Reading Response to Poetry

                                       Reading Response to Photography by Nikki Giovanni

Through different eyes, everyone has a different opinion of what they enjoy or find relaxing. Sometimes we get caught up in our own lives that we “forget that cold exists”. However, it is often helpful to take notice that other people can be feeling different things at the same time. The poem “Photography” by Nikki Giovanni describes the speaker’s view of life by using photography as a symbol and metaphor.  To bring emphasis to this topic, Giovanni uses lines breaks to make the text more dramatic. I think Giovanni wants the reader to notice that everyone has their own perspective and opinion, as well as have some control over what these are.

In the poem, Giovanni describes how easy it is to forget the hard things in life when you’re enjoying something else, “it’s easy sitting in the sun/to forget that the cold exists” (8-9). In this quote, the sun symbolizes the enjoyable things in life while the cold represents the less enjoyable or comfortable aspects in Life.

The speaker wants the readers to know “it’s always easy when thinking/we have the best to assume/others covet it/yet surf or sea each has/its love and its meaning/for love” (17-22). In these lines, I think Giovanni is trying to explain to the reader that we all have different ideas on what we things we love and it doesn't change what we think. At the same time it’s easy to forget that these differences exist.

While reading this poem, Giovanni’s last metaphor at the end of the text stood out to me. She states in the metaphor, “then the photo assistant is god” (27) This quote reminds the reader that you can control or decide how you feel about different things and chose what things you have feelings for.

As a teenager, at this age I’m in the middle section of where kids break away to become more independent. Only recently have I entered this part of life, so I am more often in a position to express my own opinion and make choices. Of course being at such a young age and not being used to having so much control over my actions, it can sometimes be hard to decide what path is the right one to take. Like the speaker describes in the poem, I have control of what my opinions are on certain things. Everyone is taking different paths, and a lot of my friends may go different ways, but I can control how I want to be and what my opinions are okay if we all think differently about things. We can co-exist with our different thoughts or opinions.

Works Cited

Giovanni, Nikki. “Photography.”

Why Am I Formal?

I speak

with purpose.

I try

to make

What I’m saying

clear.

Not a

single

Curse word,

to slip

from my mouth.

Everyone else does,

So why

don’t I?

Independent Reading Response to Out Of My Mind By Sharon M. Draper

                When I read Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, I was blown away. Draper’s story describes the challenging and misunderstood life of eleven year old Melody Brooks. Melody has cerebral palsy; she cannot walk, talk, or feed herself. Many misjudge her for having little knowledge based on the fact that she was born with this condition. Throughout the book, Melody describes how many of the people around her act as if she can barely understand or do anything, but really she’s very intelligent.

            From reading this book, Draper reminded me to respect and be considerate towards others, no matter their differences. Even though a lot of people in her life mistreat her, her family and friends still love her for who she is, disabilities and all. In the book, an important family friend of Melody stands up for her in front of a mean girl in Melody’s class, “Some people get braces on their teeth.  Some people get braces on their legs. For others, braces don’t work, so they need wheelchairs and walkers and such. You’re a lucky girl that you only had messed-up teeth. Remember that.” (Draper, p.120) This quote helps explain to the reader how much people care about Melody and reminds everyone to love people for who they are, not based on their looks.

            Although everyone in the world is different, we all have things in common. When comparing someone with disabilities to someone without, you would probably assume they’re not at all alike. People may not have the same abilities, many of us don’t think about whether they are more than they are on the outside. Melody represents all disabled people in the world, and explains to the reader how even though they’re all different, it’s not by that much besides physical appearances. Melody often refers to other kids as “regular”, “I like to watch the ‘regular’ kids as they play four-square while they wait for the bell to ring. They look like they’re having so much fun. They ask one another to play, but no one’s ever asked any of us. Not that we could anyway, but it would be nice if somebody would say ‘Hi.’” (Draper, p.28) In this quote, Melody describes how left out she and the other “disabled” kids feel watching everyone else have fun, and wish that they would at least express that they know and somewhat care that they exist.

            Out of all the chapters, there’s one that stood out to me the most. In this chapter, Melody describes a pet fish she had named Ollie. According to Melody, “Ollie had been a prize from a carnival Dad had taken me to, and I think Ollie’s life was worse than mine.” (Draper, p. 61) All he did all day was swim in circles around a small bowl with tiny pink rocks and a fake log. One day, Ollie just jumped out of his bowl, and committed suicide. When I read this, I wondered why Draper wrote this scene. After thinking about it more, I think she wanted Ollie to be a symbol representing Melody and her small life, where the same things happen every day and nothing changes. Ollie must have wanted to leave his small life and do something to make it change. Melody probably feels like Ollie; she’s trapped in her body with limited abilities and wants something new to happen in her small life.

            After reading Out Of My Mind, it made me think more about how misunderstood and left out those who are physically disabled must feel. Even I’ve got to admit, I don’t really talk to many of the disabled people around me. After hearing the effect of what this can do, my goal is give more attention to those, who many don’t talk to because of their physical appearance. I personally know how it is to be left out, and so do many others; this is one of the things we share, and no one deserves to feel this way. We can look at people with new eyes and be open to communicating and being friendly to all.