face. There were and are without a doubt instructional barriers before covid and I think it is important that this is recognized.
The fact that Quartez believes it will take a student/ teacher getting massively affected by COVID to make the schools understanding is awful. We should never have to sacrifice peoples lives to make others understand what has been laid before them in scientific fact.
I completely agree that these “drastic measures” are horrific. But, there’s truth to what he is saying. So many times we see that people are presented with facts, but don’t fully believe until they see. In this case it would be the effects of COVID on students for the school to merely understand.
When asked on his opinion regarding this global pandemic, Harris believes even before the pandemic schools were still not safe. Harris gives his time up for his students. It’s been stated teachers are updating their wills. Knowing the risks, but willing to do anything to be able to teach their students.
The conversation arises that schools are no longer, or rather have never been, safe for the students/teachers. It is mentioned that they are updating their wills to show the magnitude of the threat. Schools have been unsafe for a significant amount of time, and this is saddening because there are so many precautions that could be taken, that simply aren’t for money/time reasons.
Adding to what was said before and after this, I think he made a good point when he mentioned writing begins when we are alone because that is the time our thoughts are the most heavy.
Harris admits he’s never really sure. He asks other writers to confirm if its done and then he “finishes it,” but stating a poem is never really finished. Its interesting to see how even poets need a second opinion in their own writings.
I feel like there is always more to add to any idea or thought because there is generally always a perspective you have not heard from someone and their situation. I think all types of literature/all types of artists has room to grow and develop.
I think a lot of creatives have these perfectionistic tendencies where they just want to keep working and working on a piece, whether that be a painting, a poem, or a chapter of a novel. This never finished feeling has been the conversation topic of many a day at the Inklings Club at the library.
I’m sure every poet can admit they have the tendency to go back and revise their work, and sometimes they have to fight against that because of publication deadlines like he said, and I’m sure even after it is published they may feel a bit frustrated they didn’t go back and add that one thought or one detail.
“We don’t often see the community that raised the book.” In writing, and any type of literature or readings, we tend to only focus on the author instead of looking at all the other aspects that contributed to the making of the reading. Only focusing on the big name written on the cover.
I thought it was very interesting how Harris says that his poems are never finished. I think that we see here how a good writer is supposed to be and that our work can always be improved. Then DGK says that the community has raised the book, that to me is very true because without loved ones and insight to the world, how would the book be written?
DGK suggests the idea that poems and collections of poems create a community. Harris responds with saying through a community, poems can be digested and broke apart due to different opinions of people, and that is an amazing feat to both speakers.
Harris says that if a white child was to walk into his/her literary classrooms, and only see authors/characters of color, they would feel uncomfortable and unrepresented. I do not think enough light is shed on this topic, considering how horrible it would feel to be consistently under-represented.
Harris tells the audience how there are topics he simply cannot write an entire poem about, so he slips them into other poems. I like this because it needs to be normalized that it is not always easy to write about insignificant/small topics.
General Document Comments 0
1. Cover Art
2. Epigraph by James Baldwin
3. “Ocean”
4. “Alive”
5. “Testing Doesn’t Tell The Whole Story”
6. “Womb”
7. “Cultural Literacy”
8. “Windows”
9. Interview with Quartez Harris at YouTube
Harris, Quartez. We Made It to School Alive. Twelve Arts Press, 2020.
For the purposes of citation you would need to italicize the title of the collection.
Mr. Harris makes the choice to write his poetry in lower case letters. While I often see this a lot in poetry, what exactly does it mean for the author? Is it a way to portray his sorrow? His quiet fury with the world?
Its a choice that he makes to share his emotions outside of just words on a page. It brings a different sense of life to his poems.
Maybe all of the lines and sentences begin with lowercase letters in defiance of the “proper” way to write. Perhaps it is to give the poems an aesthetic of sameness. None of the names are capitalized either. Maybe this, too, is about the stifled creativity of students in school.
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