Time Beings

 In the poems written by Smith and Sanchez, readers are confronted with a clear theme: the need for social change.  However, both poems take different approaches in commenting on this issue, as "Dinosaurs in the Hood" focuses on portrayal in the media in acting on double-time, and "For Sweet Honey in the Rock" focuses on a more urgent form of double-time.   Smith's poem develops the characteristics of an ideal movie--an ideal fictional, yet revolutionary cinematic narrative.  Like Sanchez' poem, which is more directly about a battleground, this film he describes is like a revolution: "where a cop car gets pooped on by a pterodactyl, a scene / where the corner store turns into a battle ground" (stanza 2).  Smith imagines a movie that "is not a vehicle for Will Smith and Sofia Vergara" (stanza 3), which suggests that it needs to be relatable and a social commentary on the social challenges/inequalities of minorities in society.  He also ass

 During my reading of the second half of Hamilton, I was completely captivated on the scene entitled SAY NO TO THIS which depicts Hamilton's struggle about cheating on his wife with Maria Reynolds but ultimately falling into his desire of lust and then trying to hide the fact by paying James Reynolds. I personally believe that the scene holds great importance because it clearly depicts the weakness of the human mind as the ensemble acts as the voice of reason but Hamilton succumbs to his lust.     To start off, Hamilton begins with a prayer to God to "show him how to/ Say no to this" invitation by Maria as "her legs spread and said stay" (176). Hamilton immediately going into prayer in order to try and resist his lust shows how quickly he became pulled into his lust because praying to God can often be seen as a last resort to people when everything else has failed and they put it up to the Lord's power to save them. In this specific case, we can infer that H

  Danez Smith’s poem “Dinosaurs in the Hood” is a fascinating examination of the role that time plays in conveying stories, specifically through filmmaking.     In his work, Smith envisions a movie in which Black communities fight dinosaurs and emerge triumphant.     As I read and listened to Smith’s work, I began to consider the way in which time plays a role in how we as viewers understand and respond to a person’s story.     Those involved in the production of a movie are given, roughly, a two-hour time frame to convey the intricacies and details of a story.     Smith compares the ways in which that brief and important period of time can convey either an uplifting or degrading story about the Black community.     In his poem, time is of the essence.     From the opening scene of his imagined film to its ending, Smith focuses on how the brief movie-going experience can convey a much longer, deeper, and more impactful story. In the second stanza of his poem, Smith writes, “Don’t let T

In recent years there has been much needed and overdue focus on diversity  of Academy award winners and  nominees , specifically since the 2015 Oscars .   There are  actually new   diversity rules that will take place in the coming years.   I think it’s important to hold Hollywood accountable in  creating films that are diverse in both casting a s well as  behind the scene s  like in production and whatnot . However, the issue of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups  in film  is more complex than simply  how diverse a film production  looks .    A solution to underrepresented racial group s ,  specifically black Americans ,  has been to create movies that are  generally focused on a common experience or struggle faced by the entire race .  Or ,   if  a struggle or painful experience is not  the focu s ,   th e n  racial  stereotypes are usually portrayed. The point that Smith  elaborates on  is to give  black people and people of color the freedom to act in movies that aren’t focu

     "Dinosaurs in the Hood" by Danez Smith immediately stood out to me. Its words, references to current social justice problems, and pop culture create such a clear and standout story. Smith urges society to stop allowing real social issues be portrayed in movies and tv by famous actors. This never-ending cycle takes away the validity away from these situations, and replaces it with glamour, fame, and seemingly impossible outcomes. If we are going to properly show real-world issues, we need a real-world cast–heroes who aren't famous, rather they come from broken homes, different races, and are all sorts of ages.      Smith's ideal movie  alludes to the fact of racial injustice is understood through film. There are so many stereotypes surrounding race driven films. Smith is tired of seeing mainstream actors like Will Smith play the hero in a story that is cheesy and unrealistic. These movies end with some sort of progression, but in reality, that usually isn't a

Kanye West has released many religious and Gospel inspired songs in recent years, however, “Wash Us in the Blood” provides a direct connection between racial justice and Christianity. The invocation of religious symbols and ideas is intentionally provocative in Kanye’s music, especially in this piece where he makes a hard statement about the nature of being Black in America. Kanye is not the only one to purposefully be provocative. Sonia Sanchez and Danez Smith also provoke their audiences. I argue that the authors of these works do this in order to generate strong emotions and outrage in discussions around racial justice.    “Wash Us in the Blood” is truly provocative when it comes to the religious community. One of the most provoking lines, in my opinion, is this:   “Let it off, set it off Execution, thirty states (that’s why) Thirty states still execute (ah) Thou shall not kill”   Here, West, invokes one of the ten commandments in conjunction with the reality that the death penalty

Something that I found interesting about the play Hamilton was how much of the issues that were discussed back then in the time of the founding fathers are still discussed today. History repeats itself. One example of this is on page 193, during the second Cabinet Battle, where Washington, Hamilton, and Jefferson are discussing whether to help the French in their revolutionary war. Hamilton says, “If we try to fight in every revolution in the world, we never stop. Where do we draw the line?” As an imperialist country, this quote still stands true today. The United States is known for unnecessarily getting involved in other countries. I like Miranda’s little side note at the end of this sentence because he says that there’s usually a “wild-card reaction,” to these lines; either people are silent, there’s applause, or there’s a dawning realization that the country is still like this. Almost 250 years later, this idea is still prominent in the United States. Another example of this is on

In Hamilton , there are many important phrases that change meaning as the play progresses. The first one that I noticed was "Helpless". "Helpless" was a word Eliza used to describe how she felt when she was falling in love with Hamilton. It implied that there was nothing she could do about her feelings besides surrender to them. However, on page 143, she describes herself as "helpless" in another context. Hamilton somewhat spirals after the war is won, desperate to continue to make progress and establish an effective government in America. Many people beg him to slow down and appreciate the fact that they won, but he does not listen. Because Eliza also is ignored when she tries to calm her husband, she describes herself as "helpless". A word that once described their love story is now being used to show how Hamilton is acting somewhat out of control and Eliza is unable to tame him. Another phrase that I noticed changed as the play went on was tha

Lin-Manual Miranda’s masterful hip-hop musical, Hamilton , eloquently ties together time theories that show the impact time’s understanding has on the development of a character and the motivation behind their actions.  Miranda’s work could not avoid discussion of the implications of understanding time, as he draws on history with his own lens, exposing his personal beliefs in time.  Miranda draws on national time in consideration of the creation of the United States, developing an understanding of the U.S.’s construction with a more modern and diverse perspective. The understanding of national time within this musical is seen through the creation of the nation, and Miranda’s understanding of ‘double time’ that was not considered in America’s history.  The U.S. Constitution was not written with consideration for those who were not experiencing life the same way as those writing it.  It did not consider the humanity of slaves, Native Americans, or women, who all experienced (and continu

As the play progresses, it becomes clear to the audience that Hamilton's view of marriage and love, in general, is very different from that of his wife, Eliza. With this being said, Eliza appeared to immediately take on the roles in the domestic sphere while Hamilton concerned himself with worldly issues and pursuits - thus, ultimately further perpetuating the longstanding trope of our patriarchal society. In saying this, Hamilton's mind appeared to rarely be focused on Eliza, while Eliza's mind seemed to solely focus on her husband and her pursuits in convincing him to stay home with her.  Hamilton's trope of infidelity was further exemplified in Act II when he meets Maria Reynolds. Reynolds originally approaches Hamilton asking for money and a companion to walk her home. With this being, while this encounter appeared rather innocent at first, the relationship between the two quickly escalated once they arrived at Reynold's residence. For example, in explaining the

Alison views herself through a lense of "otherness." She seems to repeatedly find molds in her life that she refuses to fit in to, or perhaps cannot fit into. Her youth is defined by this sense of otherness and not fitting it. The notion of the other focuses around noticeable or senseable differences. Instead of her differences being on display and an overt cause of her diversion, she creates her differences out of expression, revolt, and necessity. There is an ever present difference between Alison and her family, her hometown, her surroundings, etc. The conformity sponsored by her mother and father provides the normalcy that Alison must differ from. She cuts her hair, she wears boys' clothing, and she will consequently go to publicly and proudly "break" from the traditional family life style her father so craved.  The discovery of otherness came slow to Alison as she crafted her identity throughout the novel. The most major and most formative, in my opinion, s

     The novel Fun Home , like many of the other texts that we have read this semester, utilizes the past to help the narrator, Alison, understand the circumstances that she finds herself in.  Throughout the novel, she relies on moments and exchanges between herself and her father that allow readers to understand her upbringing, and the specific moments that led her to become the narrator who's words we are reading.  The ways in which Alison comes to understand her self and gain self-awareness are rooted in the identity that her father possesses and the way that he expresses himself throughout his life.  Their identities and histories intersect in powerful ways as Alison comes to know and accept herself.     One pivotal moment that shows the ways in which Alison and her father's histories and stories overlap is through the photographs that she has.  The novel emphasizes a relationship between the father and daughter that is very much lacking emotional support.  The two have ver

  After finishing  Fun Home , I kept thinking back to one  particular scene  that stuck out to me. On pages 220 and 221, Bechdel draws herself and her father in the car on the way to the movies.  This sequence of drawings stands out from the rest of the book because it is made up of twenty-four equally sized squares  and it’s the most honest conversation we get between Alison and her father.    This scene represents the complicated bond Alison had with her father.  At the end of this conversation, Alison ponders to herself, “But which of us was the father? I had felt distinctly parental listening to his shamefaced recitation” (221).  Alison  was  able to achieve a sense of identity and acceptance of her sexuality in a way that her father never did. It’s  apparent  that Alison  sometimes  feels guilty about coming out to her parents  because she  wonders if her father  committed  suicide in  reaction to that.  In this scene, Alison  wants to bond with her father over their shared identi