Poem/ Song Lyric

Poem/Song lyric:

Words I Never Said- Lupe Fiasco

1.     This song talks a lot about the glamorization of negativity in the media and how it needs to be stopped. I believe that this problem angers many people whom just want fairness and happiness but instead are stuck with all of these news stories.

“If you turn on TV, all you see's a bunch of what-the-*****
Dude is dating so-and-so, blabbering 'bout such and such

And that ain't Jersey Shore, homie that's the news
And these the same people supposedly telling us the truth
Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza Strip was getting bombed, Obama didn't say ****

That's why I ain't vote for him, next one either
I'ma part of the problem, my problem is I'm peaceful
And I believe in the people
Yeah”

2.     Another point that this story talks about is status symbols dictating our worth as individuals. It’s like having a label on you that says –poor or –black. This problem clearly shows that your worth is near nothing and that you can’t escape your titles.

“Murdering is not Islam, and you are not observant, and you are not a Muslim, Israel don't take my side, 'cause look how far you've pushed them”

3.     Education- we want our education system to be meaningful so we can educate our future politicians.

“Uh, and a bunch of other cover ups
Your child's future was the first to go with budget cuts
If you think that hurts them, wait, here comes the uppercut
The school was garbage in the first place, that's on the up and up”

This an Lupe Fiasco clearly cares about the future of the US and he

believes that solving our greatest issues will make the world a better place. In the music video for this song, it seems that people have little masks over their mouths because the government is forcing them to. It is like a future dystopian scene right out of a movie. At the end of this video, a woman takes off her mask and others start doing that too to show rebellion against the government and their terrible ideas.

Ms. Berner Letter for Book Banning

Dear Ms. Berner,

Recently, book banning in middle and high schools has been sweeping America like an epidemic, especially young adult fiction. Many of these books reference sexual acts, racism, and religious disrespect. I have heard of the recent discussion of banning books in sixth grade libraries here at MS 51. I believe that our sixth graders are mature enough for these harsh subjects being that they are making the transition into teenhood.  Since you will make  the executive decision on whether  to remove certain books from class libraries or not, it is most important that you understand the importance of YA fiction. Banning YA fiction shouldn’t be allowed but kids should still get parents permission to read them for books that may be potentially violent or inappropriate.

In an alltime 10’s video of the "Top 10 banned books of all time", are the greatest classics that the world has come to know are included. This list includes The Diary of Anne Frank and The Da Vinci Code, and even the dictionary. Chances are you’ve heard of these books before because of how much they have brought people too great discoveries and even tears. On another untitled top 10 list, many autobiographies are displayed. During the video, rock and roll music is played to show a sign of rebellion and change to remind people of the story of rock and roll and that book banning will hopefully turn out the same, with the rebellious people coming in on top. Book banning has gotten absolutely out of hand and sooner or later, books like Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss wil be the victims of book banning because people can’t really move mountains. These minor problems cause overreacting and this madness needs to stop. People absolutely adore the most banned books because they hold some of the most meaningful themes and the most vital lessons to know.

On ABC channel 13, a segment called “Book Under Fire” took place in Montgomery County, Texas to address the banning of the book Fahrenheit 451. High schooler Diana Verm received an assignment where she would read from Fahrenheit 451 which contained a scene depicting  the burning of the bible and other religious books. Reporter Deborah Wrigley interviewed her, her father Alton Verm, and Darrel Lee, the student organizer of Caney Creek high school. Diana Verm refused to do the assignment because of the burning of the bible, then her father tried to ban the book all throughout the school. I strongly disagree with Diana Verm because in this book, the characters burns all of the religious books and every other book as well. They aren’t singling out christians, they are just burning everything. This shows the stupidity that book banning comes from and how ridiculous book banning becomes. In this news story, not only  did book banning look like a joke, it shows the side effects of the powers of book banning.

Author Sherman Alexie of the popularly banned book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, wrote about his experience with the feedback of this book and his very own opinion on Young Adult fiction in the article “Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood”. To give some background info, this book being written about shows how a teen boy overcomes problems that have to do with his social class and friend problems. Of course this book is inappropriate but it is vital to know the lessons learned. Sherman Alexie writes, “I spoke about resilience-- about my personal struggles with addiction and mental illness-- but it was the student speakers who told the most important stories about survival.” This shows that this YA fiction can work even better than a common psychiatrist because of the IMPACT is has on readers. Young Adult fiction explains the problems in the world and shows how a teen overcame it, as an example that teens can learn by. Young adult fiction is so realistic and truthful, that it has many qualities of non-fiction narrative.

Bill Moyers, an American journalist once said, “Censorship is the enemy of truth, even more than a lie. A lie can be exposed, but censorship can prevent us from knowing the difference.” This means that censorship completely hides all of the truths from us, whereas lies can be uncovered. Book banning is an example of censorship or maybe just hiding the truth all together. As our 6th graders mature, they must know how to solve their problems, and these books have cured many people of common teen problems such as depression and drug related types which, the problems 6th graders might be starting to feel and learn about.

-Kevin Gold

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