Memoir review (Death's lesson)

The memoir I read was Death's lesson by Mitchell W.  which had seemed to be very popular among my classmates. The kid (Mitchell) talks about his Grandpa who he admired very much, and how he learned a lesson from him passing away. This story kinda hit home because I feel the exact same way about my Grandpa and I know he's getting older as time passes and I know he won't be here all the time. The writer goes on to SAY that he learned a lesson, but never really SHOWED us (show don't tell). He skipped a few times too(although I don't know the full story or whether or not he had a word limit) which was very noticeable. Overall a decent memoir about a specific memory he had. He set it up in a way where he showed the relationship between him and his grandpa (building emotions) and then told about how he passed which made the reader sympathize him and let us know why it was such a strong, note worthy memory.

The Vietnam war

We are at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it has been said if we lose that war, and in so doing lose this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening.
--Ronald Reagan, 1964.


    See, the Vietnam war started with the French and Vietnamese fighting and then Communist North vietnam trying to take over south vietnam. The Americans seen this as a DIRECT threat to democracy, seeing that there has already been a domino effect, in play already (China/Russia's influence on Vietnam) and then Communism will spread, spread, spread in a "Domino effect" as country, by country they fall to Communism.

There is the guilt all soldiers feel for having broken the taboo against killing, a guilt as old as war itself. Add to this the soldier's sense of shame for having fought in actions that resulted, indirectly or directly, in the deaths of civilians. Then pile on top of that an attitude of social opprobrium, an attitude that made the fighting man feel personally morally responsible for the war, and you get your proverbial walking time bomb.
--Philip Caputo, 1982


The war turned out to be NOTHING they expected to be.

Langston Hughes: Let America Be America Again

"O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")" 

--Langston Hughes

Well Langston Hughes touched on the thought that America, isn't the america that has been advertised "false patriotic wreath". How America is advertised as "the land of libertyy" but "There's never been equality for me" back in the early 20th century. How the same people who came over for freedom enslaved Africans. Because in America I know FOSHOO that blacks were in the senate, and in presidential elections in the early 20th century. I mean equality was promised too right? But no the strong is able to over power the weak and the weak sits at the bottom with no one to speak, for them and the situation of "dog eats dog" repeats. right? See this is what Mr. Hughes preached in his, "Let America Be America Again" speech.

"I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!"

Im sure this passage is pretty much self explanatory saying how the greed in America is so strong that they don't care about the people and the men's well being as long as they're getting more wealth than they actually need.
And this my friend, is THEE truth. Amen.

Looking at Gatsby from another side: The George Wilson story.

"Beat me, Beat me!" she continued to cry out. "Throw me down and beat me you little coward!" She waled and flopped her hands in a flashy attitude as she walked out, and before I could do anything--everything, was done.
A blur, a flash, within the speed of light, a sudden moment changed my whole life. One car,one driver, one accelerator, one brake... one brake, that wasn't used.

As the frenetic crowd drew toward my garage in a somewhat state of disarray, I began to get worried, and mad, and sad, so many mixed emotions. I hadn't even noticed my self pacing and swinging my hands, and sweating, and worrying, is the room spinning? Oh my  god I just can't stand by myself. Then suddenly i felt a tight grip around my arms and a figure screaming at me, some jibber jabber, nothing important I'm guessing. Then I lost myself, and suddenly came to the realization of what was happening. Tom was shaking me "Listen! I just got here a minute ago from New York. I was bringing you the coupe we've been talking about. That yellow car i was driving this afternoon wasn't mine do you hear? I haven't seen it all afternoon."

Thee American Dream.

     Well I guess you can say the American dream is the pursuit of happiness, and living well-off/comfortably. So I decided to do some research on "The American Dream". I thought that I would find some crap about "having money, and being rich, and blah blah blah, owning a corvette..." but instead I found this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPWH5TlbloU&lc=dfxWTkOlqnmczWE__npRF34Ls6jQWCyA-ANzbD_oAKk&context=C39a5287ADOEgsToPDskKA6_hG8Nxy6Tae0N00w78r. A short animated film about "The American Dream" and exactly WHY we can't have the American dream. It explains what's preventing "The American Dream", the crooked banks. See, it explains how these crooked banks will loan money, something called "debt loans". They'll loan it to people who don't really need it and the more that they loan, the more debt is put on the individual, so that the banks can make money. Then goes on to tell that the Feds, give these banks the money to loan, by simply printing more (which is unconstitutional). Even though it is a "Federal reserve" it's not owned by the government, but instead it's a private business, owned by private investors. The treasury is supposed to print the money, but the Fed prints the money, then loan it to the government, while charging them interest, which is paid for with the TAXES that WE pay.
     Well I don't wanna give up the whole video, go check it out, also famous recording artist Lupe Fiasco made a song "Words I've never said" saying something similar to this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22l1sf5JZD0&ob=av2e
   

Music review: Kiid Will

     Kiid Will, is an up and coming artist, a Chicago teen (one of my childhood friends) who has just put out a Mixtape a week or 2 ago. The Mixtape's name is all or nothing and is pretty decent for a young artist's first Mixtape. It features tracks like Mac Miller's party on 5th ave, and also Lupe Fiasco's I gotcha. It is well put together and he remixes mostly the old hip-hop type beats. His flow is definitely deserving a listen and his lyrics are smooooth. He doesn't react to the world, but he tells a story, of a Chicago teen, trying to make it in the industry.
    Even though he hasn't made it or gotten any recognition, he has so much charisma. His videos, for example, he has a "Let's sit back and chilllllll" swagger in him.

The track list goes:
1. Procession(Intro)
2. Party on 5th Ave.
3. CM Freeverse
4.Nobody Stoppin' me
5. All Day Long
6. Takeover
7. All or Nothing
8. The Chill- PHRESHKIDS
9. Move on
10. Microphone Diaries
11. Truth Is
12. Dedication To God

The Mixtape is downloadable from http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kiid_will-all-or-nothing-mixtape.40667.html
Follow him on Twitter @KiidWill
Check out his videos at KiidWill on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/KiiDWiLL

Winter Poem

What's so exciting about being cold and a season where you have to wear big boots?
Do you like wearing big boots, and have 89732196 layers of clothing?
A season where everything is bright and white... ew.
Everyone loves COLORS!!!
Green, Yellow, Orange, Red I have 'em all.
You can pile all of the leaves together that has fallen and JUMP in them
But nope, Winter gets allllll the love.
Maybe I should get more love.
After all I show you all of the pretty colors!
well, I guess it's time to bundle up, put on your snow boots
Shovel some snow, and get Winter over with as SOON as POSSIBLE. :)