Hello! As you may have noticed I am not in class this week because I am participating in a Model UN conference in NYC this week which also means that I don’t really have time to work on other things, that is why I had to do my found poem on a word document, copying and pasting screenshots haha
I decided to use the Paragraph 175, which is a part of the German criminal code the Nazi revised in 1935 that made illegal “a very broad range of behavior between men.” Here is a google doc I made with the paragraph 175, I encourage you all to have a look a it to see how crazy it was. https://docs.google.com/document/d/194P_vEVmlUgBGna3GFqPo6v8TogB01-WC9hzGoCqNGw/edit?usp=sharing
So, having that paragraph that basically made illegal, not only relationship between men, but also “inappropriate acts”, I decided to make a “love poem” somehow recognizing gay love, that, at the end, is human love.
I’m going to give you a little background information about myself and why I chose the topic of Feminism for my found poem. I have a big family, I have two brothers and two sisters and growing up I would often find myself almost competing with my younger brother. As I grew older I began to realize how different things were for me than things were for him. I love my parents very much however they are parents are very sexist. Still to this day my parents give my younger brother more freedom than I have ever had and he is two years younger than me and extremely irresponsible. However, I found myself reaping the consequences of never being able to have that much freedom especially when I got to highschool. In highschool if a girl chose to dress however she wanted or do whatever she pleased she was often labeled a “slut.” I couldn’t wait to leave high school because I craved freedom and I wanted to be able to do whatever I wanted. Since I was never allowed to do anything in high school when I did come to college I went a little crazy my first semester of my freshman year. I remember hearing girls call me a “whore” and judge me for the things I decided to wear. Many people girls especially weren’t too fond of me because of the clothes that I decided to put on my body even though it didn’t affect them. I was being shamed by girls AND guys and I remember having a breaking point because I didn’t know why no one liked me or what I did that was so bad. I started to see change in myself my sophomore year of college. I remember reading “We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and it changed my life. I didn’t know the word for what I was. I always thought negatively about feminists. But I am a feminist and I believe that women and men and all types of people should be free to express themselves how they want. Boys and girls should not be treated so differently and girls should not be shamed for the things boys are applauded for. I want to break gender stereotypes because they drive me nuts and I believe that everyone is equal and one’s gender or race or sexual orientation should not be held over their heads.
I chose a forum about feminism because many people are uneducated about what feminism is and what feminists typically believe. There are many negative connotations that come along with being a feminist. Many of the comments bash feminists and many people seem to think that feminists like to depict men as the bad guy however that isn’t true. Feminism is about equality of all people not just women. However, things are different for women than they are for men and feminisms bring that to people’s attention.
In my found poem I chose the insulting and negative comments that stood out to me. I hope you all enjoy!
Hi everyone! My found poem is from the poem Black Bird by Laura C. Taylor. This poem is about Taylor and how she was raped at the young age of 12. Taylor wrote this poem to bring awareness to a topic that most people don’t understand, whether its because they have never experienced such a traumatic experience, or just imply don’t get the rape culture s a whole. Taylor wrote in a short synopsis of this poem that she hoped this poem would either help those who read it connect directly or connect through other people, such as friends or family that have been raped before. Moreover, I made my found poem the same topic of the original poem because I do believe this topic is extremely important in bringing awareness and help to those who have experienced it. When I was picking out the words to black out I wanted to use words such as “scarred” and “shattering” because they are so powerful in explaining just how she felt while it was happening. Overall, after reading this poem I gained a greater understanding rape, and rape awareness.
For my found poem, I decided to take the last paragraph of Brock Turner’s father’s statement to the judge. I’m sure we all know the backstory of this event, and how horrific it was, not only for the victim but for people who had been raped and were hoping for a fair trial.
In creating this poem, I chose the last paragraph as it was the part that I think bothered me the most. For something this dark and heavy, I felt that one small paragraph would suffice. Cutting and pasting in different sequences didn’t feel right to me, not when I had his words right there just waiting to be highlighted or redacted. So many of his words align with the idea that we live in a rape-culture. I wanted to keep the words in the order that Dan Turner put them in. They are his words, but I wanted to block out all the fluff to get to the real message underneath… for all the victims and to point out the flaws in our society when it comes to rape.
Hi All! First, I’d like to say that I hope everyone enjoyed being an artist and creating your own individual found poems. Second, I would like to thank those of you who read my found poem and those who took the extra step to comment. Finally, I hope you found my poem to be powerful. I am extremely passionate about this topic and dedicated a lot of time to create this masterpiece.
I chose to make my found poem based on an article from the New York Times called “Inside One Woman’s Fight to Rewrite the Law on Marital Rape” written by Jenn Ackerman. The article was published on April 13, 2019, and discusses the fight to criminalize marital rape that stretches back decades. Most states have loopholes within the law that make it more difficult to prosecute rape by an intimate partner. A woman, one of many, named Jenny Teeson, is fighting to change this law in her home state, Minnesota. The issue of marital rape has been an ongoing, ignored problem that has come up “as early as 1848” (Ackerman). The legal director for the National Women’s Law Center states in the article that “it’s long overdue to treat rape in the martial setting with the same seriousness as rape that occurs outside of it”.
As I was looking for articles that made me anger or upset, I came across this article that did indeed, make me mad and upset. I began reading it and my mind spun with confusion. Sometimes, actually most times, I truly do not understand the justice system in the United States. My heart burned with fury as I read the absolutely disgusting acts some husbands have done to their wives. It baffles me that under the law, women still are unfairly treated. What the hell is the difference between a husband raping his wife or a random man on the street raping a random woman? I do not see a difference at all because at the end of the day, rape is still rape. A documentation stating that you are married by law does not make the rape any different or less painful or make it justifiable. Another issue I cannot wrap my brain around is the fact that these husbands raping their wives do not get close to the charges that they deserve due to the law. How insane is that?
On another note, this article was five pages long containing a whole lot of overwhelming and heavy information. I struggled trying to figure out what language and facts are the most important and powerful. As I look at my finished product, I am happy to see the most extreme points laid out. I feel as though this project allowed me to turn an article into a poem and bring a more direct impact to the matter. My absolute favorite part of my found poem is the last line that states “men are not entitled to women’s bodies”. I put a black box underneath it to give more attention because it is the main, crucial point women are trying to make. Men do not have the power over women’s bodies. It is not the late 1800s; It is 2019. However, this problem exists and cannot be ignored by laws.
Hi guys! I hope everyone had a great day. Thanks for reading my poem!
I found an article about vegans which was recently published. Of course I had to pick one on that topic, right? The article was about how activists should be targeting corporations instead of the people who choose to buy the ‘products’. Here’s the thing: We tell the industries to make more of the product when we purchase from them. It’s supply and demand. It’s a business, and businesses that big don’t care about the animals, the environment, or your health. I highlighted the words I wanted to pick from the article in red because it depicts the animal industry well. The words in white are what the corporations want to sell to you – at least at the top of the poem – just like the words I put over the photograph which was in the article (the words were supposed to represent a cage). The poem is intended to be like the hierarchy in society. The corporation, the first, big word, is at the top. The center consists of you, or everyone that is not part of the corporations. We can choose to do the research and make a change. And at the bottom are the animals, viewed as products. The words “you,” “animals?” and “corporate” are repeated to emphasize this fine line between the industry and the animals that are exploited everyday.
We are all capable of making great changes in the world. I know so many of you are probably thinking “we get it, take a seat tree hugger,” but it really starts with one person. You can save multiple lives from the thousands of animals you keep off your plate. Your dollar is your vote. I hope this poem has affected some of you! I put so much thought in to this because I genuinely want to make an impact. If any of you are interested in veganism or have a question, please message me. I don’t bite (wouldn’t be very vegan of me you know).
The media portrays abortion like it is such a wrong thing to do, but I believe that every woman has their right to choose and nothing will ever be able to change that. I could not add another image, so I’m just going to write out the rest of the poem in case anyone is interested:
legalize abortion
nightmare forced continue regardless of harm them or family
no exceptions for rape or incest.
Trump
extremist, anti-woman
attack women’s health
I got this from a news article discussing the new Ohio abortion law. here is the link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-ban-signed-into-law/ . It basically discusses how women in Ohio can no longer choose. This topic has been very controversial, especially in the media, for years.
I understand that it is a sensitive topic for many people, however coming from someone who has experienced circumstances that I would need to get an abortion if I were to get pregnant, I hold my ground on this topic. Women have been put through some pretty awful things and almosty always seen as lesser, and that needs to change. Women deserve the right to choode what happens to their own body.
Since I wasn’t able to find something I disliked, I decided to use a poem that I always revisit when asked to look at poetry. For this found poem, I decided to shift the point of view of the poem from the view of the onlookers to the view of the persona.
Hi everyone! If you chose to read my Found Poem, thank you! These words are lyrics from the late Mac Miller’s song “Come Back to Earth” which discusses his mental health issues. I decided to pick these lyrics because it’s upsetting to me that not too long after this album came out, the artist passed away tragically. This song is about his regrets in life and how he feels he is drifting around in nothingness. I chose this also because I feel that many people can relate to the demons of regret that eat away at one’s mind. This poem is pretty dark which is reflective of the dark voices in people’s heads who struggle with their mental health. Mental health has been stigmatized in our society and I feel that if people didn’t turn away from those who suffer mentally, we wouldn’t have lost the amazing Mac Miller who struggled with mental health and addiction.
Hi guys! I just want to start and say thank you to those who read my found poem, especially to those who took time to comment! I really did enjoy this assignment.
I choose this page out of The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, to do my found poem on. If you’re familiar with the novel, you are aware of Daisy Buchanan’s hopes for her daughter. In her conversation with her cousin, Nick, she states, “I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (21). I personally believe that women are born to be so much more than this. Daisy believes that ignorance is bliss; she wants her daughter to grow up in a perfect world, unaware of the hardships she is facing in society. However, with this attitude, Daisy is prohibiting her daughter from becoming a stronger woman in society. In order to overcome boundaries, we must not be ignorant to the issues and hardships around us. The original page is rather degrading to women, boiling them down to be “beautiful little fool[s]” (21). The world has changed since this novel was written (based in the 1920s), and for the better. Slowly but surely, womens’ voices are gaining more power in society.
I wanted to embrace the idea of Daisy’s daughter being empowered and defying societal odds, rather than just being a beautiful toy in soicety. I focused on turning this page around, and enjoyed doing so. This poem is created to give Daisy’s daughter a powerful voice. I believe that women are born in this world to be powerful and force a greater change in society, which is why I focus on how she will show the world this success. Women are advancing in society, thus gaining a voice and defying odds. The line, “Her voice had been a trick of some sort,” portrays the idea that the daughter is ‘tricking’ this ancient idea that men have the upper hand in society. Her voice is acting as a trick because she is able to speak and gain a sense of self in this world. I tried to create a poem that was the exact opposite of the original passage in order to juxtapose these two ideas of how women are portrayed in society.
