Harlem

Harlem is a poem about one fulfilling their dreams. Dreams can be achieved if one believes in themselves and doesn't let anything get in the way. Sometimes someone that might want to reach a dream might get frustrated while doing it. The reason for this is because achieving dreams are sometimes out of the ordinary. "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun"? This sentence is trying to show the meaning of one's dream not getting reached like it should. It can be difficult to achieve certain dreams but in the end it's all worth it. At the end of the poem when it says "Or does it explode?" it is saying does this dream of one’s get reached. To reach a dream is a great feeling for anyone to have. Dreams are possible if anyone believes in themselves. A dream is a glory for anyone to have and one may have to go through different obstacles in their lives along the journey. Harlem is a poem explaining the difficulties African Americans had while trying to reach a dream. They had to battle many different things so it was not easy for them. African Americans wanted to be treated fairly and have freedom. It was hard for them to reach their dream because they had no freedom and were not able too. African Americans wanted to achieve their dreams because they wanted to show white people that they were like them and should have the same opportunity. "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load". Does this dream just exist in thought, or does it come true? Having a dream that you want to come true is a good thing to have in mind. It can help you focus on positive things in life. What happens to a dream deferred? It can make one sad and depressed because of not being able to fulfill that dream. Dreaming is something a lot of people do because it is a fun thing to do. It is nice to think about all the wonderful things out there in the world that can be reached if you put your mind to it. Freedom and equality is what African Americans wanted, they wanted to have the chance to reach a goal or dream they may have. African Americans in my opinion were very strong people. They had to wait a long time to gain freedom for themselves. They were then able to have that chance to go for the dream they wanted. Dreams need to be reached in order for a person to become the person they are. It would not be healthy for anyone to have a dream and then let it go to waste. You got to go for your dream, even if it may take longer than expected. Dreams can come true. African Americans had a dream of being free one day, and that dream came true. It was a hard long journey for them but that dream was reached. Dreams really do come true.

Song No. 3

Song No. 3 is a poem about how a girl feels about herself and how she thinks the world sees her. She has low self-esteem and doesn't like the way she looks. She feels like she does not look like everyone else and one day that will change. People in the world can be judgmental and hateful about how one looks. In the poem it says that people are just smiling to make her feel better because she thinks they feel bad for her. People do not see her like they should because of the skin color she has. People should see the true beauty she has aside from her skin color. Her features are mentioned as being ugly, such as "I know my hair's short, legs and face ashy"; this describes what she sees when she looks at herself. I believe this poem wants readers to see the importance of true beauty. People should not judge one because of how they look. Being comfortable with who you are an important concept that anyone should have. Sometimes it's difficult to feel pretty or confident if you do not like the way you look. "Can't nobody tell me any different" points out how people see her as being different than everyone else. They can't see she is like everyone else even though her skin color is different. Many people battle with obstacles in their life, whether it's appearance or where you come from. At the end of the poem it talks about how people will see her one day. She thinks they will see her as a pretty little black girl. She has this dream because she believes one day it will come true. Everyone will see her as the same and treat her equally. "I'm ugly anybody with sense can see" is describing how most people would see her as being ugly. She is a girl that feels lonely because of how people treat her and the way she looks. She thinks she cannot feel worse than she already does. "So I jump the sidewalk cracks knowing I can't fall'. Life cannot get any worse than it already is for her. She wants to be happy one day with life and her appearance. Being black she notices how her features are different than other people's features. Every part of her she does not like and wants to feel pretty. She just does not have the self-esteem that can make her happy with how she does look. She shows she is a strong woman and goes through life even though she has battles to overcome. One day her life will be the life she wanted, to be happy and confident with herself. Making a change of who you are starts inside you, you have to believe in yourself to make something happen. Having a positive outlook on life starts the journey ahead. Her life will be changed one day when everyone sees her as being beautiful and herself. Changes in life are possible if you put your mind to it.

The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

 “The elephant man" is a drama film that takes place in 1980 and is based on a true story. Joseph Merrick was a boy that ends up having a deformity because his mother gets ran over by an elephant when she is pregnant. Joseph’s deformity is so bad that he has to wear a hood and cap in public. He does this because he doesn’t want to scare people and wants to hide his imperfections. His features are so bad because they are considered enormous and terrifying to look at.

The costumes they created for the play were very modern and old fashioned. Joseph wears a white mask to cover his deformed face. Madge Kendal is the girl that shows Joseph what underneath her clothes when lying on the bed since he had never seen a woman before. Madge wears dresses that show her beauty throughout the play.

Joseph always has to sleep upright in his bed because if he doesn’t he will suffocate because of the ginormous head he has. In the play his head is compared to the circumference of a man’s waist. At the end of the play he dies because he lies all the way back and cannot get up at all. When his lunch is brought he looks so sad because of how he has to live. He wants to be treated like a human being but people looked at him as if he was a monster.

The lighting in the play was very impressive because on sad parts they would dim the lights and more serious scenes the lights would be brightened. Everyone in the play did a good job acting as the characters. The music that was done in the play was very impressive. Near the end of the play when Joseph is getting ready to die the music is very sad. The little dancing characters he sees help him lie down peacefully so he can’t be miserable anymore.

I think this is why he does lie back because he was so unhappy with how he was not treated like a human being and it was hard to always do the same routine every day. Joseph wanted to be like a regular human being. He wanted to finally be able to live a normal life and near the end of the play it shows him dancing without his deformities and he sees himself like that if he finally is able to go to heaven. He had talked about heaven in the play because he sees himself being there. He sees heaven as a peaceful place to be.

This play shows a meaning that people should pay attention too. Everyone in life should be treated like a normal person despite if they have a deformity. People have feelings and Joseph Merrick was one of them but people did not know how to treat him. He was seen as a monster, not a human being.