Once upon a time...

http://eastsidenews.org/2014/12/ongoing-genocide-in-darfur/

https://www.ted.com/talks/emtithal_mahmoud_a_young_poet_tells_the_story_of_darfur#t-637703
oud

     In Emtithal Mahmoud's TED talk she used two poems to talk about her experience witnessing and fleeing the genocide in Darfur. In the first poem the sacrifices and sorrows of the war, continually coming back to the fact that her family had to be silent as they drank their breakfast tea or the war planes would know they were there. In this poem she focuses on the fact that people have continually tried to keep her from telling her stories because they are saddening, which she argues are why we need them and why she tells them through verse. In her transition she explains in her second poem she tries to have a happier tone, despite her stories having so much tragedy, because that is people people have demanded of her stories her whole life. She then tells the story of her cousin wanting her to read everything to her in every language before she died and how doing that in front of her family was her most important stage she will ever stand on. She ends the poem by explaining her cousin's illness causing an enlargement of her heart muscles and how only ironic it was that it was her big heart that would kill her.

     The three tools primarily used by Mahmoud were pathos, use of verse, and repetition. She uses pathos as to reflect her primary message about not wanting to talk about things because they are sad. Examples of her use of pathos are when she talks about the graves of her people sticking in her throat and how she now only wore shoes she knows she can run in despite having escaped the war, both of which evoke a sympathy in the audience. Though this is her intention, she does this not to get pity from the audience but to show them that happiness and sadness are intertwined and though we want to avoid sad stories, they are the most important ones to hear. The speaker also uses verse to create pacing, which allows her to create moments of intensity and solemn to demonstrate that her tragedies cannot be summed up simply. An example of this is when she is asked to comment on the number of people fleeing her country and she uses repetition of the word "fact" to build the pace and intensity to show her feelings in that moment. Repetition, like in her coming back to the story of her family at breakfast, also is used to bring her poem back to the small tragedies as well as the huge ones.

     I have always loved all forms of storytelling, whether it be books, movies, stories from old people, anything. However, my mom has always gotten on my case about reading really depressing books in schools or watching sad shows because she swears they make you sad. In her mind, if you watch happy things you will be happy, plain and simple. My answer to her is the stories that matter are the ones that make you feel something, especially the sad ones because those are the honest and unapologetic ones that make you want to do something about it. The first time we ever had this debate was after I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda, which to this day is one of my all time favorites. I told her that the movie was supposed to be sad because what happening in Rwanda was awful and the movie served as a warning to audience members as to what happens when you don't take action, even if the problem is halfway around the world from you. This came to mind during Mahmoud's talk, but I loved that she did tell tragic stories, but showed the audience that you cannot simply rip apart sad and happy because in the most grim of circumstances she found joy. From her talk, I will take away the importance of letting everyone share their story and making sure anyone willing to speak knows they have a willing listener. 
     Overall, the purpose of this talk was to show the importance of all stories, even sad ones. It is also to show that even the grimmest of stories cannot be completely isolated from happiness because in every situation both exist. From this, the speaker wants the audience to encourage all those who are willing to share their stories.

Don't HYDE from this Blog Post!

Me from my performance of Jekyll and Hyde from freshman year!

Analyze, compare and contrast the idea development and voice in the the two excerpts in 1-2 paragraphs. It might be helpful to examine: 

- appearance

- speech

- actions

- thoughts/feelings

- other character's reactions

- From chapter 2: Mr. Utterson stepped out and touched him on the shoulder…, ending with ...he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house.
When Mr. Hyde is first approached he is shocked and described as having, "shrank back with a hissing intake of breath" (Stevenson 18).  This shows that he does not like, and is not normally, interacting with other people and seems almost afraid. He also speaks in a curt and irritated mood. However, Mr. Utterson is not initially afraid of Mr. Hyde, as shown by him maintaining eye contact and composure when he asks to see Mr. Hyde's face. By the end of the exchange Mr. Hyde is furious and blatantly calls Mr. Utterson a liar, showing his transition from fearful to enraged. He also continues to lose any composure throughout their conversation. Mr. Hyde is also described as grunting and snarling, making him seem animalistic.

- From chapter 6, starting with: Now that that evil influence..., and ending with ...and the knowledge is more than he can bear.

Before Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is described as, "once more their familiar guest and entertainer" (Stevenson 38). This shows Dr. Jekyll was social, unlike Mr. Hyde who snarled at Mr. Utterson in their short encounter. Dr. Jekyll is also viewed as righteous and charitable, which is, of course, the opposite of Mr. Hyde. However, he is later described as holed up in the house, which is similar to how Mr. Hyde is described when he meets Mr. Utterson. In terms of appearance, Mr. Jekyll has transitioned into "his flesh had visibly fallen away; he was visibly balder and older" (Stevenson 39). This is also similar to Mr. Hyde in they are both described as small and having weaker features, which emphasizes that the line between Jekyll and Hyde had grown blurry.

Step 2) Compose a poem for two voices for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde using what you uncovered in Step 1. Be sure to include a brief explanation of your purpose and intended effect for the poem as well as the poem itself.

Jekyll                                                   Hyde

I live by day
                                                              I live by night
But I am in too deep this time
                                                              But I have only just begun
My will is growing weaker
                                                              And I am growing stronger
I want to get away
                                                              He is trying to escape me
But my oversight is glaring at me
                                                              But what he does not realize is
WE ARE ONE IN THE SAME           WE ARE ONE IN THE SAME


The purpose of the this poem is to show the feelings of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as the power balance shifts in Mr. Hyde's favor. The intended impact on the audience is to show that the line between good and evil is less stark than we realize, and our ambition can overtake us. To do this, I use contrasting statements that converge at the end showing the transition from black and white good and evil to the same.